Clutches and Totes with personality under $500!

Remember my post about Kooba bags on sale at Bergdorf Goodman? Apparently, their prices are mostly, if not all, matched on Neiman Marcus's sale, also 40% off. And Neiman Marcus has more selection of bags on sale. I am sure there will be deeper discounts later on in the season, but the bags I covet might be gone by then. I couldn't help myself so I picked out a few that I like here.

Lauren Merkin Louise Woven Leather Clutch
(Was: $395.00, Now: $277.00)

First up, Bottega is still the best at making woven bags, but here we have Lauren Merkin's Louise Woven Leather Clutch in beautiful Grey and Eggplant! I've been loving Lauren Merkin's clutches for a while now, and this is BY FAR the most delectable one I've seen from them!!! And it is ON SALE!!! I love both colors. The grey is a little bit green to my eyes, but it's still stunning nonetheless. What to do? What to do?

Kooba Callie Leather Tote (Was: $645.00, Now: $452.00)

To continue professing my love for Kooba, here's a tote that has enough personality to make any girl distinct!! My friend, Claire De Lune, has been looking for rectangular tote for everyday use, and I am definitely recommending this one in grass (green) color. It's big, sturdy, and so very unique! And I really just love the green because it reminds me of jade and tropical forests~ ^_^ ahhh, the smell of grass~~~.

Tory Burch Mick Clutch
(Was: $495.00, Now: $347.00)

I told my friend, A.S., that I am against Tory Burch because they tended to plaster their logo blatantly across a lot of their insufferable totes. However, when they refrain from the loud logo action, Tory Burch does come out with decent bags. This may be a little bland for some people, but I like it. The art deco look of the clutch feels both edgy and elegant. This is definitely a day-to-night bag, though you probably can't carry anything more than essentials in it.

Kooba Penelope Clutch
(Was: $295.00, Now: $207.00)

I truly can't help it. This pink clutch is soooo cute. Of course I would prefer a Fendi mini Baguette or Chanel 2.55, but this Penelope Clutch is actually affordable!!! Ok, it is small, so the clutch is more like a great party bag or for making an appearance somewhere. Hey, but you can use it as your purse inside your day bag and grab it on short trips out of your car! The pink on this clutch is soooo cute that I am re-considering my friend, A.S.'s coveted tote buy at Coach (the Leather Juliene $458).

Cole Hann Genevieve Box Tote
(Was: $395.00, Now: $277.00)

Cole Hann comes up with safe but good-looking choices in bag designs. Classic and nothing too original. However, I decided to post this one here because it's under $300, a nice estate blue, and has an optical illusion thing going on with its weaving, which adds interest to the eyes and make it special. It reminds me of the Illusion tote by Bottega but without the ugly circles (sorry, my beloved BV).

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Pink Products for October

MICHAEL Michael Kors BCRF Canvas Tote $68.00
(Available in stores and at MichaelKors.com)

Here's the math:

BCRF = Breast Cancer Research Foundation
(Mission: To achieve prevention and a cure for breast cancer in our lifetime)

October = National Breast Cancer Awareness month
(In its honor, here's a special, limited edition MICHAEL Michael Kors canvas tote)

Amount going to BCRF = $34.00
(Purportedly, 50% of the proceeds from the sale of this tote bag will be donated to BCRF)

Amount going to Michael Kors = $34.00

Cost of making tote (including overhead and opportunity costs) = your guess...

But is the cost really $34.00 or even close? I doubt it. Needless to say, Michael Kors is probably making a profit out of his act of do-gooding. And perhaps he should! Anyone buying the bag should realize that they are donating $34 to breast cancer research and $34 for the actual bag, which really doesn't sound tooooo bad. On the other hand, we have Coach trying to be a part of the solution as well. Here's what Coach came out with and here's the math:

From left to right:
Coach BCRF Key Fob $58,
Coach BCRF Lanyard $48,
Coach BCRF Charm $38
(Available in stores and at Coach.com)

Amount going to BCRF from Key Fob = $11.60
Amount going to BCRF from Lanyard = $9.60
Amount going to BCRF from Charm = $7.60
(20% of the sales proceed will be donated to BCRF)

Amount going to Coach from Key Fob = $46.40
Amount going to Coach from Lanyard = $38.40
Amount going to Coach from Charm = $30.40

Cost of making these accessories = my guess is less than $10 for sure.

If my guess is correct, then Coach gets ~500% of its cost of making these accessories. And they will be nice enough to donate around 25% of their raw profits to BCRF. Well, it's a brand, so the only thing that can be said is that branding and market positioning is important because it will determine the magnitude of your profit margin. To be really fair, at least these accessories are in the same price range as other similar Coach products.


Honestly though, why wouldn't anyone truly interested in helping breast cancer research just give the entire amount that would have been spent on the tote or the key charms to BCRF directly?

It could be that the society produces such charity initiatives to spur on people who otherwise would not have considered giving to breast cancer research. It could be that the people buying pink products are just interested in the merchandising and really don't mind being seen by others (when they carry around such products) as charitable and generous. It is, after all, "cool" to be affiliated with certain charitable causes, don't you think?

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