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

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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.
 
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A tpfer recommended these dishcloths: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E3WVWNU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I've been using them since I got them for scrubbing dishes and counters. No odors, and haven't worn out.
Another tpfer recommended these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QIXO82/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I bought them but haven't used them since I'm so happy with the first batch.

I also have diapers and flour sack towels for drying dishes.

I have several kinds of cotton dish towels I use for drying hands or wiping counters.

When bath towels and washcloths get too worn, I use them for cleaning around the house.

I only use paper towels for absorbing grease and wrapping greens.

Off topic, but I used to make baby bibs out of hand towels. They were better than any bibs that were sold. They washed up beautifully and lasted through all 3 of my kids. They were thicker than the terrycloth kind of bibs that are usually sold, that always seemed to stain on the first use.

ETA: as you can see, I haven't sworn off Amazon! I think the dishcloths are available elsewhere too.
I love reading posts like this, we are always learning!
I use the Kirkland (Costco) Microfiber towels for wiping the countertops down, wiping up spills, etc. When they get worn, or ‘unslightly’, they become Drying Coco’s Giant Paws towels, or towels to set purses on when conditioning, shoe polishing cloths, cleaning the grill, golf clubs, the car, garden tools - any messy cleaning job... and they’re soft.
 
Goals for 2021 include furthering my work from 2020 (significantly reduced my closet and sold items I have not used for a while) HOWEVER... i still managed to purchase 6 new handbags this year. Although I financed some from the sale of others, I still did not need 6 new . Goal for 2021 will be to reduce and keep my collection at 10 bags. If I purchase new I must sell something. Quality over quantity.

how do you guys stop purchasing- i need tips!
I just reread your post above and the numbers you mention sunk into my head. If you are on the path to curating your bags to 10, you should give us tips ! :biggrin: the fact that you bought six this year just means you reshaped your collection, refined your aesthetic and/or kept yourself sane and happy during covid. your 2020 sounds great from a bag POV! :biggrin:
@jblended said that she looks at her collection as a whole, and I think that’s a good reason to not purge too quickly. . . In case you want an excuse to slow the purge.
actually, if you run through the list made by @More bags, that would slow both the purge and the new acquisition process.
@Vintage Leather ‘s tip of a list prior to purchase would also work (but I’d probably either write it so that an emergency bag could sneak through, or throw up my hands and say, why bother (same rationale for why I don’t keep a food diary During diets.
or you could just boil everything down to @doni’s test: is it me
@papertiger, I am also a lover of variety and obsessional. The hope I cling to is a lot things out there don’t meet the standard that is already in your own closet.
@JenJBS, I love your idea below of donating to the women who are victims of domestic violence. i am sure they would appreciate some of the lovely items to rebuild. @Purses & Perfumes spoke of gaps in the wardrobe And the dilemma of the white purse. Perhaps determine if there are truly holes in yours or if something already in your closet can do doubke duty. . . In other words, if you constrict the ‘holes’ that might be a natural way to to stop shopping.
i think hard and fast rules don’t work for me (just stop or one in one out) but that’s just me. . .
 
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Copied this first goal from @More bags since she said it so beautifully.
1) Edit my belongings to what I love, use, and find beautiful.
2) One in, one out. (Confession: there are three bags I considered getting rid of before the new year, that I'm holding on to for use as 'one out' bags in 2021... January 4th I'm donating them to a local women's charity a friend from church works at that helps victims of domestic violence. Many have to leave behind most of their personal items when they flee. I can at least give them a nice purse as they start to rebuild their lives.
3) Only buy purses / wallets / clothes / accessories / jewelry to fill a hole in my collection; or replace/upgrade an existing item.

This last one is more wishful dreaming...

Find my signature style, and get rid of anything that doesn't fit it.
 
Copied this first goal from @More bags since she said it so beautifully.
1) Edit my belongings to what I love, use, and find beautiful.
2) One in, one out. (Confession: there are three bags I considered getting rid of before the new year, that I'm holding on to for use as 'one out' bags in 2021... January 4th I'm donating them to a local women's charity a friend from church works at that helps victims of domestic violence. Many have to leave behind most of their personal items when they flee. I can at least give them a nice purse as they start to rebuild their lives.
3) Only buy purses / wallets / clothes / accessories / jewelry to fill a hole in my collection; or replace/upgrade an existing item.

This last one is more wishful dreaming...

Find my signature style, and get rid of anything that doesn't fit it.
Those are beautiful goals Jen and completely your own, well done. Kudos on the selection of the charity you are supporting. I think this is quite eloquent,
Find my signature style, and get rid of anything that doesn't fit it.
 
Sure. I've snapped a pic of the first 2 that came to mind.

The DKNY quilted medium tote is what I use when I go to job interviews. I never use it outside of that capacity.
It's super soft leather and the quilting is lovely. It serves its function as an interview bag in that it holds documents easily, isn't as large as most other totes, isn't too masculine (as I have a boyish figure and look like a man when in a suit, I have to offset this by including softer elements where I can), matches everything, etc. I just feel like a child dwarfed by the thing whenever I carry it because my bags are mostly WOCs and camera bags. I can count on one hand the number of times I've used it, so it mostly just sits in the closet.

The other is my Marc Jacobs Madison bag. I :heart: this bag but have never taken it out.
It's small but carries everything including my sunglasses comfortably. It has a clutch strap that is a feature I adore and like to have in many of my bags, but there's something very grown up about it. Whenever I hold it, I feel like I've borrowed a bag from my mum's closet. Perhaps it's the brass hardware. I'm not sure. It was to be an office bag for me, and it likely will be, but not for a while longer.
Looking at it, it seems perfectly age-appropriate in every way, yet when I hold it I feel like I need to grow into it. It's never going to be purged without using, though. It makes me happy when I look at it, it functions exactly as I like my bags to, and it is something I considered carefully before adding into my closet. I feel like I just need to be a little older and my style needs to evolve a little more to pull it off.

I'm currently using my ombre woc and owl bag, the Hammitts and the football bag. They're all a little quirky and they fit where I am in my life better than these 2 bags. More casual, less 'proper'.

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Just remembered another. This round suede bag I posted before is another one that I felt too young for when I first got it. It was a gift from a friend and it sat in my closet for a little over a year before I felt I could coordinate it with my wardrobe and wear it regularly. Somehow it initially seemed too dressy with the gold handles at a time when I was in a very casual workplace where a backpack was far more fitting than a nice suede crossbody. I needed to grow into it.

View attachment 4940375

ETA: Looking at my bag choices, none are ones you'd normally think someone needs to grow in to, like a Chanel classic flap. And yet, here I am... my inner child is so loud that I feel I cannot gracefully pull any of these bags off and am playing dress up when I try! :lol:
Very good advice! Thank you. I think I'll use it on New Year's day when I go for my sunrise walk- a good way to break the bag and the year in. :biggrin:

I definitely feel like you described me in points a & c, and certainly imposter syndrome is a factor for me in various areas of my life. Perhaps a personal goal for me in 2021 should be to just use every one of my bags, including the ones that I've been holding off on until some arbitrary appropriate age/ phase of life/ point where I will feel good enough for it...
Wonderfully put! I'm guilty of the focusing on the short-term goals, though that was partly because I had a rather short life expectancy and thought there was no point in thinking beyond the age of (now rapidly approaching) 40.
But there's a saying you've reminded me of: 'In ten years, you will have arrived. The question is where?'
I think I want to visualize the kind of person I'd like to be in a decade's time now that my health issues appear to be resolved and there's every possibility I will still be around then (assuming, that is, I don't get run over by a bus tomorrow morning which, given my luck, could very well happen :lol:).
And the next step would be to work towards being that person by starting immediately!
Ooh, I feel rather inspired! Thank you for the little pick-me-up. :flowers:



And I've been doing just that with the round bag. After over a year of it sitting on my shelf, I pulled it out and I made it casual, thinking if people can make a Chanel casual, I can certainly do so with this little thing. I started wearing it for walks, to the store, just whenever I was popping out quickly. Functionally, it has proven to be perfect for me. It is just the right size and very light on my shoulder. And I happen to love round bags, so it's a keeper. It did take some effort to get over the 'it's a bit formal, it's a bit too proper, etc.' mindset I had when I first got it. Now that's definitely a thought I will challenge moving forwards. :tup:
Those are beautiful bags @jblended. I am so glad you will carry them confidently! I think we can all be inspired to take the same action in your comment,
personal goal for me in 2021 should be to just use every one of my bags
 
@jblended, when I read your response about bags that are too old, or too young and the clamour of your inner child (fashion wise ), something about your post made me think about about a thread possibly started by @papertiger about whether we feel ignored. . . (as in things are not advertised or meant for our demographic; or they just don’t ‘speak’ to us. . .

My response was, are we overthinking or being too sensitive? I actually responded that I feel that gen x ( I’m 53) is kind of the odd one out. We’re not as unapologetically stylistically defined as boomers are. And, we’re not hip and relaxed millenial or Y or whatever the category is that loves life experiences more than things. we’re in between and Constangly striving. . .

Re your ‘too young‘ round bag, you could wear it with jeans (to ‘mundane activities’ like the bakery or pharmacy as per @doni) (as an aside, I am now picturing @doni wearing cream helmet Lang leather pants to buy toothpaste at the pharmacy); you could warehouse it until you re much older, and then it will become part of your self described ‘frivolous‘ style; or you could let it go. . . (IMO part of that decision for me would be bag hardware). You could also pair it with doc martens whcih can look great on older petite people and instantly gives some irony to an outfit.

@More bags,
1. I still have a roving eye re beauty, but some beauty isn’t me, so I don’t have to own it. If you still have a roving eye, are you subconsciously still looking to upgrade or replace? or perhaps, you just love eye candy :biggrin: I feel that way about a lot of VCA: Alhambra with a few exceptions looks wrong on me (like I’ve borrowed from an acquaintances waspy friends mom’s closet) (@PaperTigers imposter syndrome). @whateve, I’m at the point where i want to face up to the fact, the beautiful bag won’t make me look like the gorgeous model peddling it In the ad campaign, and sometimes that’s enough to stop me.
2. re platonic ideals, the hobo, Usually larger bc of its hobo ness and usually worn with jeans casually. Depending on mood and my weight, I’m either a 35 trim II or a BV Veneta large Bc of silhouette. within the Trim, I vacillate between the 35 Trim II Togo (though I have not yet gotten rid of 35 Trim II barenia — it doesn’t slouch as attractively— or the too east west 31 barenia crinoline Trim II — bc I love crinoline). When I feel heavy ( and or my wrist acts up and I cannot deal with bag weight or I want something to stay on the shoulder), I turn to the BV Veneta large. I think @muchstuff once spoke of certain BV models being too sticky outy until worn in, and I agree with that, but some models kind of wrap around the torso and conceal the muffin top, so those appeal to me. . . note: I am of an age that remembers the yearning to be a skinny girl in slim leggings with lots of hair and a big unstructured bag. . IRL, I’m short but medium build, and something like the mini BV Jodi Looks ridiculous on me Like a toy.
3. as for the crossbody, there are sub categories: 1. the practical mom bag (evelyne III in either 29 or 33); the cute mini (I like a practical men’s ghurka p bc it’s larger and cheaper than the H tpm but still small); th efrivolous like a chanel so black mini.
there are bags that defy broad categories. For example, a birkin is a tote and so is a Goyard St. louis, but they are in different universes altogether. . .
4. bags that are too mature make me think of pre 2008. I was basically a chanel person until that year bc I bought a lot of RTW. (@dcooney4, its ready to wear, referring to designer off the rack clothing, as opposed to MtM (made to measure, something that is a standard format, tailored to fit your frame) or custom. ( measured to fit); and, a mature bag can look really cute on a young thin individual. But the price point made me think I should switch to H,a new I did Except for a few reissues, none of which I wear except the mini. I think I keep them in case mymom needs to borrow them or in case, like @sherrylynn, I need to look like an adult. @sherrylynn, forgot to say, I love your well edited bag collection, and there are some good deals on bolides on eBay and japanese reseller sites and elsewhere (of course, authenticate and do due diligence bf purchase).

@paper tiger, I would have passed on the vibrato barenia oil stain too. But it would have been a struggle. I am also not a lucite or raffia person, but I keep hoping if I ever can drop the perennial 10 or 20 pounds and ever start blow drying my hair on a regular basis (neither of which is likely to happen). . . No it will never be my style.
@Hazzelnut, I also don’t have a problem with a majority of my closet not being touched in years so long as I can imagine it actually happening (like in the realm of possibility and not just fantasy). I didn’t invest in teh BV pouch, for this reason, but I liked the style enough to buy two pouch type bags on Etsy.
@momasaurus, I also had given up my first H bag, BBK ghw, bc it was ghw. After years of deciding i was not a kelly person, I just boughta BBK, phw, retourne (a big departure for this sellier lover) in part bc it was a great deal. I love it. for bags, HW is a deal breaker for me.
apologies, I did not mean to write a novel!
p.s. @Purses & Perfumes, what brand of cloth dish towels Do you recommend?
Dear @880, you write thoughtful and insightful posts. I long ago read a comment from someone who said they can admire the beauty of a bag and not have to own it - I like that idea. I do like your comparisons of Trims to the BV Veneta. I agree with the crossbody category needing further subdivision - and the Evelyne III 29 is a practical bag and my most frequently carried bag. Congratulations on your new BBK! I checked out the Ode to Box thread and your Box Kelly family is stunning! :love:
 
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I just reread your post above and the numbers you mention sunk into my head. If you are on the path to curating your bags to 10, you should give us tips ! :biggrin: the fact that you bought six this year just means you reshaped your collection, refined your aesthetic and/or kept yourself sane and happy during covid. your 2020 sounds great from a bag POV! :biggrin:
@jblended said that she looks at her collection as a whole, and I think that’s a good reason to not purge too quickly. . . In case you want an excuse to slow the purge.
actually, if you run through the list made by @More bags, that would slow both the purge and the new acquisition process.
@Vintage Leather ‘s tip of a list prior to purchase would also work (but I’d probably either write it so that an emergency bag could sneak through, or throw up my hands and say, why bother (same rationale for why I don’t keep a food diary During diets.
or you could just boil everything down to @doni’s test: is it me
@papertiger, I am also a lover of variety and obsessional. The hope I cling to is a lot things out there don’t meet the standard that is already in your own closet.
@JenJBS, I love your idea below of donating to the women who are victims of domestic violence. i am sure they would appreciate some of the lovely items to rebuild. @Purses & Perfumes spoke of gaps in the wardrobe And the dilemma of the white purse. Perhaps determine if there are truly holes in yours or if something already in your closet can do doubke duty. . . In other words, if you constrict the ‘holes’ that might be a natural way to to stop shopping.
i think hard and fast rules don’t work for me (just stop or one in one out) but that’s just me. . .
You've done such an excellent job of highlighting everyone's best tips here! It is making it easier for me to look at my curating process with everyone's tips clear and fresh in my mind. Thank you. :flowers:

Those are beautiful bags @jblended. I am so glad you will carry them confidently! I think we can all be inspired to take the same action in your comment,
personal goal for me in 2021 should be to just use every one of my bags
Thank you! And may I just say that I really appreciate how thoughtful you are to each member of the thread. I've always noticed how you carefully note something of significance in everyone's thoughts, and I think it's such a kind act to let people know they've been heard! :)

Dear @880, you write thoughtful and insightful posts. I long ago read a comment from someone who said they can admire the beauty of a bag and not have to own it - I like that idea.
OMG! Could you perhaps be remembering what I said here:
I've said this somewhere up thread, we can appreciate beautiful things without needing to own them. And we can be grateful to have owned them for a season of our lives without needing to carry them into the next season.
Because if you are remembering my words and something I've said has made an impact in a positive way, well that would be the greatest honour I could think of! :love:
(no doubt it is someone else's words you're recalling as I'm sure I'm not the first to have said this, but my ego is out of control :lol:)
 
Copied this first goal from @More bags since she said it so beautifully.
1) Edit my belongings to what I love, use, and find beautiful.
2) One in, one out. (Confession: there are three bags I considered getting rid of before the new year, that I'm holding on to for use as 'one out' bags in 2021... January 4th I'm donating them to a local women's charity a friend from church works at that helps victims of domestic violence. Many have to leave behind most of their personal items when they flee. I can at least give them a nice purse as they start to rebuild their lives.
3) Only buy purses / wallets / clothes / accessories / jewelry to fill a hole in my collection; or replace/upgrade an existing item.

This last one is more wishful dreaming...

Find my signature style, and get rid of anything that doesn't fit it.
Excellent goals and I'm touched that you're donating to DV victims. That's just amazing. There are so many wonderful people on these forums who are spreading kindness and joy in so many different ways. It fills one's heart, it really does.
 
You've done such an excellent job of highlighting everyone's best tips here! It is making it easier for me to look at my curating process with everyone's tips clear and fresh in my mind. Thank you. :flowers:


Thank you! And may I just say that I really appreciate how thoughtful you are to each member of the thread. I've always noticed how you carefully note something of significance in everyone's thoughts, and I think it's such a kind act to let people know they've been heard! :smile:


OMG! Could you perhaps be remembering what I said here:

Because if you are remembering my words and something I've said has made an impact in a positive way, well that would be the greatest honour I could think of! :love:
(no doubt it is someone else's words you're recalling as I'm sure I'm not the first to have said this, but my ego is out of control :lol:)
Thank you for your kind words. :flowers:
Beautifully captured, I love this and remember, yes!
we can appreciate beautiful things without needing to own them.
:ghi5:
 
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