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.

 

[Jereni]

A girl in 18th century France who makes a deal with a god (possibly the devil) in order to get out of an arranged marriage and what happens over the next 300 years in her life.

Well written, interesting premise, not predictable, solid ending.

This book sounds fascinating! I might check it out. I need to back off the handbag buying and try a cheaper hobby.

I would worry about the flap getting rubbed, dirty and/or color transfer with it being light colored and tucked in.

Yeah, that’s a good point too.

When I saw the Arco in the store, I thought the little clip holding the handles together might make it harder to get into the bag.

I hate when they put dividers into smaller bags.

I'm sorry you don't love your new pouch.

When you have disappointments like this, it puts you off buying.

Yeah, that’s more or less what’s happening. With a couple exceptions, I am probably going to take a breather soon.

The clip on the Arco handles isn’t *too* bad, it unsnaps and can slide all the way down ‘behind’ the main body of the tote. So it can be neatly out of the way. The flap is more of the problem at least for me.

 

[whateve]

agree with @doni re fantastic leather non premier bags with the wrong hW. One of my favorite bags is a small Suarez matte alligator that I bought maybe twenty years ago (manufactured by Mario Governa) but the shiny chrome grommets on the straps are all wrong.
agree with @Jereni re loving compartments; agree with @Vintage Leather re bag handles that fall down; and, with @baghabitz34 that all bags need feet.
agree wit @BowieFan1971, @Hazzelnut, (love both of your stories about your grandparents) @doni, @afroken, re buying beautiful things in a mindful way that will be cherished and appreciated in the years to come.

Love @doni teenage daughter wearing her grandmothers gucci belt!

I loved everyone’s very thoughtful lists of likes and dislikes. i tend not to frame things in such a definitive way bc there is always the exception.

@morebags, I took the specific challenge to donate items that I loved that just did not work for me: a 31 crinoline trim II; a chèvre kelly wallet and a Karo pm. They went to a dear friend who I know will cherish them. I’m the unusual TPFer who does not like the way chevre ages, and I felt that the silhouette of the 31 Trim on me was somehow vintage in a way that was not charming but dated. I agree with @afroken and with @Kimbashop that physical and mental space can be as important as a financial return. Also that letting go of some things can be an expensive lesson, but sometimes it takes a while to figure out what works. Although the cost of such a lesson can sting (as per @whateve), I do find that it makes me think more than twice before pressing buy it now. I do average the cost of my mistakes with my favorite deals, so probably break even.

@afroken and @doni spoke about the importance of not buying stuff that is too good a price if only for fear of missing out, and this is something Ive been able to incorporate in my life.


@whateve, @BowieFan1971 (happy first anniversary) I love how appreciative and sweet your DHs are! I feel the same way about mine.

People don’t generally compliment my bags or RTW. If anything gets complimented, its my deadstock vintage pink velvet pucci skirt suit; gold corne earrings by Suzanne belperron; or, puzzle torso pendant by Miguel. Borrocal. i did use to have a Mombasa (like @Vintage Leather) that people liked. and, I’ve also kept an eye out for a Roberta di camerino, but never pulled the trigger bc I sensed that it might be something I’ve always loved — on other people. Like @doni, I do have a inordinate fondness for navy jackets and slim leather pants.

@Vintage Leather, congrats on your new CDC! @Cookiefiend, I love your Vespa and your bag with yellow sides.

this is a good reminder of the theme of the thread!


+1 with @whateve re the kindle and kindle for iPad app (which I prefer). DH and I live in a two bedroom apt in NY, so we haven’t bought real books in years (kindle for iPad holds a lot). Since we will be transforming/renovating a classic six into a one bedroom with expansive master suite and much larger kitchen, we’ll finally have more room for books, but I still don’t want to go crazy.

@ElainePG, nooooo, don’t get rid of the baking pans! Bc then what about the stand mixer, the cracker roller and docker, the various icing spatulas, the pizza stone and peel, and so on. . . It will start a chain reaction Even if you and everyone you know is on low carb diet, someday in the far future you may still make. . . A Bundt; canneles; a three layer cake in two sizes; tarts. . . Sourdough focaccia, and, in my case, two savarin molds. . .plus what if the stores run out of bread!

I also thought of @SouthernPurseGal ‘s posts on dream houses with pools and interiors, when I saw this blog post by ilona andrews entitled texas castles https://www.ilona-andrews.com/2021/texas-castles/ Enjoy!

will update with white bags later!

I agree about the kitchen stuff. During lockdown, I upgraded/replaced a lot of my pans. I bought a new loaf pan I haven't used. I bought cake pans and have only made one cake with them. As long as I have the room, I like knowing that all this stuff is there if I ever feel inspired to bake.

 

[Jereni]

Definitely my Gucci Queen Margaret (probably because of the big honking bee!).
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View attachment 5041145

Love the jeweled bee! That’s amazing!

That was similar to my problem with my LV Capucines (which is why it's now languishing on a consignment site). The only way for it to look good was with the flap tucked in, because then the pretty silver LV logo showed. But then the darned flap had to be pulled out any time I needed to get into the bag!

View attachment 5041154View attachment 5041155

I don’t think I’ve ever seen this bag with the flap on the outside! But yeah I can understand how it would be more or less a similar issue. This LV is also a lovely bag tho.

Unexpectedly, it's my KS Owl bag. I cannot wear it without someone wanting to play with it.

I can relate. I’ve seen ONE photo of your owl bag and *I* am obsessed and want to play with it.

March & YTD Update, Stats and Challenges

• March Challenges
  • Happy Bag
    • Black Reissue - 3x
    • Burgundy Coco Handle - 2x
  • Digital Detox - deleted emails, unused apps and bookmarks, reviewed and deleted files in my downloads folder
• Carried 17 bags / 17
• Exited 18 items - household items, sports equipment and kids shoes
• I can empathize with Kermit’s journey, picture below

Mar 2021 Stats
Bags - 0 in, 0 out
SLGs - 0 in, 0 out

YTD Stats
Bags - 0 in, 0 out
SLGs - 0 in, 0 out

View attachment 5041256

Just FYI I stole this Kermit photo and sent it to like everyone I’ve ever met. This made my day, I laughed so hard. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Jereni]

That was the main reason I never bought a kindle before. Also, because I love to read in the bathtub. I'm really liking it. It is so easy to turn pages. I can prop it up on my book stand and the pages never turn by themselves like a regular book would sometimes. You don't have to use your hands or something else to hold the book open. There is no glare. The pages are short so it is easy to read a page here and there when you just have a moment. It always remembers where you left off. I haven't had any problem with using it in the bathtub. Once I dropped a real book in the bath but that was because it slipped off my book stand because it wouldn't stay open. There is a benefit of getting an e-reader versus just reading on a tablet, which I have done. The pages have the color and non-shine sheen of paper, while a tablet is shiny glass.

I love reading books in the bath too, but I am bad and use my reader when I do it lol.

agree with @doni re fantastic leather non premier bags with the wrong hW. One of my favorite bags is a small Suarez matte alligator that I bought maybe twenty years ago (manufactured by Mario Governa) but the shiny chrome grommets on the straps are all wrong.
agree with @Jereni re loving compartments; agree with @Vintage Leather re bag handles that fall down; and, with @baghabitz34 that all bags need feet.
agree wit @BowieFan1971, @Hazzelnut, (love both of your stories about your grandparents) @doni, @afroken, re buying beautiful things in a mindful way that will be cherished and appreciated in the years to come.

Love @doni teenage daughter wearing her grandmothers gucci belt!

I loved everyone’s very thoughtful lists of likes and dislikes. i tend not to frame things in such a definitive way bc there is always the exception.

@morebags, I took the specific challenge to donate items that I loved that just did not work for me: a 31 crinoline trim II; a chèvre kelly wallet and a Karo pm. They went to a dear friend who I know will cherish them. I’m the unusual TPFer who does not like the way chevre ages, and I felt that the silhouette of the 31 Trim on me was somehow vintage in a way that was not charming but dated. I agree with @afroken and with @Kimbashop that physical and mental space can be as important as a financial return. Also that letting go of some things can be an expensive lesson, but sometimes it takes a while to figure out what works. Although the cost of such a lesson can sting (as per @whateve), I do find that it makes me think more than twice before pressing buy it now. I do average the cost of my mistakes with my favorite deals, so probably break even.

@afroken and @doni spoke about the importance of not buying stuff that is too good a price if only for fear of missing out, and this is something Ive been able to incorporate in my life.


@whateve, @BowieFan1971 (happy first anniversary) I love how appreciative and sweet your DHs are! I feel the same way about mine.

People don’t generally compliment my bags or RTW. If anything gets complimented, its my deadstock vintage pink velvet pucci skirt suit; gold corne earrings by Suzanne belperron; or, puzzle torso pendant by Miguel. Borrocal. i did use to have a Mombasa (like @Vintage Leather) that people liked. and, I’ve also kept an eye out for a Roberta di camerino, but never pulled the trigger bc I sensed that it might be something I’ve always loved — on other people. Like @doni, I do have a inordinate fondness for navy jackets and slim leather pants.

@Vintage Leather, congrats on your new CDC! @Cookiefiend, I love your Vespa and your bag with yellow sides.

this is a good reminder of the theme of the thread!


+1 with @whateve re the kindle and kindle for iPad app (which I prefer). DH and I live in a two bedroom apt in NY, so we haven’t bought real books in years (kindle for iPad holds a lot). Since we will be transforming/renovating a classic six into a one bedroom with expansive master suite and much larger kitchen, we’ll finally have more room for books, but I still don’t want to go crazy.

@ElainePG, nooooo, don’t get rid of the baking pans! Bc then what about the stand mixer, the cracker roller and docker, the various icing spatulas, the pizza stone and peel, and so on. . . It will start a chain reaction Even if you and everyone you know is on low carb diet, someday in the far future you may still make. . . A Bundt; canneles; a three layer cake in two sizes; tarts. . . Sourdough focaccia, and, in my case, two savarin molds. . .plus what if the stores run out of bread!

I also thought of @SouthernPurseGal ‘s posts on dream houses with pools and interiors, when I saw this blog post by ilona andrews entitled texas castles https://www.ilona-andrews.com/2021/texas-castles/ Enjoy!

will update with white bags later!

Like others, I am flummoxed by the comprehensiveness of your posts! Amazing!

I agree with that I only tuck mine in when I am doing a lot of shopping store to store where I have to keep going in it.

Makes sense. Out of curiosity what size do you have? I got the mini and while I love small bags overall, in this case it just holds a lot less than I anticipated. Another aspect of it being a bad call.

 

[whateve]

HAH!
We usually donate to our library (rather than to thift shops, where they tend to gather dust) but the library hasn't been accepting donations for a year. Hopefully some time in 2021.
Neither of us buy fiction (we pretty much read fiction on our iPads) but our books are still somehow multiplying. For one thing, I definitely don't need all my cookbooks. Whenever I want to create a new recipe, I go online and research. And the few well-loved recipes in my cookbooks I could just photocopy & put in a folder. I also have a ton of knitting books that I haven't looked at in years. Mr. PG tells me he's also going to do a clear-out, but I'll believe it when I see it. Still, one could do worse than collecting books of poetry. Sports cars, f'rinstance. (Or handbags?)

I've started knitting again. I looked through my books for inspiration but ended up using patterns I found online. I guess the patterns in my books seem dated, even those for afghans. It is easier using a pattern that was designed for the specific yard you have.

 

[whateve]

I kind of combined beige/etoupe, tan (H gold); ebene; and, white in one category.

three Taupe Ghurka bags; Two pouches from Etsy; One LV sprouse long alma; One toile 35B; One gold 30B; One trim; Two Victoria 35s; One matte alligator Suarez; One convertible clutch Suarez; 30B Togo craie (75th birthday gift to mom — a more lavish gift due to covid that I may borrow) and CSGM Couvertures de tenue. I did add my Togo graffiti camo 35 B, brushed phw, by @docride, bc it started out as a pure white birkin. The graffiti camo is a personal collaboration, still evolving, and therefore not to every taste.

@doni, the pnk dead stock velvet pucci (I held onto it for years before I found a tailor who was a pattern cutter who could alter the too small jacket and ankle length skirt into an A line skirt with contrast waistline and vertical trim (so it looked like the original) The florals meet up and you cannot tell where it’s pieces together.

@jblended, @afroken, I agree that the list of physical books needs to be curated due to space constraints. On my list of must haves are books by Anthony Trollope; Master and commander series by Patrick obrian (not so much for the naval aspects as for the wisdom of friendships and relationships); and the henriad by shakespeare. Plus guilty pleasure reading by ilona Andrews. i confess that I’m not so much a fan of Oscar Wilde as I am of his discontinued fragrance, Malmaison by floris.

@Cookiefiend, I’ve gotten rid of a lot of Cooks illustrated books. I used to swear by them, but I’m less patient as I get older. also, to my chagrin, I dislike the format of many of Americas Test Kitchen and CI. I tend to cook off the cuff, so to speak, including but not limited to baked goods. If you know the bakers percentage and have a scale and an iPad (to jog your memory) baking is easier. And, cooking, kind of by feel and with an instant read thermometer. So, donating them has cleared lots of shelf space.
View attachment 5042134View attachment 5042140View attachment 5042158View attachment 5042151View attachment 5042152

I love your velvet Pucci. My mom used to have something similar.

 

[Jereni]

I wouldn't really count it as a mistake to buy a bag you already know. Who would have expected them to make changes? That's annoying as heck.

It is awesome of you to offer a get out of jail free card but I don’t know that I can claim it. The second bag was another mini BV pouch, in woven, after I already had it in a smooth leather. I don’t know that they changed it, but the woven is somehow much harder for me to get things in and out of. Maybe the pleats are more constraining on it, not sure.

The combination of that blue with the tan suede is exquisite!
But I understand about getting irritated if bags are fussy to open/close or carry...

Funny about the BV Pouch. I love the intrecciato and in fact I just chose it for my last BV bag, but somehow with the Pouch it was clear to me I liked the plain much more... There is something about the shape and the puddleness of that smooth leather...

But I stop because I do not want to start missing that bag, which by the way it got lots of compliments by people who know nothing about fashion or Daniel Lee being the hottest thing happening.

Yeah I like the pouch so much that I wanted it in woven too because that is ‘classic’ BV. But yeah, for this style I should have just stuck with smooth leather.

 

[whateve]

Not as elegant as the scarf I had to return, but full of Hermès symbolism without the stuffiness. “Puzzle”View attachment 5042148View attachment 5042150

I love this! The colors are great!

Catching up on others’ posts...



I like your list a lot - simple and makes perfect sense. Feel the same about many of your likes.



I feel like 30 is also my magic number. My husband had me do an exercise the other day for fun - if you all of a sudden had to start over from scratch, and money was no object, what bags would you own? Amazingly I only came up with 20.




Love the multicolor trim on this! So fun.

That's a great exercise! I wonder if I could do it. One of the things I've realized lately is that while I love Coach vintage bags, I enjoy carrying my other bags more.

 

[Jereni]

That's a great exercise! I wonder if I could do it. One of the things I've realized lately is that while I love Coach vintage bags, I enjoy carrying my other bags more.

It WAS a really fun exercise, haha. And interesting for me to realize which bags I wouldn’t re-buy, so to speak. Looking at my list of 20, 8 were bags I own now, 4 were bags that came out previously and are no longer available. And the rest I could technically buy now.

 

[BowieFan1971]

I love this! The colors are great!

That's a great exercise! I wonder if I could do it. One of the things I've realized lately is that while I love Coach vintage bags, I enjoy carrying my other bags more.

I looked at it for a while, but passed because I thought it might be too bright. When I had to send the other one back, I took another look at it and made an offer, which was accepted. Got it for a great price. It is so much prettier in person and when folded, features the blue in a way that’s very wearable and compliments me. So happy I got it!

Thanks to everyone that complimented it!

 

[whateve]

It WAS a really fun exercise, haha. And interesting for me to realize which bags I wouldn’t re-buy, so to speak. Looking at my list of 20, 8 were bags I own now, 4 were bags that came out previously and are no longer available. And the rest I could technically buy now.

I just did it really quickly and came up with 35! Most of those that I wouldn't re-buy, I still like. I'm not sure how I would feel if they left my collection. Most of those I would rebuy I haven't had as long. I suspect I like them more just because I'm still in the honeymoon phase.

 

[ElainePG]

I feel like 30 is also my magic number. My husband had me do an exercise the other day for fun - if you all of a sudden had to start over from scratch, and money was no object, what bags would you own? Amazingly I only came up with 20.

How interesting! That would be a good exercise for our group at some point, maybe.

 

[Cookiefiend]

I know, right? When I first joing tPF and was buying bags like crazy, I had no idea how many I owned.

Have you counted your scarves?

Pleading the fifth. (But yes, I keep a spreadsheet, so I know )

Not as elegant as the scarf I had to return, but full of Hermès symbolism without the stuffiness. “Puzzle”View attachment 5042148View attachment 5042150

I love this design, it is a great energetic, graphic design. You’re making me regret selling mine!
(I still have one tho )

Catching up on others’ posts...



I like your list a lot - simple and makes perfect sense. Feel the same about many of your likes.



I feel like 30 is also my magic number. My husband had me do an exercise the other day for fun - if you all of a sudden had to start over from scratch, and money was no object, what bags would you own? Amazingly I only came up with 20.




Love the multicolor trim on this! So fun.

ooooo what a great ‘exercise’... thinking.....

 

[ElainePG]

I've started knitting again. I looked through my books for inspiration but ended up using patterns I found online. I guess the patterns in my books seem dated, even those for afghans. It is easier using a pattern that was designed for the specific yarn you have.

That's it exactly. And there are just so many online resources these days, many of them free.

I've been buying all my yarn on line, because I'm hesitant to go into my local yarn shop. Though I'd love to patronize them as soon as I can… it's important that they stay in business. It's really hard to choose yarn long-distance, though. I like to squeeze it! Kind of like buying fresh veggies on InstaCart.

 

[whateve]

That's it exactly. And there are just so many online resources these days, many of them free.

I've been buying all my yarn on line, because I'm hesitant to go into my local yarn shop. Though I'd love to patronize them as soon as I can… it's important that they stay in business. It's really hard to choose yarn long-distance, though. I like to squeeze it! Kind of like buying fresh veggies on InstaCart.

I rarely use my cookbooks for the same reason. When I need cooking inspiration, I just google it.

Some of the yarn I've bought has been really soft and nice. Not all of it though. And the colors aren't always what I imagine. I bought some multicolor yarn that looked gorgeous in the pictures online. I've tried knitting it, crocheting it, and I really don't like the way the stripes come out. There are colors next to each other that don't look harmonious to me. So I ordered some black yarn to mix with it but I haven't figured out yet what I'm going to make with it. I may have just thrown good money after bad. I also made a sweater with another yarn that striped in a way I don't like. I like the pattern but not the colors. So another yarn wasted. I'm going to try that pattern again. With all my failures, it would have been cheaper just to buy something someone else made.