2021 Resolution: Shopping my own bag and SLG collection. Any one else?

[Sparkletastic]

NOVEMBER ACTIVITIES

1. Bags by Brand Showcase!

Each week, share photos of your bags from the specified brands. Choose a posed “beauty” shot or get your bags out and about in action shots!

We highlight 3 brands per week: 2 premier and 1 contemporary in alphabetical order as listed on tPF. Any brands not listed are showcased in our last week. Brands change to the next set each Sunday.

Our first brand week starts now - Sunday, Oct 31. Please share photos of bags from these brands:

• Bottega Venetta
• Burberry
• Alexander Wang

Tip: Grab your photos from last year in the 2020 resolution thread. Search your user name and the brand to find your photos.

2. Special Stories
Thanks @Claudia Herzog for the suggestion

Wear a bag that has a backstory involving a person, place, or opportunity for which you feel grateful.

 

[880]

Ive posted some iconic me fashion pieces (all shop my closet except for the coats bought late last year in photo 1 and 3) in various TPF action of the day threads: they include premier designer (Chanel, Hermes and vintage from my own closet Dolce, YSL, Akris and Etro; vintage designer (Pucci, Adel Simpson, Norman Norell and Donald Brooks; and, favorite no name coats (like th blue and black leopard wool from an Etsy seller) and jackets; mens shirts (mainly turnbull and borelli); and brunello and pants and athletic or wolford leggings. I dress up to cheer myself, so these are all things i wore outside during covid 2020.

I’m particularly addicted to navy blue pea coats, leather and boucle trench coats; motorcycle jackets and sports coats with lapels). Some of the vintage from my closet is from my own shopping from 1996 onward; some is from my family (like fur; i also buy designer fur from sites like TRR- mainly J mendel and Dennis Basso (NWT for 80-90% off) for reasons of experimentation and sustainability). Some items i hold onto (like the pucci suit for many years before i find a pattern cutter who is willing to piece it together to fit me— it was originally a long skirt so I knew there was enough fabric to fit. The crop top in the second to last picture is from an old store called Alan BIlzarian on Newbury St, Boston. Its part of a three piece dress i wore the night before my wedding in 1991. Even my sunglasses are vintage from my own closet. The burgundy ones were morganthal from the 1990s when they came in plastic. The blue ones are from 2020, when they came in horn. DH is constantly after me to clean out the closet

Note: when i started buying chanel jackets, they were 1K and there were plenty of things (including seasonal bags and WOC in fabric and other materials — i think i paid 150 or 250 usd for an olive green printed one, phw) that went to 60% off twice yearly at the 57th st. boutique. My style hasn’t changed much over the years and I’m still fond of bargains and repurposing what you have: whether its recutting an outfit or recoloring a bag. I’m not a minimalist to put it mildly, and i can easily imagine carrying the art bags with any of these outfits except for the pink pucci (i dont often wear the pucci separates together but rather with denim or t shirts). I’m also more likely to buy pants at full price, bc well, pants that fit are priceless).

for @BowieFan1971, my favorite scarf isnt an hermes. Its a velvet etro scarf that was part of the Eden hotel, Rome, lobby display in the 1990’s. DH and I were staying at the hotel and begged them to take the scarf out. They finally relented the day before we left the hotel (Not because of our begging per se. I think etro boutique decided to change their display). Which goes to show the difference between store policies in the US and in Europe. It was the equivalent of 795 usd at the time which was a big splurge for me. i wear it maybe twice a year at most to preserve it.
My favorite item is a cream synthetic issey miyake jacket with a tan faux fur collar that i bought in 1992. It looks like opaque matte bubble wrap and is lined in powder blue fleece. I wear it maybe once every five years At most.
. :

 

[momasaurus]

Thank you! @880 and @momasaurus!

Nice job on the stats this month!

I'm sorry, I know what that must feel like!

So true! I agree 100%
my stats for January
Purses
1 out
0 in

SLG's
0 out
0 in
Scarves
1 in
0 out

A scarf for a purse sounds pretty good to me! Congrats on these stats, and thank you.

 

[doni]

Some iconic me pieces are posted in various action of the day threads on TPF
View attachment 4976313 View attachment 4976314:View attachment 4976319

Love everything, but oh, that first shearling jacket and the Kelly with PHW. I don‘t know what I would steal first if I was in your wardrobe, which looks like not one of the worst places where one could get confined for a while...

 

[momasaurus]

Reading quickly this morning, but on the subject of SAs and luxury shopping, to tell @BowieFan1971 that in my experience, Hermes SAs love selling scarves. It gives them a chance to show off their scarf-tying techniques. So much more fun than selling the handbags...
The first time I got a gavroche, I was in the store for a standard 90 cm carre. It was the SA who conviced me to get a small one after I liked one of the designs, by showing me the possibilities of tying it. Another time she went out of the way to convince the SM to take down a gavroche in display. So fear not, and expect a nice experience.

My stats this month:

Bags in: 0
Bags out: 4

Blazers in: 1 (I had to replace my leather blazer that has been stranded in Madrid since this COVID thing started...)
Blazers out: a few, as we have been tidying the basement and found some old specimens laying around...

Well done!
Re Hermes gavroches. Many years ago I had to beg the SAs to show me gavroches. They said no, those are for men! I grabbed one and tied it around my neck and bought it. In that particular boutique I still need to go to the men's dept and ask to see them!
However, I would not be sad to find some blazers in my basement!

 

[momasaurus]

Ive posted some iconic me fashion pieces in various TPF action of the day threads: they include premier designer (Chanel, Hermes and vintage from my closet Dolce, YSL, Akris and Etro; vintage designer (Pucci, Adel Simpson, Norman Norell and Donald Brooks and no name coats and jackets; mens shirts (mainly turnbull and borelli); and brunello and athletic pants and leggings. I dress up to cheer myself, so these are all things i wore outside during covid 2020. Some of the vintage from my closet is from my own shopping from 1996 onward; some is from my family (like fur; i also buy designer fur from sites like TRR- mainly J mendel and Dennis Basso for reasons of experimentation and sustainability).
. View attachment 4976313 View attachment 4976314:View attachment 4976319

I loooooove your style and your closet!

 

[jblended]

I forgot this update earlier. My SA called to say her other buyer changed their mind on the glam slam camera bag and I can have it if I want it.
I said no again! This time it hurt me because she needs the commission.
I can't justify another bag in that size and shape, though. And to prove the point to myself, I pulled out some of my camera bags that are around the same size and took a picture to remind myself of how redundant another would be. I actually think I have another 2 on top of the ones pictured that classify as camera bags...
I have too many bags but this glam slam is entirely unlike my others and is such a lovely grey. The universe insists on tempting me!



In other news, one of my bags has moved out of my collection.
I have a lovely round suede bag that was gifted to me and was a part of my 'forever' collection because I love the person who gave it to me. The truth is that I could never quite love the bag itself, even though I adore round bags, and this one doesn't sag around the zipper as most of them do...yet somehow, if I'm honest, it doesn't make my heart sing when I use it.
My mum tried it on just now and we both realized it is better suited to her! I don't know if I will officially count this as 'one bag out' for Feb since it still lives on my bag shelf, but technically it will be hers now.

I dress up to cheer myself

It shows! I love that you are playing with your things and enjoying them.

Many years ago I had to beg the SAs to show me gavroches. They said no, those are for men!

Well done on buying it anyway! But seriously, Yikes on the comment!

 

[BowieFan1971]

Thank you so much for the links!

I actually remembered you when I posted that because you said this pretty early last year.
I seem to have had a delayed reaction to the situation lol.


I love that this has turned into a birthday month for you! I hope your experience is magical and cannot wait to hear all about it.

Same experience here. Even though all but one of my Coach purchases were made in a boutique, they always treat me badly.





Colourism is a real issue. Nobody talks about it enough but it exists and is insidious.
I tan super easily in the summer but get very white in the winter (I'm mixed race and thus my super power is this chameleon skin ) , and you wouldn't believe the difference in treatment depending on my skin tone; not to mention the difference between me and the lighter skin person next to me. The world is a funny place


Exactly! Judging people based on appearances or age makes no sense whatsoever, particularly these days. Heck, look at all the insta-famous of this generation, dressing in head-to-toe labels trying to be *somebody*; I've seen SAs fawn over them when it was clear they were just trying to get a picture with the designer good for instagram and would not be purchasing anything.
Meanwhile those who are "somebody" go unnoticed and are ignored by the SAs.

I worked on Jewelers Row in Philadelphia for about 5 years. The store I worked in had been open for about 35 years. Can’t tell you the number of times the best dressed people had cards declined or had to juggle purchases around. One “power” couple even stood there and talked about which card they could put a tennis bracelet on to be able to afford the minimum payment. The best customer they had, a couple who would spend about $10,000 at Christmas every year (diamonds for her, Rolex for him) were never dressed up and he would often come in straight from work with dirt under his nails...he owned an auto mechanic shop and gas station. And a lot of times he would pay cash or mostly cash. So no...you never can tell just by what a person is wearing.

 

[BowieFan1971]

Ive posted some iconic me fashion pieces (all shop my closet except for the coats bought late last year in photo 1 and 3) in various TPF action of the day threads: they include premier designer (Chanel, Hermes and vintage from my closet Dolce, YSL, Akris and Etro; vintage designer (Pucci, Adel Simpson, Norman Norell and Donald Brooks and favorite no name coats (like th blue and black leopard wool from an Etsy seller) and jackets; mens shirts (mainly turnbull and borelli); and brunello and athletic pants and leggings. I dress up to cheer myself, so these are all things i wore outside during covid 2020. I’m particularly addicted to navy blue pea coats, leather and boucle trench coats; motorcycle jackets and sports coats with lapels). Some of the vintage from my closet is from my own shopping from 1996 onward; some is from my family (like fur; i also buy designer fur from sites like TRR- mainly J mendel and Dennis Basso (NWT for 80-90% off) for reasons of experimentation and sustainability). Some items i hold onto (like the pucci suit for many years before i find a pattern cutter who is willing to piece it together to fit me. The crop top in the second to last picture is from an old store called Alan BIlzarian on Newbury St, Boston. Its part of a three piece dress i wore the night before my wedding in 1991. DH is constantly after me to clean out the closet Note: when i started buying chanel jackets, they were around 1K and there were plenty of things that went to 60% off twice yearly at the boutique. My style hasn’t changed much over the years and I’m still fond of bargains And repurposing what you have: whether its recutting an outfit or recoloring a bag. I’m not a minimalist to put it mildly, and i can easily imagine carrying the art bags with any of these outfits except for the pink pucci (i dont wear the pucci separates together but rather with denim). I’m also more likely to buy pants at full price, bc well, pants that fit are priceless).
for @BowieFan1971, my favorite scarf isnt an hermes. Its a velvet etro scarf that was part of the Eden hotel, Rome, lobby display in the 1990’s. DH and I were staying at the hotel and begged them to take the scarf out. They finally relented the day before we left the hotel. It was 795 usd at the time which was a big splurge for me. i wear it maybe twice a year at most to preserve it.
. View attachment 4976313 View attachment 4976314:View attachment 4976319 View attachment 4976330 View attachment 4976335 View attachment 4976338 View attachment 4976341 View attachment 4976339 View attachment 4976342 View attachment 4976343 View attachment 4976344 View attachment 4976345

Love the vintage! If I would wear it, I would get a Trigere wool coat but I live in the South and it would fit in my closet. A Chanel tweed jacket is probably my HG item...maybe one day... Ang you gave me an outfit idea for my Etro scarf! Thanks!

 

[BowieFan1971]

Gr

I'm thrilled to say that my mum has tested negative!

The only issue is that two more of the staff around her have tested positive so the cycle of waiting to get yet another test has started.
Since the hospital is getting more covid cases amongst the staff, everyone will be getting tested every 4 days from now on. I'm grateful for the change in procedure because more frequent testing will allow cases to be identified early and will likely stop any mass outbreaks amongst the staff.

What I've learned is that I must stop stressing about this. Realistically, mum is always exposed and most of the time we won't even know she has had a positive case around her. I must make peace with this being our reality and stop working myself into a bundle of nerves.
I'm lucky she has moved to be with me, I am lucky she is loving her work in spite of these conditions, I am lucky every moment of every day that we are alive and well. And I'm in awe of her and many of her colleagues who have opted to skip retirement and serve their patients during this pandemic. It's been really incredible to witness firsthand how people can put others above themselves in this way.

That's enough from me! Thanks to you all for always supporting me. You are truly the best!

Great news!!!!

 

[baghabitz34]

January Stats:
0 bags in, 0 bags out
0 SLGs in, 0 SLGs out
3 pairs of shoes in (I have a weakness for Adidas), 2 pairs of shoes out
I used 13 different bags in January.

 

[baghabitz34]

Starting February with one of my red bags - the lovely oxblood rivet Rogue.

 

[BowieFan1971]

My bag choice for today’s trip...my Saleya PM with a Jean Patou pocket square.

 

[More bags]

My first ever stats
Bags in - 0
Bags out- 4 (permanently moved out from the departing closet)
SLGs in and out- 0
Non bag challenge- massive flat clear out and declutter. Managed to donate clothing, bedding, and some kitchenware. Also have put aside a lot of books to be donated once the library reopens.

Awesome stats - congratulations!

Well I made it to the end of January sans a new bag purchase, and I've carried different ones for the most minor errands. I'd say that's progress !!

Well done travelbliss!

Sparkle’s January 2021 Stats

Bags In: 1.5 (I think one is going back. I’ll share photos of both when I have a moment)

Bags Out: 0 (I don’t see this metric changing for years. I love everything I have!)

SLG’s In / Out: 0

Non Bag Challenge: I don’t have an extra toothpick in the house. So, I tried to venture into the garage which is Mr. S’s domain to get a jump on getting rid of 28 items in 28 days and was repelled with full prejudice. So no go.

Great job Sparkle! I'm looking forward to your pics of the 1.5 bags in.

@jblended your restraint on the boutique offered bag is amazing. Congratulations! I am glad your mom is doing well.
@BowieFan1971 I hope you have an amazing trip to the H Boutique. My first scarf was a 70. It is a lot of fun looking at the different colours, designs and formats, especially when you find an SA who likes to talk about scarves. I love learning different ways to tie scarves and use scarf rings. I look forward to hearing about your adventure!
@cowgirlsboots I agree putting on our "this is so me" clothes is like putting on a suit of armour.
@Sparkletastic I'm thrilled to hear that you're helping your friend invest in pieces that make her feel special and "show love to herself!"
@SakuraSakura it's great to see you posting. I hope you're doing well. So exciting to plan for a move. It's great to have the time to prepare for it. Congratulations on your fashion revelation - it feels wonderful to make those decisions and move forward.

 

[Cookiefiend]

January Stats:
Bags in - 1, bags out - 0
SLGs in or out - 0
Scarves in - 2, out - 0. A vintage jacquard and Exposition Universelle came in, I still have one scarf listed, but I've pulled out a few that may go on the block.

I participated in 2 challenges - Take the tag off (wore the Just Campagne Deville 5 times), and Bags to Shed (wore the CoLab twice and Miss Alligator once). In the challenges I learned that the JC Deville isn't going to work (remember my post about zippers) and the CoLab is a keeper. Miss Alligator is still a lovely bag but a bit small. I wore a total of 9 bags over the month, mostly to the office.

I'm still listening to Great Expectations through Audible, finished another book of poetry and started another (Dog Songs by Mary Oliver).

The Great Basement Purge was started, I donated 2 SUV-full loads. I won't give you the entire breakdown of how many items that was (though I did write it down), but it was 4 x 18 boxes of 'everyday' wine glasses, 2 x 6 boxes of 'nicer' wine glasses. 2 x 6 boxes of margarita glasses, a toaster (brand new), a tea kettle, 3 large outdoor Christmas decorations, 2 boxes of Holiday decorations (Valentine's Day and halloween), 2 big bags of clothing, and a bunch of stuff I can't remember because I'm not at home.

February, I will continue the GBP and make myself donate or pitch some of the boy's toys and things, some old furniture (2 dressers, some old dining room chairs, lamps, and a couple of side tables) and some dishes that haven't been used in 17 years. I can't do anything about the wine that's stacked in there (it is at least stacked by vintage) so I have to quit fussing about it.
That will take care of 2/3 of the unfinished basement, but I'll still have to do the last third... that has the boxes for the good wine glasses, and decanters, all the boxes for stereo equipment and the paint supplies for the house... and some assorted crap. UGH! Progress is being made though, so Yay!

For February, I am Team Red Bag, and I'm still working on CPW.

 

[Cookiefiend]

I love your descriptions and today’s outfit. Your scarf selfies always make me imagine you as polished, fun and well put together with a coordinating scarf.

Your photos and storytelling solidify my mental image of you as a glamourous, vintage bombshell. I love the vintage coats, fur trims and stoles. You portray a strong fashion confidence and don’t mess with me attitude cowgirlsboots. The Dior New Locks and YSL coat totally fit.

I am sorry for the huge disappointment BowieFan. I hope the situation can be resolved quickly.

This is like a spread in a fashion magazine doni. I love the individual items you’ve shared and how you’ve put everything together. My impression of you is creative, incredibly fashionable and discerning eye for curating the best pieces that work for you. This is a lady who does not settle and surrounds herself with beautiful things that are “so her.” Very cool girl chic. The Faco Clutch is stunning.

Thank you for your kind words Elaine.

@JenJBS @keodi I admire your service to your country.

Thank you so much, you are so kind!