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.

 

[JenJBS]

I think I have not had good luck with female friends...like there is a gap in understanding somewhere. As one if you all guessed from my clothes and bag choices, I am a no-nonsense person, who sees things as they are and calls it accordingly. There is an element of I don’t know what to call it- lack of straightforwardness, lack of desire to be direct, need to be liked to the point of playing games or dishonesty?- to many of my experiences with female friendships that I don’t care for or have patience/tolerance for. It’s like there are rules or expectations and I don’t know what they are. The only friendships I have gotten seriously burned in have been female friendships. I guess with these women, I need to take things as they come and see, but it has been nice.

I hear you! One of my favorite things about the Marines was you always knew where you stood with those guys. Totally direct and straightforward. No gossip or back stabbing. One example of directness: See a guy I haven't seen for a few months. "Your a$$ is smaller." Guys back home would have said something like 'you're looking nice' or 'have you lost weight', but a Marine... straight up admitted he was checking out my a$$. And their wasn't even any serious interest on either of our part. He was just making an observation of something that, as a guy, he was going to notice. And if it had gotten bigger, he would have said so just as directly. Yet, in fairness, as much as I adored my boys, being in a 90% male environment also really helped me appreciate my women friends - who I could talk to about fashion, make up, etc. and go shopping with.

 

[SouthernPurseGal]

Raspberry dream is going through customs! No longer in transit from Belgium!

 

[Jereni]

I don’t have anything super valuable to contribute to the primary conversations going on, so instead: here’s the ridiculously fluffy cuddle I am currently getting. Hope it makes you ladies smile on this rainy evening (at least rainy where I am).



It is of course nice to know that I am not the only one feeling isolated and somewhat adrift. I wish we could do meetups!

 

[BowieFan1971]

Cat belly fur...one of the softest substances known to man.

 

[SouthernPurseGal]

Cat belly fur...one of the softest substances known to man.

Exactly. And sometimes you do get to meet up in person

 

[SouthernPurseGal]

I don’t have anything super valuable to contribute to the primary conversations going on, so instead: here’s the ridiculously fluffy cuddle I am currently getting. Hope it makes you ladies smile on this rainy evening (at least rainy where I am).

View attachment 5073545

It is of course nice to know that I am not the only one feeling isolated and somewhat adrift. I wish we could do meetups!

Wish you were in Georgia!

 

[whateve]

I don’t have anything super valuable to contribute to the primary conversations going on, so instead: here’s the ridiculously fluffy cuddle I am currently getting. Hope it makes you ladies smile on this rainy evening (at least rainy where I am).

View attachment 5073545

It is of course nice to know that I am not the only one feeling isolated and somewhat adrift. I wish we could do meetups!

We currently have a mama cat and her babies in our garden. I can't get close enough to get good pictures of those cute kittens.

 

[afroken]

I don’t have anything super valuable to contribute to the primary conversations going on, so instead: here’s the ridiculously fluffy cuddle I am currently getting. Hope it makes you ladies smile on this rainy evening (at least rainy where I am).

View attachment 5073545

It is of course nice to know that I am not the only one feeling isolated and somewhat adrift. I wish we could do meetups!

So cute!!!

 

[JenJBS]

I don’t have anything super valuable to contribute to the primary conversations going on, so instead: here’s the ridiculously fluffy cuddle I am currently getting. Hope it makes you ladies smile on this rainy evening (at least rainy where I am).

View attachment 5073545

It is of course nice to know that I am not the only one feeling isolated and somewhat adrift. I wish we could do meetups!

Beautiful kitty! Name?
I'd love to do a meet up! Hopefully soon...

 

[Sparkletastic]

I’m sure everyone around you will sppreciate the opportunity to return the sparkle! (There’s narcissism in my family too)
@Jereni, I hate when my DH travelled for business too! Glad you had a good time with your girlfriends and took yourself to lunch today!

@BowieFan1971, you look after so many people in your life, I’m glad you have some opportunity now to hang out with girlfriends and recharge!

thank you @cowgirlsboots and @More bags! time flies. I feel very fortunate, and whoa, it doesn’t seem like 30 years
hugs

Sending you many hugs for having to deal with a narcissist.

Please give your needy side room in your life, too! Being sparkly 24-7 must be exhausting!

Covid has drained my tank completely. So sparkling is heavy lifting now. Lol! I’m just keeping upbeat when I can and not worrying about it when I can’t.

OMG. No words. That is breathtaking.

Congratulations on your anniversary, wow, you got together young! So nice.

(shouldn’t I be notified when someone quotes my @name? I am not...)

I think it depends on your account settings.

I think I have not had good luck with female friends...like there is a gap in understanding somewhere. As one if you all guessed from my clothes and bag choices, I am a no-nonsense person, who sees things as they are and calls it accordingly. There is an element of I don’t know what to call it- lack of straightforwardness, lack of desire to be direct, need to be liked to the point of playing games or dishonesty?- to many of my experiences with female friendships that I don’t care for or have patience/tolerance for. It’s like there are rules or expectations and I don’t know what they are. The only friendships I have gotten seriously burned in have been female friendships. I guess with these women, I need to take things as they come and see, but it has been nice.

I can absolutely understand your POV. I often feel clueless in stereotypical female dynamics. But, I’d encourage you to seek out female friends who are similar to you in style and values vs “suffering” with ones who aren’t.

I have been terribly hurt by friends who didn’t deserve the loyalty and time I gave. But, I have 3 BFF’s that I’d give a kidney to. The relationships have lasted from 25 years for the longest down to 9 years for the newest. My oldest BFF is 60, the youngest 33. None of them are friends with the others. Yet, we’re all pretty much take on life / no foolishness kind of gals. The stereotypical girl passive aggressive / nice to be nice shtick really isn’t our thing. And, I’m the only one into fashion.

But we treasure our girl friendships. There is a sisterhood and sense of “rest” in the spirit between us bc of the trust we have. We can be silly one minute and plot business moves the next.

Deaths, divorces, job losses, health issues... doesn’t matter. They are there for me and vice versa.

Women come in all flavors. Sending you encouragement as you continue to build your friendship tribe

One thing dawned on me last night. I don't know why I didn't consider it before. Because most of my bags are found in thrift stores or sold second hand online, in many cases, I'm not buying the dream bag I've been looking for but a bag that appeals to me when I see it. Often, I'm making compromises when I buy that bag. It may not be the perfect color or condition but it is the one that is available. For example, my first Balenciaga was found in a thrift store for under $40. I loved the style but I'd prefer a different color. But when would I ever find a Balenciaga that cheap again? It was a cheap way to try out the brand. I think many of the bags in my collection are compromises. I often buy them to try out the brand or style without risking too much money. Then I'm stuck having to sell them when I find a better color, or I keep them because I'll never find the perfect one in my price range and almost is better than nothing.

That is a powerful insight! How do you think will change your approach to your collection (if at all)?

 

[whateve]

That is a powerful insight! How do you think will change your approach to your collection (if at all)?

I'm hoping it will make me think twice when considering a bag and not buy it just because it is there at a good price. I hope I'll become pickier. Sometimes these purchases do end up good so I'll have trouble giving up bargain shopping completely. There is also the thrill that comes from getting something at a bargain.

Like you, I really really hate selling. I don't have much guilt about the money tied up in my bags because I've sold enough over the years to pay for it all. There are probably as many as 20 I could part with today without much thought but I don't want to have to sell. The practical side of me can't see just giving them away though.

I think I might look at my collection and decide if there is a replacement for each bag that I'd rather have. Then look for the replacement and once I find it, get rid of the one I have.

 

[Sparkletastic]

I'm hoping it will make me think twice when considering a bag and not buy it just because it is there at a good price. I hope I'll become pickier. Sometimes these purchases do end up good so I'll have trouble giving up bargain shopping completely. There is also the thrill that comes from getting something at a bargain.

Like you, I really really hate selling. I don't have much guilt about the money tied up in my bags because I've sold enough over the years to pay for it all. There are probably as many as 20 I could part with today without much thought but I don't want to have to sell. The practical side of me can't see just giving them away though.

I think I might look at my collection and decide if there is a replacement for each bag that I'd rather have. Then look for the replacement and once I find it, get rid of the one I have.

That sounds like a good approach. I had a similar realization as you have had several years ago. At the time I had over 150 bags - from Guess to Prada. No cohesion of style, no strategy. I was drawn to the deal.

One of the things I did was write down my ideal collection. When I realized what I truly wanted, I took on the chore of selling everything. It took some fits and starts but I’m glad I did it. Maybe try that - dream about and write down your ideal collection. If nothing else, it’ll be fun!

 

[880]

@Sparkletastic, I would love to see how you stored over 150 bags If you have any pics. I’ve always been constrained by space. @whateve, I don’t have much guilt re bags either. It’s bc in order to get into Hermes originally, I liquidated a ton of old chanel (it was a lot cheaper years ago); Prada; Fendi; Miu Miu; gucci; etc etc. most from before bags hit the 1K retail mark. I remember when Prada and Gucci were 400-500 usd. What also helped was when I started to purchase Hermes, I stopped going to designer sample sales like Valentino and Carolina Herrera. It was like a fashion cold turkey crash diet.

you take a hit if you consign or sell, but it does prevent you from easily pulling the trigger on new items. And you just ship off a big box and forget about it. I don’t think I could have come up with an idea of what I want my collection to be without purging first. I also think it was more the ideal bag I saw myself carrying. then once I had one, buying different colors or materials.

what was hard was to purge a material I loved in a style/size that didn’t work. For example, the 31 trim II didn’t work for me as much as the 35 trim II. Even though it was crinoline, which I adore, I gave it to a friend who appreciates it. I’m waiting to see if I can lose some weight before deciding whether a black Phw crinoline Vespa PM is going to go or not. It just looks better and I use it more when I’m thinner. and, it hasn’t been used in a while.

@SouthernPurseGal, I forgot, did you ever get your Hermes Trim? I love taupe year round too for the same reas9ns you menti9n

i love your new balcony! Wow!

 

[SouthernPurseGal]

enjoying my new balcony!

 

[SouthernPurseGal]

@SouthernPurseGal, I forgot, did you ever get your Hermes Trim? I love taupe year round too for the same reas9ns you menti9n

Nope. I just haven’t run across one I have wanted badly.