2020 resolution - shopping my own bag and wallet collection. Any one else?

[Annabel Lee]

Papertiger, gorgeous clutches and wonderful stories of the outfits you’ve worn and parties/places you’ve carried them! I can see they are loved and cherished in your lifestyle. I have always enjoyed looking at pics of your H 1938. I admire @doni and @papertiger for having a clutch lifestyle.
a) I don’t feel I have a clutch life, I don’t have many evening dress up events. Day clutch usage is limited, as for day activities I need to either carry more than what a clutch carries or I need my hands free.
b) I have one clutch, it’s a vintage snakeskin hand me down from my MIL. I have worn it to lunch with a girlfriend and to date night dinner with my DH, pics attached. This clutch is my least used bag.
I admire the BV Lauren Clutch in Gigolo Red and continue to admire from afar.
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Your bag and your outfit are so fab! Love this look.

After weeks of calls on the missing bag, I finally got someone to give me the address of where the bag was being held captive. I picked it up today and was majorly disappointed on a number of fronts:

The box was smushed with holes. I don’t know if this is because the shopper used a flimsy box or UPS mangled it.

The shipper wrapped the bag in Saran Wrap. Who wraps a lambskin bag in plastic wrap???

The bag was in much worse shape than I expected. The leather is worn, breaking down (?) all over as if it needed conditioning but never got it. (Which is odd because I don’t moisturize my lamb bags. I don’t think we’re supposed to m. Right?). The hardware is heavily scratched and the finish is even worn off in places on the chain strap. The interior is filthy with makeup, pen marked and I don’t know what. And, of course the bag is smushed. Again I don’t know if this is because of how it was handled during shipping or if it was already a mess before. In any case, It’s going right back. Even a spa trip can’t reclaim this bag.

Needless to say, I’m very disappointed not only because of the let down after the anticipation but because this was a quasi-unicorn I’d been looking for. I think I need to let go of the idea of finding the black / gold combo Miss Dior and look for a new cute black bag w/ghw to fit this need. I’ll just try to be positive and look at it as a way to keep my collection current.





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WHOA. Who treats a bag like this?? I practically jumped back from my screen. I cannot believe anyone thought that was okay to sell, let alone so sneakily.

Beige is so not my color! It is the last color I would choose.

Same. I have a little foldover crossbody that I got from TJ Maxx a million years ago, and I pull it out when I absolutely cannot get another bag to match what I'm wearing. I also wear a lot of darker denim, so I don't like buying pricey light-colored bags anyway--the possibility of color transfer makes me too nervous.

Oh my, that looks like an instrument of torture, let alone dangerous

Welcome to the world of the modern pressure cooker.
Rewe runs those promotions every year I believe. I wonder people buy the VWF any other way

Re. Career change, leaving a well paid 100%-safe corporate job to make it on my own. Because, you know, corona times, I have chosen the best moment in history to do this . Right now doing a Masters and setting my own company. Wish me luck...

Congrats, doni! That's exciting!

 

[Annabel Lee]

Vis a vis clutches, I’m not sure what the line of demarcation is between minaudieres and clutches except that minaudieres are especially tiny and fancy.

In pre-COVID times, I used clutches a lot. I agree they’re primarily an evening option, and I’d only fill it with the items I plan to use at whatever event it v. transferring whatever I’d usually carry.

I see them as a way to dress up an outfit. They make a dinner dress that much more elegant, but I used to have a big black envelope clutch I’d wear with jeans and heels for happy hour/less fancy restaurants.

Here are the ones I have:

First, I have these. The patterned ones are all from Anthropologie for when I want a funkier look. The black one is from Zappos, and I love that it has no visible hardware so I can do gold or silver jewelry.


The petite malle might be more of a minaudiere.





The floral one came with two straps, but I mostly use it as a clutch:





This is my least favorite handbag. It's Lanvin, and I got a great deal on it. But 1) it doesn't hold its shape at ALL, 2) the sides are totally open, so I need to use pouches to avoid losing my pen/lipstick/etc and 3) it is huge and awkward to carry. But it's a super cool shape, and it's hard to find nice navy evening bags.

 

[ElainePG]

I read the Dutch House earlier this year. What fun to listen to it narrated by Tom Hanks!

I didn't take note of the audio book version. I may take another look at this! I looooooooove Tom Hanks' voice.

 

[Annabel Lee]

[Accident!]

 

[Annabel Lee]

[Accidental post!]

 

[ElainePG]

Very OT.

re: slow cookers, I guess people are nervous about leaving the whole oven on but not the countertop electric Crock Pot. Not amazingly logical, but what I grew up with.

Also what I grew up with, my grandma's pressure cooker looked like this and she was nervous about it so rarely used it. My mom never used one. So the WMF is a huge step forward, and I just never knew about it until I moved to Germany and saw the Rewe promotion.
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That pressure cooker photo cracked me up! My gramma had one exactly like it. She probably got it in the 1920s, and used it for years & years. By the time I knew her (the 1950s) I'm not sure how often she bothered with it, but it still sat out on her stove. She probably didn't hav a cupboard large enough to store it.

I especially remember the doohickey on the top which (I guess?) was the pressure gauge. I always worried that the thing would explode, taking down her kitchen, her apartment, the rest of the building, and half the Bronx!

 

[ElainePG]

I laugh at this because I have found a phone in the fridge.

Thank you!

 

[ElainePG]

I just read a book called All The Missing Girls by Megan Miranda. It is a good mystery. It is written in an odd way where for two weeks in time it keeps going back in time, but I found it interesting.

Sounds great! And so do her other books. I've added it to my list. Thanks!

 

[ElainePG]

So here is family shot of my current good clutches. I now realize that I need to retire my red YSL clutch and replace her.

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Beautiful! What's the one on the far left with the stripes on the top?

 

[papertiger]

So here is family shot of my current good clutches. I now realize that I need to retire my red YSL clutch and replace her.

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Fabulous array, such great colours too

 

[papertiger]

Vis a vis clutches, I’m not sure what the line of demarcation is between minaudieres and clutches except that minaudieres are especially tiny and fancy.

In pre-COVID times, I used clutches a lot. I agree they’re primarily an evening option, and I’d only fill it with the items I plan to use at whatever event it v. transferring whatever I’d usually carry.

I see them as a way to dress up an outfit. They make a dinner dress that much more elegant, but I used to have a big black envelope clutch I’d wear with jeans and heels for happy hour/less fancy restaurants.

Here are the ones I have:

First, I have these. The patterned ones are all from Anthropologie for when I want a funkier look. The black one is from Zappos, and I love that it has no visible hardware so I can do gold or silver jewelry.View attachment 4830515


The petite malle might be more of a minaudiere.

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The floral one came with two straps, but I mostly use it as a clutch:

View attachment 4830517



This is my least favorite handbag. It's Lanvin, and I got a great deal on it. But 1) it doesn't hold its shape at ALL, 2) the sides are totally open, so I need to use pouches to avoid losing my pen/lipstick/etc and 3) it is huge and awkward to carry. But it's a super cool shape, and it's hard to find nice navy evening bags.

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The practicalities of the Lanvin sound like they've dampened your enthusiasm and understandably, but that shape is TDF and the colour is gorgeous. Very couture.

 

[dcooney4]

I can't blame you - it's a great bag. I love that it's light but also structured, and the size is perfect. And the sale prices are awesome! Can we maybe get a family photo, please?

I will try and do it tomorrow.

 

[dcooney4]

Vis a vis clutches, I’m not sure what the line of demarcation is between minaudieres and clutches except that minaudieres are especially tiny and fancy.

In pre-COVID times, I used clutches a lot. I agree they’re primarily an evening option, and I’d only fill it with the items I plan to use at whatever event it v. transferring whatever I’d usually carry.

I see them as a way to dress up an outfit. They make a dinner dress that much more elegant, but I used to have a big black envelope clutch I’d wear with jeans and heels for happy hour/less fancy restaurants.

Here are the ones I have:

First, I have these. The patterned ones are all from Anthropologie for when I want a funkier look. The black one is from Zappos, and I love that it has no visible hardware so I can do gold or silver jewelry.View attachment 4830515


The petite malle might be more of a minaudiere.

View attachment 4830516



The floral one came with two straps, but I mostly use it as a clutch:

View attachment 4830517



This is my least favorite handbag. It's Lanvin, and I got a great deal on it. But 1) it doesn't hold its shape at ALL, 2) the sides are totally open, so I need to use pouches to avoid losing my pen/lipstick/etc and 3) it is huge and awkward to carry. But it's a super cool shape, and it's hard to find nice navy evening bags.

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Gorgeous selection!

 

[cowgirlsboots]

Your remark about a used car reminds me that several years ago my daughter told me I shouldn't buy a purse that cost more than her car. She had a junker of a car that cost around $1000. Even though she has a better car now, she is still struggling to make ends meet, and I've never forgotten her comment.

It´s the reality. The car I´ve been driving for years is a wonderful Volvo 245- "The Brick". It cost me about 2/3 the price a medium Chanel Classic Flap cost nowadays.... and it´s reliable, fun and absolutely lovely. Everytime I start drooling over the really expensive brand new bags I remind myself of this fact.

 

[cowgirlsboots]

The color turtledove is kind of a beige color with grey undertones in certain lighting. For me, beige is a very practical color and I have been looking for a premier designer beige bag for a while, but somehow I always chose other colors because I frequently felt lukewarm about beige in the past. However, I really liked turtledove when I saw the color and actually felt excited at the prospect of owning a bag in this particular shade of beige! I'm still debating between the Pochette Metis and the Vavin in this color. Also, I am curious to know if others here have a favorite beige bag.

I´ve never owned a "proper" beige bag- it´s simply not my colour and wouldn´t look nice with anything I wear. I do have one or two creamy/ beige vintage clutchesand small bags and matching vintage/ vintage style shoes, but they are still waiting for the perfect vintage outfit to match them. Every time I tried to pair them with an outfit I quickly changed over to black or other colours. When wearing vintage I´m a bit more experimental colourwise.