2017 resolution - shopping my own bag and wallet collection. Any one else?

[bakeacookie]

Maybe try various breed rescue groups? There may also be rescue groups near you that operate online and the dogs are in various foster homes. There’s an organization here called Black Cat Rescue that does that for cats — they don’t have a physical facility, but if you see someone you like on their website, you can set up an appointment to meet them.

I want to rescue again but they require the whole household to meet the puppy in which my parents will drag their feet in going.

I’m not going through breeders, just people who don’t fix their dogs and end up having more puppies. The ones that may end up on streets anyway, basically.

But if one were to just appear out of thin air, they’re willing. It’s weird. But basically when this lost puppy ended up in our yard, they were having fun with it since it was so playful. Then the owner came to pick it up since I called, so I know they’d enjoy having another dog in the house.

They just won’t make the effort to go to the shelter with me. It’s complicated. [emoji17]

 

[Sparkletastic]

Hi all ... DH and I have a few family groups between us, plus our own, so Thanksgiving is a production that lasts 5 days including long drives over the river and through the woods. No Black Friday or Saturday temptations for me. I used to wish I could participate in all the shopping fun??? but now I wouldn’t do it (too much) if I could.

But yesterday, I went purse shopping all afternoon ... alone ... because next week is my birthday and I’ve been ruminating for awhile on which bag to gift myself from DH. I’ve had a hierarchy:

First up has been an LV Siena. I’ve been feeling that this bag would be my go-to winter bag ... full zipper, water resistant, crossbody plus top handles (my favorite) more EW than NS, room for those hats and gloves, but not a lugger. Viewed many videos. It has a pretty pleat in front and back. I’m out on the streets a lot during the days and I select my bag based on the weather and forecast.

Second In line would be a BV pillow in a metallic to stand out against my puffer coats (2, black.) I know BV pillow bags work well for me. This one would be mostly a dinner, out at night bag since it’s small and I need more capacity in the day during the winter ... but small though it is, I still get my gloves in there along with the regular stuff. I could even use it for one of those formal occasions.

Third up has been a WOC and my favorite is the Boy with chevron quilting perhaps silver hw. I could definitely use this bag for the serious formal occasions I go to about 5 to 6 times a year. I have sworn off clutches ... I’m always juggling whether sitting or standing. The Chevron Boy WOC is quietly elegant and I’d try to adapt it for daytime use as well.

So I went to LV, Chanel, and for fun to Mansur Gavriel, Fendi, Mulberry and Longchamp. There’s no BV nearby and I don’t think they’ve got a metallic in the current lineup anyway.

Nothing definitive came out of the day. I was a bit underwhelmed by the Siena. It runs small so I’d need the MM, which is only the size of the small Longchamp LP or Neo so ... smallish ... with the price, including tax, climbing towards 2k. I didn’t think it was a 2k bag but otherwise it would work well as my winter bag. Also, the SA made a mistake by leaving me alone to play with it. That bag could have used a little mystique created around it but I just gave it a cut and dried once over and moved on to Chanel.

I do love the WOCs that I saw (no chevron but others that were very appealing) and yet today Yoogi’s had, I think, 2 Boy WOCs at a 15% discount and I didn’t move. I’m hesitant to buy that little guy for so few occasions. I’ve gotten my daily carry to 2-3 small pouches, a very small wallet, glasses case and a charger and even if I were to use the WOC as a wallet, the other stuff wouldn’t fit. A year or so ago, I would have bought it for those occasions but realizing that I can't really use the bags I have enough as it is, looks like it might be a no for this one.

I bought a Longchamp Neo satchel, small in black, to use in the winter weather meantime. I came home and tricked it out with a base shaper and a leather strap so it has presence beyond its LC origen.

Then today I got online and found a metallic pillow (kmax had pointed me in a direction and then ... eBay!)

So this has been a bit of a saga but then I rarely go into my process. Being on this thread has been very helpful in my understanding of how much I use and don’t use the bags I already own. Pretty much, I’m attached to all of them except the few that are in my shopping bag of Doom so I have to be really careful what I bring in next. And I AM thinking about that ban. I know it would be so healthy for me to use my bags for a full year, optimistically, so I get to know them so well and they show some WEAR. Then I would be ready for new purchases.

Whew... long post. Feel free to comment on anything within it

BTW - I googled the Sienna and it's a great looking bag! And, so practical with the zip top.

I was floored with how many fakes were being offered for a fourth of the price. SMH! I would be terrified to try to buy LV resale unless I bought from a trusted consignment company. People are just brazen with the fakes. And, I have no experience in trying to "pre-authenticate" LV to avoid the most obvious of fakes. It's just awful.

 

[soramillay]

Question for everyone: do you still love the same brands that you did when you first joined TPF or has that changed?

I just realized that I'm not interested in buying any of my previous favorite brands. Some of the reasons are my standards for quality has increased, my taste has changed, head designers have changed and I've been exposed to brands / styles I prefer.

The only brand I could see going back to is Prada. But, they need some innovation.

Anyone else find that they've switched brand loyalties? If so, why?

I joined TPF for Gwen Stefani’s brand, L.A.M.B. To this day, I admire that woman’s distinct sense of style. My formative years were spent at rock concerts, so you can see where I’m coming from. I liked the irreverent attitude applied to luxury bags, quite similar to the way LV is doing it now. My first bag was a floral coated canvas hobo with graffit print on it and tan leather finishing. I still have four of her bags that I keep because I love them even though the brand basically doesn’t exist anymore.

I then got crazy about RM, also in the stage when it was beginning to decline. I bought and sold a lot of RM bags, it was really quite a mania. I also found my favourite bag of all time, the Cupid, which can be carried three ways and looks good any way you carry it. It’s getting quite hard to find new or pristine ones on the market now so that is a bit of a regret. Other than the Cupid, I won’t buy any more RM bags as previously stated.

Now I sort of maintain interest in Dior and Massaccesi. I’m happy with my two Diors and don’t crave more. I don’t wear them much so the cpw is actually unjustifiable. And like everyone else, I dislike the new designer. I tried to branch out into Coach but it’s a very hit and miss brand for me. Like half the things I buy, I end up letting go. It may not be a brand that suits me so automatically as RM. I had better luck with Massaccesi although I also made a couple of mistakes. MM bags helped me train myself out of impulse buys at TJMaxx that I ended up regretting. I’ve been at one new bag a year from them going on two years in, and we’ll see where I am with them, depending on whether their CS improves.

Going forward, I’m looking for under the radar contemporary brands that offer interesting styles and seem well made. Previously, I was a fan of Rudsak and Roots but these brands are not accessible where I am now. I am quite interested in one of the Polène bags, but feel no urgency to pull the trigger. I will stalk it long term and if i’m still interested in it next year, I might buy it as part of my quota.

 

[westvillage]

I've never really understood the difference between burgundy, bordeaux, oxblood, and wine. Good thing I'm not an interior decorator!

Burgundy and Bordeaux sound and look like pretty, warm and rich wine colors, but oxblood ... only the British can do a great oxblood. When I was in Mulberry on Sunday, I was smitten by their oxblood satchels, buckets and the WOC and small bag lines. Beautiful color (as was oak) not at all the weird brown/red that I associate with school uniforms .

 

[catsinthebag]

I want to rescue again but they require the whole household to meet the puppy in which my parents will drag their feet in going.

I’m not going through breeders, just people who don’t fix their dogs and end up having more puppies. The ones that may end up on streets anyway, basically.

But if one were to just appear out of thin air, they’re willing. It’s weird. But basically when this lost puppy ended up in our yard, they were having fun with it since it was so playful. Then the owner came to pick it up since I called, so I know they’d enjoy having another dog in the house.

They just won’t make the effort to go to the shelter with me. It’s complicated. [emoji17]

I’m not suggesting going to a breeder (or so-called breeder). I mean breed rescue as in groups that rescue specific breeds or types of dogs. Like Pittie Love Rescue (for Pit Bulls) or Poodle Rescue. Basically, an organization that focuses on a specific breed. Or type of dog (for example, there’s one here in New England called Big Fluffy Dog Rescue or something like that). If you’re looking for a certain breed or type or size, it’s a different way of going about it. If you do a search on Petfinder, some options may pop up.

 

[westvillage]

BTW - I googled the Sienna and it's a great looking bag! And, so practical with the zip top.

I was floored with how many fakes were being offered for a fourth of the price. SMH! I would be terrified to try to buy LV resale unless I bought from a trusted consignment company. People are just brazen with the fakes. And, I have no experience in trying to "pre-authenticate" LV to avoid the most obvious of fakes. It's just awful.

Good reinforcement for the Siena! I’m giving it another look over. On the fakes, I wouldn’t buy an LV preloved from eBay ... maybe from Yoogi's or Ann’s. I just couldn’t tell a real from a fake and I gather it’s getting super difficult for authenticators with the super fakes. I sometimes see a highly desirable bag just sit on a consignment site while less sought after bags sell around it and I think ... there’s some red flag that I don’t see but those who know, do.

 

[dcooney4]

The

Thank you! It's the first MJ I bought (I had owned one MbMJ before that) and it's special to me because of that.
I also just love the Bordeaux color. And the little zip pocket in the front (which used to fit my teeny 5s phone) now is the perfect place for my car key!

it really is an adorable bag.

 

[catsinthebag]

Hi all ... DH and I have a few family groups between us, plus our own, so Thanksgiving is a production that lasts 5 days including long drives over the river and through the woods. No Black Friday or Saturday temptations for me. I used to wish I could participate in all the shopping fun??? but now I wouldn’t do it (too much) if I could.

But yesterday, I went purse shopping all afternoon ... alone ... because next week is my birthday and I’ve been ruminating for awhile on which bag to gift myself from DH. I’ve had a hierarchy:

First up has been an LV Siena. I’ve been feeling that this bag would be my go-to winter bag ... full zipper, water resistant, crossbody plus top handles (my favorite) more EW than NS, room for those hats and gloves, but not a lugger. Viewed many videos. It has a pretty pleat in front and back. I’m out on the streets a lot during the days and I select my bag based on the weather and forecast.

Second In line would be a BV pillow in a metallic to stand out against my puffer coats (2, black.) I know BV pillow bags work well for me. This one would be mostly a dinner, out at night bag since it’s small and I need more capacity in the day during the winter ... but small though it is, I still get my gloves in there along with the regular stuff. I could even use it for one of those formal occasions.

Third up has been a WOC and my favorite is the Boy with chevron quilting perhaps silver hw. I could definitely use this bag for the serious formal occasions I go to about 5 to 6 times a year. I have sworn off clutches ... I’m always juggling whether sitting or standing. The Chevron Boy WOC is quietly elegant and I’d try to adapt it for daytime use as well.

So I went to LV, Chanel, and for fun to Mansur Gavriel, Fendi, Mulberry and Longchamp. There’s no BV nearby and I don’t think they’ve got a metallic in the current lineup anyway.

Nothing definitive came out of the day. I was a bit underwhelmed by the Siena. It runs small so I’d need the MM, which is only the size of the small Longchamp LP or Neo so ... smallish ... with the price, including tax, climbing towards 2k. I didn’t think it was a 2k bag but otherwise it would work well as my winter bag. Also, the SA made a mistake by leaving me alone to play with it. That bag could have used a little mystique created around it but I just gave it a cut and dried once over and moved on to Chanel.

I do love the WOCs that I saw (no chevron but others that were very appealing) and yet today Yoogi’s had, I think, 2 Boy WOCs at a 15% discount and I didn’t move. I’m hesitant to buy that little guy for so few occasions. I’ve gotten my daily carry to 2-3 small pouches, a very small wallet, glasses case and a charger and even if I were to use the WOC as a wallet, the other stuff wouldn’t fit. A year or so ago, I would have bought it for those occasions but realizing that I can't really use the bags I have enough as it is, looks like it might be a no for this one.

I bought a Longchamp Neo satchel, small in black, to use in the winter weather meantime. I came home and tricked it out with a base shaper and a leather strap so it has presence beyond its LC origen.

Then today I got online and found a metallic pillow (kmax had pointed me in a direction and then ... eBay!)

So this has been a bit of a saga but then I rarely go into my process. Being on this thread has been very helpful in my understanding of how much I use and don’t use the bags I already own. Pretty much, I’m attached to all of them except the few that are in my shopping bag of Doom so I have to be really careful what I bring in next. And I AM thinking about that ban. I know it would be so healthy for me to use my bags for a full year, optimistically, so I get to know them so well and they show some WEAR. Then I would be ready for new purchases.

Whew... long post. Feel free to comment on anything within it

FWIW, I had the same reaction to the Sienna when I tried it on a year or so ago. The small was too small, the larger size didn’t look as good, and for the price ... well, your term “underwhelmed” was a good one.

Same feelings about the WOC also. I had one years ago and sold it because it was too small to be functional. I sometimes wonder if that was the right decision (especially since the price has gone up!), but really, for me it wasn’t both a wallet and a bag, it was more like it wasn’t enough of either one or the other to make it work.

 

[dcooney4]

I want to rescue again but they require the whole household to meet the puppy in which my parents will drag their feet in going.

I’m not going through breeders, just people who don’t fix their dogs and end up having more puppies. The ones that may end up on streets anyway, basically.

But if one were to just appear out of thin air, they’re willing. It’s weird. But basically when this lost puppy ended up in our yard, they were having fun with it since it was so playful. Then the owner came to pick it up since I called, so I know they’d enjoy having another dog in the house.

They just won’t make the effort to go to the shelter with me. It’s complicated. [emoji17]

Not all breeders are like that, but the ones that are good and breed to a high standard have long waiting lists because they don’t breed often and make a through exam of the person wanting to buy one of their puppies. The also make you sign contracts regarding how the dog will be taken care of. I have one such dog and the other is a rescue and my cats are rescued. Whatever you decide to get from your bf for Christmas will be wonderful as you both have great taste.

 

[bakeacookie]

I’m not suggesting going to a breeder (or so-called breeder). I mean breed rescue as in groups that rescue specific breeds or types of dogs. Like Pittie Love Rescue (for Pit Bulls) or Poodle Rescue. Basically, an organization that focuses on a specific breed. Or type of dog (for example, there’s one here in New England called Big Fluffy Dog Rescue or something like that). If you’re looking for a certain breed or type or size, it’s a different way of going about it. If you do a search on Petfinder, some options may pop up.

Oh yeah. I wanted a Pomeranian from one of the Pom rescues. But they insisted to meet the whole household too, which I can’t convince anyone to go with me.

Or a Maltese. So cute. Pretty small too.

One day I’ll be able to get a dog again.

 

[bakeacookie]

Not all breeders are like that, but the ones that are good and breed to a high standard have long waiting lists because they don’t breed often and make a through exam of the person wanting to buy one of their puppies. The also make you sign contracts regarding how the dog will be taken care of. I have one such dog and the other is a rescue and my cats are rescued. Whatever you decide to get from your bf for Christmas will be wonderful as you both have great taste.

Like I’m okay with signing the contract and whatever. It’s just gathering everyone, which is a feat in itself, to go visit a puppy. Lol. That they won’t do.

The rescue groups I’ve looked at want to meet everyone, which I get, ensures compatibility. But everyone is being difficult. Maybe they aren’t quite ready for another dog.

I told DBF today I wanted a weekend trip for Christmas (or whenever) when he gets his new car. That and/or a puppy. [emoji23]

I’ll keep holding out. Maybe I’ll find a pet on the rescues, the local shelters, or from a family friend that my family will make an effort to go meet.

 

[catsinthebag]

Like I’m okay with signing the contract and whatever. It’s just gathering everyone, which is a feat in itself, to go visit a puppy. Lol. That they won’t do.

The rescue groups I’ve looked at want to meet everyone, which I get, ensures compatibility. But everyone is being difficult. Maybe they aren’t quite ready for another dog.

I told DBF today I wanted a weekend trip for Christmas (or whenever) when he gets his new car. That and/or a puppy. [emoji23]

I’ll keep holding out. Maybe I’ll find a pet on the rescues, the local shelters, or from a family friend that my family will make an effort to go meet.

Definitely keep holding out! Once your family realizes you aren’t giving up, they’ll get on board.

 

[westvillage]

I liked hearing about your thought processes! If I understood your post, you ended up with the black Neo for winter daytime use and the BV metallic pillow for evenings? If I got that right, then well shopped! I think, based on all the other bags you tried, these will probably best meet your needs.

Oh... and happy early birthday! Mine is coming up at the end of December (the 25th) but my present from DH isn't a bag this year, it was my new iPhone X. Sexy in its own way, though certainly nothing to post photos of, but it's exactly what I wanted.

Actually, I haven’t done anything about the BV yet. I see one on eBay but will have to run it by the ladies over at BV. Then there’s one at Matches Fashion (is that the name..) if it’s still there. I’ve approached this birthday bag in a very logical way .. no quickie falling for a bag that crosses my path ... and I think it may be inhibiting me somewhat.

The IPhone X ... a great gift. I understand it has no home button. Was that transition easy to make? I imagine I’ll miss the home button when my time comes. I do love my photos so I would appreciate any and all improvement in the camera for sure.

 

[bakeacookie]

Actually, I haven’t done anything about the BV yet. I see one on eBay but will have to run it by the ladies over at BV. Then there’s one at Matches Fashion (is that the name..) if it’s still there. I’ve approached this birthday bag in a very logical way .. no quickie falling for a bag that crosses my path ... and I think it may be inhibiting me somewhat.

The IPhone X ... a great gift. I understand it has no home button. Was that transition easy to make? I imagine I’ll miss the home button when my time comes. I do love my photos so I would appreciate any and all improvement in the camera for sure.

I held off on the X because I couldn’t give up my home button haha.

It’s the same feeling when I had to give up my Qwerty keyboard transitioning from Blackberry to iPhone. I’m not doing it till I have to!

I can’t wait to see what you’ll pick for your birthday!

 

[HopelessBagGirl]

I've never really understood the difference between burgundy, bordeaux, oxblood, and wine. Good thing I'm not an interior decorator!

Ditto!