It's like 10,000 totes when all you need is a satchel.

Dear Winona,

I'm looking for a purse, you see. And I have a very good idea of what I want it to look like. Behold the magnificence:

Dooney & Bourke Medium Logo Satchel, $395, Macy's.

I love the shape of it, the color, the two rounded handles, the little buckles on the sides, the hook clasp. Everything but the price, in fact, which as a college student is drastically impossible. Also, the dimensions given are huuuuuge, but the bag looks normal-sized. Although they don't have a picture of it with someone, so my sense of scale and perspective is probably off.

So I was wondering if you had any advice on finding a bag with that sort of shape and design for maybe 50 dollars, rather than 400.

Anything you can tell me would be great--I know this purse search is likely to be long and strenuous.

Signed,

Bag(less) Lady

P.S. When the hell did Macy's get so expensive? Last time I checked they were not that high-end. How disappointing!

Dear Bag(less),

First of all, I totally feel you on that last point. I think I have uttered the phrase "When the hell did Macy's get so expensive??" approximately six-hundred times, most often when I lift one of their garments off the shelf and the fabric disintegrates in my fingers until I'm left clutching a few sad threads of polyester and a pricetag for $119.

But anyway, let's get to it! I searched high and low for you, darling, and, ironically, the best option I found was at...Macy's!

GUESS Portofino Satchel, on sale for $71, macys.com

OK, before I rave about this purse, I have to tell you a little story about irony because I just remembered it and I want to tell someone but my boyfriend's asleep: Sophomore year of high school, our English teacher was trying to teach the class the definition of irony. My brilliant peers were totally not getting it (I believe someone actually said, "Does it have anything to do with iron?"), and the teacher was getting exasperated. People started talking about other stuff and passing notes and just as the teacher was about to issue a class-wide detention, we heard a quiet but confident voice emanating from the front row: "It's like rain on your wedding day."

Everyone stopped talking and turned to stare at this unlikely prophet. It was Danny, a slouchy skater who rarely spoke about anything except the time he shaved his balls. He was staring at the floor.

Our teacher bounded over to his desk. "Yes, Danny?" She coaxed him, "Go on."

He paused, squinting in deep thought. "It's a free ride...When you've already paid. It's the good advice...that you just can't take."

A few people in the class (including myself and my friend Rachel) started laughing, but our teacher's eyes lit up in ignorant bliss. "Exactly, Danny!" She cried, "You've got it!"

Danny's eyes were still fixed on the linoleum. "It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife," he said, and then he looked up at the teacher. "Isn't it ironic?"

"Yes, Danny," our teacher said, slightly confused now, "It is."

Anyway, cute bag, right?

Here are a few other similar bags that you may like (cuz I sure do):

SR Squared by Sondra Roberts Canvas Ring Satchel, $95, endless.com

Nine West Reio Satchel, $65, endless.com

Tommy Hilfiger Vermont Dome Satchel, $79, endless.com

a.n.a. leather pickstitch hobo (also in black), $59, jcp.com

Best of luck in your quest, dear Bag(less). Here's hoping you won't find 10,000 totes when all you need is a satchel.