Ask Angie & YLF: Missing feet - YouLookFab Forum

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Ask Angie & YLF: Missing feet

Eliza

Veteran

I am into bags, finding them both utilitarian and a big part of my outfits. I usually keep them for years and try to tend them for longevity.

In the last 5 years or so, it seems that fewer bags have protective feet, including bags that are an investment for me. Some have a strip of leather, but many with a wide bottom surface area have no protection at all. While I am careful with where I perch any bag, there are times when one must rest on a surface I wouldn't have chosen. Am I alone in my frustration over this? Has anyone had a shoemaker add feet? I am trying to figure out if that works if one has to go through the inner lining of the bag (another feature I care about). Maybe the effect of the feet is minimal anyways and I should take it off my preference list.

May it be the biggest worry any of us ever have...

Thanks for any ideas.

Shopping

21 replies

Latest reply was from danskogirl

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Ah. I guess bag feet aren't that fashionable anymore. My higher end satchels have feet though.

Must say that I'm fine either way. I wear lots of clutches too - no bag feet.

retailgirl

Veteran

I usually only see feet on more structured bags. Hobos or slouchy totes don't have feet, it would be against the aesthetic. It doesn't bother me if a bag doesn't have feet...as you said, you can usually find a clean place to perch your bag!

Anonymous

An interesting question - and to tell the truth , I've never noticed the lack thereof until now. I have a new very slouchy shoulder/satchel combo (higher end) and it has strips of protective leather on the bottom. The whole issue of where to put your bag is problem enough - feet or no feet. I cannot bear to put a bag on the floor, that just kills me. I wonder if it is indeed possible to have metal feel put on!

Eliza

Veteran

Thanks for your thoughts, Angie, retailgirl and lisap. I am glad I am not the only one who can't abide bags on the floor. May be extra keyed in after a trip to rural Europe where lav trips involved juggling a satchel due to an absence of hooks or clean, dry flat surfaces.

I am struck by how satchels are often missing them (like the Perlina large rectangle one you have in orange and I have in blue, Angie, though it is not high end). I never thought of them as a style detail, just as functional. Therefore, I may too easily view their absence as a cost saving omission instead an aesthetic choice as you and rg suggest.

Wish that more restaurants would offer under table hooks for a bag; though their absence has got me on clutches. Love that my stylist added a hook to her station.

deb

Veteran

My structured bags have feet but they unstructured do not. Sometimes I think feet take away the overall look of the bag.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Eliza, these wardrobe pets have feet:

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MILLY 'Color Digital' Satchel

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Top Pick

9

Rosie Leather Small Bag

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Top Pick

26

Diana

Veteran

Most MZ Wallace bags have feet, including the totes and hobos. It's one reason I really like their bags. They are spendy for nylon bags though.

MZ Wallace 'Chelsea' Bedford Nylon Weekend Tote (17 Inch)

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Top Pick

2

MZ Wallace 'Mia' Nylon Crossbody Bag

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7

retailgirl

Veteran

I have seen hooks for bags at the bar at a local restaurant. I also have a purse hanger doo dad...it allows you to hang your bag from the edge of a table. ( but I often forget to use it! )

Marilyn

Veteran

You can in fact have feet added to your bags. You can ask at a shoe repair or DIY it. However, you will see the screw on the inside bottom of the bag (this may or may not bother you)......unless the lining is opened up.

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

I like bag feet and I wish that more bags had them, but I don't think they are super protective anyway if the bottom of the bag is not very structured.

danskogirl

I have a Clipa and though I admit I don't use it often, the few times I've needed it, it's really come in handy (bathroom stalls without hooks, dirty floors).

http://www.amazon.com/Clipa-Ma.....38;ie=UTF8...

Aquamarine

Veteran

I don't like the look of feet on a bag, but I never put my bag down if I can help it regardless. I have even draped a bag around my neck while using a bathroom stall without a hook.

Bonnie

Veteran

I also worry about where I put my bag and in some cases bag feet would be welcome. Sometimes, like in a crowded movie theater, my bag shares my seat (it's a smaller backpack style).

Jjsloane

Veteran

I think good bags should have feet. I have a feeling in many cases it is a deliberate elimination to save costs and they don't feel it will be missed.

Angela K

Veteran

No feet on a bag is a definite deal breaker for me. The last several bags I've purchased have been structured bags with feet. I do have a nice leather backpack that doesn't have them but I like both the look and the usefulness of feet on a bag. I absolutely hate it when my bag tips over! Total pet peeve.

Eliza

Veteran

With apologies for being tied up this weekend, thanks for sharing your thoughts and solutions. I have many bags with subtle, functional feet and appreciate that as I am quite minimalistic about hardware. No feet (except on clutches, narrow cross bodies or "softer" bags) used to be a deal breaker for me. In the last 2 years, I have chosen to yield on that occasionally in order to add a few otherwise perfect options. Some designers seem to be using a couple of leather strips to perform this function.

Good to know that I am not alone in my longing for protection of the bag, yet I also appreciate the highlighting of the design aspects of the feet. It makes sense that it could be an aesthetic choice on a the designer's part.
Hooks and clean, dry shelves are big pluses in likely places, as are subtle, metal feet. Added bonus points for designers who have 5 feet on a satchel.

Thanks for sharing you thoughts. I am always grateful for the wisdom here.

em

I was speaking to someone in the bag department at Nordstrom's, and she told me that they can (and do) add protective feet to bags purchased by their customers quite often.

Eliza

Veteran

Interesting, em. That is a good tip and it didn't occur to me to talk to a sales associate about the issue.

Susie

Veteran

I understand the function of the feet but I think I prefer the look of no feet on most bags.

Mander

(website)

Veteran

That Clipa thing is pretty cool. It actually looks good as a bracelet!

I was thinking of the folding hook gizmos that I've seen for hooking your bag on a table, but those won't necessarily help if you are in, say, a bathroom with no hooks. Maybe carry a plastic bag that you can put your bag on, and either fold it up or throw it away afterwards?

danskogirl

Mander: Those folding hook gizmos you mention have rarely been useful to me precisely because of what you said: bathrooms with no hooks. (Also, I've found them to be kind of flimsy.) What I like about the Clipa is that the opening is (most of the time) wide enough to go over bathroom stall doors. This blog has a photo of that in action: http://lookbeforespending.com/.....-giveaway/

(I'm not affiliated with Clipa in any way, btw. Just have found it useful on the occasions I've needed it.)