Ruehl Handbags...Worth the Money?

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bs7689

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Oct 12, 2009
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Hi everyone! I've been looking for a sturdy leather bag to use for my semester abroad in Sevilla and I came across this bag (in brown) in Ruehl this weekend and loved it because it seems sturdy and has a full zipper (important because of pickpocketers!)

Has anyone ever gotten a bag from Ruehl? Are they worth spending the money? In my opinion, they look and feel beautiful but I'm just wary of spending about $300 on a bag by a company I so closely relate with Abercrombie & Fitch. TIA!
 
To be honest, I would wait. Because Ruehl is closing all of its stores by early next year, there's bound to be a big sale soon.

Wow! I didn't know this! Thanks for the heads up. I'll be waiting for all of the sales.

And to the OP, A&F actually owns Ruehl along with Hollister. Its kinda silly because they make it like these stores are competitors while they are actually all under the same umbrella. Its like a monopoly of teenage clothing.
 
carousel eyes- I had no idea that they were closing the stores, I'll definitely be waiting to get anything until the sales start!

xIcyBluex- Yeah, the association between Ruehl and Abercrombie is what is making me question spending that much on a Ruehl bag. If I knew that the bag was great quality I wouldn't mind it because I do like the style of the Ruehl bags. I believe Gilly Hicks is another brand under the A&F name, also. A "monopoly" of teenage clothing is a great way to describe it!

Does anyone have some recommendations for alternatives?
 
icyblue, it's not too related, but I wanted to mention... I used to work at Hollister and each "brand" is directed toward a different person and their stage in life. Hollister is for high schoolers - college freshman. A&F is for preppy college students. And Ruehl is supposed to be NYC trendy for adults, that's why the stores are all decked out like a NY apartment... A nice one.
lol I know, it's stupid.

Anyway, OP, the bags are really nice! I've been to two Ruels, one in VA and one out here in CA. They're pretty high quality considering who they're made by.
 
The rumor is Ruehl items are going to be sent to the Abercrombie outlets,and will not have a mass liquidation as hoped. The company has been preparing for the departure of Ruehl for over the past year. Inventory has drastically sized down already. If you really like the bag I suggest buying it in december, there might be a chance that they might mark them down. Flagship Abercrombie stores will carry RUEHL bags after it closes so the chance of them going on sale are slim.

The A&F company is too cheap to have a mass liquidation, they are the only retailer that inflated their prices during a recession instead of lowering them!
 
Although the Ruehl handbags are expensive for the brand-they are full leather.

I actually have the Flynn in the Sienna color. Got it last year and have worn it TONS of times. It is a HUGE bag! Over time, the leather has worn out beautifully! I really hated to buy the bag online without ever seeing it, but it was worth the price when I got the bag.

If you can get it on clearance, def wait for the cheaper price though.
 
Thanks everyone, I guess I'll wait until next month to see if the go on sale or not!
leothelnss - glad to hear that the bags are good quality, & zahrayoussefi - I love the Flynn! Its a little too big for my purposes but it looks gorgeous. Glad to hear you use yours a lot.
 
I have the Spencer bag that I bought last summer and it has held up great! I get lots of compliments on it. It's really good quality, I definitely recommend getting a Ruehl bag if you have the chance. And if you can get it on sale, even better!
 
I had no idea that store was closing but it's really no wonder...a&f and Hollister have much prettier clothing. As far as the handbag goes if you want it I'd suggest getting it now, never bought anything from there but have bought from a&f and Hollister and I've been pretty satisfied with the quality of all items purchased from both stores....since they are owned by the same people my guess is quality is about the same.