Perfect Bags for Less

Yesterday was a big day for me.  In case you haven't noticed - I have expensive taste.  When it comes to clothes or trendy items...I can normally control this taste.  However, when it comes to handbags I have a hard time settling.  Perhaps it's because I love the smell of the real leather and the soft feel of it.  And I love all of the little details and the wonderful compartments.  Handbags make the world go round for me.

I blame the Fashion Mall at Keystone in Indianapolis for this.  The mall (my go to spot for everything great) is filled with fabulous shops and anchored with Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue - i.e. a recipe for disaster.  When I moved to Memphis, one of the most disappointing aspects was that there was no longer my Fashion Mall - and therefore none of my favorite shops.  My husband and mother seemed excited about this; they both like to give me a hard time about my champagne taste.

Well, since I'm here in Memphis by myself and need something to do, I sometimes go to the nearby mall.  It's a nice, roomy mall with an amazingly huge food court and some common stores like Forever 21, Ann Taylor, and Gap.

While I was at the mall yesterday (looking for goodies for my April Giveaway) I walked by the Aldo window and did a double take.  In the window was this fabulous looking bag and I just had to go in and look at it.

Aldo EREKSON Crossbody Bag 

I picked up the bag from the store display expecting to be disappointed with the quality.  However, I was shocked with how buttery and soft the leather felt and how well done the hardware was.  "Great," I thought, "even great stores like Aldo are carrying expensive bags now."  - Right?  I mean, I assumed for a bag that looked and felt this nice had to be at least $150 - if not more.  So, that's when I nearly passed out when I saw the price tag - $45....$45!  You don't even want to know the last time I spent $45 on a handbag!  I was flabbergasted and bought the bag right away before they decided that the bag was worth more.  

Doesn't the bag look familiar?  I thought so too.  So when I came home from the mall I immediately got online and found the below - one of the structured bags I mentioned in my post a couple of months ago.  The price tag?  $365!  And I have seen this bag in person...and from the horse's mouth...no noticeable difference in quality.  

Badgley Mischka Melissa Bag

So, I learned a big lesson today (that I'm sure some of you savvy fashionistas already knew) - some stores offer the same fabulous looks as the higher end brand at a similar quality level for 1/10 of the price!  Man...now I can buy like...10 handbags!

XOXO, Allison