This might shock you, but designer purses are actually quite a good investment. If you purchase top-end brands (pretty much only LV and Chanel, but there might be some others) the bags will actually increase in value over time. Because these brands always go up in price (for hundreds of years now), the bags will lose a little in value when you first buy them, but if you take care of them over a few years they'll actually increase from your original purchase price.

Like I said, that's not true of the more fashion brands (Gucci, Fendi, etc) that are more faddish. But with the true classics like LV and Chanel, you can expect a better increase in value than most people will see in their investment portfolios.