Stamp of approval: great everyday bag

A few months ago I was lucky enough to win a Botkier Sasha satchel from ThisNext. I saw it, I really wanted it, and spent many hours doing recommendations on the site, disregarding the household chores (ok, that's nothing new). It paid off. I won it.

The Sasha was my very first designer bag. I've had "brand" handbags, but never a designer bag. I've always been of the opinion that spending several hundred (or several thousand) dollars one one bag was silly and wasteful - why do that when you could have several less expensive bags instead, and have more variety?

That was my opinion, until I started using the Sasha. The bag is a medium size, which means I can fits lots in but no so much that it's so heavy that I can't carry it comfortably. It has two handles but also a wider strap, so it can be held like a satchel or carried on the shoulder like a hobo, leaving my hands free to pick up Stella, hold a coffee, push the stroller and so on. And the fact that the bag is made of nylon (with patent leather accents) means that it won't get ruined if I wear it when it's raining, and that it doesn't stain as easily. In other words, a perfect bag for a fashionable mom. And don't let the word "nylon" put you off: because of the quality of the material and the way it was dyed, the bag looks more like satin, it's really lovely! I get a lot of compliments on it.



Because of the bag's characteristics, I ended up using it for 3 weeks straight after I got it, no change. Needless to say, that had never happened before, and I finally had to admit the truth: when you have a really nice handbag, it will go with almost everything and you won't feel the need to change it as often. Which means that instead of owning the current 20-something bags I have in my closet, now I'd much rather have 3 really great bags (saving up for a Jackie or Asher right now).

The Sasha nylon satchel retails for $480 ($450 online), but is now on sale at Tobi ($270), LunaBoston ($225), Endless ($300), ShopDressOnline ($332, large), Shoes4Go ($315). Mine is burgundy, but the bag also comes in Chocolate Brown, Electric Blue and Black.



Pssst! If you are reading this on January 21 or 22, you might be lucky enough to score a Medium Sasha on RueLaLa for $175! It's by invitation only, so if the link doesn't work, e-mail me for an invite.