Downsizing a collection: which Kelly should I let go of?
- Thread starter Taro
- Start date
Hi Marbella,
thanks for your really thoughtful comment regarding sizing between K28 and K32. I'm gonna post a couple modeling pics after I get home. I really like crossbody bags and I have a non-H strap (couldn't wait for H canvas strap order) which I use on my K32 which makes it able to go crossbody since it's an adjustable strap, but the bag is a bit bulky on my frame (5'5, ~120lb). I just thought I really want a chevre kelly, and 32 kelly is great in terms of room but I end up not crossbody carrying the bag.
Re: the BBK28 retourne... I have a MG lady bag in black and gold (This color combo is my favorite... I have too many black bags, maybe) which I use for work often. The strap on that bag works in a pinch on my BBK as well and since it's longer, I can carry BBK28 crossbody this way.
In the end, I don't wear my BBK often not due of its size but because I'm afraid to really use box leather. Maybe the retourne 28 size is perfect for me vs retourne 32.
Thanks for letting me go on and on about this! I'll post the pics later tonight/tomorrow night to show you what the K28 and K32 look like on me. I'm afraid if I use the bag for a week I'll change my mind and keep all my Kellys, LOL.
Good for you for downsizing, TaroI too feel the need to downsize (though collection is very small) since I feel guilty having bags sitting in my closet. But I just don't have the courage to do it yet.....
I agree I would let go of the BBK 28. Even though it is in my mind the classic Hermes bag, it is relatively easy to get another one from reseller market, in case you change your mind in the future.
Oh believe you me... I've got a ton of trouble letting go. But after reading Marie Kondo I really feel like I've been too mired by "material possessions" -- she said in a forum on 10K+ purses. LOL. I do agree BBK is classic and it actually was my first Kelly too which is why I do feel a lot of sentimental attachment to it. Maybe if I sell, it would get the wear time it deserves. It's a stunning bag.
lol oh no scarlet555 please don't enable my hoarding tendencies!! It is really hard for me too.
For me I like 28 Kelly in sellier and retourne in 32, for me it's an aesthetic that I like. Maybe you have an idea about which bags you "like" the look of more than others.
Thank you! I like the sellier Kelly look a lot which is why I am inclined to keep my rouge H Kelly. Ah, it's really helpful to type and think through this with other people.
I think if you don't use your Kellys and you are saying they don't really fit your lifestyle (which i think you are?)....then why not get rid of all of them? Do you have Kellys because at one point you were enamored of them and envisioned yourself being one of those women who wear Kellys effortlessly? I can relate, because I definitely was there....but my reality is different. After collecting a LOT of H bags I had fantasies of wearing but never really did, I am much more rigorous now with what I keepMaybe do something drastic but freeing? Get rid of all your Kellys and instead replace them with a couple of other H bags that you actually DO use or would use more often??? Just an idea.
Oh no, all 3 kellys?? Now that's just crazy talk!
Haha, in all seriousness.. it's true that I love the idea of a Kelly bag but they do not fit my lifestyle currently much at all. You're really right about aligning fantasy/daydream with reality. In reality, I'm nowhere near as elegant as many of those effortless ladies wearing Kellys but do aspire to be. But I think I need to go in baby steps, one Kelly at a time, and see which bags are really right for me, and actually at least use the bags I do own. Good on you for curating your collection so carefully.
Thanks for the input~ I do love my black bags a lot. Consensus from a lot of posts so far seem to be to get rid of the BBK!
Thank you! I will definitely keep everyone posted but I am leaning toward letting go of my BBK (my first Kelly bag) right now. It's a hard decision for me for sure!
Haha I SOOO understand
Over the years, I have bought and moved out probably 10 Birkins, 3 Kellys, and about 4-5 other H styles (including a couple of SOs that came in but I didn't love) in my attempt at having not too much $ sitting in my closet and USING my bags instead of hoarding them as trophies. I'm now down to a small handful of bags that I feel good about it, feel I adore, and I honestly use. Good luck on your difficult decision - and how lucky are we to even have these kinds of decisions to make!! I felt the same way about box, and now it is my favorite because it is so light. I use my BBK and navy-blue box 28s more often than other bags. I would get rid of the 32, because I know what you mean about it being bulky. I tried to convince myself they weren't, but frankly, they looked too big and weighed too much for me to justify keeping (still have kept one of my 32s, but that's because it is a green-Ardennes, and so hard to find again).
Here's my advice: sell the 32, and then carry the red and black box each for a week, and then decide which one to sell. Don't keep bags you don't use
If I had to pick one outta your three Kelly bags, it would be 28 black box retourne GHW. Retourne is pretty laid back style with box leather twist. I adore box so I may be a lil' biased.
Too many bags in my closet would drive me nuts. YAY! to the healthy closet.
Too many bags in my closet would drive me nuts. YAY! to the healthy closet.
BBK 28 since you don't use it much. I would keep the black 32 and RH 28 just because every girl needs a pop of color [emoji6]... I hear you on the the downsizing bit. These bags are just too expensive to be sitting around. Keep what you use regularly! All the best with your decision[emoji173]️
I had a very similar collection to yours: Rouge H sellier K28 (mine in box with GHW), noir box retourné 28 GHW (like yours), a gold Togo K28 retourné - and a K32 noir chèvre sellier with BPHW on order.
I sold the BBK 28 with GHW. I loved it, but I didn't use it much, and in my case GHW didn't work for me on that bag.
I kept the Rouge H K28, even though I almost NEVER carry it, just because it is SO beautiful, I will never find one like it again, and it is a wonderful bag for very special occasions.
I kept the gold K28 (which is brand new) but I'm going to sell it for a dark K28 with PHW when I find one. I find PHW more versatile and casual.
And a black chèvre K32 is a VERY useful, practical, beautiful bag, assuming you like chèvre.
It really depends on a) whether hardware is a big issue to you (it is to me) and b) how versatile you find the Kelly. You say yours don't go to work except for the 32, and none of them come out on the weekends....so it sounds as though you may not really be a Kelly person after all. But, if I were you, I'd certainly sell the BBK. You're not using it and it's not as special as the red sellier.
I sold the BBK 28 with GHW. I loved it, but I didn't use it much, and in my case GHW didn't work for me on that bag.
I kept the Rouge H K28, even though I almost NEVER carry it, just because it is SO beautiful, I will never find one like it again, and it is a wonderful bag for very special occasions.
I kept the gold K28 (which is brand new) but I'm going to sell it for a dark K28 with PHW when I find one. I find PHW more versatile and casual.
And a black chèvre K32 is a VERY useful, practical, beautiful bag, assuming you like chèvre.
It really depends on a) whether hardware is a big issue to you (it is to me) and b) how versatile you find the Kelly. You say yours don't go to work except for the 32, and none of them come out on the weekends....so it sounds as though you may not really be a Kelly person after all. But, if I were you, I'd certainly sell the BBK. You're not using it and it's not as special as the red sellier.
I can never get on the downsizing bandwagon when it comes to my bags! Every one of them was chosen with love and purpose, and every one gets used at some point in its life with me. If I had a policy of getting rid of my unused bags, I would have gotten rid of a 28cm Kelly that was used exactly 0 times per year for the first five years of my DD's life. Today, it is one of my most frequently used bags, so thank goodness I didn't sell it!
That being said, there are bags that I have come close to selling because the style is annoying and frustrating for me to use, and not likely to change anytime soon (hobos, shoulder bags in general, messenger bags). So if that's how you feel about your Kellys, then downsizing is the right move.
Good luck with your choice!
That being said, there are bags that I have come close to selling because the style is annoying and frustrating for me to use, and not likely to change anytime soon (hobos, shoulder bags in general, messenger bags). So if that's how you feel about your Kellys, then downsizing is the right move.
Good luck with your choice!
Lifestyles change as we journey through the years. A purse that you have prior to kids may be different than the purse you have when they are an infant and toddler. Even if one does not have kids there is the purse for work versus the purses you use once those years come to a close. Where I am going with this is to envision that would best suit your needs in all phases of life. If a purse is too large and/or heavy, does not suit your frame, then the choice is a no brainer.
I am similar to OP that box scares me so I traded mine. If you are unsure, let it rest, sleep on it and the answer will come. The worst would be to sell and have remorse later.
I am similar to OP that box scares me so I traded mine. If you are unsure, let it rest, sleep on it and the answer will come. The worst would be to sell and have remorse later.
less is more! i just gave my thought on downsizing on another thread. H creates bags that can last more than a lifetime, so how many everlife pills do we need to take owning so many of them? my dream is to ultimately choose 2, 3 most favourite bags out from my H collection and get a solid use out of them. no passing down to my daughters. i own many of my grandmother's and mother's bags and wallets and they are a bit overwhelming. i had never bought a wallet in my life, and i am in my late 40's
