Handbag recommendations for law school? Forum

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carasrook

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Handbag recommendations for law school?

Post by carasrook » Sat Apr 08, 2017 8:45 pm

On my ever increasing list of things to buy before law school is a professional-ish, functional, not-crazy-expensive, but also not a backpack handbag.

I know it'll get beat up, so I'm not looking for anything crazy expensive. I want something like this: https://www.loandsons.com/the-og, but I'm not willing to pay $200+ for it.

Does anyone have a good handbag recommendation?

LoganCouture

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Re: Handbag recommendations for law school?

Post by LoganCouture » Sat Apr 08, 2017 8:48 pm

I bought the OG bag (and overall really like it, especially as my personal item on flights) but any bag/purse is pretty shitty for hauling casebooks around for any significant distance so I switched to a backpack for law school use and am much happier.

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CatherineZetaScarn1

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Re: Handbag recommendations for law school?

Post by CatherineZetaScarn1 » Sun Apr 09, 2017 7:51 pm

I have a Dagne Dover and it's the best bag I've ever had, It's really durable and so organized. They have various sizes and they're still pretty expensive but if you wait for them to go on sale, they're usually 150ish.

https://www.dagnedover.com/collections/ ... #DagneBlue

If not, I used a longchamp in undergrad which is not as big but still pretty durable. I love it because I'm super hard on purses and you can wash it with soap and water. The downside is that it has zero pockets and that drives me crazy.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/longchamp-l ... te/3241956

BostonOrBust

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Re: Handbag recommendations for law school?

Post by BostonOrBust » Sun Apr 09, 2017 8:02 pm

This handbag holds at least three bottles of wine, which is the mark of a good handbag as far as I'm concerned.

https://www.madewell.com/browse/single_ ... ID=lJ5AsNQ

(Also is large, relaxed, and professional looking. I get compliments on it all the time.)

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sfoglia

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Re: Handbag recommendations for law school?

Post by sfoglia » Mon Apr 10, 2017 11:22 am

Saffiano leather is the best in terms of disguising wear/tear. The biggest problem I've had is with the edges on totes needing to be repainted after a year's worth of nearly every day wear. At this point, I just carry my casebooks to save the strain on my bags.

Cole Haan's Abbot is probably going to be my next purchase. http://www.colehaan.com/abbot-tote-blac ... s&start=13

Don't buy nylon. Get something that makes you look like a professional.

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cannonballer

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Re: Handbag recommendations for law school?

Post by cannonballer » Mon Apr 10, 2017 3:41 pm

This might be a ridiculous question, but what's the average load of books that you haul to class daily? I'm trying to figure out if the bag I have is big enough or if I need to upgrade to something bigger.

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hopefuljumbo23

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Re: Handbag recommendations for law school?

Post by hopefuljumbo23 » Mon Apr 10, 2017 3:57 pm

Does every school have lockers? We have lockers at Cornell, so you can get away with a Longchamp, if you wish. I tried this at the beginning of the year, but realized that I prefer to study at home. This means lugging casebooks back and forth, so I just ended up buying a backpack - way easier than a Longchamp.
cannonballer wrote:This might be a ridiculous question, but what's the average load of books that you haul to class daily? I'm trying to figure out if the bag I have is big enough or if I need to upgrade to something bigger.
For me, it's at least two casebooks a day. Depends on your schedule though, obviously, and how much you like to study at school.

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waldorf

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Re: Handbag recommendations for law school?

Post by waldorf » Mon Apr 10, 2017 3:59 pm

If you go on the right days, Kate Spade's outlet has massive totes for around $100. Very high quality. I have two from their outlet and they've lasted me several years (I use them at least 5 days a week for work).

If you don't have an outlet near you, sign up for their emails to find out when the sales are (the best are 60% off + 20% off). You can call and order one and they'll ship it to you.

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floatie

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Re: Handbag recommendations for law school?

Post by floatie » Mon Apr 10, 2017 4:27 pm

Are you talking about a handbag for interviews/networking event or something to carry casebooks?

For casebooks - especially if you're lugging them home, I can't imaging any purse that wouldn't slowly kill your shoulder. If you don't want a backpack, maybe you can find a nice laptop/messenger bag?

For purses, if you live near a TJMaxx/Marshalls, they have some really nice large tote bags that I can fit a couple smaller books and a padfolio into, and they're definitely under $100.

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zot1

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Re: Handbag recommendations for law school?

Post by zot1 » Mon Apr 10, 2017 4:36 pm

Gucci or might as well not show up for class.

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34iplaw

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Re: Handbag recommendations for law schChecool?

Post by 34iplaw » Mon Apr 10, 2017 5:10 pm

zot1 wrote:Gucci or might as well not show up for class.
Naw dawg.

Birkin or bust.

Kidding aside, I second the comments of the person who recommended Saffiano leather. Saffiano (and pebbled) leather retain a clean fresh look far longer than other leathers. That said, Saffiano probably has a nicer and cleaner look than pebbled leather.

Check out Saks Off 5th. If you have one at a Tanger's near you, I can hook you up with a 25% off. Alternatively, I think I have a $30 off $150 or $60 off $300 coupon I could set you up with. Alternatively, eBay and second hand is always a good option for leather goods.

megamega88

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Re: Handbag recommendations for law school?

Post by megamega88 » Tue Apr 11, 2017 3:53 pm

I usually take a backpack when I have 3 classes back to back as I can fit all my books, laptop, and lunch. On days when I have one class I take a black tote bag.
If you have alot of classes on one day, it takes a toll carrying a lot of textbooks on just one shoulder. I usually need my textbook in case a professor cold calls me but in retrospect maybe all I needed was my briefs.

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MediocreAtBest

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Re: Handbag recommendations for law school?

Post by MediocreAtBest » Tue Apr 11, 2017 6:29 pm

A rolling backpack is super stylish and a great way to make all your classmates jealous.

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melmelcoolj

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Re: Handbag recommendations for law school?

Post by melmelcoolj » Sun May 14, 2017 6:00 pm

How many casebooks do we actually need to carry? I am thinking of re-use my nylon Longchamp from undergrad, but maybe I should just get the Herschel Little America if we truly have to carry a ton. I would like to possibility to study at home, but probably will drive to school. So walking with a huge pile of books is probably out of the question.

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Watababe

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Re: Handbag recommendations for law school?

Post by Watababe » Mon May 15, 2017 7:10 am

There are a few good recommendations in this thread http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 5&t=276510 but I think most are over the $200 mark. Some people have seen a few of the bags mentioned at TJ Maxx/Marshalls/the like. I've seen a few good quality totes at DSW, usually for more reasonable prices. I'm currently debating between dropping a decent amount on one of the $200+ ones that will last me all through school and probably beyond or just going with a like $60 I'll probably have to replace a couple times.

KME89

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Re: Handbag recommendations for law school?

Post by KME89 » Mon May 15, 2017 9:55 am

I got a Tumi backpack on clearance at an outlet store.

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