Marco Buggiani Italian leather red whipstitched tote

just when i thought things were getting bleak, i reach up in the top of my closet and grab this bag this morning. this challenge has forced me to use some bags i got and don’t use. not anymore. this is a Marco Buggiani, never heard of it until i decided to buy the bag  at my favorite goodwill. today i looked it up and found some bags on ebay and a sketchy website. but whatever, i got it for $4 so i don’t care. the leather is not pebbled but it is whipstitched, which almost compensates. huge inside with 2 pockets and a zippered pouch, it hauled it all today.

i did some hardcore thrift shopping, but took photos instead of buying a bunch of stuff. this is how i do it at st. vincent de paul:

here is the giant back wall of purses. there are a 3 other racks that i didn’t photograph of small bags, more purses like these and beach totes. backpacks and duffle bags live in another part of the store.

ok so i go through these, first visually, then if my eyes hone in on something good, i grab it, give it a cursory look, then put it on my arm. here is what i ended up with:

viva crossbody

ecco

pleather & fabric fossil

liz claiborne

gap – nice hardware

retro stone mountain

talbots

these all ranged in price from $8.99-$14.99. i bought none of these today. they didn’t come close to the stuff i have. each one was nice for a particular reason, and that depends on the individual. if you are buying for yourself, know what you have, what gaps exist, and be open to what could fill those gaps. if you’re buying for someone you know, ditto. if you’re buying for a business, know what quality really is.

look for details. the inside of the bag should tell you more than the outside, and so will the details. peace.