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Thursday, 1 December 2016

Not impressed.

Hello. I was in town today, library, bank, a couple of shops, cat food, coffee and a few other bits. I was passing a jewelers shop, they are full of Christmas stock at the moment. I wondered why this rather posh shop had lot's of these ugly brown bags in the window. In my opinion they are not at all attractive, in fact I think they are pretty awful, wouldn't be seen dead carrying one. Then I noticed the price labels, WHAT, £728 for that, chuffin crazy. I haven't the faintest idea who would want to pay that sort of money for a brown plastic bag with a bit of leather trimming on it. 

Crikey, the window was full of them, all the same boring brown, all cost an arm and a leg. Yuk, they are so ugly.


I will never understand the hunger for a designer label. What's a bag for anyway? There is only one purpose for carrying a bag, and that's to cart stuff around in it. Most of the time I don't even carry a bag, unless it's one of my shopping bags, or a rucksack. My pockets are quite adequate for keeping my purse, camera, keys, and phone in. 
Designer bags do nothing for me. This is my hold all, it's great for a few days away. This is far better than a posh bag, because it cost me no money at all, it was given to me. 
This bag is handy for a day out, carry my sandwiches and drink, and a few other bits and pieces, a brolly, a fold up rain mac. Another really useful bag, and it cost me no money at all. It belonged to my mother, it has great sentimental value, she died 35 years ago.
Designer bags? No thanks. Labels do not impress me at all.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip.

81 comments:

  1. Totally agree with this. I have a friend that collects designer bags but is too afraid to take them outside in case she is mugged and they are stolen. Expensive dust collectors! But each to their own and all!

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    1. Had not thought of that, you instantly become a target carrying a LV bag. Nope not for me either.

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  2. I laughed at this comment above.Imagining this lady carrying her designer bag inside a carrier bag.....just till she got off the street. Your Mum's bag is priceless. Nice too.

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  3. That brown bag looks great. I wish I had something of my mother's.

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  4. I'm with you. I wouldn't cry if a child threw up on it, or a cat laid on it. So what? Falls apart, I'll find something else. No problem.

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  5. Agree. Designer doesn't impress me at all, bags, shoes, watches, anything. Like you I think those bags are ugly too. I like your mother's bag, just my style.

    Joan (Wales)

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  6. Totally agree, what crazy prices.

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  7. I carry a knapsack or is it called a backpack.Everything goes in that sucker,and at the end of the day,no headache sore arms.I try to find interesting ones,not boring brown.

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  8. I grew up in a very poor household. My mom taught me the importance of buying best quality you could afford and then caring for your things to make them last. We only wore hand-me-downs and my mom taught me how to shop quality at thrift stores. I still do it to this day. I own a couple of designer bags, including Louis Vuitton. I've never felt the need to have dozens and dozens of handbags like some women, but the few I do own are beautiful and I enjoy them with each use. I'm really smart with my money. I found out you can buy designer handbags like LV, but only pay pennies on the dollar at pawn shops. I see it much the same way as buying a used car. Let somebody else eat the depreciation by buying it new. I buy used - quality USED always. I purchased my 1st LV bag almost 20 yrs ago. It still looks fantastic. If you take care of them they retain their value. I plan to pass mine along to my son (who's 9yo), who can give it to his wife! LOL! I do agree with you on the brown LVs though. Its so drab. Super durable, but drab.

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  9. I agree that the LV bags are very ugly. I do not like any bags, clothing or jewelry with obvious logos. There are a lot of logo products here in the U.S.

    By the way, I like your floral quilt/duvet. Very pretty.

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    1. I'd only wear or carry something with a visible logo if the company PAID me to do it. I won't advertise for free ;)
      Sandi in Oklahoma

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  10. All well said.

    Very nice to have your Mother's bag..Gosh, they made them to last (back then). Now, isn't that more eco friendly? Buy it once and pass it on.

    re those brown bags..
    of course I have read of them (and their price etc)...
    are they really plastic? At those prices, besides the designer name, I had assumed they were made from some rare leather?

    you will get a laugh out of this...
    I picked up two at a thrift shop, very small (but just right size for who they are intended/me), and with a discount card, I think I paid about four dollars each.

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    1. The body of the bags are canvas.

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  11. I don't think it's plastic but leather cured in a different way. I quite like it but wouldn't pay that much for a bag either. There are better things to spend money on in my book. xx

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    1. The main body of the bag is monogrammed canvas (not plastic) with leather handles.

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  12. You are so right. The secret to being happy is not wanting bigger and better. The secret is being happy with what you have or getting what you need for just a few dollars. Unfortunately, the news media promotes the idea of wanting to be the envy of your friends and neighbors. Too many people have bought in to that nonsense. It would benefit so many if there was a class in high school on how to live well with buying second hand. As we age, many of us can afford the more expensive items but life has taught some of us that living simply eliminates a lot of stress. Have a good weekend. Patty Mc

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  13. I don't mind a designer label...as long as it's attached to a 99 cent tag at our local charity shop. Five years ago I scored a great leather bag mad by Coach. The quality is fantastic, of course its "last seasons style" but who gives a rip? And your mother's bag is beautiful by the way.

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  14. I don´t think there are many people who like those bags, but it´s a way to show that you have the money to buy it. There are designer bags which are great craftsmanship and wonderful leather and look really beautiful, I could understand if somebody bought one of them.
    I managed only 56 miles in November, the weather was so bad. But there still is a whole month ahead!

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  15. I agree. Designers bags are a total waste of money and most of them are very ugly.

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  16. I don't like those bags either. Here in the states Coach bags are expensive. Most of them are not that nice looking. Seen a few nicer ones. My style is less expensive. Your ideas are great.

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  17. Funny you should write about this today. I was wandering the shops during my lunch break and like you checked out prices on bags. OMG!!! They were obscene. Like you I just don't get it.

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  18. They buy designer because it makes them feel better about themselves. I don't mean that to sound nasty but it's true.

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  19. I loved reading your post today and seeing theses vintage LV bags. My dear daughter just received one these bags for her tenth anniversary. I love handbags however I'm still not quite convinced to spend this much money! How nice to have your dear mothers bag; it's priceless. Pat xx

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  20. We love you!!! I laughed at this because whenever I make remarks like that where I live, I get funny looks!!!! I too hate the LV stuff.... and nowadays, labels are big, big business, regardless if they're stuck on something that is actually pretty cheesey or downright nasty. And then you get all the fakes anyway so the intial intention of showing off is lost!!!!

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  21. I just popped in this morning for a quickie, glad I did, What a wonderful start to my day this quickie has been. A good laugh I've had reading this blog.

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  22. I think it's OK if some people like designer bags and it's OK if some people prefer other bags. It's OK if some people like putting a lot of effort into their appearance and some people don't. I quite like the look of the designer bags, they look very well made and good workmanship is, in my opinion, always a pleasure to look at. I probably wouldn't buy a new designer bag because I have other financial priorities, but if a friend had one and was thrilled with it I wouldn't say yuk, so ugly and boring. Cheers Marie

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    1. Exactly! We should all let live and stop criticising people, the world would be a better place. Kindness matters. Be kind Ilona!

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    2. and here you are again, Anonymous. Go away, get a life and leave Illona alone. She's lovely and kind hearted.

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  23. I like the design of those bags - then again I like earth tones, understated colours/design and lots of handles. But I wouldn't pay £728 for a designer label either. :)

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  24. You're just a walking bill board if you buy designer stuff because without the logo or designer stamp it's nothing! I'm not a bill board for anyone.

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  25. Now I am a bit of a bag snob - simply because I have bought too many a bags that have fallen apart too quickly. When I buy a bag I expect it to last a lifetime. But even *I* wouldn't spend that amount on a bag, no bag is worth that amount of money - you are paying for a status symbol, I don't care what people think of me, I just want quality.

    I love your mother's bag, I could tell it was vintage straight away.

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  26. I also think those brown bags are the ugliest on the planet. I have seen some really nice and pretty designer handbags but can not justify the cost

    Carolx


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  27. I agree a bag is a bag, designer labels mean nothing to me maybe except M & S where I know I get good value fir money. I am so pleased my children did not mind me buying designer names from jumble sales cutting the labels out and sewing them into cheaper clothes. I was lucky a few years ago to buy a nice black shoulder bag in the charity shop I work in when my grand daughter saw it she could not believe her Nan had a Radley bag, I had no idea when I brought if for a £1 and obviously the shop did not realize it when they priced it up. It still has the little blue dog dangling from it. I still prefer my M &S bag when going out for it holds so much more. Enjoy the day,
    Hazel c uk





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    1. Why would you cut labels out to sew them into cheaper clothes?

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  28. I don't know what the world is coming to. Peoples' lives must be so sad if they can get all excited over a £728 bag for goodness sakes, just so they can be seen carrying a designer label, what's that all about? After all, everything has been designed by somebody! Haven't they got anything better to do with their money? I just don't get it, in fact there's so much I don't get about modern living these days that I despair for the future of mankind! But not for myself fortunately, I'm with you Ilona, happy and contented and don't need any of this 'stuff'.

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  29. This made me laugh, I think they're only there so people can flaunt their wealth - no imagination required! Your mother's brown bag is lovely, how special to have something of hers that you can use.

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  30. Louis Vuiton bags - it's actually canvas not plastic, the brown bits. Loved your view of them. You are obviously not a regular reader of Vogue! Hence totally unaffected by the notion that they are supposedly one of those iconic brands about as famous as Chanel bags. Well evidently not famous enough.

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  31. Well said! SueM

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  32. I agree with you - that bag I am not impressed with. A boring colour and I always think it looks plasticky. Of course, there are plenty of lookie likies around too. Your Mum's is much better ( ps - thank you for more info on your notebook cover ). Natalie

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  33. I have a friend of over thirty years who owns a designer bag at a cost of £850 she spends between £1000-1500 each month on clothes she has the money so hey ho. Funny thing though she's always asking me where I get my stuff and honestly I've had most of it for as long as I've known her and can't remember lol. Everything she wears is designer and grumbles when I don't notice I like clothes and I like looking nice but I don't spend very much at all. I love your mums bag it's lovely I'm gonna have a root through my mums stuff next time I pop up to see her before she gets rid of it all. She's 86 and keeps clearing stuff out so there's no work for me and my sister when she's gone lol

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  34. I have a daughter and Grandson who have to buy stuff with names on, I've tried to convince them that they are being conned but to no avail.
    Briony
    x

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  35. Agreed! I just don't understand the need for designer items. And you're right Ilona, I wouldn't want those bags...they're ugly. I have family members who's wardrobes are full of designer clothes. They dress their children in items costing a small fortune. The cost of one little dress I saw would have fed us for a week. More money than sense !

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  36. I have a (fake, I think) LV children's bag in pink, with the same LV print all over, and tiny smiling flowers. It was a gift, and my dds like to play with it. One day, I was in the metro, on one of these rolling pavements, and a lady pushed her way through the crowd past about 20 people, to get next to me and ask me where I had bought that bag, because her 3 year old daughter LOOOOOVED LV and would love a bag like that. I managed to keep my face straight, and told her I had no clue, it had been a gift. I wanted to roll my eyes and say 'really, lady, you are rude and literally pushed 20 people aside for a child's bag?!?!?'

    Siebrie

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  37. Hi Hun, couldn't agree more, what a load of rubbish, paying stupid amounts of money for what, just another bag. My hand made bags, from leftover fabric do just fine, for me. I have also made quite a few for friends and family and they love their, one of a kind bag. Light weight but strong and practical. Better than any bought bag, in my eye.
    Fi

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  38. I'd much rather have useful and practical than designer .... and you get it for a much better price tag :-)

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  39. A sweeping statement but - some of the problem is indoctrination of young girls especially, who read the fashion and glossy magazines which show page after page of 'celebrities' in designer clothes and carrying these over-priced bags; the girls then want to fit into this lifestyle and buy the merchandise. Sometimes society is sad; why on earth spend this sort of money on these things. Amanda

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  40. Wouldn't it be lovely if all the pop stars, royality and the rich bought clothes. Bags etc from oxfam like we do. All money saved could be given to the poor.

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    1. Then where would Oxfam get the bargains to sell to us?

      Wouldn't it be even better if things were made to last - and not thrown out for a new one.

      But meanwhile, I'll scour the rails of Oxfam etc. for clothes with some life still in them.

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  41. Totally agree Ilona, what an outrageous price for a Louis Vuitton bag. Obscene that people can waste so much money.

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  42. What some people will pay to impress others :) As said ... each to their own, but not for me either Barbara x

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  43. Your quite right. All the designer stuff is a rip off. If your crazy to pay exorbitant money just to try and get noticed, I say you,'ve no personality.

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  44. I love this post. I laughed out loud. You are bloomin' marvellous. I have always thought these bags looked grim. I could afford one but wouldn't dream of being so stupid. I love your mum's bag. Precious is best.xx

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  45. I am not a handbag person at all, pockets or a small rucksack do me fine. I do own a small shoulder bag which is years old, for when we occasionally go out but I always regret taking it, because we've no sooner sat down when my husband hands me his wallet, keys and mobile phone to put in it.

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  46. You are not alone. I have never got the designer bag thing, nor the designer clothes thing, nor the designer anything thing and I hope I never will! Tracy

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  47. I love your brown bag Ilona but like you, I wouldn't be interested in an expensive bag... as for those blimmnin 'Radley bags'... for pities sake, tis a bag, just a bag.

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  48. I agree, ugly bags. I like your Mom's better.

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  49. Totally agree. Most like those are not even nice to look at. Others might look nice but can be bought non designed for very little

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  50. My grandmother received a set of Louis Vuitton suitcases (a small and a medium) as a wedding present in the early part of the 20th century (I'm guessing around 1910, 1915). My sisters and I loved those suitcases. They were beautifully made (not at all ugly) and my grandfather always let us borrow them. They were in use until 1986 (medium one) and 1993 (small one) when they were stolen. One at an airport, the other a break-in. I cannot afford Louis Vuitton, but wish I could get my hands on some like my grandmother's.....
    Mary Eman

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    1. What a lovely little story. I can just imagine those beautiful suitcases and the kind hearted grandfather who shared them. Do you have your own blog?

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    2. No blog, I don't know that I could come up with much that would interest anybody on a regular basis. But thank you for the compliment.
      Mary Eman

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  51. What sort of families raise 3 year old children to recognise designer labels? It's absurd. Mine's a rucksack or 'bag for life'.

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  52. Ilona, I've read most of your blog, good stuff. Here in the Caribbean a shiny plastic handbag costs 700-1000local dollars. I refuse to buy plastic, it peels in 3-6months. Leather starts at 3000. I got one on 40%discount. Just happened to be designer. I expect it to last at least 10 years.

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  53. The comment above from "anonymous" suggesting that celebs and everyone else should buy from Oxfam is a little naive. If no-one bought new, there would be nothing to buy second hand. And if no-one bought new, the entire economy would collapse as businesses closed and workers were redundant. I do agree that the brown bags are very ugly. If one is going to spend that kind of money (and I can only afford a fraction of those prices), at least choose something attractive!

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    1. Tis a Tongue & cheek remark. From above.

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  54. Louis Vuitton is the only purse my sister will carry. She has 4 of them. I've been shaking my head at how ugly they are for 25 years. Now, her oldest daughter has started her own collection.
    You have to be really careful where you buy them because there are a lot of counterfeits out there. It would be a real shame to drop all that money on a fake. Joan from Michigan

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    1. Let me tell you about my gen-yoo-ine Prada. I paid $25 for it and knew I was getting the real deal because I bought it from a nice Nigerian man out in front of the Vatican. He had a very nice display case made from a big cardboard box that he could quickly fold up to hide the merchandise if a policeman happened to approach. Very professional set-up, let me tell you. And anything you buy in front of the Vatican has to be real, right? I am not the type that wears or carries designer anything, but I had a lot of fun with my "Frauda" for about 6 weeks after I got home. At that point, one of the handles pulled out and I didn't think it was worth it to try and have it fixed. (The stitching would show). It was fun while it lasted. And, yes, the LV brown bag is ug-lee.

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  55. Whatever we buy, regardless of its cost, we should be mindful of what it is made from and how it is made. Every bit of plastic ever made is still in existence. Chemicals used in tanning hides to make our leather goods are very toxic to the environment and to people. And, most things we buy are made in sweat shops in third world countries. I listened with interest some time ago to a shoemaker who makes custom shoes that do cost an arm and a leg but he said that given a pair of good quality, well made and well maintained shoes a man should only need to buy one pair in his life time. Jane

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    1. The local Louis Vuitton store said the bag is made in California, France or Spain!

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  56. My Dad has given me an old 1970s airline bag he used to travel with and my Mum has given me a pretty 1960s handbag she used to take on posh nights out. I treasure both of them and always use them and I know I will all my life. How could I replace that love with expensive items that mean nothing. I feel sorry for the people who have to spend that. Jane xx

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  57. I paid £4 in a charity shop for my last shoulder bag. It's a pretend Cath Kidston and is brand new. I've put it aside until I need it as the one I'm currently using still has some life left in it. I have a pink Nike back pack that I also got for £4 from a charity shop. It was still in its packaging and has lasted for years of heavy use, so sometimes it is worth buying a named quality brand but I would never pay silly prices for anything especially since the logo on them means you're also giving the company free advertising. I don't particularly care what a bag looks like as long as it's fit for purpose, but each to their own. If you can pay all your bills, feed your kids etc and have money to spare them spend it on what makes you happy. Designer bags just aren't my bag, man! LOL!

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  58. and more on designer bags...thought of you..

    read a newsarticle, someone's dog threw up on someone's designer bag, and they had to actually replace the bag....

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  59. I spotted a lovely bag in a charity shop recently, I noticed the quality above anything else, I paid $8 for it. I decided to google the brand as its badge was small and I didn't recognise the brand name, turns out its a Korean designer bag retailing at $475. Good score I think.

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  60. thanks for making me smile. I volunteer in a charity shop and we have some fab bags donated many of which we sell on for less than a fiver... great!

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  61. Love your mum's bag Ilona. I had one just like it in the 70's. Bought in Burton on Trent so maybe mine came from the same shop as your mum's!

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  62. As I live near you I saw the brown bags in the shop window when I was in town yesterday. I smiled to myself as I imagined ypur reaction when you saw the price. I am surprised that they think there is a market here for them as we are down to earth around here. Crikey , we'll be getting a waitrose next !

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  63. You might think they are ugly but someone else might think your bags are ugly - just as well we don't all like the same things! If there wasn't fashion there would be many people out of work.

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    1. True. Everyone's definition of ugly is different!

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    2. True. Everyone's definition of ugly is different!

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  64. Opiates for the masses Ilona. Pooh brown...lol

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  65. I still have my Manhattan Portage messenger bag, which I bought in 1996 for US$31. It was still made in the USA back then.

    Aside from a few repairs that were covered by the manufacturer early in its use, my bag has been trouble-free ever since. But its famous label is peeling from the exterior and I don't think that can be replaced.

    I bet £728 is what you spend on all your meals for an entire year.

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