Tory Burch Amanda Tote – can we love it for less?

Welcome to the first day of my fave time of year – daylight savings time. HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN!!!!! I know Spring doesn’t ‘officially’ begin until later this month, but once that time changes it’s officially Spring to me.

I have been lusting after this bag for my Spring wardrobe for quite some time:

Tory Burch Amanda Tote – $495

I love almost everything about this bag – the color and shape are to die for. I bet you can guess what I don’t love. That’s right – the giant logo. Just kidding! We’ve already discussed my inexplicable weakness for Tory Burch logos.

Obvs what I don’t love about this bag is the price. Even though (as we’ve also already discussed) I generally only buy one bag per season and wear it everyday, $495 is twice as much as I’ve ever spent on a bag in the past and I’m having a hard time pulling the trigger. Especially when I just spent $500 on a blender. That’s right, I said a blender.

Don’t judge me.

Or judge me. Whatever. I don’t care. This thing is awesome*

*I judged my friend when she bought one of these in lieu of boots this Winter. Then she loaned me hers for a juice fast and I was forced to eat my words. Actually, I was forced to drink my words, but same, same.

But purchasing a $500 kitchen appliance (boy there’s something I never, EVER thought I would say) has left me with a little less room in my Spring accessories budget. And so, I set off on a quest to see if I could find a lower-priced alternative to the Tory Burch bag. Here’s what I found:

B. Makowsky Celeste Tote – $137

Well, it’s a red leather tote bag. And it’s significantly cheaper than the Tory Burch bag. But you know what I hate? Tassels. You know what I hate more than tassels? Silver-studded tassels. This option is a no.

Elliott Lucca Cordoba Tote – $205

This one’s pretty cute. I like that the hardware and the structure of the bag make it a little more work appropriate. I’m really looking for more of an orange-y/coral-y red than the scarlet/pink-y red of this bag, though.

Cole Haan Village Marcy Market Tote – $198

Now we’re getting much closer to something I could conceivably accept as a substitute for the Tory bag. But while I do love a bag with a simple, uncluttered design, this one edges dangerously close to boring. Plus I’m not sure this bag is big enough to hold my umbrella, two pairs of sunglasses, a pair of flats, three packs of gum, two boxes of contact lenses, a hairbrush, four ink pens, a wallet and a cell phone. (Yes, these are all things that are in my purse on a daily basis.)

Elliott Lucca Intreccio Tote – $198

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!! (I have no idea where this saying comes from – but I’m going to start making an effort to integrate it into my daily vocab. You’ve all been warned.) Is it setting the world on fire with it’s revolutionary handbag design? No. But it’s also basically the same color and shape as the bag I love, but for less than half the price. And that makes it a winner in my book.

But what do you think?