Here’s a quick roundup of my 2017 goings-on, bag-wise. I began participating in March with no numerical goals but a desire to refine my bags by trading ins and outs to get a ... ok, I’ll use the word ... ‘collection’ that works in my life, not a past version of it nor an imaginary version but the one I actually live now. Mostly 2017 has been a year of analysis and understanding of what my needs are and whether my bags are working for me. .
I started out quite self-judgey about the number of bags I have ... around 50. So gradually I parsed through what those bags are to find that the number of my active, seasonal bags is reasonable ... 17 large and small, mostly dark colored bags in Fall/winter and 10 large and small lights in the hot months (whichever those are these days) so 27 total. What I learned is that the larger bags are more used in the F/W and the opposite is true in S/S. The remainder are archival bags that I can’t let go of ... and that’s ok with me ... as well as bags I use only for travel, and a few clutches. These latter bags don’t change much so I call them my “fixed assets.” It’s the active, seasonal ones that I have been working with. In 2017, I brought in 8 bags, soon to be 9. I let go of 13 bags with ease and no regrets ... and I think I may increase that number before the new year. I’m feeling ruthless about my Shopping Bag of Doom.
I came to a clearer understanding of what I require of my bags now. They are out in the city a good part of the week; they bump along subway railings and hit into cement walls; they go on the floor in restaurants with tiny tables; they meet with unexpected weather; and I have to get in and out of them fast. I need sturdy bags that I love to look at but don’t have to worry about. I want my daytime bags to be low key, under the radar types, and I like them to look and feel broken in. Once I really drilled down and realized these qualities, I made fewer mistakes with the bags I brought in. That has been an achievement this past year. Also developing the system of organizing through photo albums on my devices.
I’ve continuously considered how my bags serve my needs rather than quickly buying what appeals to my eye
so my collection feels more curated, less experimental. Basically, for my all-important day bags, my criteria are beautiful, low key, comfortable and user friendly. Now for 2018, I can move into some numerical goals.
