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Yesterday I stopped in our local Kohl’s Department store for my daughter to browse in the Junior Department. I had to make a decision where I could best spend the next 20 minutes, and luckily, chose Purses.

If you’ve been reading my column since January, you may remember that I have been on a quest to find a special handbag-or shoulder bag. As of this date, I actually have bought a new summer straw bag that meets a good many of my needs, but still haven’t found the purse that I could consider absolutely perfect. By this point, if I have any free time in a store, it’s habit that I head directly into the purse section. A few weeks ago, I spent 3 hours in one day checking out bags in 2 different shopping areas; I was overwhelmed, to say the least. Wilson’s Leather had some gorgeous bags (albeit weighed down with lots of accoutrements) and Macy’s had what appeared to be hundreds, but none offered the particular features for which I search. Anyway, I think I’m getting closer by finding Vera Wang’s Simply Vera line.

Her purses definitely come closest to meeting my needs, although they still don’t have the organizational departments I want. But, at this point, I’m beginning to believe that what I want does not exist, so it may be that Fate is telling me to ratchet down my aspirations and go with something that may be better. In any event, I couldn’t allow my findings to go unshared. Let me tell you a little about Ms. Wang’s new spring collection, and why I just adore it.

First, as crazy as this may sound, her purses are sensuous. Yep, it sounds strange even as I type it, but “sensuous”, “touchable”, “soft”, or any other word that describes a force that makes you want to reach out and caress something would suffice. Perhaps it’s that women must constantly hang onto our bags, subconsciously we want the feeling to be comforting. Or maybe it’s that touching something silky evokes a luxurious sense, resulting in our feeling special…all I know is that I ran my fingers over each one of her bags, entranced. The leathers were exceptionally rich, and the man-made materials were just as luscious. She had a few canvas models that were a few steps up from the standard dry, itchy canvas and even her silky-finished styles defied competition by offering more than meets the eye. (One texture I’ve never even seen before, while others were also trimmed in the softest patent leather imaginable.)

The shapes and forms of her bags, in my humble opinion, are attractive and user-friendly, and some of the straps even seemed to be designed specifically for easy carrying. None appeared to resemble small duffels or suitcases, complete with chains and buckles; no, she strived and achieved simple elegance without stuffiness. But, any gal of any age would probably find a style they like, because none are overly girly-girlish, super sporty, or old fashioned. You could carry one of Simply Vera, Vera Wang’s purses anywhere without appearing either over or under-accessorized, and I like that. Another thing I like is that she’s confident enough to not emphasize her name all over her merchandise. (I never buy any such item; if a company wants to do such blatant advertising, let them pay me instead of the other way around.) On the material bags, her logo is the same color as the main body of the bag, and on the leather versions, I saw it once on the clasp. Understating is a good thing. What tickled me, too, was the way the magnets were used-one particular style, if held by both handles, slid open with gentle pressure outward, and snapped closed by just releasing the hold slightly. No chance of stuff falling out or fighting to get the thing open and I’ve a feeling that craftsmanship would last for the life of the product.

I also love that her bags are fairly lightweight, come in various sizes, and at prices that are within the range of an average working gal’s budget. During a 30-50% sale, the bags I saw ranged from around $50 to $100, but the difference between Vera Wang bags and almost all others of the same price is that Simply Vera seems to be simply better.