Handbags, oh my!

I have handbag envy. There, I've admitted it. Not that my current bag isn't fabulous. It is. It should be. It's a kazza original, designed and made especially for me by my sister. I get compliments on it all the time. But, as I sit on the subway surveying the scene I see Prada and Louis Vuitton and they are lovely. Everyone, well all the women, have big lovely (label) handbags. Maybe I too need one big statement handbag?

And really, after looking in the shops it will be the only fashion item that I can purchase whilst here. Until recently I didn't realise that Gap made a "00" size. How can you be smaller than nothing?

With regards to fashion in general another teacher explained to me that she occasionally enjoyed not only shopping but going into the high end stores and trying things on for fun. Certainly in London and Paris (and yes I can speak from personal experience) when going into high end stores if you don't have the right look you are looked on with suspicion and ocassionally followed closely by a salesperson or security guard. But here, she said, you're welcomed with open arms because the average woman shops in the high end stores, it's not exclusive. Where do these women find the money?

No worries yet about not being able to pay rent because I've been hitting the high end shops, at least not until I can fit in a size 8 or less. Is this really the best thing to spend your money on? At $300 a bag it's not a small investment. It is a curious phenomenom and one that I'll be keeping a close eye on. Perhaps it would't hurt just to look for that second perfect bag...