2022 Resolution: Shopping my own bag and SLG collection. Anyone else?

[Katinahat]

2 Aug - brand showcase: A-F
4 Sept - brand showcase: G-L
11 Sept - brand showcase: M-R
18 Sept - brand showcase: S-Z
25 Sept - totes
2 Oct - satchels
9 Oct - crossbodies inc WOCS
16 Oct - shoulder bags
23 Oct - bucket bags
30 Oct - clutches
6 Nov - backpacks
13 Nov - bags that don’t count
20 Nov - pairing bags with shoes
27 Nov - pairing bags with other accessories
4 Dec - bag storage
11 Dec - SLGs
18 Dec - charms

Challenges:
Sept - bags in different locations
Oct - Halloween: wear orange or black bags
Nov - International Merlot Day: wear wine coloured bags or pair bags with wine.
Dec - use the bag.

 

[Jereni]

I am an unapologetic dress loving, high heel wearing, sparkly everything girly girl.

YES, ^THIS! Lol, we are very like minded. Although I don’t wear dresses as often, but I love to.

 

[Jereni]

I’m stalking this bag online.
View attachment 5296498

Its a Mulberry Bayswater in Oak Natural Vegetable Tanned leather. By the time I got into Mulberry they’d stopped doing this leather. This is a limited legacy edition to celebrate their 50th anniversary. I’m so tempted but I have so many (Mulberry) bags. Nothing this size in this colour leather.

I love my grey Bayswater and I have large bags in black, pink and blue plus a Coach cavas one which is more this tan colour. I was thinking of a LV Neverfull as my next purchase but it didn’t make my heart sing when I looked at it. I think I’m just a leather girl (much respect to all the LV owners as they are beautiful bags!).

So do I go in store to look to see what the leather is like or not? It’s the weekend tomorrow!

Gorgeous! I think you should go check it out in person and then come back with mod shots for us!

"Let your bags make you giddy"… I LOVE this! A great way for me to evaluate my collection.

I love this too. Last year I did a bunch of evaluating which bags truly spark joy for me and I’m very pleased to be getting to a point where most of them do.

I have the one problem with the Proenza Schouler PS11. The bag doesn’t spark joy as a whole, but the color does which is the problem. It’s the PERFECT camel so I don’t want to get rid of it unless I find something that is the right color.

 

[DME]

I wonder if anyone else feels guilt at making purchases and questions the purpose? I remember @dcooney4 had guilt at rehoming.

I suspect most of us feel this way at some point, be it guilt, buyer’s remorse, or remorse over rehoming an item we felt no longer works for us. I know I do. I try not to be too hard on myself. If I can afford the item and like it, then I remind myself to be thankful I’m in such a position and that I should enjoy the item. With buyer’s remorse, I try to figure that out within the return window so I can take the item back if I decide it’s not for me. If it’s remorse over rehoming an item, I try to think that the new owner probably loves it more than I did and, therefore, it went to a good home. It’s rare I repurchase an item I rehomed, although I have been known to repurchase an item I returned if it later goes on sale and I’m still thinking about it. But I’ve long used the method @diane278 captures so wonderfully in the thread about sharing your edited bag closet journey and I set the items aside for a time before moving them on to see if I really am ready to part with them.

 

[BowieFan1971]

So yeah, this….I feel so blessed!

 

[JenJBS]

And should I be concerned it’s not very fashionable to buy an IT bag from nearly 20 years ago? Perhaps I should branch out to other makes? Or is it ok to just know what I love?!

It is more thank ok to know what you love, and stick with that. I think it's so much more important to love something than to have it be fashionable (for a very short time). I love this line I read in a style. "So fashionable as to be out of fashion five minutes later."

 

[More bags]

I'm so glad you posted, @More bags . I've been thinking about your family, hoping your younger son recovered from Covid and that everyone else in the family tested negative.

What a stressful time this has been for you. And for everyone with children, who are so much at risk at school and in sports. Unfortunately, there's just so danged much we CAN'T control!

Breathing is good.

Awareness of my mindset and emotions in the past year or so has been really helpful.

 

[Katinahat]

So yeah, this….I feel so blessed!View attachment 5297856View attachment 5297857

Incredible! Enjoy every moment. I’m sure you will!

 

[More bags]

I’m stalking this bag online.
View attachment 5296498

Its a Mulberry Bayswater in Oak Natural Vegetable Tanned leather. By the time I got into Mulberry they’d stopped doing this leather. This is a limited legacy edition to celebrate their 50th anniversary. I’m so tempted but I have so many (Mulberry) bags. Nothing this size in this colour leather.

I love my grey Bayswater and I have large bags in black, pink and blue plus a Coach cavas one which is more this tan colour. I was thinking of a LV Neverfull as my next purchase but it didn’t make my heart sing when I looked at it. I think I’m just a leather girl (much respect to all the LV owners as they are beautiful bags!).

So do I go in store to look to see what the leather is like or not? It’s the weekend tomorrow!

@Katinahat you have a gorgeous Mulberry collection. This Bayswater would be a lovely addition to your collection and you know the style and size work for you.

Thanks @More bags. That was a year ago. The dog is still beautiful. My medication is making me put on weight which I’m finding a struggle. I’d done so well since 2020 to get to that stage losing about 40 pounds but it got to be a bit of an obsession so I’ve realised I need to relax about it too. Generally I’m probably more healthy having put about 14 pounds back on but I’d like to get a few pounds off again or even just stop where I am. I crave chocolate and carbs all the time. It’s a well known side effect of the pills I’m taking and most people put on weight. That and sedation which has an impact on life in general and makes exercise harder. It would be so sad to have put in so much work to get healthy end up back where I started. The diet rebound is so common.

I’m trying to decide whether this is what’s making me want to spend on the new bag. Whether the purchase is justified or filling an emotional hole as my control slips. Last year I bought one bag but I really wasn’t me for most of the year. I’ve already bought one this year and was gifted one. A third is causing me emotional discomfort but I really love the oak Bayswater. I certainly don’t need it but I think I want it.

Why is nothing in life simple? I wonder if anyone else feels guilt at making purchases and questions the purpose? I remember @dcooney4 had guilt at rehoming.

You are the same strong, beautiful, and resilient person on the inside. Be gentle with yourself. Let your medication do what it needs to do and in time I’m sure you’ll find a way to work towards the healthy weight you want to be at.

Thank you @Sunshine mama.

 

[ElainePG]

on’t know why I noticed it today but it was like cold water in my face. These times are hard. But, I’m not doing myself any favors by not caring about my weight, personal care, or style. It only exacerbates the feeling of loss/less. So, I’m going to pivot and go back to planning my clothes (food, exercise, etc.) like I used to. And, maaaaaybe I need to take a second look at the Stylebook app.

I think this is really insightful, @Sparkletastic , and I've been pivoting the same way this year (well, this half-month, at least! In fact, I'm not even leaving the house today, but I'm in a cute outfit. Not a bag, obviously, but NICE jeans, a really pretty cashmere sweater, and an H scarf.
Maybe one of the things we can do on this thread this year (for those who want to) is help each other out on this "pivot"? It's certainly part of shopping our closets, since I bet most of us can upgrade our looks without shopping. I'm guessing we all have very nice clothes, handbags, and accessories already that look brand-new, since we haven't worn them in two years.
I'm in! Anyone else?

 

[ElainePG]

I love him! And if you read his guide, it is extremely positive and encouraging, promoting your individual style and appearance. It helped me feel better about myself and how I look at a time I really needed it and helped me figure out what expressing that looked like.

Thanks for the recommendation! I did a "look inside" on one of his Kindle books and saw this: "A closet isn't a clothing store." I loved this!

 

[ElainePG]

Agree. Skinny jeans (stretchy ones) are a gateway out of sweat / legging purgatory.

So, it’s going to be an… er… uh… journey back to style. LOL Until I lose weight, 80% of my wardrobe won’t be available to me. I felt better but still didn’t feel like Sparkle. But, every day will be a little better.

Don't know if you want to spend $$$ on jeans while you're working on your weight, but Chico's has stretchy skinny jeans at a reasonable price. I actually shopped IN THE STORE yesterday, since I didn't know if I took the same size as I did 3 years ago, which is when I bought my last pair, and I'd been on a bunch more prednisone since then . But fortunately my size was the same, so I bought 2 pairs. I'm giving myself credit, though… I'm donating 2 pairs of NYDJ jeans in the same colors (dark blue & black) because they don't fit me as well as these new ones do.

I'm wearing them today, bopping around the house & sitting at the computer. They are as comfy as joggers or sweats, and I feel waaaay more put-together.

 

[cowgirlsboots]

I’m not Sparkle but … they missed the mark. Like “Koons for LV” level of missing the mark.

When Dior Lady Art are at their best, they are a fascinating post-post modern reflection on consumer culture, art, and how things are expected act as a shorthand in personal expression and connections - a statement on the Artist as Consumer and the Artist as Object being consumed.

Like Lady Art 5 by Recycle - where the canage twists and melts across the bag. Or in 4, where the artist made a white lucite that shifts and looks like it’s fading static.

Lady Art 6… aren’t. Oh, there are some very pretty bags. And some very ugly bags. But there’s nothing that made me stop and think and pay attention. Gisela Colon’ Egypt bag made me think “Cartier did it first. And they did it better.” And Manal Aldowayan’s photographs are stunning in their natural form. But on a Lady Dior? They manage to look like a purse on the end cap of a 2005 discount shoe store. You know the one? Screen printed palm trees on pleather… which is a statement- don’t get me wrong. But I don’t think it’s the intended message.

Previous Lady Art collections have had their share of misses. But this is the first collection that I didn’t have a single bag that made me think or make me covet

You are so right! #5 was so much better! I totally fell in love with the melting cannage! That's a Design I really would love to own.
This time everything looks a bit random. Your discount shoe store remark has me in stitches!

The prices seem to be spiraling too.

Back to older or vintage Dior! The black Anselm Reyle LD could make me happy.... Or the gun metal one? ( A girl can dream... Even these are far out of my range.)

 

[ElainePG]

I LOVE The Ordinary!!!! It is what I use personally for serums and moisturizer, and it is also what I use on my clients. That and the brand Advanced Clinicals (I buy their hyaluronic acid serum in bulk and give it away I love it so much) and Cera Ve cleanser and Oil of Olay Daily SPF moisturizer. Three/four times a year I will give myself a microdermabrasion or peel (if I am trying one out to test before usibg on a client). That’s it. The Cera Ve is the most expensive item I use at about $15 for a 16 oz bottle because my DH uses it too. Since my brows and lashes are blond, I got my brows done.

Here’s the naked face results…just turned 51 yesterday. View attachment 5294998View attachment 5294999

Wow, sweetie… your skin is GORGEOUS!!!! Will you come over and work on me? I'm (a lot) older, but I'll bet you could fix that!

 

[880]

Thank you for your kind words, @More bags !

@Katinahat, I used to be on medication that caused weight gain. It is terrible. I am so sorry. I eventually found an endocrin who helped me come up with another solution; put me on metformin; and, helped me to reform diet, exercise and lifestyle.
its also hard sometimes to channel joy and not guilt when shopping

@Jereni, perhaps the Proenza has given enough in your life where it is time to find the next perfect camel bag, IDK

I agree with @DME, re the method @diane278 captures so wonderfully in the thread about sharing your edited bag closet journey. When I set the items aside for a time, I don’t even miss them when i rehome, and recipients are thrilled to get them.

i do feel a bit ticked off with myself if I don’t end up loving a purchase. So, I do try to buy mindfully.

@BowieFan1971, you and your DH are so blessed! Keep sending us pics!

Also agree with @ElainePG, that most of us can upgrade our looks without shopping. Though I honestly look at RTW in spans of five-ten years or more, not just two.

 

[BowieFan1971]

Wow, sweetie… your skin is GORGEOUS!!!! Will you come over and work on me? I'm (a lot) older, but I'll bet you could fix that!

Thank you! Some of it is genetics, but a lot is keeping it simple, consistent and appropriate for my skin. If you were in metro Atlanta, I would tell you to come over, but I can always give some personal recommendations on product/technique. PM me!