My grandmother always told me never to buy cheap shoes. Your feet support your whole body and shoes should be an investment. I believe the same thing about a purse. Most women don’t leave the house without a purse. It’s your life support. You need something that’s going to last, have easy access, convenient to carry, and looks nice.

Dooney & Burke is my favorite brand. It all comes down the high-quality leather and the practicality of the purses I choose. Of course, the purse MUST look good. I pay more for D&B handbags, but I try to catch sales and limit my purchases.

This Florentine Dome Satchel is my favorite D&B purse. The natural color darkened to a gorgeous color. This purse is a little on the heavy side, but it’s highly functional. There’s a deep pocket in the back for a cell phone. The straps are long enough to carry on the wrist and over the shoulder. I look for at least ten-inch straps.

This Florentine Bristol Satchel is similar to my dome satchel, but I could never buy it. Florentine leather is heavy and this purse has short straps and a long strap. The long strap is annoying to me. It slides off the shoulder, and the purse never sits comfortably on the side of my body. The short straps are too short to put over my shoulder.

Most D&B purses have the same layout. There is a deep pocket and a slip pocket on one side and two smaller pockets on the opposite side. There is an attached keychain which I use religiously. QVC often includes extras with their purses like key fobs, wristlets, and change purses.

 

Every so often I like a hobo purse. I purchased this Pebblestone leather lock purse in a beautiful forest green color. This is one of D&B’s top-selling purses. It comes in loads of colors. I love this purse, but it’s just too heavy for me to carry every day. It also came with a change purse that adds weight. I pull it out if I want to match up an outfit, but it’s just not convenient on a daily basis, especially since the strap slides off my shoulder.

This hobo purse is gorgeous. The strap is long enough, the leather is great, and it’s roomy. However, it has a zipper top that droops. I’m in an out of my purse all day long. I need to be able to easily open it and see inside. Not possible with the way this purse is made, so I wouldn’t purchase it.

I bought this Flynn purse last year in the Saffiano leather, and I absolutely love it. Saffiano leather is durable and weather proof. It’s perfect for the winter and spring. Both sides of the purse are held closed with magnetic snaps, so there are actually three sections to the purse. I loved this purse so much that I bought another one in Florentine leather in a natural color. However, tragedy hit and I had to have rotator cuff surgery, so they’re both too heavy for me to carry right now.

 

This summer I was forced to downsize to a crossover purse. This is a nice purse for the weekend. You make the essentials fit, but it’s just not enough room for me on a daily basis.

 

 

I upgraded from the crossover to this purple backpack. It’s fire, but not big enough. I’ll get more use out of this in the summer on the weekends. In my day to day life, I need more room.

I purchased this small Lexington purse in a deep blue. It’s a nice purse. Not a stunner.  This purse had to go back. You guessed it. It didn’t have enough room.

Finally, I found the right purse for right now. This is the Saffiano Leather Shoulder purse. I purchased this from QVC in the color Geranium. It came with a wristlet and a key fob. It’s not too heavy. The carrying strap is perfect and there is a zipped middle section where I keep my wallet. I don’t use the wristlet with the bag. It’s great for a quick trip to the grocery store or Marshall’s (my hangout) on the weekend.

Here’s a tip. I try not to buy brown or black purses. I just think they’re basic looking and prefer colors. However, I’m thinking about getting this purse in black because it looks so good with the silver and white piping. It’s always good to have a nice black purse just in case.

I adore the D&B coated cotton purses. They’re pricey for non-leather purses but this purse is amazing. I bought it three years ago and it looks new. I pull it out every summer. It’s perfect. Everything fits in it.

I’m going to invest in another one this summer. This is the ultimate summer tote bag.

I hope I gave you some ideas that you can use with any handbag line you prefer. The key is to purchase quality leather and make sure the purse fits your needs.

Stay blessed,

Barbie