Hi all:
Just wanted to introduce myself. Im a guy, married, were in our mid-fifties and live in NYC.
It all started because one of my wifes bags, a early 1990s Dooney and Bourke Teton, started looking ragged, after all these years. So I went looking for a replacement on ebay. And went nuts. And found this place. But thats a story for another day.
My wife came here from another country when she was a young girl and has never wanted to spend much on clothes. I guess that makes me lucky. Shes a saver, Im more of a spender. But as the years passed and weve gone from pretty broke to pretty OK Ive wanted to see her acquire and wear better stuff, and since she still is uncomfortable spending money on clothes and stuff, Ive been doing it for her. We both work and make about the same money.
Myself, I pretty much try and lower the dress code wherever I go. As a typical guy, when I find what I like, I buy it in bulk. Every year Ill buy six pairs of Levi 505s for the winter, a dozen or so Lands End cotton polo shirts, and some cotton walking shorts from the Territory Ahead for the summer. I will admit to a small collection of Jhane Barnes shirts though. (This is good, right? More money to spend on the wife).
As far as bags, shes been carrying the same Coach New York City bags, a couple of Dooney & Bourke bags, (all bought new in the 1980s and 1990s), and a couple of other things that have popped up here and there. Its a testament to the quality of these American-made bags that they are still holding up all these years.
Im a collector. So when I come here and read about your bag collections I totally get it! Ive collected mechanical cameras, photographic monographs, signed first editions, Arts and Crafts pottery, and so on. Building a meaningful collection is never something to feel guilty about.
Im partners in a business that does some light manufacturing. So I know what it takes to make stuff, and I like well made stuff. I can fully appreciate a nice bag, or a nice pair of shoes, or an old all metal camera. Im into value. To me, value is not about the price, its about whats in the price. Show me some beautiful leather or skin, solid metal hardware, and a great design, with beautiful stitching, made by craftspeople in the US or Europe, and what a lot of people would consider expensive, I get it. Within reason.
Thats why I like those vintage Coach and Dooney bags that seem not all that popular here, but in my mind they are terrific values, especially today. New Coach and Dooney? Some printed fabric with some leather trim? Not feeling it. Not at these prices. On the other hand, I totally get Hermes bags. I wouldnt say that they dont deliver value. They do. Especially if you buy them right
Last Christmas I bought my wife a pair of those Gucci python shoes that are in my avatar. Expensive, but they were half off. I just love the quality and craftsmanship and materials in those shoes. I just ordered a pair of those Prada flame shoes because they are just so beautiful and well made. And Christmas is coming, I hear.
Like I said Im a book collector and a bit of a dealer and I read a lot. In the past couple of years Ive read a couple of books about fashion that really had an influence on me.
The first was Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Luster, by Dana Thomas. The blurb reads, in part: Luxury wasn't simply a product, it was a lifestyle, one that denoted a history of tradition, superior quality and offered a pampered buying experience. Today's luxury marketplace would be virtually unrecognizable to its founders. Gone are the family-owned businesses dedicated to integrity and quality; the industry is now run by multi-billion dollar global corporations focused on growth, visibility, brand-awareness, advertising and above all, profits. Handcrafted goods are practically extinct, and almost all manufacturing has been outsourced to large factories in such places as China, where your expensive brand-name handbag is being assembled right next to one from a mass-market label that will cost substantially less.
If you look at the book on Amazon, you can read the entire opening chapter. The book crystallized a lot for me, and made me understand the counterfeit industry and the difference between some vintage products and their current lower quality incarnations.
And yet while the book sounds overwhelmingly negative, its not. For me it had a positive influence as it went through the histories of many of the great fashion houses (LV, Chanel, Hermes, Prada, etc.) and spoke in great detail of the loving care with which many of these products were made, and still are made.
Another book I read around the same time was Bringing Home the Birkin: My Life in Hot Pursuit of the World's Most Coveted Handbag. A quirky but fun book, its about a man who traveled the world (mostly Hermes boutiques) in search of Birkins that he bought to re-sell to private collectors and on ebay. It too took an exhaustive look at the history of Hermes and how and why the Birkin got to be so desirable.
Also, until recently we lived in a quiet but young area of Brooklyn, and a woman with a long background in fashion opened up a small consignment store. We went in regularly and she taught us quite a bit, and has excellent taste (Maes Vintage, if you happen to be in Brooklyn).
So, I hope you didnt get too bored reading this. I look forward to dropping in and checking out what you like, why you like it, and how you can get it for less
Later Ill post my Dooney adventures.
Denton
Just wanted to introduce myself. Im a guy, married, were in our mid-fifties and live in NYC.
It all started because one of my wifes bags, a early 1990s Dooney and Bourke Teton, started looking ragged, after all these years. So I went looking for a replacement on ebay. And went nuts. And found this place. But thats a story for another day.
My wife came here from another country when she was a young girl and has never wanted to spend much on clothes. I guess that makes me lucky. Shes a saver, Im more of a spender. But as the years passed and weve gone from pretty broke to pretty OK Ive wanted to see her acquire and wear better stuff, and since she still is uncomfortable spending money on clothes and stuff, Ive been doing it for her. We both work and make about the same money.
Myself, I pretty much try and lower the dress code wherever I go. As a typical guy, when I find what I like, I buy it in bulk. Every year Ill buy six pairs of Levi 505s for the winter, a dozen or so Lands End cotton polo shirts, and some cotton walking shorts from the Territory Ahead for the summer. I will admit to a small collection of Jhane Barnes shirts though. (This is good, right? More money to spend on the wife).
As far as bags, shes been carrying the same Coach New York City bags, a couple of Dooney & Bourke bags, (all bought new in the 1980s and 1990s), and a couple of other things that have popped up here and there. Its a testament to the quality of these American-made bags that they are still holding up all these years.
Im a collector. So when I come here and read about your bag collections I totally get it! Ive collected mechanical cameras, photographic monographs, signed first editions, Arts and Crafts pottery, and so on. Building a meaningful collection is never something to feel guilty about.
Im partners in a business that does some light manufacturing. So I know what it takes to make stuff, and I like well made stuff. I can fully appreciate a nice bag, or a nice pair of shoes, or an old all metal camera. Im into value. To me, value is not about the price, its about whats in the price. Show me some beautiful leather or skin, solid metal hardware, and a great design, with beautiful stitching, made by craftspeople in the US or Europe, and what a lot of people would consider expensive, I get it. Within reason.
Thats why I like those vintage Coach and Dooney bags that seem not all that popular here, but in my mind they are terrific values, especially today. New Coach and Dooney? Some printed fabric with some leather trim? Not feeling it. Not at these prices. On the other hand, I totally get Hermes bags. I wouldnt say that they dont deliver value. They do. Especially if you buy them right
Last Christmas I bought my wife a pair of those Gucci python shoes that are in my avatar. Expensive, but they were half off. I just love the quality and craftsmanship and materials in those shoes. I just ordered a pair of those Prada flame shoes because they are just so beautiful and well made. And Christmas is coming, I hear.
Like I said Im a book collector and a bit of a dealer and I read a lot. In the past couple of years Ive read a couple of books about fashion that really had an influence on me.
The first was Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Luster, by Dana Thomas. The blurb reads, in part: Luxury wasn't simply a product, it was a lifestyle, one that denoted a history of tradition, superior quality and offered a pampered buying experience. Today's luxury marketplace would be virtually unrecognizable to its founders. Gone are the family-owned businesses dedicated to integrity and quality; the industry is now run by multi-billion dollar global corporations focused on growth, visibility, brand-awareness, advertising and above all, profits. Handcrafted goods are practically extinct, and almost all manufacturing has been outsourced to large factories in such places as China, where your expensive brand-name handbag is being assembled right next to one from a mass-market label that will cost substantially less.
If you look at the book on Amazon, you can read the entire opening chapter. The book crystallized a lot for me, and made me understand the counterfeit industry and the difference between some vintage products and their current lower quality incarnations.
And yet while the book sounds overwhelmingly negative, its not. For me it had a positive influence as it went through the histories of many of the great fashion houses (LV, Chanel, Hermes, Prada, etc.) and spoke in great detail of the loving care with which many of these products were made, and still are made.
Another book I read around the same time was Bringing Home the Birkin: My Life in Hot Pursuit of the World's Most Coveted Handbag. A quirky but fun book, its about a man who traveled the world (mostly Hermes boutiques) in search of Birkins that he bought to re-sell to private collectors and on ebay. It too took an exhaustive look at the history of Hermes and how and why the Birkin got to be so desirable.
Also, until recently we lived in a quiet but young area of Brooklyn, and a woman with a long background in fashion opened up a small consignment store. We went in regularly and she taught us quite a bit, and has excellent taste (Maes Vintage, if you happen to be in Brooklyn).
So, I hope you didnt get too bored reading this. I look forward to dropping in and checking out what you like, why you like it, and how you can get it for less
Later Ill post my Dooney adventures.
Denton
COULD(!?) that POSSIBLY be you Simon...