An Ode To The Coach Brooke Purse

Since I've just recently added a new handbag to my collection (see what it is here), I thought it only fair to take a look back at my very first designer purse purchase: The Coach Brooke Bag.

It really wasn't all that long ago that I first started to take an interest in Fashion, and decided that it was time to invest in a real-life designer purse.  I had never spent more than fifty dollars on a purse before, so to say that the purchase of a high-end handbag was a big deal to me would be an understatement.   I had seen girls wearing their Coach purses at the restaurant where I was working at the time, and thought that this must be the place to start looking.  After scouring the Coach website, I absolutely fell in love with a particular style.  The Brooke was everything I was looking for: it was slouchy, had both long top handles and a shoulder strap, and to me just looked so elegant.  Mulling over the decision for months, I finally decided to take the plunge and buy my special purse.  After waiting in line at the Coach outlet, 30% off coupon in hand, I left with my very first designer handbag.  I managed to score the Brooke handbag for about $130 that day, but I felt like a million bucks.  Finally I had my very own designer purse!  I still remember being so proud to wear that thing around town, and how happy it made me every time I got to use it.

Now I know at the mere mention of a Coach purse, many of you may be tempted to roll your eyes.  I've feel as though I have heard a lot of negative comments about Coach bags; everything from how over saturated the brand is, to even how obtainable they are.  Really - obtainable?  Girls, if you have said anything remotely like this in the past about the Coach brand - or any brand really - I ask you to take a step back and really think about what you're saying.  Does a brand name define who we are?  Absolutely not.  My heart breaks thinking about how my younger self would have felt after hearing such comments about the Coach brand and purse I was so proud of. I would have felt awful, and embarrassed. I have since added a few more handbags to my collection, so my beloved Brooke does not get the same attention that it used to, but that does not make it any less special to me.

The takeaway that I hoped to achieve from this post was not only to pay tribute to my first designer handbag, but also to hopefully get us thinking about how hurtful classifying people based on the brands that they wear and purchase can be.  My Coach Brooke handbag still looks and feels as fantastic as it did all of those years ago when I first bought it.  It makes me happy.  And in the end, that's really all that matters.

Let me know your thoughts!  What was your first big handbag purchase?

xo Joëlle