Netflix for Purses

July 23rd, 2004

Filed under:
Technology

Netflix for Purses

“I need a Fendi clutch bag, stat!” I’m not sure how this made it onto Engagdet, but they discuss an inventive new service with a great name: Bag, Borrow or Steal. It’s like having Paris Hilton as your neighbour:

As long as your membership is active, you may borrow an unlimited amount of handbags from our closet. Keep them for as long as you want! No late fees, no hassles, just great bags!

This, I think, is a great idea. Handbags are really expensive, aren’t they? At least, the fancy ones on this site are. Now, for a mere US $20 a month, you can have any fancy purse you’ve ever wanted, temporarily. It does require planning ahead, but I don’t think that’s a problem for formal occasions. They don’t really have any man-bags (murses?) on the site, though this cheeky prada number is kind of close.

Women dress as much for other women as for men. Handbags exemplify this phenomenon. Men don’t care about your handbag–but you, your female friends and nearby female strangers do.

I feel the same way about handbags as I do about women’s shoes. I’ve never understood what makes one pair attractive and another pair ugly, and no one’s ever been able to furnish me with appropriate criteria (I’m taking suggestions, by the way, on the asthetics of shoes or handbags). Part of the problem for me is that there rarely seems to be agreement among the women I talk to.

For some women, handbags are fetish objects. I know one woman who has at least 50, hung on display on hooks in her hallway. How many handbags do you have? All I’ve got is my humble man-bag.

Comments: 9 Responses so far

donna
July 23rd, 2004
2:24 pm

huh. More than one? I find it confusing enough switching my stuff between my backpack and my tank bag (for on the bike.) More than that is just crazy-talk.

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Sue
July 23rd, 2004
6:12 pm

“handbags”… this is a confusing word. I guess you could say I have three:

1. black leather for winter
2. yellow-snot-green nylon MEC for summer/casual
3. new black/grey denim for whenever, made for me with love by my groovy sister-in-law-almost.

There are a few “clutch purses” lurking about my closet for special occasions as well. With the exception of the super-cute chinese brocade purse, however, none of them are extraordinary enough to put on display. In fact, handbags are usually one of the first things I look to throw out when it’s time for a closet purge. Shoes are the other.

[Reply]

Devon
July 23rd, 2004
9:26 pm

I think I’ve got about 10.. but only 3 are in heavy rotation. A brown casual one, a red vinyl one, and a white fancy one.

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Julie
July 24th, 2004
10:01 am

*LOL* I think I’m in the below average percentile regarding purses. I have one. It’s black, and the zipper is starting to come out. I’m not a big fan of the purse, to be completely honest, but it’s a good place to put some credit/bank cards, and of course, tampons!
=)

[Reply]

Heron
July 24th, 2004
6:33 pm

Meh. I have issues with purses. Pre-kidlets, I had only carried a small leather billfold thingy with my pda, ID, cards and money. I never went purse-shopping in my 20’s and preferred backpacks for many years.

In the last 5-6 years, especially since having kids, I’ve begun to buy them every now and then, but always only one at a time till it wears out then get a new one. I don’t think I’ve ever paid more than $25 for one.

Right now I have the ultimate Mom-bag. It’s a huge orange vinyl monstrosity with a fish on it and it’s got everything in it that one could possibly need for daily life with two small children. The pluses are - it’s huge, it was super cheap ($6 on sale at Target), it doesn’t remotely resemble a horrid pastel-flowered quilty lookin diaper bag, and since it’s an obnoxious shade of orange it never gets left behind. The kids are pretty hard on anything I carry around so any bag I get has to be cheap (I put them in the dress-up box when they wear out).

I do have one tiny flashy beaded number for when we go to the opera or do something cultured (HA!).

I think the fish bag is the second Mom-bag this year. Fortunately the women I hang out with are not ever going to judge me by my handbag!

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col
July 25th, 2004
1:26 am

oooh handbags! I wish I had more. I probably rotate between three, but I have probably 8 altogether.

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Mimi
July 26th, 2004
9:22 am

I *had* over 50 before I went to graduate school. Having to move, and move and move after that, I dumped the whole lot of ‘em into a Goodwill dumspter. I’m still saddened by that decision. I LOVED ‘em all.

Now I think I’ve got seven that I use yearly. Most are Le Sportsacs (http://www.lesportsac.com/)or knock-offs.

And I’ve got a small collection of evening bags (about 10 of ‘em). A few of these get airings a couple of times a year depending on the formality of parites or events I attend.

I’ve also got two back packs, multiple canvas totes, baskets, and a bum bag (fanny pack).

As I dress fairly conservatively, hand bags are my whimsy in the waredrobe area.

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andedammen
July 27th, 2004
11:33 am

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