will 2012 be the year i finally buy an "it" bag?

I believe most bloggers have seen these bags enough this past year that they need no introduction. Clockwise from the top they are Dolce and Gabbana's Miss Sicily, Cambridge Satchel Company's leather messenger, Phillip Lim's Pashli, and Proenza Schouler's PS1. As per my earlier post about Filson and Fjallraven, I'm not really an "it" bag kind of gal. My staples are canvas and sturdy leather in rather masculine forms, so why am I thinking about caving for one of these bags now?

The Cambridge Satchel Company's bag is the only one that really fits my usual criteria. Utilitarian and built to last, I wanted this bag desperately in either navy blue, red, or (forest) green a few months ago. After stalking the website and then seeing the slew of complaints on their facebook page, I decided waiting 2+ months for a bag that had increased 150%-200% in price and 10000x in production was really not worth it. I was especially put off by the fact that much of the hype was due to the fluorescent versions, which I found to be totally unappealing as they popped up on my bloglovin' feed every single freaking day during Fashion Week. I ended up buying a vintage Coach "Colebrook" 5181 briefcase, made in the good ol' USA out of beautiful navy leather instead.

But somehow the simple, sturdy, and well-made leather bags I already own are unable to fill the void I feel when I see the Phillip Lim Pashli. The Pashli is traditional in satchel form, but if you sent it through a time machine out of 1960s Britain into 2011. I love pretty much everything about this bag, even though I can imagine the handles being impractical for wearing over the shoulder, and the lack of zipper closure and detachable shoulder strap impractical. Still, priced at around $800-$900 retail and sometimes on sale (I just saw it in messenger form in taupe for 30% off at La Garçonne), this is the only one of the four that I'm really really considering buying. Luckily (or perhaps unluckily?) the bag seems to be out of stock everywhere except in patent leather, which isn't an option at all. Ideally I'd want it in black, but I'm sure if I saw the green or taupe in person I could be persuaded in either direction too. Susie Bubble's close-up shots of it in taupe are pretty swoon-worthy indeed (and her comments about It Bags are pretty discerning, too).

The PS1 and Miss Sicily bags are on opposite ends of the satchel/messenger spectrum, and yet I feel myself drawn to both. The Miss Sicily would be much more useful for formal occasions, but the PS1 seems perfect for everyday wear. And its name reminds me of the PS1 warm-up events at the MOMA, all of which I sadly missed out on this past summer. I think some of the colors that the PS1 comes in are truly horrendous, but I'm particularly fond of the black suede, tobacco suede, and dark grey shades. The only thing that I really dislike about the Miss Sicily is the gold label on the front--it's a little too conspicuous for me.

Perhaps one of the things that turns me off about "it" bags like the PS1 is that I can't do a google image search for the bag without turning up thousands of photos of celebrities schlepping the bag around as if it were a nylon duffle on the way to the gym. I'm all about using things that you love, but  the elegance of even a casual bag like the PS1 is totally lost on me when I see it paired with Uggs.

A bag that I did not include in this collage that I would be more than happy to own is the Céline classic box bag. I think the black, camel, red, and green tones are all equally beautiful, and the design is so perfectly simple and elegant. Unlike the PS1, I've liked at least 95% of the outfits that I've seen it paired with. But plunking down thousands for one is only something I can daydream about, for now.

edit: after writing this post I just came across this image and it kind of shows the contrast between the Filson carrying girl and the It Bag carrying girl. That is, assuming her bag is not vintage :)