You’ve seen rise of designer bags a lot more over the past decade. Maybe it’s thanks to social media or maybe its the Kardashians effect. I’ll be honest, when I got married 17 years ago, I had no idea interest in designer anything. I know my husband would wish that we could reverse time and go back to my ignorance. But frankly it was his fault. Sorry honey, you make your Chanel and now you have to lay in the Louis Vuitton.

There are honestly SO many choices out there when splurging. But if you are thinking about investing in designer bags, then I have some tips for you. The number one being: no judgement. If YOU want to use your money to purchase a designer bag for yourself, that is between you and your wallet.

The Gucci Soho Small Disco bag is big enough for all the essentials

The Why:

Yes, self reflection in shopping is important. So often we make purchases for items that will make us feel and look better. We follow the trends and buy whatever the magazines tell us. Especially before dropping your hard earned money, consider the why. Why are you interested in buying a designer bag? The reason is between you and well you. Frankly a designer anything won’t make you a better person or even give you self esteem.

Price:

Designer bags can range from $50 to $4.93 million dollars (but it’s essentially encrusted in diamonds, so…). You need to decide what your price point is and what your budget allows. Once you have a budget in place you can start to shop around to see what falls in that price tag.

Standing holding the brown clutch
This year’s IT bag is the oversized pouch by Bottega Veneta

Use:

A really good thing to consider is: how often will you use the bag? There are in fact handbags that women have that we use every single day. The ones that store our back up lipgloss and three tubes of hand lotion and snacks and spilled out mints and pens without their lids. The bags that we toss on the floor of our backseat among the lost McDonald’s french fries. Then there are the bags we carefully take out for special occasions. The ones we plan our outfits around. The ones we dare not put down on the table. Think about how often you will use this bag and what purpose it is for.

Value: To Resell or Not

Listen, designer handbags can be investments. Yes, really. But they can also just be items that you want and you use. However, spending so much money on something can mean that you need to make some considerations. Such as, can I sell this more easily than my kidney? I joke, kinda. It worth noting some brands that retain their resale value. It may guide you in what you end up choosing (or not). Those brands includes: Chanel (just check the consignment on those), Hermes, Louis Vuitton and recently hit bags such as Gucci anything and the Bottegga Veneta Pouch.

Also, these brands don’t go on sale. I’ve checked, like a lot. You may be able to score a deal on consignment, but for classic items such as a Chanel Double Flap, don’t even think about it. Also for lot’s more information on all things designer bags, check out the Purse Blog It’s where I start my research.

Where to Buy:

One would think, just going to a store to purchase something would be sufficient, but it’s not always that easy. For example, did you know you can’t purchase Chanel purses online unless it’s from a verified consignment shop such as ShopBop (they have Chanel on consignment only) and The Real Real?

I also like to visit the item I am lusting after in store. To see it, hold it and smell it (only when the salesperson isn’t looking!) I’ll try it on and then put it back and walk around. Sometimes I walk for a couple of years as I think it over.

Tip: Ask about the store’s return policy. Nordstrom always has a generous and fair return policy, but most of the designer boutiques don’t. If you think you will have buyer’s remorse, then it’s a good idea to shop from someplace that has a return policy.

Louis Vuitton clutch on top of green scarf
The LV clutch is a treasured piece that adds glam to any outfit

Not ready yet? You don’t need to explain

Honestly, there is no justification in the world that you ever need to use to say why or why not when it comes to what you purchase. You really don’t need to spend a fortune for a bag if you don’t want to. There are lots of options available for different price points. I’ve done the work and found a few options for you:

Shop The Look

But in case you do want to join the Gucci Gang, then here are my picks for designer bags that I personally love.

This post includes affiliate links from which I earn a small commission. But each item I’ve selected is one that I stand behind and would by.