Suggestions on what to get

5thelement

5thelement

Member
Mar 26, 2008
429
0
#1
Every year, sometime, I get bitten by the Prada purse bug. I know there's other brands out there, but I really just want a classic Prada that I can carry around for a long time.

I'm torn between a small brief size where I can bring around a few sets of documents with me in grad school that I can later transition into using during my professional career, or a smaller purse like my Coach Hamptons Carryall. Then I've been lusting over the Prada doctor's satchels, bowlers, and frame bags. And I have to stick to a budget! Gosh golly gosh. Any suggestions?

I prefer leather over nylon. I tend to lean towards black or a rich brown. I don't mind preowned. I don't even mind if there's wear on the bag that is fixable. And I've been looking at eBay, but there are so many Prada's on there listed as "Guaranteed Authentic" but that are obviously not from the pics, it's scary! :hysteric:
 
#3
Hi 5thelement...

don't know if you've visited bluefly like Lizz suggested... but i pulled off some for you. There are others on bluefly i think worth looking at (gaufre and cervo lux totes, especially) but since i can only upload 5 pics... here are the first five I saw that may be good choices for transitioning from grad school to your professional career. BTW, there is also a dressy look tote that is simply adorable, but it has a decorative hanging rosette (don't know if it's removable) so I don't know if it would suit your purposes...

Here goes...
 

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#4
Thanks for the suggestions marose! I am liking the last two. I have a love hate thing going with gauffre types, so I'm going back and forth on the third. I am also liking the boston bags, and another one here that I'm going to attach (first pic).

I have been looking at Bluefly, and NM, and Saks, and eBay. And aside from eBay are still out of my range in the low $1k's for now. I think I'm going to have to wait around to learn about the pattern of when these places have the best sales, and then score something then. Do we have a list of trusted eBay sellers?

What do you think of the bowler bag I've attached as pics 2 & 3? I've posted it in the Auth This thread, but haven't had a reply on it yet... It's pretty informal looking, but it's kinda cute!

I'm also considering this, but not sure if I want to go the white/cream route. I'm worried about it getting dirty, but pretty much all of my bags right now are black and it's starting to get boring....!

37c9_3.JPG


Dang, I need a money tree! :biggrin:
What do you think of the choices so far?
 

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#5
My mom has the Prada Easy Flap Tote and really loves it. It fits a lot fo stuff without being bulky and the style will always be a classic. Plus, it's a steal at under $1K.

http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod47830068&parentId=cat3470732&masterId=cat14860749&index=8&cmCat=cat000000cat000141cat000149cat000226cat5890735cat000011cat14860749cat3470732

I also saw the Prada Frills Nappa Tote IRL today, and it is amazing!! It's a much bigger tote, but would definitely work as a great transitional piece between grad school and your professional career.

http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod53650002&parentId=cat16030737&masterId=cat14860749&index=4&cmCat=cat000000cat000141cat000149cat000226cat5890735cat000011cat14860749cat16030737
 
#6
Hello,

My suggestion is to only buy something that you REALLY like.

I know this is the Prada/Miu Miu forum but what about considering brands that are moderately priced?

Of all the bags that you've posted, I really like the cream but I'm not sure how it'll measure up to the daily grind of heavy school books. The bowler is also too causal looking to transit into the office unless you plan to work in a less corporate environment.

marose28 pulled some fantastic selections that are great classics. However, if you can wait, there will always be fabulous purses to purchase in the near future. Prada/Miu Miu do have sales and prices are probably friendlier then. :tup:
 
#7
Yeah, I won't be in a corporate environment. By professional, I meant that in time I will move on to a postdoctoral or faculty or consultant position. So there is room for some casualness. I'm also going to be school for the next 5 years or so.

I'm leaning towards either black, dark tan, or cream. But seems like most probably dark tan, cos most of my purses right now are black and I could stand a little bit of color, and I'm worried about how cream would hold up over time. I tend to be pretty hard on my possessions, so it'd have to be something pretty sturdy.

Right now, I'm really digging the satchel styles.

Here's an outfit that I found that looks cool. What do you guys think?
http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=148427

linpaddy, I totally agree on buying something I really like. And this would especially be the case because of how much I'll probably spend on a Prada. Hmm, other moderately priced brands? Maybe, but I can keep looking at purses and over the years, I just keep coming back to Prada as "the one". Not sure if this is just because I've not owned a high end Prada yet or because I just love their designs. But alls I know is I see 'em and I lust for 'em.
 
#9
5thelement said:
Yeah, I won't be in a corporate environment. By professional, I meant that in time I will move on to a postdoctoral or faculty or consultant position. So there is room for some casualness. I'm also going to be school for the next 5 years or so.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry I pulled off some dorky ones from bluefly (no offense to those that have them!)... But now that we know casual is ok, then we should have more play with possible choices. I think there are a lot of beautiful pradas that could work for you and fit your needs.

I love the outfit you posted. I especially dig the color you chose and the boots! I'm not normally a fan of Prada's washed leather, but i think that totally works for that style.

The same purse is on ebay for $775 (do search for prada frame bag) but I will not post a link here since I don't think it's the real deal. Note that seller has low # of feedbacks, never sold on ebay before, and has listed this item earlier for $750 but there were no bids. There are also no pics of actual purse posted. Listing says you have to request them from seller. So, you can do what you want with this info... but just make sure you have the actual purse authenticated before you buy and take steps to protect yourself in case the purse does turn our to be fake.

I'll keep my eyes open for other similar types of purses for you nevertheless.

Good luck!
 
#10
I like the first black bag you posted 5thelement. It's very simple and classy. Prada bags are durable and stand the test of time both in structure and style. IMO, I would stear clear from light colored bags if you're using them for school. GL!
 
#13
longchamp... you have the gaufre??? :nuts: that's the next bag in my wish list... I already asked my SA to locate one for me. How do you like it? How's the bag holding up? you recommend it?

- thanks in advance!
 
#14
Hi
I am the seller of the bag. It is 100% authentic, with sales receipt, dustbag, and authenticity cards. I've never sold before, true. I pulled previous posting as I had a seller promise to buy it and then reneged. Being very unfamiliar selling protocol, I"m sure what i'm doing isn't working well and the posting just ran its course again, and while i have plenty of people watching the bag, no bids :sad:
Anyway - i just had to reply.

Hi
I am the ebay seller of the Prada Frame Washed Leather bag. It is 100% authentic, with sales receipt, dustbag, and authenticity cards. I've never sold before, true. I pulled the previous listing as I had a buyer promise to buy it and then reneged. Being very unfamiliar with Ebay selling protocol, I'm sure what i'm doing isn't working well and the posting just ran its course again, and while i have plenty of people watching the bag, no bids :sad:
Anyway - i just had to reply. I am working from two different work stations, and the pics are stored on a different computer. I will repost them to the ebay listing, if I choose to relist the item.
 
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