You consider yourself fashionable, armed with taste and an eye for the chic.

You are smart and savvy when it comes to your signature style, keeping one eye on design and the other on price.

Oh, and you love bags. (And it’s not just a “bag”, it’s an accessory that just happens to carry all your stuff!)

If you’re still with me, and I hope you are, I’d like to introduce (or re-introduce) you to the gorgeous collection of Roots bags.

Roots Bags 101

Walk into a Roots store and you’ll find everything from sweats to jackets to jewelry. But what I think they’re  really best at (besides dressing Olympic athletes – Go Canada!) is leather. With a Roots leather bag, you can get all the little designer bag details that you know and love:

* bold, bright, or classic colours
* lux, woven, or pebbled prince leather
* embellished zipper pulls
* grommets, studs, jewel tones

But are you ready for the clincher? Roots bags are dirt cheap!

Well, comparatively speaking of course. For the price of a single big-designer bag, you can get 6 designer-esque bags. Six!!! Imagine all the outfit matching possibilities! Not only that, you’ll elicit the same mood-boosting compliments and save hundreds of dollars to boot!

Roots bags come in great versatile styles. There’s just something about them that makes them so unique and easy to love. Maybe it’s the way they subtly include the latest design trends without overdoing it – leaving you with a bag that can outlast any fad.

If you’ve never considered buying a Roots bag then, my goodness, you’ve probably never felt one in your hands (do you know what you’re missing?!) The image links will take you to the official Roots website where something might catch your eye. If you do pick one up, promise to get in touch, ok?

When comments on your latest purchase are as innocent as that, it’s easy to respond with a simple “thank you” and walk away all giddy inside (because it is a gorgeous bag, it really is ).

But what about those other times? You know, when they really just want to know how much you paid for it? When they know you love bags but think you spend way too much on them? When they’re really more interested in judging your spending habits than anything else?

You’ve probably had this problem before if you’re a bag lover and over time I’ve learned how to deal with it.

First, you have to learn not to get offended. I know – it’s totally none of their business how much you spent or how you choose to spend your money. But what I’ve realized is that you’ll never be able to control what other people think or what comes out of their mouths. It’s their nature and you’re probably not the one whose going to help them change. Let go of this battle that you can’t win anyway and don’t let something you have no control over affect or offend you. That’s the first step.

Next, you need to be able to handle their questions. They’ll probably ask things like “is that new?”, “what brand is that?”, and everyone’s favourite, “how much was it?!” The good news is that we have lots of options here.

A lot of women will say it was a gift or something like “oh, my cousin knows I like this brand so she gave it to me because she wasn’t using it.” The trouble with these kinds of responses is that, well, they’re little white lies and will probably come back one day to bite you in the butt. Especially true when you tell them a price way lower than it actually was. Imagine their surprise when they go online and find out how much it really cost you. (you won’t have this problem with a Roots bag though – they’re affordable!)

Another approach goes like this:

nosy co-worker: “Break the bank on a new bag again I see…. How much was it?”
you: “A million dollars”
nosy co-worker: “Oh c’mon”
you: “Ok fine. 5 bucks”
nosy co-worker: “Seriously”
you: “hahaaa… ohhhhkay, 2 bucks”

…and on and on until they get the message. You’ll get what you want (not telling them anything) along with some entertainment at their expense! Now if you don’t have a single sarcastic bone in your body or you just can’t be bothered, you could go with a more polite approach and still get what you want when they ask for the price: “well I won’t tell you how much but I think it was really worth it.” And leave it at that.

I think it’d be silly not to wear your new bag and even sillier to feel bad about it when you do. You liked, you bought it, and it’s your own money. Sadly, some people will always be nosy (or competetive, even jealous) but that’s no reason to let them take away that happy fuzzy feeling.

If you do some research, you’ll discover that leather was at the heart of the company from the very beginning. Leather is very much a part of Roots DNA. They choose their leather from only the finest Italian tanneries committed to quality and old world craftsmanship. Then they produce every genuine Roots leather good in Canada, at a state-of-the-art facility in Toronto, Ontario.

In fact, Roots has been perfecting leather for so long that they’ve become popular for their many different kinds of leather:

Vintage Tribe Leather
A hand-rubbed finish creates the distinct vintage look. If you don’t have a vintage tribe bag for that urban chic look, check out the Roots Village Bag. It’s hugely popular and you’ll love it.

Super Palma Lux Leather
Hung-dry to create this luxurious feel that will immediately remind you (and others) of $$ designer bags. The Roots Downtown Slide is a flattering, mood-boosting bag in Super Lux leather.

Pebbled Prince Leather
You know how only few bags develop their own character and get softer and richer with age? Well, this is it. Pebbled to a buttery soft feel and naturally water resistant. The Roots French Café is a must-have Prince leather bag.

Vegetable Tanned Leather
You don’t have to be an eco-friendly, tree-hugging environmentalist to fall in love with these bags. Only natural vegetable extracts from chestnuts and Argentinean quebracho trees are used in producing this leather. Thank the environment with your next bag purchase.

So.. if you’ve ever wondered why your Roots bag stands out so much from the crowd or how Roots bags can be featured right next to $$ designer bags in fashion magazines, it probably has something to do with how it was made. Learn more at the Roots website.