I’m glad you made the right decision for you on the KMM. And, it’s wonderful to see you begin to deconstruct subconscious factors that may be holding you back.
Thank you! This thread and everyone here has been great in helping me delve deep. Part me me feels a bit silly about it - it's just clothes and bags after all. But another part of nee feels like it's not
really just clothes and bags, and thus, it's helpful and important.
I'm the same way. My very first purse was given to me by my grandmother when I was in 6th grade. I didn't like it very much. It was colorblocked and I think I would have been happier with something less flashy. I carried it every day so my grandmother wouldn't be disappointed. She gave my sister a very long clutch. My sister didn't hesitate to say she didn't like it. That made me even more determined to make my grandmother feel I appreciated her present.
I relate to this so much! I'm an only child, but when I was younger, some of my cousins didn't flat out say they didn't like something, but they also weren't great about hiding their feelings about not liking something. It always made me so sad for the gift giver (still does, actually), and only made me more resolved to show my appreciation and thanks. I definitely still carry that feeling with me today, so getting rid of gifts is just really hard.
I will say, something I've been trying is a Marie Kondo type thing of appreciating the gift but acknowledging that it has served its purpose and also coming to terms with the fact that a gift giver doesn't want their gift to sit around unused, unloved, taking up space, and causing stress. I need to work on this a lot more because I haven't really been able to actually get rid of most gift items, but I'm trying to reflect on this and believe it to, hopefully, get to a place where getting rid of things that don't serve me, even if they were gifts, doesn't fill me with such guilt.
Totally agree it’s too short. It’s sad as it definitely reduces usability for me. I just hand carry on days I use the car. The Bayswater Tote I carried yesterday and today is really good over the shoulder but has very different straps. I carried it for my walking commute home yesterday and it remained on my shoulder and comfortable the whole way. It’s called a Bayswater too but as an open top tote it’s very different really.
Modelling shot for comparison with the Bayswater.
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@JenJBS , this blouse is by Ted Baker too)
I love the tote, and it looks like a great, comfortable carry! Sadly, I'm trying to cut back on buying totes - I have about 10 already! Totes have been my favorite bag style for years, so I don't regret having so many totes, but I'm trying not to add to the collection because it's already so hard to give them adequate use. Actually, I was looking at the Baywaster tote right before the pandemic, but now, with so many totes already, I've put it aside in my mind. If I were still commuting into the office everyday though, the Bayswater tote would absolutely be a serious contender!
I'm using a bag I haven't used for awhile. It's a bag I doctored. My only written purse 2022 resolution is to doctor more bags this year, so I guess this is a start.
I put on the top handle(although it's hard to see) and also put the feet on the bottom.
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I am so impressed by your modifications! I have this bag in the pink color, and I love it. I really like shoulder carry and chain straps, so the original bag is perfect for me, but I love that you were able to doctor it to your preferences!
Not to make this an MM thread, but just how much will he customize for you? I think I really love the
Valerie but I'd want to use it as a laptop bag, and it's 2 inches too small for that. I would think that would be too major a change, but it would be lovely...
Speaking of laptop bags, I found a gorgeous BV that would hold a laptop but has no shoulder strap, and I panic when I am not attached to my bag at all possible contact points. How expensive and/or sacrilegious would it be to get someone to attach strap connectors?
I've never asked Marco to change the dimensions of one of his bags, so I'm not sure, but I think that doing so requires a new form/template and that it's possibly a lot of work and/or expensive to do so. That being said though, I know that if there is enough interest in a new size/different dimensions, he will definitely consider it. There's some talk in the MM thread about a smaller size of the Ellen or Charlotte (I can't remember which) and possible a bigger Astra satchel. That being said, I think it certainly doesn't hurt to reach out to Marco to ask about the possibility. He has always been so kind to communicate and work with, and I've been pleasantly surprised at some of my requests that he has said yes to.
