STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

i really like this bag too! i think that framed bags definite cycle back in to style every few years. i could see using this bag this winter and next.. then possibly retiring it for a few seasons and resurrecting it again down the line. my only concern with this bag is that it is HEAVY! that chain weighs this bag down, which is unfortunate because i really think it's the accent that really makes the bag. i would say try it out at your local department store, but personally, i know that even though i like the bag, i would be reluctant to use it because of it's weight.

mine *cough* is not a real stam. It is a copy I bought on ebay. I have some ethical indigestion about this, but in the end I'm incredibly happy with it. Obviously it's not as good quality as the real thing, but for $200 (vs. $1200) it was worth it to me. It's made from pretty nice leather, not cheap vinyl, and it looks exactly right. What I loved was the style of the bag--the classic black quilted leather paired with the heavy rocker-esque chain--and it gives exactly the look that I wanted.

So, that's one possibility to consider. If you don't object to the dilution of Marc Jacobs' creative genius and the short-changing of his empire by $1200.

Have you ever looked at shoplush.com? Their bags are k/o's or whatever you want to call it, but they don't have the designer names on the bag. There is a Stam look-a-like in the "Quilted Bag" category for $130. The bag is real leather too. I have a similar quilted bag from there, and the leather is softer than a real MJ bag, IMO.