Bag ladies

Think of doctors’ bags dyed Pepto Bismol pink, Nexium purple and Viagra blue, with price tags that require a cardiologist’s paycheck. You’ll find them in this summer’s fashion magazines, high-style purses at prices from $200 to $2,000, designed to convey confidence and authority.

But what constitutes the Inland Northwest version of a status handbag?

It depends on whom you ask.

Certainly women who flocked to Nordstrom’s recent anniversary sale in downtown Spokane — and Nordstrom and Bon-Macy’s buyers themselves — would name purses such as the Dooney & Bourke “It” bag and the Coach handbag, priced from $100 to $350. But if you start asking around, you’ll hear women talking about the most expensive labels, including French designer Louis Vuitton, which can cost $1,500 or more.

“I’ve seen more Louis Vuitton bags in Spokane than I’ve ever seen before,” said Joanne Piccici, a Spokane woman who collects handbags. “They’re mostly fake.”

Occasionally, however, the real thing shows up. One recent summer afternoon, Candace Frioux of Salt Lake City picnicked on the grass at Riverfront Park, her Louis Vuitton bag perched beside her.

“I have a friend who got me into this Louis Vuitton sickness,” she said. “I think it’s a little addictive.”

She’s an interior designer who buys handbags on buying trips in France. There Louis Vuitton bags sell for around $1,300. She dubs them “stupidly expensive bags for what they are.”

Hers displayed multicolored Louis Vuitton monograms on a white leather background. One of the bag’s major selling points: With 33 different hues of pink, purple, yellow, brown and blue, the bag’s likely to match whatever its owner wears. Besides, according to Time magazine, celebrities such as J. Lo and Reese Witherspoon carry this style, called the Murakami Speedy bag.

“Personally, I think spending a thousand dollars a bag is crazy,” said Susan Carmody, owner of Jigsaw, a women’s store in downtown Spokane. “I think a person can get a fabulous handbag at under $400.”

She buys one-of-a-kind handbags from small designers the department stores don’t carry, such as Hype, Beth Springer, Carla Mancini and BCBG. The prices on these bags, in rich produce-aisle shades for fall such as tomato, squash, pumpkin and plum, range from $98 to $350. “The last delivery just blew out of here,” she said.

In Coeur d’Alene, however, women flock into Accessories By Gosh in the Coeur d’Alene Plaza to buy leather backs by Brighton and brightly colored print fabric bags by Vera Bradley. “Both these lines sell extremely well, said Don Bennett, who owns the store. “There’s a Vera Bradley lady and there’s a Brighton lady. They’re two different women.”

These purses range in price from $40 to $250. “I think people in this region recognize quality,” Bennett said. “Price is not an objection.”

At stores such as Euro Comfort and Homestead Birkenstock, customers show up to buy the Health Back Bag made by AmeriBag. It’s sold in nylon, microfiber or leather at prices ranging from $50 to $190. Women who suffer shoulder pain from carrying standard bags switch to this asymmetrical design to reduce the stress on their necks, backs and shoulders.

“AmeriBags are the most popular now,” said Katrina Stevens, manager of Euro Comfort’s NorthTown store. “The doctor will tell you not to carry a handbag at all. But that’s hard to do as women.”

The style of the Inland Northwest doesn’t necessarily revolve around the fashion world reflected in magazines such as Vogue or O. “We’re not so into what’s cool-looking,” said Kirsten Zurfluh, a sales associate at Homestead Birkenstock in downtown Spokane. “We’re into what’s comfortable.”

Zurfluh herself, however, can’t resist a cute little colorful tote.

“I have like a hundred purses,” she said with a grin. “It’s a sad, sad thing. I just buy one once a week.”

Carmody wants one great bag to carry all season long; 21-year-old Zurfluh and her friends like the opposite.

“Girls are more into a trendy purse they can swap out everyday,” she said.

No matter what they can afford, it never hurts to dream.

Vanessa Strange, a 24-year-old graduate student at Eastern Washington University, popped into Target last week to check out Isaac Mizrahi’s all-leather bags for $26.99. “They seem to be pretty stylish,” she said.

The bag she’d really love to own: Marc Jacob’s Sophia bag, in bright purple.

It was available on eBay last week for $699.