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

[ksuromax]

another red bag today is Balenciaga Day

 

[Sparkletastic]

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.”

Jewelry is always exempted from "Rational Thinking Land". 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.

I hate that I can't try Hermes bags. I just can't buy at that price without being sure the bag will work for me.
And 10,000 + on not being willing to deal with any SA attitude.

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.

Yea, sanity comes then we see the "right" bag and sanity leaves.

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

I hope all goes well!

 

[ksuromax]

I expect the results to be the same as the other 2. Nothing. But the other two were taken only a week apart and the pulmonologist wasn't impressed that they were the same being so close together. So he wants another one. But he admits that if the hematologist was satisfied, the chances of there being anything there are pretty low.

good luck with the results, will keep fingers crossed for you!

 

[HopelessBagGirl]

Paculina I hope everything works out.

 

[Sparkletastic]

For me if I wear It instead of a handbag I count It. If is only worn for travel or at a sports event I count It on a different list. Hope that helps.

I'm the same way.

Yes to avoiding the “swirl of mad purchasing!”

I definitely love my bags and scarves, but the moments of clarity help me slow down and ask myself if I really want another bag or scarf (or bracelet or whatever) or if I just want to buy something. If this is something I do want, will I use it? Is it too similar to something I already own? If yes, is it an upgrade? If no, is it different enough, or so different that it’s not really my style and risks not being worn at all after the novelty wears off?

I know a lot of bag prices are outrageous — especially the bags I tend to fall for! Once or twice a year, I get sick of it, switch into a Longchamp le Pliage for a few days or a couple of weeks, and ponder how I’d feel if I just sold all my premiere brand bags and simplified my life!

Then, I inevitably see someone on the street or here on tPF wearing a bag I love and I start missing the feeling of carrying a really nice bag. And I go back.

I don’t see the love changing, but my buying habits have slowed down a lot, mostly due to the feeling that I already have more than enough so I’m much more discerning/picky when it comes to adding something.

If I sold all my bags, I would need to be permanently sedated.

My bags make me very happy. No qualification. No guilt. No worries. Just pure happy, happy. I just have moments when I "see" how much bags cost and think "what the heck!"

Do you think the block on the tote is that it’s a purely functional bag, rather than a fun one? Maybe because the use is more “need” than “want,” it just takes the enjoyment out of buying the bag?

No, the usage for this bag is actually the opposite. This tote will be bought for fashion / luxury / beauty and used in my non work life. And, I do need it because sometimes I need to carry more. I'm just holding it to functional standards because...well...it's a tote. It needs to function. Lol!

I think my block has multiple roots: First I've learned through many trials and errors that I am unhappy with "almost" So, when I see bags that are 90% right and are $X,XXX, I see expensive mistake written all over them.

Second, I simply haven't found a tote that I find exceptionally beautiful (to me) and functional (for me). If I found it, I would probably screech and spend the money. But, the totes I've seen have been one or the other...or as I mentioned above, 90% there.

Third, I can usually find a great deal on preloved bags. But, black totes are very popular. So there are aren't as many opportunities to scoop up something wonderful at a crazy low price. In the back of my mind I keep thinking that if I'm patient, something will turn up. But, I'm beginning to think that's wrong.

I love the look of this tote. But, I can't stand double handles on totes and it doesn't have the center zip section I want.

So, I wait. The Toteless Wonder.

 

[ksuromax]

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.”

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.

i am so with you on this!!!
I have never understood the pricepoint of Chanel, there's no such difficult craftsmanship input in any bag making to justify the tag. Neither it relates to Hermes.
they claim it's handmade? fine, still 15,000$ is too much because in some countries for this amount you can buy a small house, also handmade!
even if the idea behind that is to make them exclusive and special, this is very racist to me.
why do they think it's fair to divide people by income and buying power??
it only leads to the creation of the black hole of counterfeit market imho
i know, we all have different tastes (thank god) but i still don't understand why the same leather bag (it's just a bag in the end of the day!) should cost 20 times as much as any other?

 

[HopelessBagGirl]

No double handles on a tote? Huh?
Don't all totes have a double strap situation? Otherwise they are a bucket, a hobo or a feed bag style?

 

[HopelessBagGirl]

i
i know, we all have different tastes (thank god) but i still don't understand why the same leather bag (it's just a bag in the end of the day!) should cost 20 times as much as any other?

Or a thousand times as much in my example of cheapie mall bag for 30 and a special Birkin for 30k.
Do you see the same price variety in bottles of wine? There are 10 dollar bottles and are there....100,000 dollar bottles? There probably are; I just don't know. I know for sure that bottles of wine can easily cost hundreds but I'm wondering if they even go into six figure territory, equaling the variation in the purse market.

 

[ksuromax]

Or a thousand times as much in my example of cheapie mall bag for 30 and a special Birkin for 30k.
Do you see the same price variety in bottles of wine? There are 10 dollar bottles and are there....100,000 dollar bottles? There probably are; I just don't know. I know for sure that bottles of wine can easily cost hundreds but I'm wondering if they even go into six figure territory, equaling the variation in the purse market.

with wine i can, probably, explain it with the rarity.... like if they find cellars in the castle ruin where wine from 15th century was stored, i do believe it might hit 6 digits on the auctions
your question rose another area of thought - arts, paintings and statues, etc... i cannot understand how a number of paint droplets can cost millions of dollars....

 

[HopelessBagGirl]

Art can be also a slice of history that you get to look at and imagine how the world was when the artist made it.
Contemporary art might just make you feel really happy when you see it and if it's in your home you may feel your home is radiating in that beauty so it's worth a lot for those feelings.

I love my mom's paintings and they are all over my house. Plus tons of family portraits printed on large canvas.

 

[Sparkletastic]

i am so with you on this!!!
I have never understood the pricepoint of Chanel, there's no such difficult craftsmanship input in any bag making to justify the tag. Neither it relates to Hermes.
they claim it's handmade? fine, still 15,000$ is too much because in some countries for this amount you can buy a small house, also handmade!
even if the idea behind that is to make them exclusive and special, this is very racist to me.
why do they think it's fair to divide people by income and buying power??
it only leads to the creation of the black hole of counterfeit market imho
i know, we all have different tastes (thank god) but i still don't understand why the same leather bag (it's just a bag in the end of the day!) should cost 20 times as much as any other?

I'm confused. How is this racist? Did I miss an article or something?

 

[dcooney4]

Do you think the block on the tote is that it’s a purely functional bag, rather than a fun one? Maybe because the use is more “need” than “want,” it just takes the enjoyment out of buying the bag?

I saw a perfect black tote for me at prada yesterday. It took every bit of strength not to buy it. I was thinking that I really know nothing about their bags but The strap drop was perfect and I was thinking sparkle could use such a bag, but then I thought it would need more pizazz. It is funny how we think of each others bag needs.

 

[dcooney4]

No double handles on a tote? Huh?
Don't all totes have a double strap situation? Otherwise they are a bucket, a hobo or a feed bag style?

She meant two sets of handles as in four handles. I am not a fan of four handles either.

 

[ksuromax]

I'm confused. How is this racist? Did I miss an article or something?

no, you didn't, I am just thinking out loud,
some of the brands deliver their overpriced items under the cover of exclusiveness, but the only thing that makes them "excusive" , or in my understanding, cuts off "unwanted" crowd is the price. despite the number there is nothing "exclusive" in them, half of the brands have made quilted flap bags. why should one be 10 times more expensive than the other?
in my very simple and humble point of view it's just diving people by the buying power which is not fair.

 

[dcooney4]

with wine i can, probably, explain it with the rarity.... like if they find cellars in the castle ruin where wine from 15th century was stored, i do believe it might hit 6 digits on the auctions
your question rose another area of thought - arts, paintings and statues, etc... i cannot understand how a number of paint droplets can cost millions of dollars....

That one I can answer. It is also by the rarity of the artist and when it was made and how it was made. How famous is the artist as well . Another is location. There are paintings like some abstracts that can be quickly painted then there are paintings that are done layer by layer and take forever to dry. One can take a day to paint and the other can take months of tedious attention to detail. So yes the value is there.