Handbag help - YouLookFab Forum

I have been carrying around a black Fossil crossbody for the last few years. I switch out with my silver Rebecca Minkoff during the spring and summer but I'm ready to add a lighter color neutral satchel. Initially, I was toying with the idea of the orange or teal Perlina that Angie had in the Finds but I think I'd really prefer more of a neutral. I like both the Hobo and the CH but would love the collective opinion of the hand bag savvy around here Do you have a preference? I was also considering burgundy but think that's more of a fall/winter color? (I am lazy when it comes to switching out purses and am quite all right with carrying the same purse year round--more or less.) Thanks in advance!

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Hobo Monika Leather Satchel

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Cole Haan Isabella Croc Embossed Leather Satchel

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Perlina Ellen Leather Satchel

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Perlina Ellen Leather Satchel

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9 years ago

Maneera

(website)

Veteran

I love the sequoia Cole Haan satchel. If you want a bag that goes with anything and everything and Doesn't need changing often, that would be my pick.

I do like the last teal option too.

kellygirl

Thanks, Maneera! That was my preference of the two neutrals. I thought the tassel on the Hobo was kind of cute though and fit with my sometimes boho style. Overall though, I think the CH is the more versatile choice so thanks for confirming that! I love the teal color but find it doesn't always look great with the blues in my wardrobe--particularly cobalt.

Firecracker (Sharan)

I like the idea of a neutral rather than a color, and I lean toward the Cole Haan. It looks so classic. The Hobo looks really nice, too. A major difference between the two is how they could be carried. The Hobo could go over your shoulder or over your arm, and the CH over the arm or cross-body.
I have one colored bag, a shade of purple that I couldn't resist, and I've carried it some, but not as much as I thought I would. I reach for my neutral bags--taupe, gray, black, brown--all the time. I do switch them out often now, though I didn't used to. (I use a purse organizer that I can just shift with all its contents from one bag to the next.) I am the same way with shoes--always favor my neutrals over any colors that I might decide to try.

If you like Fossil bags, you might check out the Vickery shoulder bag or the Sydney satchel. Both come in warm brown shades, and I could see you carrying either of them. I have the Vickery in a cream/taupe combo and carried it everywhere all summer.

Nordstrom

Fossil 'Vickery' Leather Shoulder Bag

$218.00

Fossil 'Sydney' Satchel

$178.00

Thanks, Sharan! Your links are beautiful--the Vickery is especially tempting because of that nice handle! The handle drop on the CH is the only thing that makes me pause. It is a smallish bag though and wouldn't be as heavy as the RM that I lug around during the summer. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on neutrals too--as much as I love the pop of color look, I rarely sport it because it requires too much coordinating. I'm definitely more a neutral bag/footwear kind of girl too!

JAileen

Do you prefer a crossbody or a handbag? Several of the bags you show have handles that don't appear to fold down. If you were to use it as a crossbody, would the handles annoy you? I thought about this on another bag I was looking at, because I personally prefer a crossbody.

Carole

I have a cognac Cole Haan tote that I use almost exclusively in Fall and Winter...the color is so versatile...goes with everything. I love the Cole Haan you've selected here. I love that teal bag, also, which seems like a very versatile color. But if you don't have a bag in this neutral shade I vote for that:)

Anonymous

I love handbags so much that I am incapable of picking a favorite among the three you showed. (I didn't include the teal because that color does not look very attractive on my monitor ... it might look better in real life).

Going back to the three bags. They all look so "rich" in color. Saturated. My favorite is the Cole Haan because it looks so "clean" in line. It looks sophisticated to my eye.

I guess I could pick a favorite.

Another vote for the CH one . It's a great colour that will work every day.

Angie

Fashion Stylist

I know you want neutral, Kelly - but I'm suggesting the teal anyway. Cognac hobo is next.

Joy

I like the look of the CH but would want an exterior pocket like the Hobo has for my phone or keys. My most used neutral bags are pewter metallic that are not very shiny. I do not use a bag that is a color as much as I thought I would., but teal is like a neutral. You might go with a shade that blends with the summer footwear color you wear the most.

Ooh, thanks, Fabbers! Food for thought. I'm still down with a bad back but will be considering these options very carefully. @Angie--thanks for chiming in! You are making this interesting!

Bijou

I have a teal bag and a cognac bag and I find both to be very versatile, so I think whatever you chose you are onto a winner. If I'm totally honest, my cognac bag gets the most wear. Nevertheless, teal is a great blue, because it has warmth to it, so it works with warm and cool colour schemes. I find I can wear it happily with cool colours like grey or warm colours including cognac.

I'm a fan of the hobo - it's cognac, has nice shoulder straps and looks like it would hold a lot. Every time I fall for a satchel, I end up regretting it because I find them awkward to carry cross-body or over the shoulder with that clip-on extra strap.

catgirl

That teal looks like a neutral to me. But I like the Cole Haan best for that color range.

BethT

Active Member

I'm going to vote for the hobo.

I've been shopping for a bag for months and I find ones I love all the time, but just can make up my mind! I'm going to have to definitely check that one out for myself.

bmed

Such a personal thing! It really depends on how it feels to you I think, I do really like the teal one.

texstyle

I like the Fossil bag Firecracker linked but in blue to go with blue jeans :-). Now I want that Fossil bag. I also like the sort of deep coral one (or at least it sort of looks deep coral) - the third one you linked to in your post. Just not sure if it would be neutral enough to be the *only* bag. I do switch mine out every once in a while when I'm willing to wear a supporting "capsule" of colors for a few weeks.

UmmLila (Lisa)

I like the teal best. I find that for handbags, the color that goes with many others is not always a standard neutral.

I have a lot of bags but somehow it's the green or yellow or peach/ orange that seems to add a nice little pop to outfits.

ananthimathur

Cole Haan Isabella, Croc Leather in brown!!

Ginger

I love the teal as a color, and with lots of things it would be an amazing neutral. But I also have a poison eye for mixing blues, so I totally hear your concern about the cobalt you wear. Isn't it funny how some statement colors work with everything, while some are awkward? Burgundy/maroon is a really good one; unfortunately, I also agree that it feels like fall/winter. I got a mint bag in June when I realized how wrong my burgundy bag felt. (Which mint bag turned out to be another perfect neutral with everything, at least until the calender changed. Go figure.)

Of the others, I think the hobo is my favorite. I love the tassel detail, too.

Susie

I prefer the CH. I like the tassel on the Hobo but I'm not crazy about their leather. And I also like the Fossil Sydney that Sharan suggested.

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