Fanny Packs have experienced something of a renaissance as of late. I’m a fan now, but that’s not why I purchased one last fall. The purchase was on account of a last-minute Halloween costume involving me as an American Apparel “model” (aka slut) and my boyfriend as Dov Charney. That’s right. Me – champion of [...]

Beats the hell outta Century 21. If you’re in the Union Square area at any point this weekend, do swing by. Designer goodies at redonkulously low prices abound.
Cure Thrift Bag Sale
Vintage & designer clutches, totes, hobos, satchels, wallets, purses, luggage and more!
Whether you’re looking for your next everyday carry-all, or just something fun to wear [...]

I swung by Gramercy’s Goodwill earlier today on a tip from reader Donna, who suggested I check out their five dollar denim sale. Donna wins the Karma award for the day. I’m not sure how long said sale’s been going on, but there’s still a solid selection of brands left. Case(s) in point:

Blue Cult, Miss [...]

Clutches are exactly what the name implies; to carry this kind of purse, you have to give up a free hand. I thought clutches of the wristlet ilk were the only means to making the burden more bearable. Then I saw this:

You’re probs thinking Qui gives a shit? It’s got a freakin’ bow on it. [...]

This is me, going through my cheapjap@gmail.com account: Product endorsement BS, delete, delete, PR crap, delete, delete, Fair trade handbags, del…hmm, interested. I’ve never bought a bag online, but Novica.com’s mission to “give artists and artisans around the world a global platform to express their true artistic talents and to spur their creativity” has me [...]

In the nineties classic 10 Things I Hate About You, Bianca and Chastity embark on an uber-deep discussion on the difference between like and love.
Bianca: There’s a difference between like and love. Because, I like my Sketchers, but I love my Prada backpack.
Chastity: But I love my Sketchers.
Bianca: That’s because you don’t have a Prada [...]

My cobbler did a pretty kickass job resurrecting my destroyed leather goodies. Some Before and After pics, as proof:

Dr. Cobbler didn’t just fix the strap on my broken Botkier.
He reinforced every loose thread on the thing. He also re-heeled my gnarled Aldo motorcycle boots, like whoa. They’re totally good as new!

The [...]

WARNING: The pictures you’re about to see may cause horror, fury, melancholy and/or disgust. They’re what happens to your leather goods after you’ve loved them a little too much.
When the strap on my Botkier broke, I initially allowed my preoccupation with my Abaco to distract me from the pain of loss. Alas, no handbag [...]

After Botkier’s dire attempt to whore itself out to the masses, I assumed the next high-end handbag designer’s “collection” for Target would suck too. What happens when we assume? Someone like Anya Hindmarch obvs comes along and makes asses out of you and me. Sometimes, it’s refreshing to be wrong… but only sometimes.
The [...]

Wanna know why I’m really against online shopping? Because I don’t have a doorman. If I’m not home, I do not receive my package. Instead, I receive yellow slips that inform me of UPS’s 1st, 2nd and 3rd attempts to drop off said package.
When a reader mentioned she scored a Theory blazer for ten bucks [...]

Now, I’m more shop-a-holic than health nut. Obvs. Alas, bargain hunting often requires as much fuel as a hard core workout, particularly when you’re as ruthless as I am.
If Wheaties is the breakfast of champions, [me] & goji is the breakfast of everyone – exercise enthusiasts and fab fashionistas alike.
This make-your-own-cereal company – the [...]

Subject: Corporate Conundrum
Hey Cheap Jap,
I’m consummate shoe girl who’s a bit clueless when it comes to fashionable arm candy, so I’m coming to you for some of your canny handbag advice. I’m starting a corporate job next month with a business casual dress code and a sizable office-issued laptop to be shlepped back and forth [...]

After I made the fiscally responsible decision of not buying the Abaco bag, I vowed to avoid Petticoat Lane in the weeks following. I needed time to mourn the loss of my big, buttery, leather obsession. I didn’t have the strength to see it again and not buy it, nor could I bear the [...]

[Note: MAILBAG is copied and pasted directly from cheapjap@gmail.com’s inbox and is therefore exempt from any and all grammatical, capitalization and/or spelling errors.]
Subject: hey
Dear CheapJAP:
First off, I adore your sight. It’s amazing. And you update regularly, which is beyond fabulous.
My conundrum: I want a bag for school. My finances are probably much less jap-y than [...]

I’m sure you’ve all been waiting with bated breath to hear the verdict on the Abaco bag. A brief schpiel on my biggest shopping conundrum to date: After I posted about the bag, I hit Petticoat Lane again – I needed the Abaco’s presence to determine whether it really was love, or just puppy lust. [...]

Yesterday, I fell in love. With a handbag. I’ll explain.
A week or so ago, I was strolling down my block when I noticed a new addition to the neighborhood. Like Athena from Zeus’s head, a bag shop had sprung unexpectedly from a deserted storefront. And not just any bag shop – a Petticoat Lane. I [...]

As far as sample sales go, Botkier’s was remarkably well-executed; there was minimal insanity and an abundance of bags at 50-70% off. Had I been on the hunt for a clutch or a small going-out bag, I would have been positively gleeful, as this category of leather goods boasted fab options ranging from $100-$175.
But [...]

Anyone eagerly anticipating the July 20 release of the Botkier for Target handbag line needs to take a good, hard look at these photos. Witness Exhibit A:

It’s not just painfully obvious that the sparkling, buttery, buckled beauty at left is the real thing; it’s fucking insulting that the gold, stiff, pleather disaster at [...]

Aside from social intelligence and charm, both of which I obvs have in abundance, waitressing doesn’t require a whole lot of brainpower. But after working five nights out of the past six, I can say with complete confidence that it’s among the most grueling things I’ve ever done. My entire body aches, I’ve got bags [...]

I’ve got no problem hauling around my life during the day – my tote tends to have everything from Sugar-Free Redbulls and extra packs of Camel Lights to inspirational books my Dad thinks I should read and/or Us Weeklies. But when I’m out at night, I like to appear less high-maintenance than I am. This [...]