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

[Sparkletastic]

further to above...
i have passed on a few bags, and a few scarves recently, just because this thought keeps coming back more and more often and feels like my sanity is taking over my 'hunger'
i will most probably buy more in the future, but this will be a VERY WELL WEIGHED decision and ref to the scarves, i have figured out i have most of colours covered, i may only need 1 or 2 more, and it will be a slow process

Yes, I agree completely! I think that this sanity is only able to pop out for me because I'm near the end of my list of "needed" acquisitions. Before, I had so many gaps and desires I was in the buying frenzy. Now, I can and will be very thoughtful.

That's why I, too, am 4.5 months no purchase. It just happened. I didn't go into this time with an intention not to buy. It just happened because I'm getting more thoughtful and discerning then I've been before. Sheesh! Finally!

Lately there have been so many great deals on bags I truly like but then I think I have to store them and don’t hit the buy button. I have quite a few bags at the consignment shop but only one has sold . So I have to remember that those empty spots will fill back up if they don’t sell.

I hope more bags sell for you!

I've been purposefully ignoring the sales. Too tempting. I'm not that strong yet.

If I could 'drink the koolaid' again and get the high price thrill from premier bags, would I?
I'm really not sure. The thrill was awesome. But maybe not, as there are lovely bags to be had at 3-digit price levels.

One last comment: I totally empathize with all you strictly-premier purse lovers. BTDT so it's easy to 'get it' even though I'm not in that mode anymore. I don't feel superior because I can't feel the haute couture thrill anymore.
I think as long as you are getting the correct amount of joy from your bag purchases, whether it's a $29 fashion sequin clutch from the mall that is so perfect for that one event/one dress and just adorable so why not, you'll get way more than 29 bucks of fun out of it, or its a thousand times that price special Birkin. As long as the personal value is equal to what you pay then great! Assuming your purse addiction is not overrunning the available space you have for your trinkets or bleeding your retirement fund dry that is!!!

My thoughts on the insanity of prices fully include bags at the 3 digit price level. Nice bags can be bought for much less. How is say, $500 "defensible"? So all of this is a little kooky and we do mental gymnastics to justify.

And, I think we all do some form of "that" price is drinking the kool aid but me buying at "this" price is much more sensible (I know I've been guilty of doing this when looking at some Hermes bag prices.) when all of the contemporary and premier purchases have a healthy dose of irrational desire and childlike "I want!" included.

As you say, it's ok as long as we have the money and truly live what we buy. But IDK. I was feeling wonky with few prices lately.

 

[HopelessBagGirl]

You know, you are right spark!
If I find bags I love and feel are really high quality in the $50-150 range I will totally change my mind again most likely and consider the$150-500 range I'm currently comfortable with 'koolaid territory'.
I'm a little suspicious if there really are well made bags in that price bracket but I'm happy to be proven wrong.

 

[Sparkletastic]

It's nice to know I'm not the only one. I love a beautiful handbag. And as I said, I'll definitely buy more, and they'll be premier. But I was looking around recently and the thought bubbled up Wow! This is a lot for just one bag! And, why am I valuing it so much?

This struck me when I was looking at black lambie bags to replace my black patent. My black patent was my first Chanel and I didn't buy well. So, I'd have to put a thousand dollars on it to swap out the material (unlike the red which was just about an even swap). I can't see putting $1k additional on it. If anything, I would put more with the $1k and get an additional bag.

I also am really having this issue with the black tote I want. I just can't pull the trigger on a $3-5k bag. I don't know why. I've spent that on several of my bags. So it's not a "weird" number. And, I have it to spend. (I still haven't gotten my birthday bag.) But, it's really seeming like an insane number to me right now.

So, I'll just stay on pause until the price / happy ratio makes sense.

 

[Sparkletastic]

You know, you are right spark!
If I find bags I love and feel are really high quality in the $50-150 range I will totally change my mind again most likely and consider the$150-500 range I'm currently comfortable with 'koolaid territory'.
I'm a little suspicious if there really are well made bags in that price bracket but I'm happy to be proven wrong.

I think there are. I think we just haven't spent a lot of time looking. LOL! Some sales get brand new, very good bags into that price range. Preloved definitely does. I'm curious about what brands start at the $50 - $150 range and offer great bags. Maybe this is where your etsy shopping may turn up something wonderful.

 

[HopelessBagGirl]

It really does not. Not in that range.
I actually have spent time looking.
I do occasionally get a 50-60% off mzw for$150 or so and that's nice but I have yet to find and touch an amazing bag for under that ---especially if it's the original price and not a huge sale.
I haven't found a truly amazing preloved bag under$150 either. I have been looking for years.

 

[HopelessBagGirl]

But yes amen to price/happy ratio being exactly spot on!!!!

 

[Sparkletastic]

It really does not. Not in that range.
I actually have spent time looking.
I do occasionally get a 50-60% off mzw for$150 or so and that's nice but I have yet to find and touch an amazing bag for under that ---especially if it's the original price and not a huge sale.
I haven't found a truly amazing preloved bag under$150 either. I have been looking for years.

Oh! I've definitely found great preloved bags under $150. My latest purchase, my Jimmy Choo hobo was an $1800 bag that I got close to new condition for $107 from Fashionphile. It definitely has one of the most scrumptious leathers in my collection. And, last year, I bought a like new rose gold Coach shoulder bag for $85. So there are definitely preloved bargains at teeny tiny prices to be had.

It's finding new bags under $150 with great leather that I find hard. IMHO, fake saffiano is ruining that market right now. A large majority of the bags have plasticky materials whereas they did have pebbled, saddle, or other leathers. I had a Calvin Klein bag a few years ago that was very nice (yucky lining but nice overall). I wonder what's going on with that brand.

 

[HopelessBagGirl]

You know it’s true I haven’t shopped for secondhand contemporary brands outside of mz wallace and massacessi and there the prices are rarely below 150 for good condition preloved. The last secondhand bag I bought that wasn’t a massaccesi from a TPFer was a fendi off ebay and it was around 550, not exactly a steal but 80% off retail so I was happy.
If I was cued into the brands you mentioned, and similar brands, I would probably be able to find preloved, nice bags for 50-150, but outside of furla there aren’t really any mainstream contemporary bags that I’m into. I browse the department stores and I kinda like the furla bags, but not enough to pull the trigger, and the cocinelle bags are nice but nothing I *have* to have, and then all the other contemporary bags I feel meh about the aesthetics. I have occasionally seen a lovely Cole Haan or fossil (or ten years ago, Kooba ) bag on the secondhand market that looked really stylish and around 100 secondhand, but without being able to feel the leather or inspect the lining/condition, I wasn’t going to risk it.

I bet if there was a decent designer consignment store around here, at least enough for me to ‘learn’ all the contemporary brands that are not in the department store bag section, then I would be able to find high quality preloved bags around a hundred bucks. But I’m just not knowledgeable about all the brands and I hate or feel meh about everything in the stores. So I get stuck in my ways with mz wallace (and really I only have 3 of those, most are not my style) and massaccesi (now there I have a dozen) because I was really impressed with the quality for the price point so just kept with it.

Anyways, the major thing is price vs happy is in line! If that’s okay then everything is swell in purse addictionland!

 

[vink]

Ok. So....For some reason today, it struck me how crazy it is to spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on a handbag.

Like really..

They're pretty sacks.

I'm not saying I won't spend it again because I most definitely will.

But, whew! A few random brain cells of normalcy (meaning not being a handbag addict) surfaced for just a few moments.

Anyone else, have a moment of "clarity" / "sanity"?? LOL!

Yes. Years ago when a Jumbo reach around $4,300.- (please factor in the exchange rate) Like I said, that amount of money equal a couple of motorbikes or a down payment for a car, small house, or townhome here. Once the reality hit me, I stop buying any Chanel new from boutique right away. I may get a few preloved, or some other things less expensive after that, but the amount of Chanel I buy has dwindle down significantly. I’m now no longer a VIP and have stopped visiting the boutique for years now. And I don’t miss it at all. I still cherish what I have, but I don’t want anything new from them. I may still have a yearning want for something in beige Claire with SHW and my dream reissue, but it’s not hot like I have to really get it anymore. Many opportunities have opened up, but I didn’t jump on them like before. I think I’m now scared of spending frivolously like I used to. It hit me so hard when I realize that my bag closet can actually supply a whole family maybe years of food or become someone’s college education.

I still love buying bags and bags itself (you can see from the amount I buy), but now, my comfort level of spending has shrunk. I’m not going anywhere near that level again. Plus, I find I’m much more comfortable carrying even a sub-contemporary. The less well known, the better. The smaller the brand, the more comfortable for me to tote it around.

Too bad I haven’t had that reality check with my jewelry yet. The other day, DH just said my party diamond rings look too gaudy with big stones. He said I should get a ring with just one stone like a simple engagement ring. I don’t have that kind of ring. (My wedding ring is actually that type of ring with smaller diamonds on the sides, but I’ve gained weight since I got married and my finger get bigger. I don’t want to resize it.) All I can think of is “Um... this sounds like an opportunity to add a new ring. And maybe an earring to match.”

 

[Cookiefiend]

Ok. So....For some reason today, it struck me how crazy it is to spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on a handbag.

Like really..

They're pretty sacks.

I'm not saying I won't spend it again because I most definitely will.

But, whew! A few random brain cells of normalcy (meaning not being a handbag addict) surfaced for just a few moments.

Anyone else, have a moment of "clarity" / "sanity"?? LOL!

Yes.
It's the main reason I don't have a whole lot of purses (I have 14 and of those, half are purses that are travel/special occasion/seasonal type).
I love my purses and I've done a pretty good job of culling them so I don't have any that don't get used (well one - but I'm stuck with it for a while) on a regular basis. My main work horses - the LV Pallas, Mulberry tote, AllSaints Kita, Loewe Puzzle, and the Longchamp Paris Rocks - are great purses; versatile, great quality, and timeless styles. I also don't feel like I need to baby them; they aren't precious. I don't want to worry about them.
I would *like* an Hermes leather bag. But unless one falls out of the sky - like the lovely red Kelly bag that Isobelle throws from the Eiffel Tower in Le Divorce - I probably won't get one. I look at the pre-loved ones on Ebay and Ann's Fabulous Finds, put some in my Watch List, but haven't sprung on one.
I think I'd like to try one on first - handle it, feel the leather, see what it looks like on - but it's a 4 hour trip to the closest store and if I got any attitude (that I hear is sometimes exuded from the SA's) I'd be furious and crushed and that would be the end of that.

This spring, I went on a bit of a organizing/purging binge. I started a spreadsheet for my scarves, started using Stylebook for clothes and purses (and scarves) and it has been a real eye opener. It helped me see what I was wearing and what I *needed*. The spreadsheet showed me what I have spent on scarves and how often I wear each one…
In my defense I do wear a scarf almost everyday; my purses don't get the same amount of use. That said - I. Must. Cool. It. On. Scarves. I really think though that I get more use from the scarves than I would from a Kelly or Birkin.
But the heart wants what it wants.

That was a long and rambling way to say that yes, I think often about how much I spend on pretty sacks and strips of silk.

* needed is purely subjective - I don't need anything.

 

[kemi]

i am doing my 'carry red bags only' challenge, here are my wears
Rosso Cabat at Santa's ....

Your red Cabat is bag goals [emoji173]️[emoji173]️[emoji173]️

 

[kemi]

Ok. So....For some reason today, it struck me how crazy it is to spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on a handbag.

Like really..

They're pretty sacks.

I'm not saying I won't spend it again because I most definitely will.

But, whew! A few random brain cells of normalcy (meaning not being a handbag addict) surfaced for just a few moments.

Anyone else, have a moment of "clarity" / "sanity"?? LOL!

Most Definately; then i see pics of my next must have wishlist item and the insanity resurfaces again [emoji23]! Its a vicious circle, lol.

I don’t have that need to always buy a bag i like now as opposed to 2-3 years ago. I carefully analyze and weight alot of things before committing.

I only go for premier brands so i really do my homework and factor alot of things before splurging.

 

[paculina]

I'm at the hospital for yet another scan. Sigh. This is the 3rd time I've done this. I am not excited. I picked up my LC Statue of Liberty yesterday because I expected to pick up a lot of random stuff to carry. Today is no different so here she is.

 

[ElainePG]

Here are some photos of my new love. Please bear with me, I am really enamored. [emoji7][emoji4]
View attachment 3910802
View attachment 3910803
(First photo was when I got her yesterday. Second is today.)

This is a beautiful bag, MSD! Wear it in good health.

 

[ElainePG]

I'm at the hospital for yet another scan. Sigh. This is the 3rd time I've done this. I am not excited. I picked up my LC Statue of Liberty yesterday because I expected to pick up a lot of random stuff to carry. Today is no different so here she is.View attachment 3911356

Good luck on your scan, paculina. No fun AT ALL. I hope the results aren't anything scary.