Southern Belle in Training

Fashion, Travel & Lifestyle Blog || Est. 2012 || Virginia Beach, VA

June 1, 2015

Splurge vs. Save: Crossbody Purses.






     I leave for my study abroad trip to Tours, France in less than two weeks (!!!) and this past Friday I went shopping in Massachusetts with my mom for a few new goodies to pack with me for my month abroad. One thing that I have been wanting is a new crossbody bag, and preferably in a bright color for summertime! My favorite purses to carry are large (and heavy haha), but that won't be as practical for living and exploring abroad, so it was time for something new.

     The first store that my mom and I visited was Nordstrom, which was currently having their Half-Yearly Sale (not to be confused of course with summer's Holy Grail #NSale, but still a good sale nonetheless!). I immediately was drawn to some of the cute Rebecca Minkoff Mini Macs and Mini 5 Zips that were marked down for the Half-Yearly Sale. All of those bags were bright in color, small in size, and seemed to be just what I was looking for. Everything I was looking for except in price that is. While they were all on sale, they are still pricey purses,  and it would have taken just about my whole paycheck from my first week back at my summer job to get one!


     Luckily I took a few minutes to think about it, and happened to walk in Forever 21 in the meantime. Imagine my shock when I found almost the identical bag!! It was almost the same color, had the same amount of zippers, and the same gold colored chain. The only difference? It was over $170 cheaper!! 

     I am all for splurging on designer handbags from time to time. My "everyday bag" which has been in many a blog post is Michael Kors, and I pair it always with my favorite Kate Spade wallet. I also have a vintage Chanel crossbody from my mom (a gift from my grandma to her several years ago which is now mine!!), and someday once I am in the working world I hope to treat myself to my own Chanel purse! But currently, I am about to be headed to study abroad for a few weeks, and most of my paychecks need to be directed towards saving for that! So in this case, the Save won over the Splurge. :-) I am so excited about my new crossbody from Forever 21! (Yet sadly I guess it still didn't save my wallet that much money because I practically ended up buying out all of Forever 21... #oops. But that's another story!) 


      Which of the two bags is your favorite?


     xoxo Miss ALK
    
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23 comments

  1. Ohh I love these bags! I was just looking at some Rebecca Minkoff bags and it's so cool you could find a similar one at F21! :)

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  2. What a great save! I live finding similar bags, but I too will always "invest" a little more in my every day bag! I think my favorite would have to be the F21 one because the two are almost identical, and you just can't pass it up at that price!

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  3. So happy you found this dupe! Ordered it after you posted and mine is on my way to me!!

    -Morgan
    How 2 Wear It [] http://how2wearit.com

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  4. Heading over to my local F21 ASAP! Love this dupe! I've been wanting a mini mac for the longest time and I think at the dupe's price point I'm definitely going to have to go for it!

    Pick Your Beau

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  5. Studying abroad! Woo! That's one of my tiny regrets from college - I never went abroad! I'm such a homebody though, and I loved my campus, so I'm also sorta glad I stayed put. Have fun!

    Kelly
    Ohio Stripes

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  6. I love both these bags! So crazy that they are almost identical. Because its such I bright color I would totally agree that you went with the save. If a purse is a neutral color I would always go with the splurge!

    Annie N Belle

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  7. The everyday bag is great for traveling. That way you won't be upset if it breaks or gets ruined while traveling!

    xoxo

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  8. I'd definitely pick the dupe of the mini mac because I am balling on a budget over here.
    Thanks for sharing.

    xoxo, Jenny || Breakfast at Lillys

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  9. Less than two weeks?! Yayyy! Those bags are literally identical! That's so awesome that you found it on a whim!

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  10. Wow, they look nearly the same! I agree with ya, purses aren't cheap!

    xoxo,
    Katie
    chicincarolina.blogspot.com

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  11. I am dying over the fact that you have a vintage Chanel purse, like seriously #closetgoals! I agree though not every purse should be a splurge, I like to incorporate Kate Spade and Tory Burch bags with cute bags I find at Forever 21 and Old Navy!

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  12. They look exactly the same! I've never really been into expensive designer purses (only sometimes on a whim) so it's good to know there are options that look like designer for WAYY less!

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  13. I love these kind of posts! They look identical! It's comforting to know that more affordable options exist :)

    Alessandra | The PumpUp Blog

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  14. I do love my designer bags but I also love when I'm able to find identical options for way less!

    XO
    Ashley
    privateschoolprepster.blogspot.com

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  15. I saw you post about this when it happened! AMAZING deal and it's just as pretty!

    xoxo
    Lauren Ashley
    www.thefashionistasdiary.com

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  16. I love a good deal!!! What a great find, and I'm sure it was worth it because then you were able to buy more than just one thing!
    xo, claudia
    www.chroniclesofclaudia.com

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  17. Ooh, thank you for the tip! I'm trying not to buy any more handbags until I have enough saved up for a new Louis, so this may be a great option for summer :)

    XX, SS || A Little Seersucker Sass

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  18. I would definitely pick the save over the splurge. I usually don't splurge on things unless they'll last me forever and ever (like my winter coat, a military-style jacket, and a chic black dress.)

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  19. This is great! I typically splurge on purses but I usually pick more neutral everyday purses over brighter colors, so for a brighter color saving definitely seems like the way to go! You really can't even tell a difference with these bags! Great find!

    Anchors and Pearls

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  20. I've been looking for a smaller cross body bag to go abroad too and I totally agree with you about going for the save in this case. You'll definitely want the extra money to have fun in Europe with :)

    Jenni // The Beautiful Little Fools

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  21. I think that this is a great option! I have been on the hunt for a bright cross body myself so I'm definitely going to check this out.

    XOXO
    Marie H.
    Progression By Design

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  22. Oh dang, what a steal! I've been thinking about grabbing one of the RM mini zips so what a great alternative!

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  23. I think this is a great dupe, especially since it is a trendy colored bag!

    xoxo, SS

    The Southern Stylista

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