Ch-ch-changes! And handbags, comme toujours

A few kind My Inner French Girl readers have emailed me asking about my momentary absence, and I just wanted to send you a big Merci for your thoughts and concern and to let you know that I’m still here! The whole photography-as-favor incident is well past me, and I’m all cried-out and sick of the whole thing. Over the past week I’ve been doing some heavy research on my excruciatingly long novel, as well as doing some major blue-sky thinking about My Inner French Girl. As longtime readers know, I’ve been spending the summer planning a major overhaul of the blog and was actually hoping to launch the new site (on its own URL!) on Bastille Day (July 14th), but obviously, that didn’t happen. It’s getting close, though, and I’m even more excited about its up-and-coming debut because I’ve a few interviews (audio) lined up and ready to go, some of which are with some of my favorite people in the entire world.

So stay tuned for that, as I’m working on the project and hope to have it up and running very, very soon!

In the meantime, I want to take this time to state on the record that I hereby take back any and all nice things I ever said about Target’s ever-burgeoning accessories line. Yes, I admire their attempts to stand apart from the traditional big-box offerings of cheap-and-tacky women’s clothing and accessories by bringing in big-name designers like Erin Fetherston, Alexander McQueen, Anna Sui, and the man who started the whole mass-market-haute-couture craze, Isaac Mizrahi. Yes, I love the chic-but-inexpensive looks, including my personal favorite, the Jovovich Hawk line. (Sadly, Milla Jovovich and Carmen Hawk closed their line last year.) And yes, I love that Middle America has largely embraced the concept, proving once and for all that it’s not that we mainstream folks lack taste, it’s that we lack choices in our price range.

Having said that…I’ve been consistently disappointed with the quality of the products the store has rolled out the last few years, especially with regard to their handbags and other accessories. Case in point: I bought a nautical-style tote bag with cream-colored handles less than a month ago, and within two weeks, the threads on the handles were already fraying very, very visibly.

As a freelance writer with a tiny “corner office” at home (i.e., my IKEA desk is crammed into a corner of our nonexistent dining room, flanked by a super-heavy metal filing cabinet and the printer cabinet), I like the mobility that my little Asus netbook affords me. It’s the best thing in the world to be able to work from home, but the big downside is that — for writers in particular — it can be awfully lonely. To counteract that I’ll usually head to my nearest Starbucks or indie coffee shop for a few hours of concentrated work over a cup or two of cafe au lait or green tea. Even though I’m technically still by myself, just being surrounded by all the hustle and bustle of the neighborhood coffee house provides enough comforting company to keep the loneliness at bay.

Anyway, although I love the idea of the Hollywood Intuition tote bag that Target currently offers, it doesn’t have the structure that I need — even with my netbook, a few books and magazines and all the usual stuff that women like to schlep, its soft-sided form just collapses into a sorry heap. Plus, I fear that its size would encourage me to carry way more than my body can handle, and my poor shoulders — which life’s stresses love to zero in on already — will pay the price.

I found the navy-blue nautical bag and thought it might be perfect: it was super-cheap (I think it was on sale for $19.99 when I bought it), its structure allows it to stand up on its own but it’s also roomy enough to carry everything I need for a whole day of work outside of the home office. It’s also cute enough, though, to double as a nice day-to-day bag for when I’m running around town doing errands, unlike a lot of other so-called “work totes” which can be too formal and structured for casual use.

It also has a nice upside: the bag’s canvas material is very thick and sturdy, hence its ability to stand on its own, so to speak. Even with all the abuse I’ve inflicted on it the last month or so, it retains most of its structure and remains my go-to work bag.

However, the fraying threads on the handles worry me. Everything else about the bag — including the hot pink nylon lining — is reinforced and looks like it might survive at least another year or so of wear-and-tear, but I’d be surprised if the handles last that long. I’ve received free nylon totes in exchange for magazine subscriptions that have endured more than this Target bag. Sure, for $20, I shouldn’t expect too much, but the unevenness of construction (great bag, awful handles) is confounding. And couldn’t the handles wait longer than two weeks before they started coming apart?

This isn’t the first time Target has disappointed in its ongoing bid to become the destination of choice for frugal fashionistas. My beloved gray-and-white striped Jovovick Hawk sweater developed a small tear the first time I wore it. Last month B. and I together went through three sports sunglasses from their Champion and Ironman lines; one of them broke not too long after I put them on. Okay, so they’re $17 apiece and not $100, but really, that’s just ridiculous.

So yes, until I see even marginal improvements in the quality of their accessories and clothing lines, I’m holding off on buying anything else. I can do better with the discounted mid-range handbags at Marshall’s and T.J. Maxx, or at high-end consignment shops. For about $50 I can get a gorgeous, well-made tote that will last me at least a year, as opposed to the $20 bag that I’d be lucky to still be using a month after purchase. My $7.00 “designer” sunglasses I bought at Ross two years ago and that I wear nearly every day of the year still rocks. Like everything else in life, looks can only get you so far. Beauty is fleeting, but quality remains.

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