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

[ElainePG]

Oh it looks as if I’ve walked into a clutch collection discussion! So I’ll just have to be a bit off topic. It’s been quite a week here in Northern California. I need a break. So in honor of my new Celine Belt, I decided to pull out my brown bags. Oddly brown bags are just not shown much love, yet some of my favorites are brown! Who knew? So because I missed Brown week, here are my brown bags. I decided not to include the LV Monogram SLG’s (because they deserve their own photo anyway)

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The Neverfull...j’adore! So easy, so functional. I’d use it everyday (and did for many months). I am 100% a tote person.

The Speedy...this was my first real designer bag from when I got my first job. Sentimental and I do use it for overnight getaway trips. It holds more than you’d expect

The Chanel EW flap..golly for evenings out, I reach for this so frequently..spacious yet sleek and neutral. The woven threads give it interest. The interior is brown lambskin.

This vintage alligator kisslock bag, given to me by my mother-in-law. I’m guessing 40’s or 50’s. I really appreciate the craftsmanship. I definitely don’t have the panache to pull this off and have never carried it.

This Chloe Baylee, I use as a hand carry tote. I adore the colors (called yummy cookie). What I discovered was that I do like a slouchy bag, whereas I always thought that I prefer boxy structured bags(shrugs). Earlier, there was some discussion about Chloe bag weight..yup. The shoulder strap has a brass buckle and must add 5 lbs and it’s long (for cool girls 5’10” and taller) ..I don’t use it despite it being one of the cooler straps around.

Finally, my new (to me) Celine Belt bag. I’ll post on this separately.

That rounds out my brown collection!

Good to hear from you, @essiedub . Yes, it's been quite a week in California! We're still seeing the aftereffects. We didn't have to evacuate, but friends only 20 miles away were under an evacuation warning, and a bit further away they did a full-out evacuation (though they were allowed back yesterday). The air is still pretty bad. Ugh.

Anyway. Back to happy subjects. Like your gorgeous brown collection. I don't think I've ever seen a family photo of them before… love the variety of shapes and styles. A brown for every purpose!

The Chanel flap: is it leather, or is it a tweed fabric? I believe @missie1 was thinking about getting a tweed Chanel a while ago. Do I have that correct? And that got me interested. I had planned to check it out when Mr. PG and I made our annual opera-museum-shopping trip to San Francisco this fall. (We've cancelled that trip, of course. Maybe next year. Something to look forward to!)

 

[ElainePG]

The H wallet is tadelakt. Pink piccolo holds my pens/pencils (no fountain pen this time) My calendar and notebook in their respective agenda covers, both housed in the orange Bridge card holder. The atomizer really is too heavy to carry around. Finally my key holder and makeup bag. In case you wonder..it was that H Rainbow thread that started me on this madcap SLG craze. You’ve been warned..Don’t go there!

I hadn't stumbled upon the H Rainbow thread. I may wander over there… though I appreciate the warning. But I've been on a bit of an SLG craze myself. Since I'm not going out much (A little.) (Hardly at all.) (Only to medical appointments.) I really have no need to switch handbags. But SLGs are fun, not horribly expensive, and can be swapped out to make the inside of my handbag interesting.

I haven't fallen down the rabbit hole of Hermès SLGs, though. Yet.

ETA: Can't find that H Rainbow thread. Can you post the link, if you have time?

 

[ElainePG]

I just finished The Dutch House and loved it. I don't read a lot of fiction, so my choices have to be REALLY GOOD. Hanks has apparently narrated quite a few books. You can search by reader, when you find a voice you really like!

I love his voice, so I'll definitely do that. My next book (already in my library) is Memoirs of a Geisha. Of course, I read it years ago, when it first came out, but I thought it would be a nice audible book. Can't remember who narrates it. I do like that Audible lets you listen to the narrator for a few minutes before committing to the book. If a book is badly narrated, it makes me want to jump out of my skin!

 

[ElainePG]

The biggest upside of this change for me is that I will likely wear more of my yellow gold jewelry. I have a ton of it and it’s calling to me again! The brightness of the yellow gold will also help keep me from feeling navy / brown / and perhaps cream additions to my wardrobe will still have life and energy on me.
Oooooh! Aviation martinis are my favorite!!!

I think with your coloring, as long as you limit the browns to accessories (boots, handbag), and you wear the navy closer to your face (like in a dress, a blouse, or a sweater), and then you ties it all together with your yellow gold jewelry, it could be a smashing look on you.

 

[ElainePG]

Oh and good news! I got my money back for the Disgusting Dior!

So glad it didn't turn into a big fight.

 

[880]

@essiedub, is bittersweet brown color your version of a warm black? Or do you have another equally gorgeous, curated selection of black bags? (am nosey about other people’s color choices and collection habits)

@ElainePG, love Hermes, but SLGs can be heavy

does anyone else have the urge to modify an existing bag, for example, clip the back straps of a gucci queen margaret backpack (the one that has a nifty bamboo tophandle. And wear it like a top handled bag. Kind of an elongated NS HAC type gucci bag? Is this a very bad idea?

basically I got the idea bc I logged onto fashionphile, filled my cart with ten items then deleted 1. The items that are only good for my imaginary life; 2. The items that I love but would not leave the closet; and, the items that are either too expensive for what they are or too similar to stuff I have Rehomed. . . Thereby leaving no items.

 

[dcooney4]

Love this whole palette



Nice! The Neverfull really is such a useful bag. I only like wearing LV canvas in small dosis (i.e., clutches ) for some reason. But I have my mum’s mono NF and I have to admit it is so well designed, I am forever searching for a Neverfull which is not the Neverfull.
Beautiful new Belt, brown rules.

I don’t know about you all, but end of August, despite the weather being mild, the approach of school term always has me considering my Fall wardrobe and what new additions are needed (the correct answer is none, but I am very good at arguing). This year I am all for zooming on the brown color family, and reinforcing my closet with shades of saffron, rust and caramel. I love that nowadays, with the concept of seasons becoming increasingly irrelevant in the runways, you can buy Winter clothing in the Summer sales, and I am currently eyeing some knitwear and shoes at Acne Studios. Well, and a burnt orange blazer (I cannot help myself... and I already got a blazer in dark camel in the local Maje sale, a bargain; someone please explain to me that in this time and age, the last thing I need is another blazer ).

So how is your Fall/Winter game looking for those of you in the Northern hemisphere (and for the rest, I am also interested!)?

I just ordered to pairs of long pants and a long sleeve top. Just some basics.

 

[dcooney4]

I love using my instant Pot to pressure cook, it's so easy! I've alway been afraid to use a traditional pressure cooker pot.


I agree on beige bags, I admire them on others but it's just not for me..I would baby it and be afraid of ruining it. As for budgets especially bags, I generally use that too.

Beautiful!

I love your diverse clutch family!

Congratulations! I'm very excited for you! I can't wait to see it.

I love them!

Beautiful brown collection! I'm curious about the celine I'd love to hear your thoughts on the bag, so I can't wait for your post!

Thanks!

 

[dcooney4]

Oh and good news! I got my money back for the Disgusting Dior!

Wow that was fast. I am delighted for you. That thing was nasty.

 

[cowgirlsboots]

I was thinking the same thing. So impressive, @cowgirlsboots . There was one bag you showed earlier in the week (sorry, I can't remember the brand) where you said yoboard unto the very thin cardboard inside that had collapsed due to flat storage. were going to fix its "sagging bottom." Hmmm: do you suppose you could do that for MY sagging bottom???

Haha! I should try to do this on mine! The bag was the red abro interpretation of a Classic Flap. I openened the lining and glued a sturdy piece of cardboard onto the very thin cardboard inside that had collapsed due to flat storage. The result is ok, but not perfect. The outer leather is sewn onto the thin original cardboard and I couldn´t get in between without risking to destroy the whole construction. The bag is far more stable now, but there still is some bubbling. Well, it´s a cheap bag and hopefully will sell at some point. I listed it with very clear photos.

 

[cowgirlsboots]

This afternoon while hand hemming my latest dress project- there are meters and meters of hem to a 50ies dress...- I was watching several handbag unboxings and it dawned on me that what fascinates me so much about brand new handbags from the boutique is not the bag itself. It´s the paper bag, the box, the ribbons, the tissue paper, the paperwork.... Many a bag I saw being unboxed today I did not even like. The packaging was adorable every time! So far I´ve yet to have my first unboxing experience. My bags are all preloved and most sellers don´t bother with nice packaging. But I´m not sure whether I´ll ever get there unless somebody one day sells a Galliano for Dior bag from my wishlist that comes with all its original wrappings....

 

[cowgirlsboots]

Wow that was fast. I am delighted for you. That thing was nasty.

May I ask was it a professional seller? Somebody we might have to keep away from?
When you mentioned the sales pics were great it reminded me very much of a dolls pram I bought years ago from some antique seller on ebay. It looked sparkling brand new. When it came it still did, but only in the places they had needed to clean/polish for the photos. The rest was a total dirty, sticky, disgusting mess.

 

[Sparkletastic]

I think with your coloring, as long as you limit the browns to accessories (boots, handbag), and you wear the navy closer to your face (like in a dress, a blouse, or a sweater), and then you ties it all together with your yellow gold jewelry, it could be a smashing look on you.

Yes! That’s the approach I was planning to take hoping that it works. I also think I can branch out and use brown accessories with cream / winter white vs always choosing pure white.

It’s time to mix things up.

Wow that was fast. I am delighted for you. That thing was nasty.

I was really surprised how quickly I got the refund. I mailed it back on Monday and got the refund today.

May I ask was it a professional seller? Somebody we might have to keep away from?
When you mentioned the sales pics were great it reminded me very much of a dolls pram I bought years ago from some antique seller on ebay. It looked sparkling brand new. When it came it still did, but only in the places they had needed to clean/polish for the photos. The rest was a total dirty, sticky, disgusting mess.

This was from an eBay seller in the Ukraine. Only 70 ratings so I doubt they are a professional seller. Though they may have not done much in the US (?)

 

[Sparkletastic]

Warning: Rant ahead. I sold 3 items in August through eBay, Poshmark and Tradesy. No site is great for sellers but, I really despise Tradesy.

I shipped the item on Aug 9. Yet, they say I won’t receive the funds til Sept. 11. And, when sellers get cash proceeds (vs spending the money on the site) they charge 2.9% on top of the sales commission.

And, inevitably, I will have to call to shake the money loose after 9/11. More than a couple times they’ve “missed” the estimated funds available date and I‘ve had to keep calling to get the funds released.

In contrast, eBay gives you the money immediately. So, what justification can Tradesy have for holding the $$ for a month or more?Especially for established sellers?

To make matters worse, they don’t know the product. One buyer bought my bag, wore it because it came bag dirty, then sent it back for a refund claiming it was fake. Tradesy sided with the buyer. This was a bag I’d bought in the boutique. But Tradesy’s “authenticators” wouldn’t know a real bag from a frozen bagel.

I hate dealing with Tradesy so much that I list items 10-20% higher than I do on other sites due to the hassle factor

Thanks for letting me rant. This is reason number 728,615,009 that I’m so happy I have no more bags to sell. Now I’m down to a couple of pair of shoes and a few pieces of jewelry. (I hate selling so much I’m trying to restyle the jewelry vs sell.)

I am being soooo careful when I buy any and everything now. I never, ever want to sell anything again. I want to use my things til I wear them out or happily donate them. And, I want to feel like every purchase is exactly what I wanted.

 

[missie1]

Good to hear from you, @essiedub . Yes, it's been quite a week in California! We're still seeing the aftereffects. We didn't have to evacuate, but friends only 20 miles away were under an evacuation warning, and a bit further away they did a full-out evacuation (though they were allowed back yesterday). The air is still pretty bad. Ugh.

Anyway. Back to happy subjects. Like your gorgeous brown collection. I don't think I've ever seen a family photo of them before… love the variety of shapes and styles. A brown for every purpose!

The Chanel flap: is it leather, or is it a tweed fabric? I believe @missie1 was thinking about getting a tweed Chanel a while ago. Do I have that correct? And that got me interested. I had planned to check it out when Mr. PG and I made our annual opera-museum-shopping trip to San Francisco this fall. (We've cancelled that trip, of course. Maybe next year. Something to look forward to!)

Your remembered Yes I am still looking for a tweed flap. It has to be the right one. I’ve discovered patience is key when dealing with tweed lol.