So I ran into the amazing India last week (actually, she was nice enough to come out to an event at the NYPL to see me!) and she was carrying The Perfect Bag. We were chatting away and then BOOM! There was the bag. Seriously, I think I interrupted her mid-thought to ask her where she got her bag.
"It was from Daffy's," said India, and instantly my heart beat faster — a gorgeous bag, and one that was guaranteed not to cost $350! India quickly showed me all the pockets — so many lovely pockets — and the pink lining, and let me fondle the leather. I had to have one.
But, sadly, I didn't have much more time in the city! Certainly not enough time to go to every Daffy's … What to do? What we always, do (Pinky …) go to the Internet! In this case, the Sierra Trading Company, who had it in stock (Sierra is slightly more pricey than Daffy's, but it was still, barely, <$100, which is my LIMIT for handbags, even perfect ones).
Why is this bag perfect, you might ask? Well: it's green, which goes with green (duh), brown, black, orange, and gray, which are the colors of all my fall & winter coats. It has a cross-body strap. It is big enough (11-x16-x4-”) to hold my MacBook in its neoprene sleeve, without being so big that the laptop wobbles around. And did I mention the pockets? Four on the front (two zip, two open), one inside, and one zippered long pocket on the back. Plus pen loops! It is not dripping with fobs or other dangly useless metallic bits. It is completely free of giant logos. In short: genius.
Why it's showing up in the clearance racks of the world is a puzzle — who *wouldn't* want this bag, even at its original (gulp) price of $186?
Anyway, if you want one, click on the image to visit Sierra Trading. It also comes in black, wine, and brown. (But green is the best color for handbags.)
A Dress A Day 
Love that bag!
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Green is the best colour for practicaly anything. I was going to say I thought it was really nice bag…until the pink lining registered in my brain.I hate pink. I seek to not own anything with even a faint pink stripe. Pink tropical print lining – shudder. So, no thanks!You just go ahead and enjoy your lovely bag, I give you my permission ;-P
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That is, indeed, the perfect bag. I also enjoyed your Pinky and the Brain reference! The bag is not in my budget, but you can be sure that if it was, this Elktonian would be rocking a beautiful green bag!
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And thank you, Erin, for not blogging this before I had time to order a red one (“almost gone!”).I posted a review on the Sierra site, but I misrepresented the lining. It’s not “cheerful pink paisley”; it’s cheerful pink floral. (Sorry, xstpenguinit really is pink, and they seem to use the same lining in all the “Dolce” bags.)
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It seems for the last 20 years I have been on the hunt for the perfect bag.I’ve never understood why I am so picky about purses.
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My regular bag (I have one bag at at time) is green ( vinyl bag from Queen Bee) but no pockets. I find that pockets don’t do me much good because I never put things in the same pocket twice which means I’m still digging despite the pockets!
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Sorry to get off topic from the green purse, but this is about brown shoes again. I found another perfect shoe. Two-tone brown. Not my size:http://www.endless.com/dp/B000OAY71O?tag=nextag-endless-20&linkCode=asn
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I’ve been looking for the perfect fall bag and have been thinking i need black. Ok, when I saw the green AND the price point I thought I must be dreaming.Thanks Erin for you fab style! 🙂
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How about posting some pics of the inside? Sierra doesn’t have any up on their site. (BTW, they are a great place to order jeans if you like Carhartts and don’t mind them being slightly seconds. We buy the hubby and son’s there and they are perfect as far as I can tell. Good about returns if you make a boo-boo about sizing too!) Anyway, back to purse porn–pretty please let us see the inside! It’s a little out of my budget but I’m throughly curious now!
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I’ve been on the lookout for the perfect bag that could hold all my stuff, including my macbook, but for dressier occasions/outfits when my timbuk2 messenger bag is a bit too sporty. Thanks for posting this – I just ordered the wine one (I don’t like green, and it goes with nothing in my wardrobe). I’m so excited to see it in person. Thanks Again!
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I got my first green “winter” handbag last year, and you’re right–it’s the best color. But it has left me longing for different shades of green handbags…
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My comment is not related to this post, but today is dictionary day, so I wanted to wish you, Erin, (and all your readers since we love you and we all use WORDS) happy dictionary day! To me, Erin,you are the dictionary Queen!I heard of this special day on NPR while driving in the car earlier and thought that for sure today’s post would be dictionary day related.Now it is!Happy words to all!
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I got a small green handbag (I don’t need to tote a computer around) that I love! It was cheap but suits me fine and was the very last one on the shelf at Sears this summer. It looks fab with red, brown or black, even pink. (I don’t do orange, but the bag could.)
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Oh.My.Goodness.I am not a bag lady. I carry one (currently a black backpack; the third in the last 10 years) for virtually every occasion (weddings and fancy dinners being the exceptions). I don’t think I’ve ever spent more than $70 on one of these bags.And I really, really want that wine bag. Bag envy is a new experience for me. The idea of spending that much money on a bag kinda makes me dizzy. And it’s almost gone…I wonder if My Sweet Baboo could take a hint for a Christmas gift? Nah, probably not.
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The green ones are also almost gone, so I count myself lucky for getting there just in time. Thanks for blogging about this! (The bag is a present to myself for finishing off a very hard report.)And tea – lovely shoes… Usually I don’t go in for two-tones very much but those are pretty.
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Eek! I’m desperate for that bag. It is indeed the perfect bag. But I can’t find it online. Whenever I type in Sierra trading. It takes me to Sierra Trading Post and I can’t find it there. Any help, please?
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Leslie, clicking on the image should take you directly to the bag listing.
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I agree that the perfect bag needs to have a cross body strap, and they are so hard to find now. It makes it easy to eliminate at least 90% of the bags you see, and then most of the rest are too small. I’ve never really considered this green shade, though; I usually go for black or red. It’s also hard to find the perfect red bag, and red goes with a lot of colors, too.
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Ok so I read some of the comments and I feel that now a days its so hard to find a bag that is unique but still chic and comfortable….I found this website that has pretty cool messenger bags and they are pretty cool and because they are from MEXICO you know that not everyone will be rocking it!!!! Here is the blog and the website is Artfulwears.com, you should really check it out!!!!Artfulwears prides itself on finding great items from all over the world. Our latest finds are some funky and hip handbags from Mexico by Pedido Tabqiue. We are really excited about these bags because they are unique. These great messenger bags are available in a variety of colors in several styles. Great for everyday and reasonably prices, how can you beat it?The first group are, Canvas & Leather Messenger Bags. Choose from three great fall colors: orange, olive/army, or beige. Each bag has great details ranging from cargo pockets, zippers, patches, stitching, and leather trim. They are all so great its hard to choose. Luckily the prices are so reasonable, you may not need to!The second group of Suede Messenger Bags, are available in chocolate, beige, or black suede. These roomy messenger bags are perfect for daily use. They are even fairly lightweight. Each bag has two outside cargo pockets, perfect for your cell phone or other small items you need quick access to.Let us know what you think, as we hope you love them as much as we do!
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