Floridays15 - Sir, It's a Process..

My regular readers will by now be wondering why no mention of handbags and Fossil shops etc. don't worry though because today's post is one for the girls, unless you're a man who holds the 'soon to be discarded' handbag while your beloved wanders around endless handbag shops looking for 'the one'.  Some men are excellent at this, well trained and even calculate the cost in pounds for you as you pick them up. Offer sometimes helpful suggestions, though sometimes you wonder if they even look at the bag you use forcing you to give them that "are you serious" look. My man is very good at handbag shopping. I wouldn't go without him.  Anyway, I have actually bought a Fossil bag already, well discounted but is packed in a suitcase in the car so I don't have a photo of it. However, as sometimes happens, the outlet didn't have a lot that attracted my attention this year. Lots of bright 'on trend' bags but I'm not spending money on a fluorescent pink bag where I'd rather die than use next year.  So, having texted my US handbag expert in California (Thanks Shirley), I went elsewhere.  Elsewhere being Kate Spade of New York.

Yes I like handbags, I like practical handbags, not fashion ones that only go with certain outfits, but I'm not one to buy a certain brand because everyone else has one. I've seen the women and girls with their Michael Kors Draped over their arm, 'in that way', the MK badge in full view. I laugh because I could have been using MK bags for years and been in the forefront of British fashion if I'd known.   Anyway, there was something about the name and logo of Kate Spade. It was neat and had the 'Jo Malone' feel to it. Of course you all know I'm a huge Jo Malone fan too. So it made sense to use the opportunity of a cool interior and have a browse. As I entered I was greeted by Maxine, a sales assistant, who welcomed me and offered to help if I needed it. (5 Customer Service points gained there)..... .....30 minutes later and I'm standing in the store with three large black handbags on my arm. Indecision written all over my face. Hubby telling me to get whichever one I liked. That's the problem. I didn't know which one I liked most. I liked them all. The Libra panic set in and I couldn't decide. Libran's are rubbish at choosing. Even poor Maxine, who had been very helpful at various times couldn't sway me one way or another, so I did what I usually do and left without one. Even though there was an extra 20% discount for two days. I did detect a slight shift in hubby's demeanour at that point. Extra discount on an expensive handbag meant a lot. I went away and did some research, who was Kate Spade? I'd not heard of her before. I came across an article in the press to confirm that she was up there with the MK's, Coaches, and other designers of that ranking. Not with Louis Vuitton or Chanel but at a nice comfortable designer level. Good enough for me. Strangely, the following day I was asked if I wanted to go back to the outlets where Kate Spade was, having spent so much time in her shop the previous day, we hadn't seen all the other shops. Passing Kate Spade, hubby casually asked me if I wanted to go back in for another look - he knows me so well. Unfortunately he had left his 20% extra discount card in the car, but saw the girl in the store had some in her hand as we entered.  This time I knew exactly what I wanted, more or less. Medium, black, big enough for iPad. Maxine came over again, a vague recollection of a familiar face. I told her I'd been too overwhelmed to make a decision the previous day but knew what I wanted now. She looked at hubby's exasperated expression as we chatted about the leather and what I would use it for...."Sir, it's a process we have to go through, it's not a simple decision when buying a handbag". She said seriously. (More Customer Service points). Finally I did it. I chose the one I'd probably wanted all along. On the way over to the cashier hubby suggested a matching purse. See that's why I would never go handbag shopping without him....   And here it is, the 'one' handbag to rule them all....