Remember when I shared that I was on the hunt for the perfect black purse? It’s cool if you don’t since I talked about it back in August. Let’s just say I am incredibly stubborn and could not let go of the idea of not having a black purse. It still baffles me that it took so long for me to find the right one!
When it comes to staple pieces, I’d rather pay a little bit more and get something I truly love that will last forever. Of course, I don’t have unlimited funds so I have to get creative about this, either by visiting outlet stores or waiting until that special something is on sale.
While I browse department stores, I also visit some of my favorite brands’ sites. One of my favorites (if not the favorite) is Cole Haan. During the final week of 2012, they were having a sale where you could get an additional 25% off of items that were already on sale. Clearly I was all up on that, though I was skeptical since most sale items tend to be brighter or seasonal colors.
That’s when I found it… my perfect black purse. The winner was the Linley Structured Satchel, on sale for $199.95.
Let me just say that I stared at this bag for three days before finally placing the order. While I love shopping, I am terrible at impulse shopping. Even if I’m in a store, I’ll pick something up and somehow put it back down after 5-10 minutes because I’ve somehow talked myself out of it. When it came to this purchase, I kept debating with myself because of the price… even though I would wear it all the time and it would be the last purse I’d every buy (that was my counter argument by the way). Joe and I talked it over – I think he was also tired of looking at me look at the purse – and then I went for it.
The price tag didn’t end up hurting me so much because I had that lovely coupon code. The final price of the purse was only $149.96 (meaning I basically got it for 50% off the original price of $298). In order to get free shipping, you have to spend $150 and I was a mere four cents away from that. Four cents! Rather than pay $10 for shipping, I decided to throw a pair of men’s socks in the cart. After the discount, they were only $6.71 so I felt like I was still ahead of the game.
When it comes to this purse, I love everything about it – it’s a satchel but you can wear it like a crossbody (which is easier when I’m commuting), it’s got a timeless shape, the leather is very nice, and the interior of the bag isn’t black so I’m able to find things in there! Pretty much a win-win in every category. In fact, after two weeks of using it, I haven’t found anything I dislike about it.
I have literally worn it every day since it was delivered.
Have you finally found something you’ve been on the hunt for? How long have you spent trying to find the right item (be it a purse, a dress, power tool, or really anything)? Are you able to talk yourself out of an impulse buy?
*All images from Cole Haan.
PS – This post is not sponsored by Cole Haan. I just love their products, especially this purse, and wanted to share with you.
That is an awesome bag!
I totally know what you mean about HAVING to have a black purse… I am currently on a quest to find the perfect black purse for me lol.
I do the same thing – I talk myself out of things all the time!!! I love that purse and I’m glad it has lived up to your expectations!
Super cute bag, and glad it lived up to expectations! I still struggle with buying nice things, because I still feel like a 5 year old who is going to ruin it. I got paint on my current purse somehow, but thankfully it’s from Target. :)
Kevin and I went to Cole Haan this weekend while we were in Vegas! He loves their shoes and is looking for the perfect pair of black wing tips (I got new boots from Michael Kors :) ).
I love that bag, too! Great choice!
Great find! I always talk myself out of purchases, unless it’s super on sale. My most expensive purse was probably around $40 and I keep all of them for years. I recently got an awesome metallic silver purse I am in love with and had been searching for a while to find the perfect one.
It looks great!! I have a good leather purse that I wear all the time – coincidentally I also bought it for around 150$ while it was 50% off :)
That was 3-4 years ago and it still looks great. I’m pretty sure I’ll have it forever.
I looooove the blue inside lining of ur new fab bag (a fan of cole haan too). Ive been looking for a comfy bag …I envision linen/fabric + leather mix, less than $60, not toooo big or small, over the shoulder and hand held strap, and sooooft . Yep, needless to say I havent found it YET. If I ever find it, I may get a few in different colors haha. Glad u found ur fab bag!