Is that racist? Can I get away with it because I’m 100% Asian? I mean, sometimes I use phrases like “He was on that like white on rice,” or I’ll comment on how “Rory McIlroy” must be a killer tongue-twister for most Koreans (“Loly McIrloy”). Maybe I mistakenly assume that since I’m not one who gets easily offended, that others are the same way.

But some things do give me pause. My sensibilities get modestly riled up at the concept of spending anywhere from $9,000 to $150,000—for a bag. I’m of course referring to the Birkin. (Witness Victoria Beckham’s overflowing cache.)  A little basic math here: taking the low-end of that pricing spectrum, is the Birkin truly ninety times “better” than a bag costing 100 bucks? (A recent Washington Post article highlights this rule of diminishing returns.) Now I can sort of understand the allure of the Birkin: its exclusivity, prestige, and craftsmanship. However, shelling out four figures for a sack that’s gonna carry your eye drops and tampons? Really?

To meet most of my own pack-mule needs, I’ve been a longtime fan of Le Pliage bags from Longchamp.

Longtime love for Longchamp. (I think I have two others stashed away in my closet.)

Quietly screaming “practical,” they are:

• versatile: simple but polished silhouette.
• lightweight: the stuff I haul around weighs enough as it is; I don’t need excess poundage from the purse itself.
  

  Bottega Veneta, Corniola Intrecciato Nappa

• durable: the polyamide fabric is decently strong.
• roomy: I can comfortably fit an iPad 2 into the smaller version.
• minimally embellished: they are the exact opposite of those crazy satchels printed with a rainbow explosion of garish logos and bogged down with a clanking jumble of oversized charms.
• reasonably priced: yes, one day I hope to own this nifty slice of Italian loveliness (at $1,700, it’s practically a steal!). Until then, I’ll gladly fork over $150 for my favorite French workhorse.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention their plier advantage: you can conveniently fold them up into a little rectangle, sort of like origami—and Chinese Cirque du Soleil acrobats. No offense.