I am trying to get off the It-bag bandwagon but failing miserably

Because I am not exactly courageous enough to properly get off.

What the hell is wrong with me and people?  Why have so many of us accepted that a top designer bag should cost $2,000?  And why are so many of us who should be saving money for rent prioritizing our finances for the benefit of buying such ridiculously priced handbags?

For those of you who have unlimited funds, I'd like to say please go ahead and spend your heart out.  Luxury designers employ people too, so they need to sell bags as much as a butcher needs to sell meat.

I don't want to disparage fashion companies or vilify them for charging such high prices for handbags, because clearly it's us, the consumers, who are letting them get away with it.  What bothers me is that all of us have bought into the idea that this simply is what high end bags cost.  If our butcher raised the prices of chicken this steeply every year, we would stop buying his meat.

What bothers me even more is that I myself often feel I need my designer bag with me in certain situations where I want people to take me more seriously.

What the hell is wrong with me?

I am happy to walk into a meeting in a Zara polyester jacket but somehow I feel my Chanel bag is going to telegraph just how worthy I really am.

If you are wondering what brought on this rant - I picked up this cool stripy bag at Zara the other day (HERE) for HKD 199 (about 20 Pounds or 25 US).  It's not leather, but it's the kind of material I would admire if the brand name was Stella McCartney.  It's well-designed with white accents on the inside flap and on the gussets.

But once I got the bag home I decided I should just return it.  It's interesting and I love stripes and I have a tonne of navy summer clothes that could use some brightening up.  Yet, I think I won't wear it.

Any psychologists reading this?

I would like to be the kind of person who would not need social affirmation from a possession - but thankfully I know there are many of you out there who feel the same way.

The handbag industry has done a real number on us.

And it's not just fashion obsessives like me.

My husband was telling me over the weekend that the brand Izod was the be-all-end-all of polo shirts when he was in high school.  In his rural school in New York only very few kids could afford these expensive shirts, so the cheaper JCPenny version which was called Le Tigre was considered cool as well and that's the only thing he wanted to wear to school.  I was blown away by that story because as long as I have known him he has not cared about brands the slightest bit.

I suppose clothes and accessories are an expression of our character, personality or aspirations, and they are a vital element of how we present ourselves to the world.  Miuccia Prada once said that if you want to reject fashion you still have to use your clothes to show it.  After all no one goes around naked, so there is simply no escaping the statement we make with our outfits.

Do let me know if any of this sounds familiar.  Do you too feel you need an expensive bag to complete your outfit?  Does an expensive bag give you additional confidence?  And if you think this is all rubbish, please do let me know as well.

Thank you very much for reading.

xx Dianne