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.

 

[dcooney4]

Thank you! And thanks for sharing your story of Bob. You're right, letting go and letting karma do its thing is the only way to mental peace.

Those are the best friendships. I agree it's much better to have a few that are true, than a lot that are superficial or toxic.

This is a very clever idea! If you don't mind, I'm going to steal this and start doing the same.

Thank you so much. Now that the initial shock of it has worn off, I'm starting to feel grateful he showed me his true colours.

Glad you're feeling a bit better. I also have been robbed by what I thought were friends when I was younger. It really broke my heart. I unfortunately am now a much more skeptical person.

 

[dcooney4]

I have been trying to truly use all my bags lately. What do you do with bags gifted to you by someone close to you, but you don't wear. Most of those I have been able to get rid of, but there a couple that I could hurt feelings if I got rid. I hold on to those but at times wish I could just get rid of them.

 

[nyeredzi]

I have been trying to truly use all my bags lately. What do you do with bags gifted to you by someone close to you, but you don't wear. Most of those I have been able to get rid of, but there a couple that I could hurt feelings if I got rid. I hold on to those but at times wish I could just get rid of them.

How many of these kinds of bags do you have? Are they big or small?

 

[nyeredzi]

@jblended , I hate that that happened to you. There are some real low quality humans out there. You do not sound stupid to me. It's not stupid to think someone you'd been a friend of for decades wouldn't give up that relationship for a paltry $1000. Especially as you were the type to lend/give him money when you had it, it doesn't even make sense from a grifter's point of view. But, apparently, a grifter he was, even if not a very smart one, and though it's understandably very painful, better to have that type of person out of your life. I'm sorry your relationship wasn't what you thought it was.

 

[Bag peace]

Glad you're feeling a bit better. I also have been robbed by what I thought were friends when I was younger. It really broke my heart. I unfortunately am now a much more skeptical person.

So sorry you've had that experience, too. Don't blame you at all for being more guarded as a result.

I have been trying to truly use all my bags lately. What do you do with bags gifted to you by someone close to you, but you don't wear. Most of those I have been able to get rid of, but there a couple that I could hurt feelings if I got rid. I hold on to those but at times wish I could just get rid of them.

Most often, I use the gifted bags occasionally for 1 year and make sure the person who gifted it sees me using them (often dropping them a line when I do to say "I'm using your bag today and thinking of you"). After the year is up, if I still don't love the bag, I let it go. At that point, it's clear I enjoyed it and the friends don't even notice I released it along the way. If they were to ask where the bag has gone, I would say I wore the bag out with use to spare their feelings (though thankfully, I've never had anyone ask).
Alternatively, could you use the bags to hold random items at home? Like put all your winter scarves in them, or some of your art supplies. The bags could live in your studio and be functional (so the person who gave them to you sees them), but not be counted in your actual collection.

and though it's understandably very painful, better to have that type of person out of your life. I'm sorry your relationship wasn't what you thought it was.

That's my takeaway from this, too. I'm lucky I know who he is now and have learned a valuable lesson. Thank you so much!

 

[880]

Thank you! It's just ludicrous to me that someone would toss away a friendship over such a small sum. I mean, it's a lot of money, especially with the current climate, but it's not 50k or a million, you know? A grand only goes so far. Was it worth it to him to lose a friend over that? My mind can't compute. My heart can't either, lol.
Perhaps you're right, he's opportunistic and probably would have done it to anyone. Perhaps he has done it to countless others (or not)...who knows? I'm happy I learned the lesson this way and didn't entrust him with anything more valuable. Good riddance.


Thank you! I just needed to vent because it really threw me. It's a reflection on both of us, tbh. He's dishonest but I'm also stupid. It's a combination made in heaven, lol.


Thanks for the support, as always. I'm more hurt about losing the friend than I am the money, and am just trying to focus on the fact that this was no friend at all. Can't lie- it still stings. Wish I were a better judge of character but, it's done and I can't undo it.

The clutch is definitely a she! It's sassy rather than quirky, so it's a good addition to my collection! I'll post an action shot when I eventually use her!

It's funny, I gave away some watches a couple of months ago but chose to keep this one just a little longer, with the intention of letting it go around Xmas time. Each time I wore it since, I didn't want it on me and I regretted not including it in my earlier donations. When I saw it on the barista's wrist, I knew that it was meant to be hers. It was too large on my wrist but perfectly sized for her. It worked out just the way it was supposed to.
The watches I have left are my forever watches. I'm really happy with my core collection and don't foresee myself adding anything for years to come. I'm very lucky!

This was not a friend. You are so kind and generous and deserve so much better. Know it doesn’t help as much with your pain and hurt, but we are with you

 

[BowieFan1971]

I have been trying to truly use all my bags lately. What do you do with bags gifted to you by someone close to you, but you don't wear. Most of those I have been able to get rid of, but there a couple that I could hurt feelings if I got rid. I hold on to those but at times wish I could just get rid of them.

I hold on to them. There’s only 2 and DH bought them for me, so it’s not like they take up a ton of space…

Speaking of DH, I have educated both DH and DS enough about bags that they can recognize the basics and have made sone female coworkers’ days by accurately ID’ing and complimenting their bags. LOL Can I claim brownie points by proxy?

 

[stacy_natalie]

Hi ladies, I am fairly new here and wanted to introduce myself. I originally joined TPF in 2015 when I was at the tail end of a 10 year long journey to track down a Prada bag I bought new in 2005, immediately got rid of without using, and then regretted for the better part of a decade. At that time I had never heard of Tradesey or any of these resale sites and stumbled across TPF authentication thread. Since then, I have become even more of a handbag junkie but never thought to participate in these forums until recently. I came across this thread and was intrigued by the concept of posting photos by bag color weekly, as I just completed a renovation on my small handbag closet when I did my regular closet and was trying to figure out the best way to organize my bags - which ended up being by color. I was sorry I missed the opportunity to participate in that!


Given the number of posts in this thread, it took me a while to get through all of them, but I have enjoyed reading and it seems like you are a great group of women with similar affinity for bags and fashion in general who support one another even though you've never met in real life and appear to be from all over the world. A little about me.... I live in South Florida but have also lived in France, NY, St. Louis, Los Angeles, and Maui, but somehow keep ending up here although I really want to move! I am a single mom of 2 daughters (16 year old lives with me and 23 year old is an officer in the Air Force stationed in Wyoming). I love anything pink but sadly, neither of my girls is girly like that nor seems to care about designer stuff. I also don't have many friends in real life that can relate to my obsession. I am not exclusive to any one brand and don't have any bags I consider super high end like Hermes or Chanel (wait I think I have 1 Chanel) but I do have what I consider a nice variety of luxury brand bags (Gucci, Prada, Jimm Choo, Louis Vuitton, etc.). Anyway, just wanted to say hi!

 

[JenJBS]

Hi ladies, I am fairly new here and wanted to introduce myself. I originally joined TPF in 2015 when I was at the tail end of a 10 year long journey to track down a Prada bag I bought new in 2005, immediately got rid of without using, and then regretted for the better part of a decade. At that time I had never heard of Tradesey or any of these resale sites and stumbled across TPF authentication thread. Since then, I have become even more of a handbag junkie but never thought to participate in these forums until recently. I came across this thread and was intrigued by the concept of posting photos by bag color weekly, as I just completed a renovation on my small handbag closet when I did my regular closet and was trying to figure out the best way to organize my bags - which ended up being by color. I was sorry I missed the opportunity to participate in that!


Given the number of posts in this thread, it took me a while to get through all of them, but I have enjoyed reading and it seems like you are a great group of women with similar affinity for bags and fashion in general who support one another even though you've never met in real life and appear to be from all over the world. A little about me.... I live in South Florida but have also lived in France, NY, St. Louis, Los Angeles, and Maui, but somehow keep ending up here although I really want to move! I am a single mom of 2 daughters (16 year old lives with me and 23 year old is an officer in the Air Force stationed in Wyoming). I love anything pink but sadly, neither of my girls is girly like that nor seems to care about designer stuff. I also don't have many friends in real life that can relate to my obsession. I am not exclusive to any one brand and don't have any bags I consider super high end like Hermes or Chanel (wait I think I have 1 Chanel) but I do have what I consider a nice variety of luxury brand bags (Gucci, Prada, Jimm Choo, Louis Vuitton, etc.). Anyway, just wanted to say hi!

Welcome!

This is a great Thread! We do the Color Weeks every year, so excited to see your bags next year. OR you could still post them here this year - by color, or on the upcoming designer weeks.

Like you, no irl friends who share my love of bags.

 

[dcooney4]

How many of these kinds of bags do you have? Are they big or small?

Not to many about 3 or 4 . They are on the smaller size thank goodness.

 

[dcooney4]

I hold on to them. There’s only 2 and DH bought them for me, so it’s not like they take up a ton of space…

Speaking of DH, I have educated both DH and DS enough about bags that they can recognize the basics and have made sone female coworkers’ days by accurately ID’ing and complimenting their bags. LOL Can I claim brownie points by proxy?

Absolutely!

 

[dcooney4]

Hi ladies, I am fairly new here and wanted to introduce myself. I originally joined TPF in 2015 when I was at the tail end of a 10 year long journey to track down a Prada bag I bought new in 2005, immediately got rid of without using, and then regretted for the better part of a decade. At that time I had never heard of Tradesey or any of these resale sites and stumbled across TPF authentication thread. Since then, I have become even more of a handbag junkie but never thought to participate in these forums until recently. I came across this thread and was intrigued by the concept of posting photos by bag color weekly, as I just completed a renovation on my small handbag closet when I did my regular closet and was trying to figure out the best way to organize my bags - which ended up being by color. I was sorry I missed the opportunity to participate in that!


Given the number of posts in this thread, it took me a while to get through all of them, but I have enjoyed reading and it seems like you are a great group of women with similar affinity for bags and fashion in general who support one another even though you've never met in real life and appear to be from all over the world. A little about me.... I live in South Florida but have also lived in France, NY, St. Louis, Los Angeles, and Maui, but somehow keep ending up here although I really want to move! I am a single mom of 2 daughters (16 year old lives with me and 23 year old is an officer in the Air Force stationed in Wyoming). I love anything pink but sadly, neither of my girls is girly like that nor seems to care about designer stuff. I also don't have many friends in real life that can relate to my obsession. I am not exclusive to any one brand and don't have any bags I consider super high end like Hermes or Chanel (wait I think I have 1 Chanel) but I do have what I consider a nice variety of luxury brand bags (Gucci, Prada, Jimm Choo, Louis Vuitton, etc.). Anyway, just wanted to say hi!

Welcome to the group. We do the bags by color each year. Look at the top and you will see each week we do something else too. We chat about a lot of things. Lol

 

[FizzyWater]

I don't think I know the difference between wicker/rattan/raffia/straw/etc. I got all these bags this year, undoubtedly because of the lovely ones featured here.

I bought this on Ebay because I like the loose, radiating weave. I had thought it would be bigger, but it's not really big enough to use as a tote. So I take it to the weekend farmers market filled with my reusable produce bags, and it looks sort of charming in my hallway:


I picked up the black bag at the consignment shop around the corner, when I went to get my payment for some purses I'd sold them. I've never had a circle purse before, and it's interesting. I snagged this blue bag from my mom's sale for myself - it's interesting but really not "me" and I may bring it back to her when I see her next.

Apologies for the background. I also brought back my mom's cats; it's about 20 degrees warmer here than there; they're fur machines. There is nothing in this room aside from the throw that is not covered in an inch of cat hair right now.


I'm much more excited about the green Trim - it needs some care before I can wear it, but it's just what I'd hoped for! (ok, except for the gold hw. I'll live.)


It's also something like a third the weight of its sister in Clemence. Amazing! They are the same size, 38, but the green one is fairly floppy and the gray one not at all. Part of my "flat family":

 

[baghabitz34]

Hi ladies, I am fairly new here and wanted to introduce myself. I originally joined TPF in 2015 when I was at the tail end of a 10 year long journey to track down a Prada bag I bought new in 2005, immediately got rid of without using, and then regretted for the better part of a decade. At that time I had never heard of Tradesey or any of these resale sites and stumbled across TPF authentication thread. Since then, I have become even more of a handbag junkie but never thought to participate in these forums until recently. I came across this thread and was intrigued by the concept of posting photos by bag color weekly, as I just completed a renovation on my small handbag closet when I did my regular closet and was trying to figure out the best way to organize my bags - which ended up being by color. I was sorry I missed the opportunity to participate in that!


Given the number of posts in this thread, it took me a while to get through all of them, but I have enjoyed reading and it seems like you are a great group of women with similar affinity for bags and fashion in general who support one another even though you've never met in real life and appear to be from all over the world. A little about me.... I live in South Florida but have also lived in France, NY, St. Louis, Los Angeles, and Maui, but somehow keep ending up here although I really want to move! I am a single mom of 2 daughters (16 year old lives with me and 23 year old is an officer in the Air Force stationed in Wyoming). I love anything pink but sadly, neither of my girls is girly like that nor seems to care about designer stuff. I also don't have many friends in real life that can relate to my obsession. I am not exclusive to any one brand and don't have any bags I consider super high end like Hermes or Chanel (wait I think I have 1 Chanel) but I do have what I consider a nice variety of luxury brand bags (Gucci, Prada, Jimm Choo, Louis Vuitton, etc.). Anyway, just wanted to say hi!

Welcome!

 

[BowieFan1971]

Hi ladies, I am fairly new here and wanted to introduce myself. I originally joined TPF in 2015 when I was at the tail end of a 10 year long journey to track down a Prada bag I bought new in 2005, immediately got rid of without using, and then regretted for the better part of a decade. At that time I had never heard of Tradesey or any of these resale sites and stumbled across TPF authentication thread. Since then, I have become even more of a handbag junkie but never thought to participate in these forums until recently. I came across this thread and was intrigued by the concept of posting photos by bag color weekly, as I just completed a renovation on my small handbag closet when I did my regular closet and was trying to figure out the best way to organize my bags - which ended up being by color. I was sorry I missed the opportunity to participate in that!


Given the number of posts in this thread, it took me a while to get through all of them, but I have enjoyed reading and it seems like you are a great group of women with similar affinity for bags and fashion in general who support one another even though you've never met in real life and appear to be from all over the world. A little about me.... I live in South Florida but have also lived in France, NY, St. Louis, Los Angeles, and Maui, but somehow keep ending up here although I really want to move! I am a single mom of 2 daughters (16 year old lives with me and 23 year old is an officer in the Air Force stationed in Wyoming). I love anything pink but sadly, neither of my girls is girly like that nor seems to care about designer stuff. I also don't have many friends in real life that can relate to my obsession. I am not exclusive to any one brand and don't have any bags I consider super high end like Hermes or Chanel (wait I think I have 1 Chanel) but I do have what I consider a nice variety of luxury brand bags (Gucci, Prada, Jimm Choo, Louis Vuitton, etc.). Anyway, just wanted to say hi!

Welcome! Glad to have you!