Can't Live Without: Fendi Bag

I own a lot of handbags. A lot. I'm talking M-A-N-Y. With a capital M. All joking aside, I really have so many purses, totes and handbags that I'm amused by the ones that I always turn to, no matter what. I find it surprising that the ones I turn to are not always the most roomy, or the most expensive, or the most interesting design-wise. They're often the "unsung heroes" so-to-speak, of my closet full of bags. Sometimes a bag I (aghast!) purchased, sometimes a sample sale bargain, sometimes a freebie.

Here is another item in my closet that I Can't Live Without. Welcome, brown leather Fendi bag!

I don't remember the year when I purchased this bag at the Fendi sample sale, but I do remember I got it for the bargain basement price of $50. This must have been around 1998-2000 because it was all about the Fendi baguettes -- made famous by Sex and the City -- which made the bag a household name in 1997.

I have some "Mama" baguettes from that same era and while they're absolute works of art, I always find myself going to this bag. It's pretty small but it seems to hold all the basics and then some. I often use this bag as my "home base" and then place it inside a larger tote that holds diapers, make up, my first-aid "kit" (of bandages, Neosporin and ibuprofen),  and lots of other things that just weigh down my bag.

The leather on this bag is seriously "like buttah." I love the chocolate brown with the vibrant purple satin lining as well as the buckle. The bag's insides are also what makes it so special: it is a "framed" bag with three separate compartments. The center section has a clasp so you can put more serious items in there that you don't want to "accidentally" spill out of the bag. Then on either side are spacious sections that are very easy-access for a phone, lipstick, etc.

I never used this bag when I lived in New York. It just wasn't functional enough for me. I dragged it out on some occasions...quick brunches with friends or a dinner out on a weekend night. But during the week I needed a workhorse that could haul all my work papers and the stuff that usually came at press appointments (very heavy lookbooks).

In the past couple years, I've probably used this bag at least 100 times. If I don't have Annabel in tow, I take this little baby to the supermarket, to lunch, to run errands. It's definitely earned a Top 5 Favorite Bag in my closet. Yes, a Top 5! I almost can't believe it myself!