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 only use Kosher salt. It tastes so much cleaner. I don't like things very salty so I use it sparingly. Many things I cook have no added salt. The only time I don't cut down on salt is in baking.

I could eat roasted meat for every meal, and skip the potatoes.

My DH would move in with you immediately! (I could eat cereal or pasta for every meal...)

 

[Jereni]

You are all so nice thank you for the kind words!

@Jereni, I love your bags for the bag challenge below. Your outfits and scarves are elegant and make the bags shine! I love your decor too. The chair and rug are gorgeous. And the credenza and map (hope that doesn’t sound like I’m being stalkery

Haha no not at all and thanks for the comments on the decor. Still a work in progress and I’m supposed to have a chaise lounge arrive at some point here but I think the production has been incredibly delayed

Love your style!

Thank you!

Well done! That coach is wonderful - I've never seen it. Great boots also!

Thanks! I love slouchy boots and wish they were more in style right now.

Lovely! I especially like your Chanel, and will chime in on the PS leather love!

PS 4eva... although sadly it’s been quite some time before they’ve made anything I like as much as the PS1.

Looking great with each!

Really liking the thin belt with the longline cardigan look too

Thank you! Crazy thing is I *never* wear belts but am newly obsessed with waist bags so ... time to break them out again.

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Doing Challenge #2 today. First time using this tweed Tabby since buying it last summer. Her first voyage will be to get pizza & salad on this finally Friday.

Omg LOVE. Wish I’d seen this when it was out last summer. I am on such a Coach kick lately.

 

[More bags]

Working through these challenges but today I have this to offer up:

4. Date night bag - carry a date night bag twice or bring to a meal at home

- First up - my Chanel reissue WOC in charcoal. Usually wear this to fancy dinners or other events but obv there’s not been much of that this past year / 2020.
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Today I am rocking my Proenza Schouler PS1 Pochette in black-on-black. Still love the leather of these bags. Proenza Schouler was my first foray into *designer* bags.
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Yesterday I wore ‘the bag that started it all’ - my darling Coach Borough tote. Still in good shape as I baby it. Still love this bag to death.
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@Jereni fantastic bags and styling pics! I am guessing you are tall because your WOC hits you in a great spot on the hip. The PS1 Pochette looks fab and edgy. I’ve always admired the Borough, your bi-colour version is chic.

I bought my GP in December 2019, and haven't used it much actually. The colors are summery, also canvas, so I was hoping to use it this summer. But I didn't go anywhere, so.....
Next time I have to bring things somewhere (?) I'll try to remember to use it!

I love the look of the canvas GPs. I hope you’ll take a pic of it the next time you carry it!

 

[More bags]

Think of something really fun to do at home for your birthday. I once made a luau during a snow storm for my daughter. Not many could make it and one child arrived by snow Mobile. We had a blast even the grown ups. Use your imagination and who knows what you can come up with.

That sounds like it was a lot of fun!

Thanks! This one has a red lining so everything is easily visible.

I love a red lining.

@BowieFan1971 for my 50th, I had my Tarot cards read at the hotel we were staying at. After we got home, I couldn't find the paper, so I drew the cards from memory. I don't know anything about Tarot, but it was fun, and I... am ever hopeful. Maybe you could do an online Tarot reading.

Cool idea!

Gorgeous!

Thank you.

... So I am doing a first for me...starting today, I am having a birthday weekend! I am not doing anything I don’t want to do! Today, I am going to paint bags. Tomorrow I am going to finish trimming a vintage Burberry trench I am rehabbing. Sunday I am doing a spa day for myself- microdermabrasion and mask, self pedi ani paint my fingernails (which I never do because of work but I can have nice hands for my birthday). On Monday, my mom is coming up after her dr’s appt for a take out lunch here at home. I want duck, which I love but never get to have. My husband is in charge of dinner.

No, none of it was what I had in mind. So many of the big things people celebrate are on hold...my wedding, my honeymoon, my 50th birthday celebration....with no end in sight and I am tired of it. But what can I do? Be miserable? I will stay busy doing things that make me happy this weekend and that distract me and make the best of it.
The following week, I drive up to my grandparents 13 hours away who are having health issues and need help. My grandmother is not handling it well and is being nasty to everyone, refusing outside help. I will take 2 days there, plus the day’s drive each way, to handle the things that are challenging and to do a deep clean of their small house so they o to have to tidy up. I will be going up there Every month or so for the foreseeable future. I am glad I have the ability to do it since I am still not working my nanny job due to Covid. No one else really can and my mom would, wants to very much, but she really can’t. It will be ok. We will manage and get through all this.

Happy early birthday dear @BowieFan1971!
I love your birthday weekend plans! I am glad you’re celebrating your birthday by doing all the things that bring you joy. Please enjoy some cake, too, if you like cake. I know it’s not your first choice of how to celebrate. I admire your positive outlook and passion to keep moving forward every day. Best wishes on the drive to your grandparents’ home. They may not be able to find the words to express gratitude to you for the efforts you are making for them, I am sure your mom appreciates it and I admire you, too. My sister in law and I were chatting tonight about how we’re not looking forward to dealing with our parents’ homes once they are no longer with us. I wish my mom would deal with her stuff so I don’t have to. I feel that is incredibly selfish of me to have that thought - I have not seen my mom throw anything away. I should focus on what I can control and that is getting my own house in order. I think you are doing great for what it is worth from an internet stranger.

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Doing Challenge #2 today. First time using this tweed Tabby since buying it last summer. Her first voyage will be to get pizza & salad on this finally Friday.

So pretty!

 

[More bags]

I love your look with the scarf and the scarf ring I had a le pilage tote I used everyday for 6 months straight, and it fell apart. I loved it!

Thank you dear keodi!

I agree! @SouthernPurseGal here's a pic of my 38cm Trim I

I drool every time you post pics of your delicious Rouge VIF Trim.

Thought I’d share a few tips that seem to be helping me.

• Check the closet before making any purchase
• No online purse/SLG ‘browsing’
• Do a Bag Showcase

A friend suggested I do a Bag Showcase. Choosing my favorite pic or two of each bag is helping remind me of just what beauties I have in my collection, and how much I love them. This has been extremely helpful in keeping me focused on the fact that I don’t need to shop anywhere else when I already have these beauties in my closet to shop from and enjoy.

Excellent tips and I especially love this, Choosing my favorite pic or two of each bag is helping remind me of just what beauties I have in my collection, and how much I love them.

Wearing my new to me Just Campagne Deville 2 today, it arrived earlier this week, for the Take the Tags Off Challenge. It’s a nice color (Graise), I like the shape, but not so certain about the zipper... but it would be a great bag for traveling as it does zip up! I’m hoping to replace my Massaccesi MIDI Juliet with this.
Apologies for the not so awesome office photo.
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Great looking bag and my eyes are drawn to your beautiful wallet!

This was an all pink View attachment 4951376View attachment 4951378View attachment 4951377Coach bag someone gave me that was scratched up and had an oil stain on the bottom. A few hours and some paint and glaze....it looks gray, but it is a metallic taupe.

Wow! It’s lovely. It reminds me of multicolour Reed Krakoff Atlantique bags, so beautiful.
side note, are you like Santa’s workshop for handbags? Seriously impressed!

Trying to enjoy the little things...

Fantastic beauties!

 

[More bags]

Do you like shoulder bags?

I personally think the Trim II is the greatest bag H ever designed. It’s roomy and versatile, casual and chic. My mother often describes my style as “Jackie O, book editor years” and the Trim dovetails with that perfectly.

BUT, I love shoulder bags and hobos. They are my favorite style, and I carry one 70% of the time.

I’m sure that other people can heap glowing praise on the Picotin - it’s also casual and gorgeous with divine leather and a chic vibe. And every time someone shares a picture in this thread, I imagine that I’m a Pico person. I have to remind myself that I’m not. Bucket bags get on my last everloving nerve.

H bags are lovely, beautifully made and a pleasure to behold. They’re also just a darn bag. If the style doesn’t work for you, an Hermes version of the style is not going to be any better.

Brilliant post! You have great self awareness@Vintage Leather!
I also love the imagery of Jackie O, book editor years.

+1. I learned this the hard way. I often bought a bag before figuring out it wasn’t for me. And, sold a bag (once or twice) before realizing it was perfect after all.

@papertiger, I found your thread on the bouvier versus the Jackie essential reading in my research on which trim. @SouthernPurseGal, If I had decided to explore the trim at my best weight (I’m currently midstream in concerted diet), I probably would have gone for the trim I. Since I was heavier, I felt the gusset was more flattering and also practical. Here is a bit of info https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/jackie-and-bouvier-bag-club.1032626/ and here is more (from @papertiger and @CharlyParis omward)

I spy return of Jackie!

Dates and types of Jackies and Bouviers (most of this is quoting myself from the Gucci Information Thread) Approx. Jackie/Bouvier Time line late 1958 - Bouvier first made early 1961 - Jackie (like the Bouvier but with a wider gusset and piston lock) first made 1970s both variations available...

forum.purseblog.com

I think Thomas Keller popularized the Mayo trick. But it’s not new. t DHs grandparents in the late 1980s would invite us to their home and serve fish fillets coated in Mayo and breadcrumbs and roasted quickly in the toaster oven until the bread crumbs turned golden and charred. DH would shudder (Mayo phobia), but the fish was moist.
modernist cuisine discusses why slow roasting a frozen steak until about 120 F (instant read T). I think I picked up the reverse seat from Serious Eats? then searing it (reverse sear) yields a steak that is evenly RD or pink from stem to stern. https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/modernist-low-temp-oven-steak/13113/. And for the ultimate in frozen, a frozen prime rib recipe by egullet member Wesza https://forums.egullet.org/topic/112634-cooking-a-frozen-roast-without-thawing/. I just use a tiny bit of Mayo at the beginning and it seems to brown well in a seasoned cast iron pan.

Thanks for the food links and Jackie/Bouvier thread links. I’m looking forward to checking them out.

 

[JenJBS]

Excellent tips and I especially love this, Choosing my favorite pic or two of each bag is helping remind me of just what beauties I have in my collection, and how much I love them.

Thank you! You're so sweet and encouraging to all of us.

 

[More bags]

@whateve and @880 on the topic of meal planning, ugh, it’s a weekly chore that is done out of necessity not joy. I was able to convince my DSs (ages 13 and 10) to do the meal planning from August - December last year, I appreciated it so much. Our family does weekly meal planning, I find it helpful to have a menu plan to prepare the grocery shopping list and it takes away the daily stress of “what’s for dinner?”

Some recent and upcoming meals include,

• Chicken Fricasee, egg noodles, steamed carrots
• Cioppino and crusty bread (halibut, mussels and clams in tomato and wine sauce)
• Pork Ragu with Rigatoni and Caesar Salad
• Alcatra (Portuguese Style Beef Stew) and garlic bread
• Poached Shrimp with Spicy Mayo and Garlic Breadcrumbs, Spicy Sausage and Crudites
• Breadcrumb Crusted Pork Tenderloin Burgers, Air Fryer Homefries and coleslaw
• Chicken Chimichanga with green salad
• Shepherd’s Pie, Sauteed Peas with Shallot and Mint
• Chicken and Dumplings
• One Pot Pasta with Sausage, Mushrooms and Peas

Food is something we look forward to and enjoy. It’s an anchor for our family with no dining out and no socializing permitted right now. I waver back and forth between being happy to be able to feed and sustain the family and being tired of cooking every day. I think @doni raised that point in last year’s thread. We choose most of our recipes from cooking magazines like Fine Cooking, Cook’s Illustrated and America’s Test Kitchen. I do like learning about and using techniques to add or improve flavour. My husband often helps with dinner prep, he likes to chop vegetables. We treat it as a time to connect and do something together during the day. I like it when the family eats and enjoys what we make (my younger DS used to be a pickier eater when he was younger.) We spend a lot more time talking at the dinner table because we’re not rushing off to kids’ sports activities. Overall, I know meal planning and preparing food at home is time well spent, it just takes time and effort.

 

[SouthernPurseGal]

Wearing my new to me Just Campagne Deville 2 today, it arrived earlier this week, for the Take the Tags Off Challenge. It’s a nice color (Graise), I like the shape, but not so certain about the zipper... but it would be a great bag for traveling as it does zip up! I’m hoping to replace my Massaccesi MIDI Juliet with this.
Apologies for the not so awesome office photo.
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Where did you buy it? I like it. I have a black and pink, both smooth and I think I prefer the grained leather.

Do you like shoulder bags?

I definitely wear bags on my shoulders. I like a hobo and I think the trim is pretty! I prefer east west. And smaller/svelter, so I guess the I?

I could have just bought the black one I showed you guys today, but instead for the same money I bought a dozen nylon bags of all sizes and added three massaccesi belts to my order from Italy. I decided to get some more spacious and lighter weight bags for outings with the kids in warmer weather that will someday come....so for a carry all lightweight tote I bought a monogramed Barrington gifts st Anne's zipper tote (+5 monogrammed accessories) and for hands free with the kids&dogs, a jujube zealous backpack in a floral print(+5 pouches)...and I rarely do floral!
Oh well, I've been thinking about getting organized with pouches FOREVER and I never have gotten around to it until NOW. Go big or go home I suppose. My bag jumble game will be on point soon! I'm so overboard. I have ordered small goodies from Massaccesi, Barrington gifts and jujube. Everything you can think of has been purchased --from a coin purse to a wallet to a sunglasses case to a lunch cooler to a cosmetic bag to general pouches in 6 different sizes. I didn't get get a special laptop cover or a passport holder though. I have some restraint. Ha!

 

[whateve]

Time for a joke... I do have critics at home and one of them* hates my favourite meal from only 4 "ingrediences" -well, 4 bags... needless to say cooking isn´t my favourite pastime...

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* DH hates it, my boy and the pet mouse love it!

Today I made chili (Tex-Mex style without beans). I like making it because it is fairly easy - just ground beef, tomato puree, beef broth and chili powder. DH groaned that we were having it again. Earlier in the week I made a roast chicken with wild rice stuffing - his favorite dish. I hate making it as it is too much work. Then after we eat most of the chicken, I make soup out of the carcass along with homemade noodles - another meal that feels like too much work.

I get absolutely no help in the kitchen. If I lived alone, I'd eat a lot of steaks and noodles.

 

[whateve]

Where did you buy it? I like it. I have a black and pink, both smooth and I think I prefer the grained leather.

I definitely wear bags on my shoulders. I like a hobo and I think the trim is pretty! I prefer east west. And smaller/svelter, so I guess the I?

I could have just bought the black one I showed you guys today, but instead for the same money I bought a dozen nylon bags of all sizes and added three massaccesi belts to my order from Italy. I decided to get some more spacious and lighter weight bags for outings with the kids in warmer weather that will someday come....so for a carry all lightweight tote I bought a monogramed Barrington gifts st Anne's zipper tote (+5 monogrammed accessories) and for hands free with the kids&dogs, a jujube zealous backpack in a floral print(+5 pouches)...and I rarely do floral!
Oh well, I've been thinking about getting organized with pouches FOREVER and I never have gotten around to it until NOW. Go big or go home I suppose. My bag jumble game will be on point soon! I'm so overboard. I have ordered small goodies from Massaccesi, Barrington gifts and jujube. Everything you can think of has been purchased --from a coin purse to a wallet to a sunglasses case to a lunch cooler to a cosmetic bag to general pouches in 6 different sizes. I didn't get get a special laptop cover or a passport holder though. I have some restraint. Ha!

I usually feel better getting many things for my money rather than one expensive thing too.

 

[whateve]

I actually carried a bag today! First time in ages, other than carrying a bag along in the car while we went on a drive. This time I actually had to get out of the car. I had to go to the doctor and then the pharmacy. First time in another building other than my home since last March. I was hoping I would make it until we got vaccinated but my eye got infected.

This is the bag I carried. I got it in October.

 

[880]

actually carried a bag today! First time in ages, other than carrying a bag along in the car while we went on a drive. This time I actually had to get out of the car.

i love this bag! It’s gorgeous! Hope your eye is okay.

• Chicken Fricasee, egg noodles, steamed carrots
• Cioppino and crusty bread (halibut, mussels and clams in tomato and wine sauce)
• Pork Ragu with Rigatoni and Caesar Salad
• Alcatra (Portuguese Style Beef Stew) and garlic bread
• Poached Shrimp with Spicy Mayo and Garlic Breadcrumbs, Spicy Sausage and Crudites
• Breadcrumb Crusted Pork Tenderloin Burgers, Air Fryer Homefries and coleslaw
• Chicken Chimichanga with green salad
• Shepherd’s Pie, Sauteed Peas with Shallot and Mint
• Chicken and Dumplings
• One Pot Pasta with Sausage, Mushrooms and Peas

i would like to come over for dinner. As my contribution, I would wash all the dishes. Everything sounds amazing and I remember some of those cooks illustrated recipes. I’m lazy re rhe shrimp and do the cooks illustrated slow cooker one. It’s so nice for me to imagine you and your DH helping with the veggies and then all of you sitting down and relaxingnover a leisurely meal. Like @whateve, I cook alone, but since the last time my DH cut a red pepper we went to the hospital, that’s for the best.

Earlier in the week I made a roast chicken with wild rice stuffing - his favorite dish. I hate making it as it is too much work. Then after we eat most of the chicken, I make soup out of the carcass along with homemade noodles - another meal that feels like too much work.

I get absolutely no help in the kitchen. If I lived alone, I'd eat a lot of steaks and noodles.

The roast chicken with wild rice stuffing and the homemade noodles afterwards sound delicious and a big production. For some reason when I make stuffing, I dirty a lot of dishes as everything (vegetable garniture, pancetta or sausage or meat, assorted add ins, are all cooked separately Bf combining. ITA on steak and noodles. I love cheap egg noodles with lots of butter and ramen (not the authentic kind, but rather the 5 for a dollar packages that one ate as a penniless college student).
i panicked when covid started and bought a lot of dry goods like ramen and organic instant potato flakes (i was prepared to make my own potato rolls, but then my doctor put me on a low carb diet). Not sure what I was thinking.

@whateve , @SouthernPurseGal, I find that if I try to limit to one expensive thing rather than a bunch of cheaper things, it cuts down on the piles of stuff I have to give away later. @More bags, I know that I will have to someday clean out all of my moms stuff. She has mountains of it.

 

[dcooney4]

Your pantry organization looks outstanding!

I like the idea of cooking with fewer ingredients vs the ones that have 25+ ingredients and 15 steps in the recipe!

@dcooney4 this is a fantastic looking backpack. I am looking forward to hearing what you think of it.

It worked out fine. It was much bigger than what needed for yesterday but when I do need to carry more than my wallet , phone and glasses it will be fine.

 

[dcooney4]

This is cool. Is it a backpack? I see a peek of red...contrast interior?

It has a red interior and it is a backpack. They will no longer be making it so I grabbed a new one while I still could. The photo is from before I took all the paper off everything.