Accessible Luxury: 11 Tips to Secure a Designer HandBag on a Budget
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By Jade Reason
Jenni Kayne’s Crescent Shoulder Bag
Deciding on a handbag to invest in can be harder than it sounds. It’s no secret that I love to keep things simple when it comes to getting dressed. We often rely on our accessories to give it a little extra punch to our every day look. As a confessed bagoholic since the days of Miss Carrie Bradshaw strutting the streets of New York with her signature Fendi baguette, I for one have always been a designer bag girl. If I can recall, my first handbag was a gift my grandmother surprised me with after arriving home from school-it was a Burberry handbag I obsessed religiously over. However, buying a luxury handbag is based on a multitude of things (finances, style preferences, logic), but if it’s not in the cards for you especially when the price tag of most luxury items can be equivalent to the average cost of a month's rent in the United States. I recommend being financially responsible.
That said, I do love certain designer pieces that I know will stand the test of time and I’ll wear over and over again. I by no means am saying you need to have designer pieces in your closet since it really is a luxury at the end of the day and doesn’t at all validate or fulfill you in my opinion. Nearly 60% of my closet space is consumed by cross-body bags, oversize totes, and embellished clutches, most of my bag collection spans more than 10 years. While I have a collection of affordable finds and high-end designer vintage pieces, there's something remarkable about the indie-label bags that sit in my wardrobe which begs the question: How to shop designer pieces to get the utmost value?
Let me just state the fact: you don't have to be rolling in dough to be able to afford a designer handbag. The secret to finding luxury accessories for less all goes back to knowing the shopping hacks everyone in the fashion industry depends on. Candidly, the only reason I've been able to build a collection of luxury handbags is because of a series of tricks that I've learned over time, but I won't make you wait years to acquire this shopping knowledge.
You may experience a bit of lowered pressure when purchasing designer bags secondhand. As long as you buy from a reputable source there isn’t much to worry about in terms of authenticity plus having a bag that’s already been carried makes it less stressful in regards to “ruining” or getting the bag dirty/used. While I still take great care of my bags, it puts a little less stress on me. Within the digital space and more there are more than ever before, there are various ways to shop online for secondhand designer handbags.
Last week, I did some digging into the coolest handbag brands fashion people swear by. Some of these brands might not be quite new to us, but they might be new to you given their status as insider favorites. From Scandinavian labels to home-grown New York brands, these 10 independent handbag designers are the labels you need to be shopping and supporting this year and beyond. An imperative part of shopping for a designer bag is the fundamental understanding that it is a long-term investment. Designer handbags can accrue value over time and become a crucial part of your wardrobe for the rest of your life.
Whether you’re considering splurging on a designer bag or are in the market for a more affordable option, it pays to consider a timeless style. No matter how much you’re spending, a bag that transcends each season is fundamentally what you want – a timeless handbag will not only carry your essentials but elevate your outfit, too. As with the rest of your wardrobe, curating an edit of handbags will ensure you’re covered for all occasions.
Investing in these handbags will save you time and money in the long term, as well as make your wardrobe more sustainable (because you’ll wear them on repeat). For ultimate versatility, relinquish purchasing any trendy bags for classic styles that are devoid of – or very light on – logos and branding. You’ll want to keep an eye out for high-quality fabrications, timeless silhouettes, a neutral colour palette and, most importantly, good craftsmanship.
Our curated edit of accessories is the secret to elevating your outfits. On our checklist: a selection of subtle handbags that can punctuate anything you own in your wardrobe and you’ll be wearing for years to come; a classic handbag for all occasions that last season after season; accessories you’ll be reaching for daily.
Ahead, you'll find my ultimate guidebook on how to buy a designer handbag for a discounted rate. Use one or multiple tips from this story, and securing your own bag will be well within your budget in no time.
Shop our curated collection of timeless bags
HANDBAG 101
Tip #1. Shop Secondhand
First order of business. Do your homework. Research, research, research. The secondhand market is booming with a reported to grow 127% by 2026. Scouring various vintage shops in person or online is a good start. But if you can't spend hours yourself doing due diligence, you'll want to shop from trusted resale retailers that will guarantee your bag's authenticity, like The RealReal, Vestiaire Collective, Fashionphile, Rebag, and LXR.
Jenni Kayne’s Crescent Shoulder Bag
Tip #2. Take Advantage of Biannual Sales
If you’re in the market for a new designer handbag and you’ve reached your credit card limit, consider hitting up family and friends biannual sales at major retailers as another hack. For context, at least twice a year, some of the fashion set's go-to retailers (e.g., Shopbop, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Ssense) markdown massive amounts of inventory, including designer purses. When those sales happen, it's an excellent opportunity to snag a bag for typically 20% less than the original cost.
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Tip #4. Check International E-Commerce Sites
Expand your handbag research to double your chances of finding an affordable designer bag by checking international e-commerce websites. For instance, if you reside in the United States, it's helpful to check retailers based abroad, like MatchesFashion, Farfetch, Luisaviaroma, and 24S. Most luxury handbags are assembled in Europe, so if the bag is bought wholesale within the region, it's often subjected to fewer taxes, impacting its overall price point.
Jenni Kayne’s Crescent Shoulder Bag
Tip #5. Shop at Outlets and Sample Sales
Another option for searching for an investment piece is turning to retailers that exclusively sell designer goods at a discounted rate, such as The Outnet, Saks Off 5th, and Nordstrom Rack. And when all else fails, some designer brands have their own digital outlet sites, so there are plenty of ways to find a designer bag within your budget.
Tip #6. Track Price Drops
An extra trick that can make this process more easier: price tracking. While you can do this through various methods—for example, you can set up Google alerts or go the old-school route and stalk every site yourself. There's an even more efficient way to track if a designer bag has dropped in price, and it's through signing up for the fashion app, Lyst. It allows you to search for specific items (e.g., that It bag from Valentino or Prada), pull stock from sites across the internet and compare prices. But the best part is that if you want, you can opt-in to be notified when an item's price is marked down so that you can snag it before it sells out.
Tip #8. Shop Off-Season
Tip #9. Consider Unconventional Styles
Jenni Kayne’s Crescent Shoulder Bag
Tip #10. Use Services That Allow You to Pay Overtime
Tip #11. Try a Rental Service
By now, you've hopefully been able to add a few shopping tricks to your back pocket to score a deal on a designer purse. But should you still be dubious about whether you can afford such a large purchase or what style is worth investing in, I'm here to remind you that you don't have to commit just yet. One of the best tricks I can recommend to save money on a designer bag is to try a rental service before committing and laying down your credit card.
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