Purse paradox: how do you deal?

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#16
I am an attorney too.

I am a cost per wear believer. I like to spend in what I am going to enjoy more and most. Okay, I spend too much in bags period, but given the choice, I rather spend in a good work bag new from the store or a designer shoulder bag and buy a pre-owned unique vintage clutch that you can use for evenings or special occasions.

I also don't subscribe to this idea that because you have to carry stuff to work, you are condemned to dragging a big bag around all day. Most of us lawyers commute to work (and carry shoes, laptops, water and what not), and then spend our day at the office, in meetings, having lunches etc, all activities that don't require a suitcase worth of stuff. You can take a big tote and a shoulder bag to work or the court room. Often what I do is carry a clutch (or two) inside a bigger bag, and take that when I go to a meeting or for lunch. Both more fun and more professional. With a clutch you can be a bit more adventurous too without going too gaudy: a Chanel jumbo can be frowned upon in our professional environment, but a Chanel reissue clutch would be perfectly appropriate for most occasions. So there really is no need as such to have to choose, you can have the best of both worlds.
 
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#17
I don't bring my real purse into work, I have an old black non-branded purse (sort of an open topped tote loosely based on a Birkin style) I throw work things in and bring into work to sit under my desk all day. Then I use all my actual purses off duty.
 
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#18
I spend more on the bags I use in my off time. Those are the days and times and events that mean the most, and when I can properly care for my bag and look pretty wearing them. I wouldn't like my workbag to be expensive because they are workhorses are get too much abuse on a daily basis. You will get use for your money but see deterioration faster. I have tried Chanel for an everyday bag and no - it just isn't going to hold up like that. I'm not a socialite doing nothing all day, lol. I do carry a Chanel crossbody inside my workbag though, so at least on breaks or in meetings I have something that looks really nice.
 
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#19
Like most of us here, I like designer bags. I like them at work. I like them at night & weekends. I like them at casual or formal settings.

If it is a bag I love & will use regularly (to me this means several times per month regardless of setting or even seasonal bags for the summer) I will buy it. If it’s a formal occasion bag that I love & know will get years of use, I will buy it.

I have a couple of nice larger designer bags for heavy load work days but they aren’t necessarily abused. They go from car to office to sit on my desk.

The only place I won’t bring a designer bag is the beach or the pool - or now football games because it has to be clear see through and I’m not into those.
 
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#24
Because some workplaces are more formal whereas others can be more relaxed, that’s why I think purse choices can vary. I never worked in an attorney environment so I never had to buy bags or clothes to suit. I only had one job where I had to be really dressy, and that one was suburban. My city jobs were casual attire because of the field, even though they were office jobs in big companies. Others also in the arts, where everyone wore jeans. You basically could wear any bag or anything you wanted. No one cared. And this was both in a fashion-centric city or suburban, because of the field.
 
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