Well, hello there, handsome. What’s a nice bag like you doing in a place like this?

A day trip to Toronto over the holidays led to my first shopping experience at The Bay. There, I found this bag, a Billy Kirk-designed doctor’s tote emblazoned with those famous Hudson Bay blanket stripes. As much as I was tempted, I just couldn’t bring myself plunk down $350 for it — that’s literally half my rent! So instead, I’ve been wistfully dreaming of this lurvely carry-all ever since. One day, I figured, I’d have the nerve to splurge. However, as hard as it was to resist, once I was back at home, enticement waned when a bit of internet surfing led to the realization that The Bag wasn’t available on the theBay.com. No purse, no foul! (In the meantime, I lucked out and scored a vintage Hudson Bay coat on eBay for a mere $50.)

But now, the game has changed since The Bag has sprung up online. And it sits there, staring me down. Taunting me, playing hard to get, since the Bay won’t ship outside of Canada. Ugh, Hudson Bay, why do you tease me so with your colorful stripes and shmancy leather trimmings? On the bright side, my rent check thanks you for being so unattainable. You know, silver lining and all that jazz.