Just joined! I wish I came here when my aunt gave me my first and so far, only, LV, the limited edition monogram Neo. It's a great bag, I love it. Before the Neo, I was using locally made handbags and Sierra backpacks to carry around my things. I'm a very practical person, and never thought about owning a luxury item like an LV bag. It's actually very out of character for me. But since owning an LV bag, I can't imagine going back my old floppy handbags and backpacks.
The Neo has a huge capacity, and I use it to regularly cart around 20-30 lbs of stuff with me every day. On a typical day, I have my wallet, iPad, cell phone, iPod, wireless routers, chargers, correspondence, notepads, change of clothes, DSLR camera, and camera lenses into my bag.
And for the last year, it's been my sole handbag. I use it every day. I take it to work, dinners, construction sites, yoga studios, travel, etc. And after a year of heavy use, with no spills or carelessness, it's still showing wear and tear. Understandable given my use, but I wish I knew about this forum and learned about how to protect my bag a bit more against wear and tear. The bottom and edges are scuffed and showing a lot of wear. And now that I'm really thinking about it, I really regret not taking care of my bag better, given how much it cost.
I'll do what I can right now, but I'm still planning on using this bag until it falls apart. But in the meantime, I will plan and save up for my next bag.
What do you all recommend? I love the Neo for four reasons:
1) Huge capacity, can fit tablet computer, camera, camera lenses, change of clothes, and other odds and ends, all in one bag.
2) Multiple ways of wearing it. I am right-handed but carry on my left side. I prefer shoulder and elbow-carrying, but given that my bag frequently weighs 30 lbs, I love the fact that there's a wide heavy strap that I can wear on my shoulder or even crossbody.
3) It's a statement piece. It's beautiful and elegant. I use it like a workhorse, but I can also take it to the opera.
4) It's a fairly unusual model. One of the reasons why I am not considering a Neverfull is because I see too many of them in Los Angeles. I want something a little more unique.
Any ideas? I am not fixed on LV, but I do love having one. My budget at the moment is $800 for either new or pre-loved. For LV, I know that pretty much limits me to pre-loved pieces. But I have time, I have patience, and I'm willing to search and wait for the piece I really want.
I love Louis Vuitton and my four dogs! Here's a picture of my puppies stuff,
