My bag decision

Update: the Off 5th in San Antonio started a 30% off promo for handbags! Hurrah!

I put a poll up a few days ago, asking people how they felt about buying bags retail in this economy. Unanimously, everyone said they would either wait it out or choose something else. I took your advice, and here are the spectacular results. The premise: I need a new everyday black bag. My Longchamp has put in a good number of miles, and it's time for something new.

I have always loved the look of the Miu Miu bow satchel. Yes, I know it came out in 2006, but the bows are so cute, and the bag looks so functional! Unfortunately, I did not spring for one during the great Saks sale/meltdown pre-Xmas, and Miu Miu is notorious for never going on sale. You can get the bag in boutiques now for $1295 (which has increased since last season). I tried to shop around to get a good deal, but there's no way to get it at a deep discount. The closest is here on Styledrops, where you can get the bag in white, black, or sapphire for $1278 tax-free. Why pay $1300ish for a bag when there are just so many sales going on? (My DH even threatened to strip me of my "FashionProspectress" title if I bought a full-retail bag!)

So I gave up on the Miu Miu and settled on either the YSL Tribute or the YSL Besace bag, both of which can now be found at a select few Nordstrom Racks and Saks Off 5ths across the country. After making about 30 phone calls to almost every Off 5th in the entire nation, I was met with success!!! I got the bag in black pebbled leather from the store in San Antonio, TX (if you'd like the name of my wonderfully helpful sales associate, send me a note), priced at a whopping $729.99. On top of that, the store was running a 20% off promotion, so I paid $583.99 + $20 shipping for a bag currently selling for $1895. (Incidentally, I did not pay sales tax on the bag b/c it was shipped out-of-state). Helpful hint: if you are looking for YSL, I can pretty much tell you which Off 5th stores in the US carry them: Naples, FL; Orlando, FL; Woodbury, NY; Cabazon, CA; Anaheim, CA; Milpitas, CA; Las Vegas, NV; and San Antonio, TX.

In the end, I got a much better bag for way less money, and my DH even took me out to dinner to celebrate my success. The moral of the story: be flexible and check out your Nordstrom Rack, Off 5th, or Last Call for some great deals!