Juicy Couture The Queens Garden Tote

To be honest, I don’t much care for Juicy Couture accessories. Anyone who wears their stuff should be paid a commission as walking billboards for the way the company plasters the brand all over everything multiple times. I mean, how many times does one little keychain need to say “Juicy” on it? And don’t get me started on their terry handbags. Really? We’re making bags out of towels now? What’s next, luggage out of bathrobes? And never mind that it’s terry cloth, it still costs a couple hundred bucks just because the brand “Juicy” is plastered on it a few dozen times. Speaking of which, why don’t we get paid to wear brand name stuff? I mean, that’s like free advertising for the company, isn’t it? If you wear a pair of Nike shoes that say Nike on them, why doesn’t Nike have to pay you a fee? No, you paid them to wear their name. We’ve been had, people. I’m just sayin’. Where was I? Oh yeah, I usually hate Juicy Couture. So why am I writing about one of their bags? Because the The Queens Garden Tote isn’t made from a towel, and it doesn’t say Juicy Couture all over it in LED lights.

Let’s start with the name. The Queens Garden. We’ll just ignore that there’s an apostrophe missing. Juicy makes handbags out of towels, people. They can’t be expected to know all the punctuation rules. Unless they meant Queens, New York. Huh. Well, either way, I like the name. Not sure why, I just do. And the bag is a perfect way to get ready for fall. It’s an extra large tote at 17 inches wide and 14 inches high. Wow, you could rent that space out for ads and make some cash. It’s fully fabric-lined, with an interior zip pocket. There are two extra side flap pockets on the exterior, too. The double handle gives the bag a six-inch drop, and the top zip closure keeps everything secure. Now, the hardware is embossed with the Juicy logo, but it’s very subtle in this case, so I don’t mind it so much. All in all, it’s just a great tote that I wouldn’t mind adding to my wardrobe. Good job, Juicy. Keep this up, and I may even admit a little bit of like for you. You can get the Queens Garden Tote for $448 at Piperlime.com.

Budget Saving Alternative 1

They almost had me. I almost fell for that Juicy bag, and then wham! The price. Ok, it’s leather and not beach towel, but still. A girl’s gotta keep her budget intact. And how does she do that? Well, one way is with this Maxx New York Buddakan Tote. Now this is a juicy bag, and I don’t just mean the color! It’s red, obviously, but the bag also comes in…ink? I’m sure they meant black, since they didn’t come up with some clever name for the red bag like, I don’t know, Macintosh or something. I could totally name designer stuff, right? Anyway, the Buddakan is made from shiny coated twill, and has a satin lining. It’s 18.5 inches wide, and 11 inches high, with a 9.5-inch shoulder drop. The interior boasts a back wall zip pocket, and a couple of slip pockets as well. If you look closely, you’ll see a zipper around the base of the bag. Don’t go getting any ideas about any secret compartments—it’s purely cosmetic. It does come with a small zippered pouch, though. It’s budget friendly because it’s on sale. It usually goes for $225, but you can get it right now for $123.75 at Endless.com.

Budget Saving Alternative 2

One way to save money on a handbag is to forgo the leather in favor of a synthetic material. You have to be careful, though. Some synthetic bags will look, oh, I don’t know, like they were made from towels or something. And then some, like the Big Buddha Union Tote, will give you the look of fine leather without the price. Not only does the Union look like leather, it’s embossed with a crocodile pattern for a few extra chic points. It has a plainweave fabric lining with a back wall zip pocket, and a magnetic closure. At 15 inches wide and 14 inches high, you’ll have more than enough space for whatever you need to carry. The double handles give the tote a six-inch drop. Along with this emerald, the bag also comes in black, brown, grey, white, tan, and burgundy. It’s just $85 at Endless.com.