Five perfect handbags

[TropicalGal]

You ladies are soooo sweet and nice to consider my dilemna! And I am grateful that this message has been inspirational to you.

[Pradameinhofgang]

Originally Posted by TropicalGal

^^^Wow...you have some serious handbags...can't imagine using them with kids. Just let your kids grow up, and then you'll use your Hermes to your heart's content. What I do love, is that after your Hermes...BE is close to your heart! That is tres cool. I got the idea to pare down from a tpf friend, who sold about 20 bags and now uses THREE! Yes, three! She has: Hermes Birkin, Hermes Picotin, and LV Epi Speedy. She says that these three cover her needs totally. She has a 3 year old daughter. Uses the Epi Speedy for rainy weather. Uses the Picotin for outings to the park with her daughter. Uses the Birkin at all other times.

hi thanks so much for your kind message - (WOAH!! threee is a bit drastic!!)

after a lot of thought and soul-searching i'm actually listing both my kellys - i love the bag and its a real classic but if i'm honest its a pain to get stuff in and out - i prefer shoulder bags or totes and feel so guilty about having bags on my shelves that i have used once or twice since the kids arrived....I have my GP and Birkin to fall back on (plus a silkypop DH bought me) when the kids are older, and if i fancy another kelly would like to get a souple in buffalo so its a bit more resilient, or a kabana tote .... i've managed to cull my Hermes collection from 8 or 9 over the last few years and if i sell the 2 kellys i will only have 3 H bags left... likewise all my LV went to make way for BE bags...

i'm a recent convert to B.E but basically have changed my taste and now prefer plainer leather bags with less HW rather than a recognisable designer bag - here where i live I am sick of seeing cheap fake LVs and Chloe Paddingtons so wanted something less obvious.... i feel much happier now that the bag i'm carrying doesn't feel like i need to scream that i am a Labels girl.... (although i do still lust after Alexander McQueen stuff - my inner rock chick coming out!!).

[Cornflower Blue]

Wow, I really admire your attitude to it all! It's going with whatever works is the key and your thoughts on it just seem to clarify it even more.

I also like Alexander McQueen (and Vivienne Westwood now and again) and have bought one of his bags which unfortunately had a flaw, and the replacement also had a flaw - too soft a lambskin leather imo, but most of his bags seem to be a bit more hardy and they rock!! He certainly has an eye for things.

[Pradameinhofgang]

thanks, i was thinking aout BE the other day and since i have bought their bags its so easy to accessorize with what i already have in my wardrobe.. my last bad bag purchase was a LV 30cm orange graffitti Sprouse speedy which i wore once, because everytime i tried to go out the door i felt it was screaming "look at me"! and i ended up getting changed or swapping bags. it made me feel very self-conscious and i wasn't sure what to wear with it - wheras with BE i don't have that issue at all...
I could write a book about alll the bags i have abought and sold over the years that didn't work for me!!!
Sorry your McQueen didn't work out, i saw one on Net A Porter that i loved but it was nearly £3k so that was a no-no!

[TejasMama]

This thread has inspired me to take on an experiment. I am going to choose four bags and see if I can use only those four until Christmas. I tend to get frustrated by too much switching anyway so this is an attempt to further simplify things. I will not count any travel stuff since that is a separate situation. Wish me luck!

[bonniekir]

Originally Posted by TejasMama

This thread has inspired me to take on an experiment. I am going to choose four bags and see if I can use only those four until Christmas. I tend to get frustrated by too much switching anyway so this is an attempt to further simplify things. I will not count any travel stuff since that is a separate situation. Wish me luck!

I can understand you very ..all this switching purses etc. is irritating for me . But since BE, I sort of got into colours, so now I like to pick one out suiting my mood

Anyway, I wish you the best of luck!!

[TejasMama]

Originally Posted by bonniekir

I can understand you very ..all this switching purses etc. is irritating for me . But since BE, I sort of got into colours, so now I like to pick one out suiting my mood Anyway, I wish you the best of luck!!

Thank you! This is going to be a challenge for me but I want to get a good idea of what I really use most often. I'm going to tuck the rest away and then take them out after the holidays to see what I missed most (if anything).

[TropicalGal]

I find that with less handbags...I am only switching for season, or for use/style. Not for color. For instance, I use my TME Midi black pebble, for travel. I'm using my LV Speedy for daily, in and out of the car life. Remember that when you have fewer bags, you use them more, and you use them up, so when they become ratty, THEN you can get a new one, knowing you really used a bag.

I'm seeing what bags sit in my closet...and they are just sitting and sitting and sitting. So, when I go to the U.S., off they go to Ann's Fab Finds. I am finding this quite liberating. In the end, I think I am not handbag addicted, though. My interest has slaked off tremendously, and I'm now thinking about other things. I like having my Fab Five, and that frees me to know: I always look chic, and I can put my attention elsewhere. When I do go to a dept. store in the U.S., say, Nordstrom's, I am totally uninterested in going through the handbag section, whereas before, I would be in there first thing.

[gga]

Originally Posted by TejasMama

This thread has inspired me to take on an experiment. I am going to choose four bags and see if I can use only those four until Christmas. I tend to get frustrated by too much switching anyway so this is an attempt to further simplify things. I will not count any travel stuff since that is a separate situation. Wish me luck!

Best of luck, TM!

I know most women hate to switch out purses, but for some odd reason, it's one of my favorite parts of my day. I love thinking about which one I want to carry the next day, unwrapping it, packing it with my stuff, putting the other one back in its wrapping or box, blahblahblah. For me it's a very quiet, comforting, and personal ritual that leaves me grateful for my small life and aware again of what I find beautiful in the bags I pick for my closet.

[TejasMama]

TG,

I like the idea of switching for season. My plan is to use a small wristlet for essentials when I'm out and about alone and then put it in a larger bag for all my other items. The trick for me is that I need to carry a bag large enough to put kid stuff in (DSs, etc) that always end up in my care.

GGA--I'd love for this to be a relaxing thing for me, but I guess I find it troublesome. I'd love to find some comfort in it but it just doesn't. Booger.

I'm still working up my list. The challenge now is, "But I really love that bag!" followed by "How often do you carry it? Why not?"

[TropicalGal]

Tejas,
Part of the reason it is so hard to get rid of unused handbags is that: they are in perfect condition. I mean really, how often have you gotten rid of a handbag because it was used up and in ratty condition? When they get to that point, it is easy to get rid of them.

So, you look in your closet and you see a handbag you haven't used in months/years, and you say, "I can't give this away. It is beautiful, in perfect condition." Yes, all is true. And that's how we end up having a lot of bags. For instance, I have a perfectly wonderful purple crash TME in my closet, that I don't use. Why? Maybe it is too big for my lifestyle, and because I find my black pebble TME Midi to be perfect for shoulder bag travel...so...it has got to go.

I think our handbag sensibilities change, our understanding of our needs and what we "thought" we needed, and what we thought we couldn't live without. It's always a process of growth and understanding.

[TejasMama]

Originally Posted by TropicalGal

Tejas, Part of the reason it is so hard to get rid of unused handbags is that: they are in perfect condition. I mean really, how often have you gotten rid of a handbag because it was used up and in ratty condition? When they get to that point, it is easy to get rid of them. So, you look in your closet and you see a handbag you haven't used in months/years, and you say, "I can't give this away. It is beautiful, in perfect condition." Yes, all is true. And that's how we end up having a lot of bags. For instance, I have a perfectly wonderful purple crash TME in my closet, that I don't use. Why? Maybe it is too big for my lifestyle, and because I find my black pebble TME Midi to be perfect for shoulder bag travel...so...it has got to go. I think our handbag sensibilities change, our understanding of our needs and what we "thought" we needed, and what we thought we couldn't live without. It's always a process of growth and understanding.

Hi TG,

I think you've really hit on something here. I don't have a lot of bags but because I rotate them, it takes a very long time for them to wear out. There are a few I really love so maybe I'm afraid of wearing them out since I wouldn't be able to get another one?

[lanasyogamama]

Can I jump in and say if anyone needs a tote for rainy days, I am loving my Longchamp Pliage! It's a great, light rainy day bag, and it's cheap!

[TejasMama]

Originally Posted by lanasyogamama

Can I jump in and say if anyone needs a tote for rainy days, I am loving my Longchamp Pliage! It's a great, light rainy day bag, and it's cheap!

I love your idea of a Longchamp, but I'm suposed to be scaling down, not adding more! I do hope to own a Longchamp one day, though, because they do seem to be terribly practical, very cute and light as a feather--all features a mom-on-the-go would appreciate!

Today I took out my MMS midi petrol for a day of running around the city with my kids. LOVE this bag--this style is so undreappreciated in my opinion--love the zipper closure and how comfy it is on my shoulder. I think this bag (either in the petrol, the choco crash or both) is going to make my cut.

I also think I'm going to need to up my number to 5. I'm trying to do four but am having trouble. Maybe it's a sign I need to try harder?

[sgreg]

Originally Posted by TropicalGal

I find that with less handbags...I am only switching for season, or for use/style. Not for color.

It is weird, I am completely the opposite. Most of the time what prompts me to change over to a different purse is color. Eggplant top? brown bag gets swapped out for a light blue one or a tan because of the color clash. I'm pretty stodgy this way, and when color forces me to think and change my purse I am excited that today is going to be a satchel day, or a hobo day (who am I kidding, most days are satchel days....).