When it comes to new handbag purchases, I am very methodical in my shopping habits. With the exception of those rare instances where an impulse purchase happens, which admittedly has been a time or two, I make it a point to do the research before bringing a bag home. When I set my eyes on a design, I read up on the brand, familiarize myself with the bag’s materials, compare the price point against similar bags, and I always scout the PurseForum for reviews. After doing my due diligence and learning as much about a bag as I believe I possibly can, I finally take the plunge and bring it home. Buying a new bag that I’ve been wishing for is one of the best feelings there is (I’m sure as a fellow purse lover you can agree), but sometimes it can also be one of the worst. When I bring a bag home I’m not 100% happy with, I realize the things that annoy me about the design, sometimes to the point where I need to sell. I’m talking about handbag pet peeves. The feeling you get when you decide to bring a bag home, only to realize it annoys you. Maybe you realize it after one or two wears, or perhaps it takes you longer to realize, but it’s that unfortunate feeling of being irritated with the bag you’ve decided to add to your collection.
When it comes to handbag pet peeves, I have two serious offenders. The first offender is not only a handbag related pet peeve but just one of my biggest pet peeves in life, period. What could get under my skin so badly? Inefficient handbag hardware. Perhaps you know the struggle of which I speak….when the clasp of a handbag is hard to close, hard to open, or randomly pops open. Not only does it make the belongings inside of my handbag feel insecure, but it causes me to deem the bag as inefficient. If I can’t rely on the hardware of my bag to clasp my bag closed properly, then I can’t trust that my items will be secure inside, which at the end of the day is the primary function of a purse. I think that is one of the key reasons I’ve gravitated towards tote bags for so many years, no hardware to annoy me and get under my skin. The moment a handbag has hardware I can’t rely on or causes me to fumble too much, I to decide to sell it for something new, otherwise, I know it will sit in my closet building dust bunnies.
My second handbag pet peeve is when a design I love has an all-chain strap. Don’t get me wrong, I love handbags with chain straps, but it has to have a piece of leather cushion for my shoulder. Recently I fell in love with a suede crossbody adorned with a satin bow online. I realized it would be the perfect holiday party bag but sadly realized the strap was all chain, no leather padding to be seen. I loved the style so much that I decided to risk it and purchase the bag because maybe it won’t annoy me this time, it could be different. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Sadly after a few uses, I realized that this is just a pet peeve I cannot let go (because yes, it was too good to be true!). I’ve been burned by an all-chain strap too many times to buy one again. After having my skin broken as the result of a bag with an all-chain strap, I think I need to put that design to rest, because the next one probably will annoy me just as much as the others. I wish all-chain straps would include leather padding, maybe someday.
I want to hear what your biggest purse pet peeve is! Do you have one too?