Spend or Save: Designer Accessories

Shoes. Handbags. Jewellery. Every woman has her vice when it comes to designer fashion. In an ideal world, money wouldn’t be an object and we’d be dressed (subtley of course) in head-to-toe well made clothing and accessories that give a nod toward the latest trends while incorporating classic style, designer gear and our own unique finishing touches. However, it’s not an ideal world so we have to make our fashion purchases with a bit of consideration, namely in the descion refered to worldwide in women’s fashion magazines as ‘Spend or Save’.

In my opinion, it’s better to scrimp on your everyday clothing, but spend good money on designer accessories that will last you forever. Although I’m shoe obsessed, my hard-earned pounds go toward designer handbags, every time. Practical as well as fashionable, designer handbags come in a variety of price ranges and with perseverance and a good eye, the more price concious can easily ‘bag’ a discount designer handbag.

Designer handbags come in all shapes and sizes, as well as constantly changing colours and styles. This makes them both desirable and able to be matched with all sorts of outfits to create a new look or update an old one. They say “you get what you pay for”, and designer handbags are often made from quality materials like buttersoft calf leather and strong metal hardware to ensure you do get your money’s worth for a strong sturdy bag. So for those that say “you’re just paying for the label” – in more cases than not you’re actually paying for quality as well.

I’d rather have a handbag for 20 years that I love that I paid a lot for, rather than continually replacing a new handbag every couple of months when they break. Sure, I have a variety of handbags – cheap, designer and vintage – but it’s those designer handbags that steal my heart and my pay check. Still unconvinced? Have a mosey over to ebay and see the price that a second hand designer bag goes for – you’ll be shocked to see that, if well looked after, they don’t lose much of their value so you can resell them in a few years and give them a new loving home, unlike the Primarini bag that doesn’t last longer than a month.

Celebrities are often seen with the latest must have it bag of the season, which are usually very expensive. This creates a buzz around the handbag and makes it very desirable, and results in a waiting list to obtain one and a wide range of ‘knock offs’ reaching the market. My advice is to steer clear of these, as after a few months it’s difficult to tell from a difference whoses got the real one and whose got a fake, and the fakes won’t last the distance. Look out for sales on reliable online fashion retailers who stock discount designer labels instead.

Other fashion accessories, such as hats and sunglasses, look good and have a purpose, but I think that designer handbags is overall the best fashion accessory that are worth spending a bit extra on to get the value and wear out of them in the long run.