2019 resolution - shopping my own bag and wallet collection. Any one else?

[Miss_Dawn]

Just took a quick snap of my favorite from them. It is black China lacquer and gold . It writes wonderfully. I also have this same shape in regular metal and many different designs and colors.

Gorgeous. Very chic, and art deco !

 

[Miss_Dawn]

Your collection of pens is amazing.

Thank you!

What an impressive collection! I especially love that gray (blue?) Montblanc in the third picture. So elegant!

Thank you very much. That one is a purple Princess Grace Kelly Montblanc. One of my 30th birthday presents.

 

[vink]

As we’re discussing pens, here are some of mine. A lot of them are presents from my parents, family and Mr Dawn. I’ve always loved writing, so pens have been a common present.

Wow! That’s such a impressive collection! I’m pen envy a bit right now. [emoji4] I love stationary, it lean toward the cuteness so not really the luxury pen. I think my most expensive and adult-like is my Parker that my dad gifted me when I was in grade school. Probably around 10 years old, too, but it’s a roller pen. I have some fountain pen, but it’s nothing expensive. Your collection is really impressive. It actually reminds me of one time I went pen shopping for my favorite grandpa who’s now passed away. Never in my life I take pen shopping as serious as that time. I wish I know where it goes now.

 

[vink]

View attachment 4288982
This was not a Christmas gift, but I found this last month and bought it as an early birthday gift to me ( and good wishes to my fellow birthday buddy @ElainePG ).
Two things I had learned and really had reinforced from this thread last year are am I buying duplicates in color and style/function and what do feel is missing from my assortment of bags?
I was really missing some spots of color. I love that I have many black, red and neutral bags in my mostly vintage gang. Coach did make vintage bags in some great colors, but they are few and far between to be found, and most I do find are in terrible condition.
So anyway, About a year ago, I do see someone posting the Ace satchel in cornflower blue and all I could thing was Wow. Wow. Vintage-loving-me in love with a contemporary bag! Because it was discontinued and even it I could find it at half retail, it was still more than I wanted to pay. So I just simply admired it whenever I saw it posted on Passenger or WCBAYCT. It did reinforce my periodic search for a HG vintage bag in that shade of blue, cause you never know, right??
I was floored just before Thanksgiving to see it listed generically as a blue Coach satchel. With a starting bid of $50 and the buy it now option!! I made a modest offer and the next thing you know it’s being shipped to me for under $100 And I’ve been using this beauty since I do like to wear navy blue, denim and khaki. The style is not something I would choose for being out all day long, but it is great to take to the office.
It is very satisfying to make a make a purchase I never thought would be available at my price and on a bag that makes me say Wow. Repeatedly, lol. I felt like I had done my home work, and was able to seize the unexpected opportunity when it presented itself.

So here’s my question for everyone: What bag have you bought, that you truly enjoy, that was the result of doing your *homework*?

I’d say it’s a vintage Coach legacy hobo in gray. But that bag isn’t with me. My mom snagged it once she saw it and I never have a heart to ask for it back. It’s been about 20 years with her and I think it’s more than 10 years before it reached me. But that bag is in like new condition and the price is like $30-$60 only when I got it. It’s the made in USA Coach.

 

[Lake Effect]

@catsinthebag
@Sparkletastic
Thanks to you both and anyone else who mentioned the Bullet Journal. After looking at a 4 minute video on the basic version, I want to give this a whirl! I know it was mentioned early last year on the ‘18 thread, and I have been intrigued. Now is the time for action!

 

[Lake Effect]

I’d say it’s a vintage Coach legacy hobo in gray. But that bag isn’t with me. My mom snagged it once she saw it and I never have a heart to ask for it back. It’s been about 20 years with her and I think it’s more than 10 years before it reached me. But that bag is in like new condition and the price is like $30-$60 only when I got it. It’s the made in USA Coach.

Awwww! My 80 something mother had been admiring one of my bags, and I really wanted her to take it but she wouldn’t. I think if it had a light color lining, she would.

 

[essiedub]

As we’re discussing pens, here are some of mine. A lot of them are presents from my parents, family and Mr Dawn. I’ve always loved writing, so pens have been a common present.

Wow wow. how do you decide which to use? I love pen and paper. I have a soft spot for fountain pens because I was exposed to them early...we had to use them in grade school. I do find that if I put in a disposable cartridge, I really need to keep using it until it dries out (as it will dry out pretty quickly anyway..after a few weeks) I used to like to fill the self cartridge but then it seemed to dry out even faster, had to use the right ink, and clean it after each use. I should really start using them again. You have inspired me! Please share how you rotate your pens.

 

[essiedub]

Wow! That’s such a impressive collection! I’m pen envy a bit right now. [emoji4] I love stationary, it lean toward the cuteness so not really the luxury pen. I think my most expensive and adult-like is my Parker that my dad gifted me when I was in grade school. Probably around 10 years old, too, but it’s a roller pen. I have some fountain pen, but it’s nothing expensive. Your collection is really impressive. It actually reminds me of one time I went pen shopping for my favorite grandpa who’s now passed away. Never in my life I take pen shopping as serious as that time. I wish I know where it goes now.

Fountain pen shopping is serious business. It’s really another form of jewelry I am inspired to start using them again just to spite my phone

 

[dcooney4]

How very satisfying! Congratulations! It is a lovely colour and it looks like it’s in great condition.

I think the closest I have to doing my research is the Antigona. I wanted a small black Antigona but I didn’t particularly like the very shiny or very matte versions, and I was hesitating over the price tag. I told Mr Dawn I really wanted one (he is excellent at bag missions!) and he called up Givenchy, made friends with the SA, and asked to be told if a black Antigona goes on sale.

Wonder of wonders, the SA called back at some point and offered this beautiful limited edition black Antigona with metal detail. Even its leather was between the matte and shiny versions. It was perfect.

It was a limited edition, and more expensive than the regular version, but because it was around 30-40% off, I got it at less than the regular version. Mr Dawn had to drive many hours to pick it for me (very grateful), but I do love it.

So chic and just perfect.

 

[catsinthebag]

How very satisfying! Congratulations! It is a lovely colour and it looks like it’s in great condition.

I think the closest I have to doing my research is the Antigona. I wanted a small black Antigona but I didn’t particularly like the very shiny or very matte versions, and I was hesitating over the price tag. I told Mr Dawn I really wanted one (he is excellent at bag missions!) and he called up Givenchy, made friends with the SA, and asked to be told if a black Antigona goes on sale.

Wonder of wonders, the SA called back at some point and offered this beautiful limited edition black Antigona with metal detail. Even its leather was between the matte and shiny versions. It was perfect.

It was a limited edition, and more expensive than the regular version, but because it was around 30-40% off, I got it at less than the regular version. Mr Dawn had to drive many hours to pick it for me (very grateful), but I do love it.

That is one sharp-looking bag. Mr. Dawn sounds like a perfect bag-shopping partner in crime!

 

[whateve]

Lovely scarves. I prefer the look of the first one. I’m very partial to pinks and oxbloods!



Yes, I use lots of fountain pens.
I have about a million pens

My wonderful father gave me my first fountain pen when I was only 10. I took it out and tried to annotate something above my chalk drawing on the concrete pavement! Ye Gods! I ruined its nib. I always kept it for sentimental reasons, and when I was at university I found a pen shop that replaced nibs The snooty SA thawed immediately when she saw my pen- turned out she had the same one, and loved it! Anyways, I replaced the nib with a new one and have never written on pavements since then!

For notebooks, I use:
- one as a daily journal,
- one as an ad hoc travel journal (Mr Dawn and I travel a lot),
- one as an ad hoc Diary when I want to write more than a daily journal entry
- one for daily notes at work, and
- one for to-do lists



I love your idea of instaprint scrapbooks!!
I tend to use my phone as a photo diary, but this is a great idea.



I only have one Caran d’Ache ball pen, I think. I must try out their rollers and fountains next time I have a chance.



Thank you for the kind message @ipsum !



Oh no. How gutting. I’m so sorry to hear this I hope this gets resolved soon via insurance.



One of my favourite pens is my Waterman Expert 2 FP in marble red. It writes so smoothly and it was a “GLBB” ( Good Luck Boo Boo ) present from Mr Dawn before a very important set if exams that I ended up acing. So it has a huge amount of sentimental value as well as technical merit



It sounds like a perfect birthday!

Now you can plot and plan your (potential) LV empreinte speedy purchase for the next birthday

We travel a lot too, and I've always felt like I should keep a travel journal but then it never happens. I did keep one of a very long ago trip but nothing more recent. What I'd like to remember most is where we stayed and ate so I'll know where to go the next time we are there. Recently, Google has reminded me of places we've been so that has been helpful.

 

[whateve]

View attachment 4288982
This was not a Christmas gift, but I found this last month and bought it as an early birthday gift to me ( and good wishes to my fellow birthday buddy @ElainePG ).
Two things I had learned and really had reinforced from this thread last year are am I buying duplicates in color and style/function and what do feel is missing from my assortment of bags?
I was really missing some spots of color. I love that I have many black, red and neutral bags in my mostly vintage gang. Coach did make vintage bags in some great colors, but they are few and far between to be found, and most I do find are in terrible condition.
So anyway, About a year ago, I do see someone posting the Ace satchel in cornflower blue and all I could thing was Wow. Wow. Vintage-loving-me in love with a contemporary bag! Because it was discontinued and even it I could find it at half retail, it was still more than I wanted to pay. So I just simply admired it whenever I saw it posted on Passenger or WCBAYCT. It did reinforce my periodic search for a HG vintage bag in that shade of blue, cause you never know, right??
I was floored just before Thanksgiving to see it listed generically as a blue Coach satchel. With a starting bid of $50 and the buy it now option!! I made a modest offer and the next thing you know it’s being shipped to me for under $100 And I’ve been using this beauty since I do like to wear navy blue, denim and khaki. The style is not something I would choose for being out all day long, but it is great to take to the office.
It is very satisfying to make a make a purchase I never thought would be available at my price and on a bag that makes me say Wow. Repeatedly, lol. I felt like I had done my home work, and was able to seize the unexpected opportunity when it presented itself.

So here’s my question for everyone: What bag have you bought, that you truly enjoy, that was the result of doing your *homework*?

A lot of my bags have been from doing my homework. There are been many bags I've stalked for ages, waiting for the perfect deal. Most of my vintage bags are in this category. Sometimes I got too impatient and paid more than I should. My Coach Bleecker large flaps were like this. My preferred color was wine but when a rust one appeared on ebay, I bought it. Then a month later a wine one appeared for half the price, so I got that one too. Now I can't say that I like one more than the other. I probably said I wanted a Ranch bag for over a year before I found one listed at a bargain price. I also searched for my red shoulder sac for a long time after trying out a black one and realizing I liked the style.

Other bags I have are happy accidents. I stumbled across them and they turned out to be just what I wanted.

 

[Annabel Lee]

Speaking of food, what is everyone’s favorite foods - main meal item, dessert and drink?

My favorite main meal items are seafood - anything that swims, floats, creeps or crawls in the water will get happily eaten by me. My favorite dessert is WARM SUGAR COOKIES!!! My favorite drink is fresh lemonade. I like lemonade so much that I can’t have it in the house and avoid it like it’s crack. I would drink a gallon a day and keep looking for more. LOL!

Food: Anything Indian or Thai or reallllyyy good sushi.
Dessert: Anything with both chocolate and fruit.
Drink: Hmm, usually I only drink water, black coffee/ plain tea and wine. But sometimes I get a chai latte, and I really like those! I just generally prefer not to drink my calories.

What is your favorite holiday for treats/dessert? I am partial to celebrating people's birthdays with a treat tailored to their tastes (I like to bake).

Definitely my birthday. For other holidays, I have to account for what others want, but I feel better about being selfish and getting exactly what I want on my birthday.

You know, my father said this to me the other day. That I should buy a few items but the best in class (that I can afford) for everything I buy.

I get the sentiment, but I think there’s so much choice and an imperfect correlation between price and quality, plus preferences and options are constantly changing (e.g. new models in technology, or trends in mini vs big bags etc.) which makes it hard sometimes to follow the “buy few, but best in class” advice if you don’t know for sure what best in class is!

Plus, best in class isn’t always age appropriate. Best in class skincare may be La Prairie skincare or Hermés only bag collections but I don’t think I would benefit from or enjoy those at the age of 32. For example, I know that I objectively derive more pleasure from a Marmont crossbody in Hibiscus Red than I would from a crossbody K25 in Rouge Grenat if I owned it.

That’s funny actually. I think some accessories age you.

What do others think?

My mom said the similar thing. Buy things for its quality. And sometimes, good things can come cheap, too.

I think if you don’t use things that suit you, anything can age you or make you look ridiculous even it’s so expensive. It’s just the overall and total look. Price has nothing to do with class. That’s what I’m sure about.

I agree with what a lot of others have said on this. If I bought the very best of EVERYTHING I could afford, well, I couldn't afford much. So "buy the best in class for what you're looking for" I think might be a better way of looking at it so you can account for your tastes, priorities, needs, etc.

But that can be slippery, too, in thinking you should get a must-have item that doesn't actually suit you. So ... know yourself well and then buy the best in class for what you're looking for? Not nearly as snappy.

These are the scarves I got with the help of my friend yesterday. She tried them on for me so I can decide.

This one is 100% cashmere.

And this one is The one I really want since summer. It’s silk. I’m not sure if it’s a blend or not.

Both are 50% off and no tax! Yay!

And the is MM (Massaccesi) Stella clutch. The photo aren’t mine. This belongs to TenKrat. I have a similar one with a darker (more gray) hardware.

Oh my goodness, @vink, those scarves are stunning. And I love the Stella! That's such a gorgeous classic shape, but I never see it on any modern bags.

Interestingly, I saw a Jumbo almost exactly the same color as my ivory. And, I didn’t like it on the person who was carrying it. That may have been the death knell for the bag. I don’t like to wear it and I didn’t like it on someone else. Hmmmm... I’m going to let this sit til spring and see what I think.

Was the person carrying it styled well but the bag just didn't suit? Are you having a hard time matching it? Is it just cannibalizing wears? I got an ivory bag earlier this year and it's been a great addition to my closet even though I'd usually prefer cool tones. If you're just looking for ideas, I can share some ...

Two questions popped into my head and I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts:


1) Do you know how much your total collection cost? Do you care? Has anyone ever thought to manage their bags by total cost vs total number, total amount of space, etc? If you knew how much your collection cost would it change your behavior?

I have no idea but could add it up pretty quickly. The number isn’t important to me at all.

2) How do you and your family communicate with each other on what you want as gifts? We keep Pinterest pages - one is X’s Wish List (items over $1000) and the other is X’s stocking stuffers. That way we always have a number of things to choose from that are exactly what the person wants but they’re still surprised. Getting my DS to use Pinterest was a problem til he saw how happy my DS was with her presents.

1) Oh dear. I started to add it up once, got midway through and decided I was happier not knowing. But then again, I don't really value CPW, and I don't like to sell my bags. So nope, knowing what I spent wouldn't change my buying decisions going forward.

2) We don't! Is that weird? We just try to get things we think the others will like. Sometimes that's a miss, but sometimes they surprise me with things I wouldn't have picked out and still love.

As far as the total thing goes I could probably add it up but it won't be worth what I paid for it , so I don't bother.

Ha! This!

 

[dcooney4]

A lot of my bags have been from doing my homework. There are been many bags I've stalked for ages, waiting for the perfect deal. Most of my vintage bags are in this category. Sometimes I got too impatient and paid more than I should. My Coach Bleecker large flaps were like this. My preferred color was wine but when a rust one appeared on ebay, I bought it. Then a month later a wine one appeared for half the price, so I got that one too. Now I can't say that I like one more than the other. I probably said I wanted a Ranch bag for over a year before I found one listed at a bargain price. I also searched for my red shoulder sac for a long time after trying out a black one and realizing I liked the style.

Other bags I have are happy accidents. I stumbled across them and they turned out to be just what I wanted.

Wow!

 

[Annabel Lee]

Wow! I wish I could do that! I just complained in last year thread about keeping stock. Seeing 4 girls already makes me think I should start doing that somewhere somehow. At the moment, I’m too tired to dig into all other things I don’t have it listed, but I can do that for those I have listed no problem. I’m pretty sure there’ll be a lot of bags that won’t get used on my list coz I tried tracking my habit last year and it seems I like to change out after two or three weeks and that definitely won’t make me finish using everything in my closet. But it could be a great start?

2018 was the first year I did my tracking by day, rather than by the week. In 2017 I had put in the date I switched into the bag, because I usually use a bag for a whole week. But then at the end of the year I wasn't able to do a count of exactly how many days I had carried a bag, because sometimes I'd use a bag for two weeks. Or half a week. So that tracking data was basically useless.

This year I just put an X into the spreadsheet every time I walked out the door with a bag. I found that it took no time at all to do on the computer, and it really gave me useful data. I let go of three bags that I wasn't using, and I have my eye on another one for next year... but I feel really good about all the others!

Maybe make it easy. Add a bag to the list as you wear it vs trying to do a full inventory at the beginning. That’s how I’m doing my clothing style app.

I also just make a note every time I walk out the door with a bag. I did it all through 2017 and 2018, and it really helped me see what I'm using. not using, what I gravitate toward, what I need, etc. But just because it works for some doesn't mean it will work for everyone, @vink. It's entirely possible it might not be a good system for you.

I took a day and went through my bags and put them all in a list. That was the bulk of the work, and from there, it was just noting what I used.

For me, it’s not so much selling to buy, but not wanting to buy and buy and buy without getting rid of anything because then I’d have too much and not be able to wear it all as much as I’d like. I’m getting much better at it but, in the past when I didn’t fully understand my own tastes, I would acquire bags that I didn’t love as much as I needed to a few months after purchasing. So, I do still have bags that I use less frequently that I want to cull from my collection to make room for what I absolutely love and will use regularly and never get rid of. So, I have sold bags at a small loss and bags at a bigger loss and bags at a profit, but it’s been part of my process up until now. I’m okay with that. And there are bags in my collection that, as I add my holy grails, I know there will be less room for. Everyone is different and I envy those who have the self control and foresight to only purchase bags that they will love just as much in 10 years. I’m getting closer to that!

I think about this too. As others have said, I really don't know what I'll like in 10 years as trends change or what changes I'll want to make to "dress my age." But as much as I don't want to have to constantly re-home bags, I also don't want to miss out on the bags I like right now. If I were planning for a collection I'd still want 10 years from now, I'd miss getting some great pieces. So to an extent, I do have to plan to sell, and that's a newer thought process for me.

It's taken five years, but I'm (very nearly) satisfied with my collection. As a wise person once said, if you want to become a wine connoisseur, you have to open a LOT of bottles!

I really like that way of looking at it! Selling/not getting the right bag can be a pain for sure, but just like wine, I paid a price and got enjoyment out of the experience while I had it.

There’s an idea for a slow week:
What is your oldest bag? Do you still use it? If not, why do you keep it?

My oldest bags are still my non-premier bags. I held onto a lot of less pricey bags for travel, bad weather, etc. I also kept some niche bags (certain patterns/materials/colors I wouldn't use all the time) and a lot of brown bags because I'm fussy about matching the right shade of brown when I wear it. I had this mostly nailed in my collection, so no need to change anything. Plus, I don't plan to ever have shelves and shelves of pricey brown bags just waiting on me to pick up a particular pair of boots!

Here is the oldest bag. I found it in the basement and it needs a washing.

Ahh, @dcooney4, this is just so dang cool!