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.

 

[msd_bags]

I think I joined this thread sometime in 2015. Since then my bag collection has evolved a lot. I have to admit, the bags posted by pocketfriends here have, at times, even made shopping my own closet much harder. But there have been a lot of learnings along the way, and consequently, shall we say, maturity on my part. Plus, I love the ‘virtual’ friendship that has been cultivated here.

The pandemic has cut short my bag usage for the year. It’s only this December that I’ve gone to the office more. I don’t go out except for needed errands. So I also stopped recording my daily use.

What’s good now is that I’m able to ignore shopping sites for bags. But I still love my bags and appreciate the wonderful leather smell when I get a whiff of them! I can’t make any big bag goals presently, times are unusual for me. We’ll see after the pandemic. I’ll take each day as it comes for now.

 

[880]

Thanks For some reason, I can feel a little intimidated when it is clear posters have a lot of history together. I know that is silly, because I am welcoming to others on the threads I post on regularly.

Hi, @Lake Effect, but we all know you from those ’other‘ threads, so pull up a chair and chat away! Hugs

 

[Bag peace]

Since then my bag collection has evolved a lot.

The bags I've seen of yours are all forever bags, so that's quite the evolution!

Plus, I love the ‘virtual’ friendship that has been cultivated here.

I’ll take each day as it comes for now.

So true! Thanks for this reminder.

 

[papertiger]

Question for those of us wanting to shed a few bags over 2021:

We spend a lot of time discussing why we buy bags but not so much editing. I'd like to let go of at least 2 in Jan and that's just a beginning. Where do I start?

Doesn't have to be selling, could be just giving away.

What is you top priority for letting go of a bag?

1. Not a wearable/pleasing colour
2. Use (or lack of)
3. Price (sell it now to accumulate funds or worry about depreciation of you wear first)
4. Worry about using because of delicacy
5. Too many of the same (style/colour/other)
6. Too worn (I'm laughing at myself because it's doubtful it will ever apply to me unless we're talking boots not bags)
7. Too dated
8. Too big/small/heavy (something we often don't discover until we use)
9. Too showy/plain/awful (file under 'what was I thinking)
10. Easy come easy go (done it's time and it was an extra)
11. Other reason (enlighten us).
12. To raise money for a certain cause (maybe favourite charity)
13. Biggest first (clear some space)

So far I'm thinking of a 1970s vintage cognac, saddle leather briefcase - heavy, but it's the kind of thing I could see myself buying again if I'm not careful. I don't know why I have such a thing for briefcases. I even have a folding one from Aquascutum I've never used (not getting rid of that one).

Another is small rust-brown, brass-studded '00s 'Domino' bag from Sonia Rykiel that weighs a ton. I have a black/silver one that's much lighter which I'm keeping. I'll never get anything like my money back from it but it's just too heavy and small for all day, and wrong colour for evening. Then again, I do love my Sonia Rykiel. Then, there's my blush nubuck Vivienne Westwood, on and off sale for years, it's supposed to look aged, the problem is convincing others that is, they think it's just dirt but it was bought new like that, part of the 'punk' aesthetic design. I could give these to charity.

Last year I gave a lot of my mother's less personally precious pieces to a certain charity that does Ebay as well as a designer boutique rail and raised over £700 just with these bits (some fine jewellery in the mix). They seem to be able to sell better than me, and so long as someone gets money I'm not upset. OT, but I just saw someone able to buy a BV for $15 from goodwill, if I gave a BV to charity I'd be furious if they only put it out for peanuts. The point of giving to charity is raise as much funds as possible for the cause, not just dump unwanted 'stuff'.

 

[Bag peace]

but I just saw someone able to buy a BV for $15 from goodwill, if I gave a BV to charity I'd be furious if they only put it out for peanuts. The point of giving to charity is raise as much funds as possible for the cause, not just dump unwanted 'stuff'.

I need to process this! How much?
I'm happy for the lucky buyer but I'm fully in agreement with you that the purpose is to raise funds for the cause, and this undermines that purpose entirely.

Where do I start?

I start by looking at my collection in its entirety. If something stands out markedly as my least favourite out of the lot, is too heavy, is too cumbersome to get in and out of, or falls into your #10 "easy come, easy go", then it is time to leave my closet.

 

[keodi]

Thank you!
Great looking goals @keodi!
I am curious about your planned jewelry purchases!

Re: 100% acquisition success rate, I first heard about it from @Sparkletastic. I apply it, simply by seeing if I kept the purchase or decided I didn’t like it/it didn’t work for me and exited the item. This assesses how well I researched and contemplated an item before purchasing it, the goal is to reduce mistakes and impulse purchases. For example,

2016: purchased 3 bags, sold 2 of the 2016 purchased bags (2018 purge), kept 1 => 33% acquisition success rate
2017: purchased 4 bags, sold zero of the 2017 purchased bags, kept 4 => 100% acquisition success rate
2018: purchased 1 bag, sold zero of 2018 purchases, kept 1 => 100%
2019: purchased 2 bags, sold zero of 2019 purchases, kept 2 => 100%
2020: purchased 0
I had 100% purchase successes in 2017, 2018 and 2019. 2016 was the beginning of some lifestyle changes and I didn’t make super purchase choices that year, part of the learning process.
Also within the purchase year I review my usage of acquisitions and give a qualitative comment: Poor, Fair, Good, Great, Excellent.

Thank you for explaining the concept of acquisition rate. I am going to try this! in 2019, I purchased an HG expensive item, my 30cm Black togo Birkin, I wore it a lot! it's surprisingly practical however, I find, I'm not fond of the togo leather, the color isn't saturated as I'd like it looks like a soft black than a true black unlike my Kelly, which is deeply saturated. I'm now considering replacing it same specs but with the new leather Veau Jonathan, what do you guys think? this will be a challenge for me as I don't have a boutique close to me. One is supposed to open in early 2021, we'll see.. @More bags @880 , @papertiger all opinions welcome from everyone. The fine Jewelry pieces I plan to add are, an 18k yellow gold Tiffany Elsa Peretti bean bracelet, and an Elsa peretti platinum and diamond bean necklace.

I believe this will be my third year in this thread.
I did better in 2019 than 2020. My goal at the beginning of 2020 was to curate my collection, filling holes, but ending the year without increasing my number of bags or SLGs. That didn't happen, but some of my new acquisitions were items I was hoping to add to my collection during the year. In 2020, I added 15 bags and got rid of 7. I did poorly with wallets too, adding 7 while only parting with 1. I did fairly well on keychains, of which I have a huge collection. I sold 27 and only brought in 8 new ones. Comparatively, in 2019, 6 bags out, 5 in, 53 SLGs out, 10 SLGs in.

I was also planning on tracking "wears" throughout the year like I did in 2019, and using the results to help me determine what needed editing. We went into lockdown mid March, and since then I've only used a purse for an occasional car ride, not even getting out. It didn't make sense to continue tracking.

I succumbed to online shopping this year more than I should have, buying bags even when I knew I would have no opportunity to use them.

My goal for 2021 is to get vaccinated, then enjoy every purse in my collection. I want to focus on what I own and stop shopping. I want to quit selling too. I don't care if I don't reduce the size of my collection this year. I want to have a pressure-free year. The following year is soon enough to worry about reducing my collection's size.

2020 put a wrench in things for sure! great goals for 2021!

I’m in for 2021! @keodi summed it up very well for me. And, I admire @More bags statement too.
I have 25 bags, give or take. Mainly neutral bag colors bc my color and pattern focus is in RTW.
I do have metallic blue; fauve barenia; and, black and white graffiti sprouse as pops of color, but those are the least used bags. I love them though, so I doubt I will purge them.
as I refine the closet, I believe that I will purge more bags than I will buy this year. I’d like to continue to buy mindfully and sustainably which usually means vintage Heritage saddle leather, but I will make exceptions for bags I love and will wear a lot.
for styles, this year i gravitated towards handheld with option for a wide crossbody strap. Previously, I loved bittersweet brown as my non black neutral; but this year, I turned to navy and grey.

I found this article charming confirmation that shopping ones own vintage closet and buying vintage are on trend, especially since it’s something I’ve always done. My mom, who likes new things, does point out that at a certain age, wearing vintage just looks old, but at 53 (gen X) I think I still have lots of time

Being a Gen Zer, I’m Excited About the Resurgence of Y2K Handbags - PurseBlog

Y2K fashion. Originally the name given to a computer glitch which people feared would send the new millennium into chaos, the term Y2K has since been adopted by the fashion world to describe trends of…

www.purseblog.com

Great goals! i'm with you on the shopping sustainably!

 

[keodi]

Question for those of us wanting to shed a few bags over 2021:

We spend a lot of time discussing why we buy bags but not so much editing. I'd like to let go of at least 2 in Jan and that's just a beginning. Where do I start?

Doesn't have to be selling, could be just giving away.

What is you top priority for letting go of a bag?

1. Not a wearable/pleasing colour
2. Use (or lack of)
3. Price (sell it now to accumulate funds or worry about depreciation of you wear first)
4. Worry about using because of delicacy
5. Too many of the same (style/colour/other)
6. Too worn (I'm laughing at myself because it's doubtful it will ever apply to me unless we're talking boots not bags)
7. Too dated
8. Too big/small/heavy (something we often don't discover until we use)
9. Too showy/plain/awful (file under 'what was I thinking)
10. Easy come easy go (done it's time and it was an extra)
11. Other reason (enlighten us).
12. To raise money for a certain cause (maybe favourite charity)
13. Biggest first (clear some space)

So far I'm thinking of a 1970s vintage cognac, saddle leather briefcase - heavy, but it's the kind of thing I could see myself buying again if I'm not careful. I don't know why I have such a thing for briefcases. I even have a folding one from Aquascutum I've never used (not getting rid of that one).

Another is small rust-brown, brass-studded '00s 'Domino' bag from Sonia Rykiel that weighs a ton. I have a black/silver one that's much lighter which I'm keeping. I'll never get anything like my money back from it but it's just too heavy and small for all day, and wrong colour for evening. Then again, I do love my Sonia Rykiel. Then, there's my blush nubuck Vivienne Westwood, on and off sale for years, it's supposed to look aged, the problem is convincing others that is, they think it's just dirt but it was bought new like that, part of the 'punk' aesthetic design. I could give these to charity.

Last year I gave a lot of my mother's less personally precious pieces to a certain charity that does Ebay as well as a designer boutique rail and raised over £700 just with these bits (some fine jewellery in the mix). They seem to be able to sell better than me, and so long as someone gets money I'm not upset. OT, but I just saw someone able to buy a BV for $15 from goodwill, if I gave a BV to charity I'd be furious if they only put it out for peanuts. The point of giving to charity is raise as much funds as possible for the cause, not just dump unwanted 'stuff'.

Numbers, 1, 2, and 3 are top priority for me. I agree with the bolded, I would be upset too!

 

[papertiger]

I need to process this! How much?
I'm happy for the lucky buyer but I'm fully in agreement with you that the purpose is to raise funds for the cause, and this undermines that purpose entirely.

I start by looking at my collection in its entirety. If something stands out markedly as my least favourite out of the lot, is too heavy, is too cumbersome to get in and out of, or falls into your #10 "easy come, easy go", then it is time to leave my closet.

Agreed. The briefcase is too heavy and I have better. I think the SR can go, it's just hanging around. The VW used to be a favourite (partly because it was hard to find a pretty Summer bag to use in the city). Maybe I'll do a 2-step plan, firstly list myself and if I can't get modest prices, give to my favourite charity shop (I already have quite a few nice RTW pieces to give them).

Sort-term goal = 3 bags out in Jan

 

[papertiger]

Thank you for explaining the concept of acquisition rate. I am going to try this! in 2019, I purchased an HG expensive item, my 30cm Black togo Birkin, I wore it a lot! it's surprisingly practical however, I find, I'm not fond of the togo leather, the color isn't saturated as I'd like it looks like a soft black than a true black unlike my Kelly, which is deeply saturated. I'm now considering replacing it same specs but with the new leather Veau Jonathan, what do you guys think? this will be a challenge for me as I don't have a boutique close to me. One is supposed to open in early 2021, we'll see.. @More bags @880 , @papertiger all opinions welcome from everyone. The fine Jewelry pieces I plan to add are, an 18k yellow gold Tiffany Elsa Peretti bean bracelet, and an Elsa peretti platinum and diamond bean necklace.

2020 put a wrench in things for sure! great goals for 2021!

Great goals! i'm with you on the shopping sustainably!

Numbers, 1, 2, and 3 are top priority for me. I agree with the bolded, I would be upset too!

I found it: https://forum.purseblog.com/threads...cheap-treasures.848522/page-853#post-34207685 Dec 7 (no shade to the member who lucked out). I'm actually really pleased a tPFer found it first, I hope they enjoy it to the max.

Finding beautiful bargains is fantastic, I'm all for it. I just think that the charity should be better managed, a ridiculous opportunity lost.

 

[keodi]

You are always welcome to just jump in this thread at anytime.

I agree @Lake Effect you can join us at anytime!

I think I joined this thread sometime in 2015. Since then my bag collection has evolved a lot. I have to admit, the bags posted by pocketfriends here have, at times, even made shopping my own closet much harder. But there have been a lot of learnings along the way, and consequently, shall we say, maturity on my part. Plus, I love the ‘virtual’ friendship that has been cultivated here.

The pandemic has cut short my bag usage for the year. It’s only this December that I’ve gone to the office more. I don’t go out except for needed errands. So I also stopped recording my daily use.

What’s good now is that I’m able to ignore shopping sites for bags. But I still love my bags and appreciate the wonderful leather smell when I get a whiff of them! I can’t make any big bag goals presently, times are unusual for me. We’ll see after the pandemic. I’ll take each day as it comes for now.

So true, great reminder!

 

[keodi]

I found it: https://forum.purseblog.com/threads...cheap-treasures.848522/page-853#post-34207685 Dec 7 (no shade to the member who lucked out). I'm actually really pleased a tPFer found it first, I hope they enjoy it to the max.

Finding beautiful bargains is fantastic, I'm all for it. I just think that the charity should be better managed, a ridiculous opportunity lost.

Agreed!

 

[essiedub]

My Goal for this year is similar to last year.
1. I must remain with in the shelf space allotted. No squeezing bags to make room.
2. Stay firmly in my budget.
3. No bags that weigh over two pounds, preferably less.
4. Rotate and use all my bags, with the exception of specialty bags.
5. Keep my bag list and photos more up to date and look at it before I make a purchase.
6. Have fun with them.

I aspire to this
If I accomplish this, then naturally, I must dispose (or I move DH out )

 

[papertiger]

Thank you for explaining the concept of acquisition rate. I am going to try this! in 2019, I purchased an HG expensive item, my 30cm Black togo Birkin, I wore it a lot! it's surprisingly practical however, I find, I'm not fond of the togo leather, the color isn't saturated as I'd like it looks like a soft black than a true black unlike my Kelly, which is deeply saturated. I'm now considering replacing it same specs but with the new leather Veau Jonathan, what do you guys think? this will be a challenge for me as I don't have a boutique close to me. One is supposed to open in early 2021, we'll see.. @More bags @880 , @papertiger all opinions welcome from everyone. The fine Jewelry pieces I plan to add are, an 18k yellow gold Tiffany Elsa Peretti bean bracelet, and an Elsa peretti platinum and diamond bean necklace.

2020 put a wrench in things for sure! great goals for 2021!

Great goals! i'm with you on the shopping sustainably!

I never appreciated how much the leather type/treatment was such a thing with me until I bought the larger (MM) Calvi + pouch from h.com just this month. Never looked at Epsom before, never will again.

Now I realise I didn't even entertain leathers that don't normally attract me. I don't have any Togo, maybe for the same reason(s) however, I do think it makes pretty good (head) sense as a hardy natural leather.

I vote for Veau Jonathon

Love your ideas for T. I would like a T, EP starfish broach, preferably silver. It worries me LVMH are taking over in Jan.

 

[essiedub]

My goal for 2021 is to get vaccinated, then enjoy every purse in my collection. I want to focus on what I own and stop shopping. I want to quit selling too. I don't care if I don't reduce the size of my collection this year. I want to have a pressure-free year. The following year is soon enough to worry about reducing my collection's size.

I’m copying you.

 

[essiedub]

Question for those of us wanting to shed a few bags over 2021:

We spend a lot of time discussing why we buy bags but not so much editing. I'd like to let go of at least 2 in Jan and that's just a beginning. Where do I start?

Doesn't have to be selling, could be just giving away.

What is you top priority for letting go of a bag?

1. Not a wearable/pleasing colour
2. Use (or lack of)
3. Price (sell it now to accumulate funds or worry about depreciation of you wear first)
4. Worry about using because of delicacy
5. Too many of the same (style/colour/other)
6. Too worn (I'm laughing at myself because it's doubtful it will ever apply to me unless we're talking boots not bags)
7. Too dated
8. Too big/small/heavy (something we often don't discover until we use)
9. Too showy/plain/awful (file under 'what was I thinking)
10. Easy come easy go (done it's time and it was an extra)
11. Other reason (enlighten us).
12. To raise money for a certain cause (maybe favourite charity)
13. Biggest first (clear some space)

So far I'm thinking of a 1970s vintage cognac, saddle leather briefcase - heavy, but it's the kind of thing I could see myself buying again if I'm not careful. I don't know why I have such a thing for briefcases. I even have a folding one from Aquascutum I've never used (not getting rid of that one).

Another is small rust-brown, brass-studded '00s 'Domino' bag from Sonia Rykiel that weighs a ton. I have a black/silver one that's much lighter which I'm keeping. I'll never get anything like my money back from it but it's just too heavy and small for all day, and wrong colour for evening. Then again, I do love my Sonia Rykiel. Then, there's my blush nubuck Vivienne Westwood, on and off sale for years, it's supposed to look aged, the problem is convincing others that is, they think it's just dirt but it was bought new like that, part of the 'punk' aesthetic design. I could give these to charity.

Last year I gave a lot of my mother's less personally precious pieces to a certain charity that does Ebay as well as a designer boutique rail and raised over £700 just with these bits (some fine jewellery in the mix). They seem to be able to sell better than me, and so long as someone gets money I'm not upset. OT, but I just saw someone able to buy a BV for $15 from goodwill, if I gave a BV to charity I'd be furious if they only put it out for peanuts. The point of giving to charity is raise as much funds as possible for the cause, not just dump unwanted 'stuff'.

So glad you made this post. I need to give this serious thought. I have never sold a bag but I really need to “shed” for 2020. Maybe we need a week (or month) of posting bags that are “in the shed” for any of the reasons you state above. I could probably use some advice on whether I should venture into selling..or just continue to donate, gift, or keep. In any case, I have to do something..but still with whateve on wanting it to be a stress free year.