2023 Resolution: Shopping my Own Bags and SLG Collection

[Vintage Leather]

A long standing tradition in this thread is to remind ourselves of how wonderful our own collections are by showcasing them. We can see how far we have come, collection wise, and we reminded that we have all (or most of) what we need making it easier to shop our own closets.



• New theme weeks start each Sunday

• Don’t jump ahead but, if you miss a week, please do show your bags “late”.

• Show bags individually or in a group

• You do NOT have to wear the bags that week

• For added fun, show old pictures from previous years to demonstrate how you have curated it over time.

• This is completely voluntary. There is no pressure to post at any time.





So what are the showcases? In the Fall, we group our bags by makers! Feel free to show bags, small leather goods, or however it is easiest to organize!

August 13 - Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta

August 20 - Burberry, Celine

August 27 - Coach, Chanel

September 3 - Chloe, Dior

September 10 - Dooney & Bourke, Fendi

September 17 - Ferragamo, Givenchy

September 24 - Goyard, Gucci

October 1 - Hermes, Kate Spade

October 8 - Loewe, Longchamp

October 15 - Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs

October 22 - Michael Kors, Miu Miu

October 29 - Mulberry, Prada

November 5 - Proenza Schouler, Rebecca Minkoff

November 12 - Saint Laurent, Tods

November 19 - Tory Burch, Valentino

November 26 - Bags by Jewelers: Bulgari, Cartier, Tiffany Co, Van Cleef & Arpels. Alternatively, the pillboxes, compacts and other lovelies made by jewelers that fit in your bag.

December 3 - independent artisans and custom bags.

 

[lill_canele]

@lill_canele, aww, your pugs are so cute. It's interesting how our fur babies have their own personalities! Good to hear that he's settling down now. Sorry to hear about the work load. I get crabby when things get too busy and I don't get enough time for self-care, particularly things like eating healthy, exercise and of course relaxation, including talking about handbags! Hope you will have enough time to do things that are relaxing and bring balance.

Thank you! Yea, I can mentally handle it but my body shows signs of stress. I have 5 canker sores in my mouth + an oral staph infection now. Quite uncomfortable, but I'm glad I got antibiotics yesterday.
Thank you. I hope that this week will be better and that I can destress a bit. I recently got this electric heat-able hot stone facial massage device. I get a lot of tension headaches from clenching my jaw a lot (at work and when I sleep). I used it for the first time last night and it felt so nice! I hope it will gradually help me relax (and you know, if there are any anti-aging benefits I'll take them lol )

 

[Purses & Perfumes]

Balenciaga Town in Lagon. I've been wanting a bag in this color since the first time I saw it.
In keeping with my 2023 Goals I am upgrading from my teal Coach Outlet bag to this Premier brand bag.

View attachment 5756023

OMG, stunning color and leather! Enjoy your beautiful bag!

I can't give up my jeans. I feel I don't look good in wide legs or crops. It took me a long time to adopt the skinny jean trend but once I did, I felt they were made for me. I have skinny legs so most that are meant to be tight look like straight legs on me. I'm wearing the looser ones (but still skinny) these days to sort of be in style. I feel like skinnier legs also make me look less short - another reason I won't wear crops.

Cropped jeans and pants can be tricky to style, especially if you're petite. The key is, the crop has to hit at just the right point above the ankle, and tucking the top in helps elongate the leg. But all straight leg jeans don't necessarily need to be cropped imo. I have a pair or two (ever so slightly wider) that are not cropped and they look great with sneakers and heels.
Lol, my legs are skinny too, and none of my skinny jeans ever fit well either! Like you, most of my skinnies looked like straight leg styles. Honestly, for me, it was such a struggle to adopt the skinny jeans trend. I spent ages trying to find styles that fit me reasonably well, and then spent lots of time trying to pair them with the right boots (during cold weather), and truly, I was so happy to see straight leg pants and flares get popular. My favorite was the baby bootcut or flare from a few years ago, where it was fitted, and had a smaller flare near the ankle. They looked great with wedges or heels.
If you have found a look you like with your slim fit jeans, I would just stick with it and enjoy.

 

[whateve]

Thank you! Yea, I can mentally handle it but my body shows signs of stress. I have 5 canker sores in my mouth + an oral staph infection now. Quite uncomfortable, but I'm glad I got antibiotics yesterday.
Thank you. I hope that this week will be better and that I can destress a bit. I recently got this electric heat-able hot stone facial massage device. I get a lot of tension headaches from clenching my jaw a lot (at work and when I sleep). I used it for the first time last night and it felt so nice! I hope it will gradually help me relax (and you know, if there are any anti-aging benefits I'll take them lol )

Ouch! Do the antibiotics help with the canker sores too? It might help to change your toothpaste until they heal.

I'm interested in your stone facial massage device. Can you tell me more about it? When I have a really bad headache I use this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082WN9NJL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I always used heat rather than cold for headaches in the past but this thing really works well, long enough for the drugs kick in. It is super cold right out of the freezer so I start out with it on the top of my head and pull it down as it warms up a bit. I like that I can lie down in any position and it stays on plus it cools all around my head.

 

[Purses & Perfumes]

Thank you! Yea, I can mentally handle it but my body shows signs of stress. I have 5 canker sores in my mouth + an oral staph infection now. Quite uncomfortable, but I'm glad I got antibiotics yesterday.
Thank you. I hope that this week will be better and that I can destress a bit. I recently got this electric heat-able hot stone facial massage device. I get a lot of tension headaches from clenching my jaw a lot (at work and when I sleep). I used it for the first time last night and it felt so nice! I hope it will gradually help me relax (and you know, if there are any anti-aging benefits I'll take them lol )

Oh no, that's the worst thing about stress -- it always impacts the body, and shows up either in the short term or long term. Hope you feel better soon!
The hot stone device sounds interesting; I might need to look into it as I am a jaw clencher too. I sometimes do guided meditation to help with stress (need to be consistent though), and most of them will talk about relaxing the jaw, which seems to indicate that many of us clench our jaws when stressed.

 

[JenJBS]

OMG, stunning color and leather! Enjoy your beautiful bag!

Thank you! Bottega Veneta and Balenciaga have the best colors, imo.

 

[whateve]

OMG, stunning color and leather! Enjoy your beautiful bag!

Cropped jeans and pants can be tricky to style, especially if you're petite. The key is, the crop has to hit at just the right point above the ankle, and tucking the top in helps elongate the leg. But straight leg jeans don't necessarily need to be cropped. I have a pair or two that are not cropped and they look great with sneakers and heels.
Lol, my legs are skinny too, and none of my skinny jeans ever fit well either! Like you, most of my skinnies looked like straight leg styles. Honestly, for me, it was such a struggle to adopt the skinny jeans trend. I spent ages trying to find styles that fit me reasonably well, and then spent lots of time trying to pair them with the right boots (during cold weather), and truly, I was so happy to see straight leg pants and flares get popular. My favorite was the baby bootcut or flare from a few years ago, where it was fitted, and had a smaller flare near the ankle. They looked great with wedges or heels.
If you have found a look you like with your slim fit jeans, I would just stick with it and enjoy.

During the winter I love my Ugg boots and the skinny jeans work well with them. Years ago when I first started wearing Uggs I only bought jeans that fit over the top of them. It is so much easier now that I wear them tucked in. I feel the boots make skinny jeans look better by balancing out the skinniness at the bottom. The other thing I like about skinny jeans is that I don't have to get them hemmed or worry about them dragging on the floor. Other than that, I really like the baby bootcut style. I think they are very flattering because they balance out with my hips. I'm just too lazy to hem them.

With anything that is cropped, my legs look like toothpicks sticking out. I don't have shapely calves. Even with dresses, I need something near or above the knee.

 

[lill_canele]

Ouch! Do the antibiotics help with the canker sores too? It might help to change your toothpaste until they heal.

I'm interested in your stone facial massage device. Can you tell me more about it? When I have a really bad headache I use this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082WN9NJL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I always used heat rather than cold for headaches in the past but this thing really works well, long enough for the drugs kick in. It is super cold right out of the freezer so I start out with it on the top of my head and pull it down as it warms up a bit. I like that I can lie down in any position and it stays on plus it cools all around my head.

That’s a good question! I think antibiotics help with canker sores but I’ve never taken antibiotics solely for the sores; only when I have a staph infection. The last oral staph infection I had was in 2019, and boy it was painful. I tried to stay away from antibiotics but at the end of the day I had to take them.

Oh no, that's the worst thing about stress -- it always impacts the body, and shows up either in the short term or long term. Hope you feel better soon!
The hot stone device sounds interesting; I might need to look into it as I am a jaw clencher too. I sometimes do guided meditation to help with stress (need to be consistent though), and most of them will talk about relaxing the jaw, which seems to indicate that many of us clench our jaws when stressed.

Thank you! Me too! Just trying to rest and drink plenty of fluids. Yea I have to remind myself multiple times a day to relax my jaw. I do it quite unconsciously.

Here you guys go!
VRAIKO Face Massager, Face Sculpting Tool (Black Gold) https://a.co/d/7UZPVlv
Personally I feel that the heat level could be a lot hotter but it’s a small device and I can see why they wouldn’t want to overload the system with too much heat.
It also has a massage vibrate mode which I really like. I feel like I tend to go too hard when using the standard hand massage tools but if it does the work for me, I won’t apply too much pressure.
I just started using it and so far it feels good and doesn’t have any adverse effects. But I’ll have to see how it fairs in the long run (I’ll check in with you guys in about a month)

 

[Purses & Perfumes]

During the winter I love my Ugg boots and the skinny jeans work well with them. Years ago when I first started wearing Uggs I only bought jeans that fit over the top of them. It is so much easier now that I wear them tucked in. I feel the boots make skinny jeans look better by balancing out the skinniness at the bottom. The other thing I like about skinny jeans is that I don't have to get them hemmed or worry about them dragging on the floor. Other than that, I really like the baby bootcut style. I think they are very flattering because they balance out with my hips. I'm just too lazy to hem them.

With anything that is cropped, my legs look like toothpicks sticking out. I don't have shapely calves. Even with dresses, I need something near or above the knee.

I do like skinny jeans when tucked into knee high boots -- it somehow balanced the proportions, and also helped show off a nice pair of knee high boots. So my skinny jeans are still around. For the time being, they are stored in a tub but I might pull them out to wear with the taller boots during the colder months. I never had a pair of Ugg boots; not sure why (despite living in a cold place).

 

[BowieFan1971]

That’s a good question! I think antibiotics help with canker sores but I’ve never taken antibiotics solely for the sores; only when I have a staph infection. The last oral staph infection I had was in 2019, and boy it was painful. I tried to stay away from antibiotics but at the end of the day I had to take them.


Thank you! Me too! Just trying to rest and drink plenty of fluids. Yea I have to remind myself multiple times a day to relax my jaw. I do it quite unconsciously.

Here you guys go!
VRAIKO Face Massager, Face Sculpting Tool (Black Gold) https://a.co/d/7UZPVlv
Personally I feel that the heat level could be a lot hotter but it’s a small device and I can see why they wouldn’t want to overload the system with too much heat.
It also has a massage vibrate mode which I really like. I feel like I tend to go too hard when using the standard hand massage tools but if it does the work for me, I won’t apply too much pressure.
I just started using it and so far it feels good and doesn’t have any adverse effects. But I’ll have to see how it fairs in the long run (I’ll check in with you guys in about a month)

I am going to have to check that out. I am carrying a lot of tension in my face, neck and shoulders. I am getting stress breakouts too, which is not cool when you are over 50! We are renovating our primary bath, which has been a great distraction but can be stressful in its own right. But the end result is going to be amazing so it will totally be worth it! The demo is done and the wall we took out between the shower and vanity to replace with glass has made even more of a difference than I thought it would. I may not even mind giving up being able to get a Birkin to get the bathroom done LOL

 

[BowieFan1971]

I am going to have to check that out. I am carrying a lot of tension in my face, neck and shoulders. I am getting stress breakouts too, which is not cool when you are over 50! In addition to my mom, we are renovating our primary bath, which has been a great distraction but can be stressful in its own right. But the end result is going to be amazing so it will totally be worth it! The demo is done and the wall we took out between the shower and vanity to replace with glass has made even more of a difference than I thought it would. I may not even mind giving up being able to get a Birkin to get the bathroom done LOL

 

[whateve]

I do like skinny jeans when tucked into knee high boots -- it somehow balanced the proportions, and also helped show off a nice pair of knee high boots. So my skinny jeans are still around. For the time being, they are stored in a tub but I might pull them out to wear with the taller boots during the colder months. I never had a pair of Ugg boots; not sure why (despite living in a cold place).

Ugg boots have a reputation of being ugly and clunky. I love that I don't have to wear socks, just put them on and go. They are so cuddly. They have improved the look of some styles in recent years. I have several that look more like regular boots in that they are tightly fitted. Some have zippers to aid in the tighter fit.

 

[whateve]

I am going to have to check that out. I am carrying a lot of tension in my face, neck and shoulders. I am getting stress breakouts too, which is not cool when you are over 50! We are renovating our primary bath, which has been a great distraction but can be stressful in its own right. But the end result is going to be amazing so it will totally be worth it! The demo is done and the wall we took out between the shower and vanity to replace with glass has made even more of a difference than I thought it would. I may not even mind giving up being able to get a Birkin to get the bathroom done LOL

That sounds lovely! I don't think we will ever redo anything else in our house after we did the kitchen/laundry/pantry. Just paint and new flooring at some point, but I dream about replacing the counters and sinks in the master bath. At least we replaced the faucets and shower door, refinished the cabinets, painted and installed new window coverings. The tub was replaced several years ago when the first one cracked!

 

[dcooney4]

Balenciaga Town in Lagon. I've been wanting a bag in this color since the first time I saw it.
In keeping with my 2023 Goals I am upgrading from my teal Coach Outlet bag to this Premier brand bag.

View attachment 5756023

Gorgeous shade of teal.

 

[JenJBS]

Gorgeous shade of teal.

Thank you!

 

[cowgirlsboots]

Thank you! Yea, I can mentally handle it but my body shows signs of stress. I have 5 canker sores in my mouth + an oral staph infection now. Quite uncomfortable, but I'm glad I got antibiotics yesterday.
Thank you. I hope that this week will be better and that I can destress a bit. I recently got this electric heat-able hot stone facial massage device. I get a lot of tension headaches from clenching my jaw a lot (at work and when I sleep). I used it for the first time last night and it felt so nice! I hope it will gradually help me relax (and you know, if there are any anti-aging benefits I'll take them lol )

Get well soon! I feel for you and am sending soothing energy!