2021 Resolution: Shopping my own bag and SLG collection. Any one else?

[Sparkletastic]

NOVEMBER ACTIVITIES

1. Bags by Brand Showcase!

Each week, share photos of your bags from the specified brands. Choose a posed “beauty” shot or get your bags out and about in action shots!

We highlight 3 brands per week: 2 premier and 1 contemporary in alphabetical order as listed on tPF. Any brands not listed are showcased in our last week. Brands change to the next set each Sunday.

Our first brand week starts now - Sunday, Oct 31. Please share photos of bags from these brands:

• Bottega Venetta
• Burberry
• Alexander Wang

Tip: Grab your photos from last year in the 2020 resolution thread. Search your user name and the brand to find your photos.

2. Special Stories
Thanks @Claudia Herzog for the suggestion

Wear a bag that has a backstory involving a person, place, or opportunity for which you feel grateful.

 

[cowgirlsboots]

I’ve asked these questions before but we have a lot of new people and the answers are always fun and insightful

• What is your favorite bag and why?
• What is your least favorite bag and why do you keep it?

Please share photos, stories, anecdotes - anything that makes your love (or hate) come alive.

I’ll start. My favorite bag is my silver microcannage Diorama. I bought
this bag in Paris during the Mommy/ daughter girls’ trip we gave DD (mini me) for her graduation. I adore the bag and wear it to death. I’m shocked it’s held up so well. It literally looks new. Plus, it has such happy memories of the two of us enjoying Europe prior to her launching into the world. View attachment 4969454View attachment 4969453
My least favorite bag is my Fendi By the Way only because it’s black and fairly simple / classic in design so there isn’t any “ooomph”. That being said, it also has fond memories because I bought it the last time I was in Rome and went back 3 times to look at it before I bought. LOL! Gawd, I miss travel But, this bag was the best purchase I’ve made because it’a a true work horse. I use it constantly as an I don’t care bag / I don’t want to show brands bag / I need to haul a bunch of stuff bag. So, it’s my least favorite but still much valued.View attachment 4969456
Share your bags, pictures and stories!

My favourite bag at the moment is my red New Lock- it´s so soft, so well made, so special (in the extent that I haven´t worn it yet out of sheer fright of harming it.)


My least favourite bag is the little abro crossbody. I´m only keeping it, because it is extremely practical and sturdy and I might need it one day... it´s sitting on the doorstep of the shed. (I bought it before I discovered the New Lock range and wore it to run errands for a while. Now the mustard patent New Lock has taken this place.)

 

[cowgirlsboots]

Hi everyone, sorry, I haven´t been in for a while. We had to go to a family funeral last week- a long trip and a strange experience. Since we are back home I´ve been in a kind of unreal bubble.

 

[whateve]

Question for you all regarding your closets. Clothes hangers. Do any of you have a type you love? I'm considering these chunky lucite hangers, I found a seller with 38 for under twenty dollars each including shipping and it seems a worthwhile splurge for every day luxury :View attachment 4969231

What type do you guys use and love?

Those will take up too much space in the Ikea Pacs you are considering. I switched to slim velvet hangers and gained so much more space in my Pacs.

I was going to say the same thing. I have the slim velvet hangers too.

 

[Sparkletastic]

Hi everyone, sorry, I haven´t been in for a while. We had to go to a family funeral last week- a long trip and a strange experience. Since we are back home I´ve been in a kind of unreal bubble.

I’m sorry for your loss.

 

[cowgirlsboots]

I’m sorry for your loss.

Thank-you @Sparkletastic ! I´ll pass it on to my spouse. He lost his Mum. I´m sad, but not hurting as we only had a polite distance relationship. I wasn´t invited to the actual funeral which gave me the opportunity to spend time with my older children. A friend of mine put it like this: "Your MIL gave you the present of the opportunity to see your children." I´m grateful!

 

[880]

Hi everyone, sorry, I haven´t been in for a while. We had to go to a family funeral last week- a long trip and a strange experience. Since we are back home I´ve been in a kind of unreal bubble.

i am so sorry @cowgirlsboots. Sending you a virtual hug.just read your reply. I’m glad you got to spend time with your grown children and it is truly her loss that she did not extend a closer relationship to her yo7ngest grand child. On a bag related comment, every time I see your red new lock, it appears richer and more lush. It’s gorgeous! You absolutely need to wear it!

@Purses & Perfumes, @Sparkletastic, @More bags, thank you so much for your kind words! The 32 Prune is now DHs favorite bag too displacing rhe 28 blue Kelly which he used to call the sexiest bag in the world. @Purses & Perfumes , Fingers crossed that you find yours soon! @More bags, i love the pics of Sofia Coppola and gal Godot in their cuffs. Will post when mine eventually arrives. DHs suggestion was to omit pearls as they distracted from the strong graphic of the maltese cross. I google it, and it appears Gal Godot wore the Tiffany bone cuff in at least two movies https://people.com/style/gal-gadot-passing-jewelry-to-her-daughters/. I haven’t seen the WW movie yet, and I don’t remember the mythology of the cuffs, but I think I wrongly assumed it would be something like VCAs Etruscan cuff made originally for Jackie O. Although i admire tall thin ladies who can pull off two cuffs, the size of my person ans my wallet constrain me. My original dream was the black jade one, but when the Verdura SA explained that you always had to take it off and put it on over a soft surface like your bed, and otherwise be very careful, DH started to laugh hysterically and opine that it wasn’t for me.
Hugs

@keodi, i love your 32 gulliver Kelly! She looks so happy with her twilly handle!

@BowieFan1971, I think, due to covid boredom, I would like to be a colorful pink bag person. I take that back, thirty years ago, when I was. 24, I had a shiny crinkley shell pink fabric soft unstructured bag with some kind of taupe beaded circle handle. It was neither an evening bag nor a day bag. But, it was flirty and summery And somehow matched the makeup precursor to Nars Multi stick (surely this could not be thirty years ago!) I loved it and wore it to death. But, it’s possible I was also literally fifty pounds lighter and wore stretchy skirts and tube tops back then too.

@Sparkletastic, I wish I could suggest a source for dilis, but I cannot. Although I grew up eating Filipino food, it never occured to me to learn to cook it, especially since a lot is fried crisp and Filipinos do not stint on oil. The dilis that appeared on the breakfast table didn’t appear coated in batter- it was just crispy from stem to stern. They’re so small, they aren’t at all meaty. They’re thin and transluscent like a potato chip.

completely unrelated, there is also a popular Filipino super processed anchovy junk food. I think in Tagalog it might be called dilis and pusit (I think posit is squid) and it’s often flavored with teriyaki or spicy seasoning. Fishy snack food is not really to my taste, I’m too Americanized. So I’ve never tried it. but anchovy lovers might enjoy it As a curiosity. But, it’s very low brow and processed. . . Nothing like freshly made.. It is nothung at all like Italian fritti or the fish along costa del sol.

 

[Purses & Perfumes]

I’ve asked these questions before but we have a lot of new people and the answers are always fun and insightful

• What is your favorite bag and why?
• What is your least favorite bag and why do you keep it?

Please share photos, stories, anecdotes - anything that makes your love (or hate) come alive.

I’ll start. My favorite bag is my silver microcannage Diorama. I bought
this bag in Paris during the Mommy/ daughter girls’ trip we gave DD (mini me) for her graduation. I adore the bag and wear it to death. I’m shocked it’s held up so well. It literally looks new. Plus, it has such happy memories of the two of us enjoying Europe prior to her launching into the world. View attachment 4969454View attachment 4969453
My least favorite bag is my Fendi By the Way only because it’s black and fairly simple / classic in design so there isn’t any “ooomph”. That being said, it also has fond memories because I bought it the last time I was in Rome and went back 3 times to look at it before I bought. LOL! Gawd, I miss travel But, this bag was the best purchase I’ve made because it’a a true work horse. I use it constantly as an I don’t care bag / I don’t want to show brands bag / I need to haul a bunch of stuff bag. So, it’s my least favorite but still much valued.View attachment 4969456
Share your bags, pictures and stories!

What a beautiful family picture! And how nice that your favorite bag has such wonderful memories attached to it. It's a stunning bag, and also easy to use. As you can tell, I love the Diorama, and it's one of my favorite bags! The Fendi looks like a cool grab and go bag, suitable for many occasions.
I'm going to mull over your great questions, and get back soon.

@880, I know which bag is my favorite from your collection, LOL. Your prune Kelly makes my heart flutter for sure!

 

[cowgirlsboots]

i am so sorry @cowgirlsboots. Sending you a virtual hug.just read your reply above. I’m glad you got to spend time with your grown children.

Thank-you @880 ! As I just told Sparkletastic this funeral actually turned out to be a happy occasion for our son and myself as we were not invited to my MIL´s farewell, but had the chance to spend time with my older children. My spouse´s mother and I (and my son, her youngest grandchild) never really connected. We had a distanced polite relationship. She never got over my spouse´s marriage breaking up and him shacking up with me and producing a child out of wedlock on top.

 

[Sparkletastic]

I love everything about this post! I love both bags. I Especially Love your gorgeous family pic! Your DD is so cute!
having seen your photo I think you could rock the different toned gold heels and the gold chanel boy if worn with some attutude ( perhaps a worn t shirt or oversized mens white shirt and distressed denim). . . I no longer have the ability to rock heels (ankle cartilage replacement) and am both height and width challenged, but you look long and lean enough to carry it off. JMO
i don’t have a grail or favorite bag or a least favorite bag. Every new bag is my favorite. I’m not a practical person when it comes to bag aesthetics. i was a chanel RTW and then bag person before Hermes, and the so black chevron and gold and blue metallic reissues (although loved) are least used.

Perhaps my least favorite bags could be defined as placeholders until I find their replacements? A clemence sauge evelyne pm, phw. I determined that PM is the right size after years of wearing GM, but I’m afraid to ruin the light sauge color, so only wear it on a dry spring day (almost never). I did take it out this winter bc I was determined to get more wear, b I may go back to etoupe (even though I found recent year dye batches really muddy, etoupe was practical).

the blue Jean JPG Birkin is almost never worn bc the JPG fringe Kelly is so much more comfy and practical and sits closer to the body. But, it’s my only bright colored H bag, so its a place holder. Plus in my mind, I am really tall and thin and perfect for this bag.

There is the shiny croc chaine d’ancre that I almost never wear bc I prefer matte exotics. Plus ghw, and the combo is very blingy. (But it was bought for 1200 usd (which is less than half the retail price of a matte alligator Calvi? so I don’t want to get rid of it). so placeholder.

I have a more complicated relationship with BV hobos. They’re light and practical, but until they break in, they’re too ‘sticky outie’ in profile, and so only work with less structured clothing (brunello cuchinelli or lululemon yes, chanel RTW, no). (I think I got ‘sticky outie’ from a BV observation from @muchstuff. I weigh them down with stuff in the hopes of breaking them in, but they are remarkably durable and resistant to change.

out of curiosity to see how much space the H bags took up in a braggart display like those lavish closet photos on Pinterest. (I used two of DHs bags, a 33 evelyne sellier and a 42 ebene sac depeche briefcase as placement holders for my two rescue art bags coming from @docride). Full frontal, the H bags cover four aluminum shelves, non H three shelves, but in the usual normal for me crosswise placement, only one shelf). Which made me think all of those Pinterest closet pics are a huge waste of space. So perhaps the number will need to be thinned, but I probably will just return them to crosswise position on the top shelf. Here are the two pics, same number of bags. The advantage of four shelves is that I feel like I should never buy another bag. . . So maybe that’s good. Total number of bags including other brands is under 30 or 35. Okay 41 if I count a ghurka handpainted striped tote that I forgot to photo. I thought my grand total was 24 bc they were all kept on a shelf and a half crosswisem but somehow the number crept up. The non H bags, take up a shelf about half the size of the H shelf, so one and a half shelves of bags sounds a lot better than the actual number.

@Sparkletastic, the last pic is the Chanels that I kept (227 gold reissue, choco bar blue metallic reissue and so black chevron reissue mini) plus the H chaine d’ancre (my mom borrowed it and broke the handle, so I attached an evelyne strap). And a silver metallic H clutch that’s too light and metallic (I’m an anodized silver metallic person, but it was a great price). Yes, they’re a bit blingy on me which is why they go unused. I’ll probably wear them more as I get older ( my mom, who had a much fancier social life, borrowed them, pre covid era. And, congrats to your DD summa &loves to shop!
View attachment 4969564 View attachment 4969591 View attachment 4969636 View attachment 4969639

@Hazzelnut, you’re not silly! Go for the pink! You said it was well priced. You can wear it on your car rides and it will make you smile. It could end up being your most worn bag during covid. And, show us a pic when you get it! Hugs
@keodi, did you get rid of your least favorite bag?

Thanks for updating with pics!! Your Hermès collection is spectacular.

 

[keodi]

Oh no!!!! I’m sorry. I know how it feels to miss an obsession bag.
Next time, dial us in earlier. We’re happy to push you over the edge or bring you back from the brink.
Pics, pics!

————-
@880 You have caused a commotion. My BFF and I love anchovies so much that we’d marry them. We’re desperately searching for dilis and haven’t found a source. We shall not be denied!!!!

Presenting Ms. kelly 32cm Gulliver leather.

 

[keodi]

I love everything about this post! I love both bags. I Especially Love your gorgeous family pic! Your DD is so cute!
having seen your photo I think you could rock the different toned gold heels and the gold chanel boy if worn with some attutude ( perhaps a worn t shirt or oversized mens white shirt and distressed denim). . . I no longer have the ability to rock heels (ankle cartilage replacement) and am both height and width challenged, but you look long and lean enough to carry it off. JMO
i don’t have a grail or favorite bag or a least favorite bag. Every new bag is my favorite. I’m not a practical person when it comes to bag aesthetics. i was a chanel RTW and then bag person before Hermes, and the so black chevron and gold and blue metallic reissues (although loved) are least used.

Perhaps my least favorite bags could be defined as placeholders until I find their replacements? A clemence sauge evelyne pm, phw. I determined that PM is the right size after years of wearing GM, but I’m afraid to ruin the light sauge color, so only wear it on a dry spring day (almost never). I did take it out this winter bc I was determined to get more wear, b I may go back to etoupe (even though I found recent year dye batches really muddy, etoupe was practical).

the blue Jean JPG Birkin is almost never worn bc the JPG fringe Kelly is so much more comfy and practical and sits closer to the body. But, it’s my only bright colored H bag, so its a place holder. Plus in my mind, I am really tall and thin and perfect for this bag.

There is the shiny croc chaine d’ancre that I almost never wear bc I prefer matte exotics. Plus ghw, and the combo is very blingy. (But it was bought for 1200 usd (which is less than half the retail price of a matte alligator Calvi? so I don’t want to get rid of it). so placeholder.

I have a more complicated relationship with BV hobos. They’re light and practical, but until they break in, they’re too ‘sticky outie’ in profile, and so only work with less structured clothing (brunello cuchinelli or lululemon yes, chanel RTW, no). (I think I got ‘sticky outie’ from a BV observation from @muchstuff. I weigh them down with stuff in the hopes of breaking them in, but they are remarkably durable and resistant to change.

out of curiosity to see how much space the H bags took up in a braggart display like those lavish closet photos on Pinterest. (I used two of DHs bags, a 33 evelyne sellier and a 42 ebene sac depeche briefcase as placement holders for my two rescue art bags coming from @docride). Full frontal, the H bags cover four aluminum shelves, non H three shelves, but in the usual normal for me crosswise placement, only one shelf). Which made me think all of those Pinterest closet pics are a huge waste of space. So perhaps the number will need to be thinned, but I probably will just return them to crosswise position on the top shelf. Here are the two pics, same number of bags. The advantage of four shelves is that I feel like I should never buy another bag. . . So maybe that’s good. Total number of bags including other brands is under 30 or 35. Okay 41 if I count a ghurka handpainted striped tote that I forgot to photo. I thought my grand total was 24 bc they were all kept on a shelf and a half crosswisem but somehow the number crept up. The non H bags, take up a shelf about half the size of the H shelf, so one and a half shelves of bags sounds a lot better than the actual number.

@Sparkletastic, the last pic is the Chanels that I kept (227 gold reissue, choco bar blue metallic reissue and so black chevron reissue mini) plus the H chaine d’ancre (my mom borrowed it and broke the handle, so I attached an evelyne strap). And a silver metallic H clutch that’s too light and metallic (I’m an anodized silver metallic person, but it was a great price). Yes, they’re a bit blingy on me which is why they go unused. I’ll probably wear them more as I get older ( my mom, who had a much fancier social life, borrowed them, pre covid era. And, congrats to your DD summa &loves to shop!
View attachment 4969564 View attachment 4969591 View attachment 4969636 View attachment 4969639

@Hazzelnut, you’re not silly! Go for the pink! You said it was well priced. You can wear it on your car rides and it will make you smile. It could end up being your most worn bag during covid. And, show us a pic when you get it! Hugs
@keodi, did you get rid of your least favorite bag?

I did. I love your bag displays

 

[BowieFan1971]

I will have a bedroom sized closet with the intention of having around 40 hangers spaced 4-6" apart so I can clearly see each item, and they won't then bang into each other . And these seem large and wide enough to prevent items slipping off.

All that said, you guys still vote velvet hangers with metal hooks?

I look at them and see slippery. I would think something that lets you hook spaghetti or thin straps and is non slip like velvet would be better. Not as sleek looking, but more practical. And I think these could get cracked easier...how easy would they be to replace?

 

[BowieFan1971]

I think I may encouragement / a reality check!

I’ve been lusting over a pre-loved bag since June, and I can’t stop thinking about it.

Pros

• It’s unlike anything I owe - i.e. all of my bags are black (and my one rainbow one) and this is pink.
• I can imagine it would go with most / all of my wardrobe - mostly because all of my clothes are black.
• It’s a good price.

Cons

• It’s fabric and I love in Northern Ireland where it rains...a lot.
• It has a few very (light) marks on it.

It wouldn’t be an every day or workhorse bag, more a weekend / date night bag. But, I would normally jump on it. But I am trying to be smarter with my decisions.

Am I silly for entertaining the idea though? Eugh. My poor partner has heard me talk about this since June, so in an effort to stop torturing him I would appreciate someone else’s view!

The big thing holding me back from saying yes is your statement about it being fabric in your area’s weather. Would you use it because of that? Would you be too afraid to or be severely limited due to how often it rains? It doesn’t matter how good the price is if it will sit in your closet.

And a personal word on pink bags...I thought one would be fun as an accent color, since I don’t wear pink clothes, so I bought a Minkoff mini drawstring bag. Wore it once and felt “off”...I think you either are a pink person or you are not. I discovered I am not.

 

[BowieFan1971]

Hi everyone, sorry, I haven´t been in for a while. We had to go to a family funeral last week- a long trip and a strange experience. Since we are back home I´ve been in a kind of unreal bubble.

Big hugs. Feel free to vent.

 

[More bags]

Love this!

@cheremushki, the beauty of TPF is we understand changing ones mind to fund the next obsession! i thought you and @missie1 (@missie1, I love your colorful curated bag pics below) and all would like to see some inspiration for refining (or expanding) the collection (received this in my inbox this am):

The V&A Museum Unpacks Our Obsession with Handbags

January 24, 2021If you think of a bag as just a receptacle for your necessities or as a frivolous seasonal fashion accessory, “Bags: Inside Out,” the capacious and stimulating new show at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, will make you think again. By definition, a bag is indeed a container...

www.1stdibs.com

@doni, the gift of D&D pjs for your friend is so thoughtful. I also loved @jblended recommendation of the pillow for upright sleep. Heated bathroom floor sounds amazing.

@Sparkletastic, JMO the cartier makes more sense than the CF in black. (I believe that the cost of preloved CFs will eventually go down, but I’m a reissue person which is a relatively more reasonable price point esp. at resale). You have black bags already. as a side note, I was never a chanel boy bag person ever, and suddenly the smaller ones in messed media textile or exotics look cute and fun to me.

if you would like enablement on the Cartier, the whole point is you wear it all the time, including with leggings and PJs. (Not only does the nature of the love demand that, but also as per @doni’s advice to wear stuff everywhere, pharmacy, grocery, home) and @missie1 re CPW. I’m not a Cartier bracelet person myself, (love it on others though) or a stack person (don’t like noise), But, the wear all the time argument, and the fact I’ve dreamt of one side I was 18, is finally is making me decide on a custom Verdura cuff. (i was not a jewelry person. and, until 2020, my last jewelry purchase was a Bulgari lucea necklace in 2001). In order to get back Verdura CPW, I’m planning on wearing it every day, including with my very warm synthetic Amazon sweatpants with the shaggy faux fur on the inside. Cannot wait to see your Diamond pendant!

agree with @BowieFan1971, re the watch stack conundrum.

Great article - the size of that giant hoop for the skirt! Thanks for sharing it. Your beautiful bag displays are like a boutique - amazing curation to what you love, it’s a gorgeous bag family! I look forward to seeing your Verdura cuff when it arrives! I love the look of one on each arm as per Sofia Coppola and Coco Chanel and of course Wonder Woman, not sure if hers are Verdura.

I'm not going to quote everyone so as not to clutter up the thread, but thanks to each and every one of you for your kind words, both regarding the losses I've had and my return to job hunting. It's amazing having this kind of support and I'm deeply grateful.

Spoiler

It's a challenging chapter of my life, to say the least. As I look to join a new workplace, I am acutely aware that there's going to be a reaction to my now disfigured face, as people weigh up if they're comfortable with someone who looks like me representing their firm.
At the time of my accident, I had already established myself at the job I was in, so whilst everyone was gossiping and mocking my face, nobody doubted that I was a good employee and thus, I was able to tune out the gossip and I never felt at risk of losing my job.
Joining a new company with this new 'look' and having to prove myself to be more than *this* is a hurdle I don't quite know how to get over yet.
I'm internally feeling confident, knowing my face has little to do with my ability to carry out any job, and I'm just hoping my personality and zeal will compensate for the exterior flaws that others are so quick to judge. I just need someone to give me a chance.
Still, it's a concern that interviewers will not take to my face well, and, as such, it's a source of nervousness as I job hunt; particularly when added onto the reality of a very slow job market that is still bending under the weight of the pandemic.
Add to that the fact that I'm mentally spiraling downwards as I try to wrap my head around having lost a third of my dearest friends in a single year and... I really feel like I am not coping well with life as a whole.
I'm looking for another therapist because I worry I may not come out of this dark hole without someone's help.
Edit to add a little bit of good news:
My weight has stabilized at 46kgs. So all the crazy weight I lost whilst fighting off covid has returned and I am counting that as a marker of improved health. I'm going to try to add a couple of kgs more as everyone in my team (but my mum in particular) says it would be healthier. I'm happy to be a 'normal' weight again and hope this is the first step towards a healthier future.

On a lighter note, I'm loving all the kitty pictures that have been posted! They've really brought a smile to my face!

Here's to this great community and finding little things to be grateful for amidst the mad ride that is life!

You are strong, courageous and resilient. We are here for you.

Snapped few pics of my flaps when I took them out and discovered that I don’t have more than 2 per brand and in different sizes. Of course my Chanel flaps being the exception .

Beautiful colours Missie!

I’m eyeing this bag out of the new collection. The color is great and love the lizard handle. Only wish it was Chevron. If it’s available after I come off spending ban and evaluate my list it could be welcome addition. Your thoughts

I encourage you to not settle, wait for Chevron.

Thank you! I've seen pics of your burgundy Coco Handle and absolutely love it! In fact, originally, I wanted a burgundy one, but they were not available when I purchased, and anyway, I also love black bags, so I went with black.

What a lovely collection of flap bags! Thanks for sharing!
Regarding the Coco Handle you're considering, I think it's beautiful but if you prefer chevron, it's probably better to wait.

Thank you!

Thank you so much P&P.

@Sparkletastic you and you daughter look amazing, what a wonderful trip and great memories! Your bag eye candy - Dionysus, Diorama, By The Way, absolutely stunning. Summa Cum Laude, definitely proud mama, yay smart and hard working DD!

@SouthernPurseGal re: hangers, I use wooden hangers. I like the visual consistency of matching hangers, whatever you choose.

@BowieFan1971 beautiful, soothing bedroom space. I like your warm, inviting decor.