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.

 

[papertiger]

Missed Hermes and Loewe weeks, and just made MJ

Navy MJ Venetia with red contrast stitching. I really love this bag.

Spoiler: The other thing

DH has become more positive since take ownership of his diet/treatment. He still hasn't been properly and clearly diagnosed which is just so stressful

Good news for shopping from our own closets fans, after visiting Gucci Cosmos exhibition in London I was just determined to find my own priceless possessions. I shopped till I almost dropped and found:

Frida era Gucci purple croc jacket with silver hardware that my late uncle bought me, and another Gucci calf-hair military-style jacket I bought myself, plus Tom Ford for Gucci springbok jacket my (sadly, now also late) mother reluctantly bought me sooooo long ago, all I haven't worn for years, all in perfect condition - all will be worn and worn this AW. Time for patina!

I was so excited at the Gucci exhibition, I couldn't take it all in. I was ridiculously exited . I took pics and vids just so I could enjoy it later. What it told me mostly was "Sort your wardrobe out!!!!!". Some of the things we already have are better than these 'luxury' brands sell now, and if they did still sell such quality/materials, I for one couldn't afford them. I can't remember the last time I saw a crocodile or fur jacket at Gucci (well I can - it was 2018 and it was a mink for £48K).

I also found my mother's yg lion ring with the diamond collar and emerald eyes Now I can wear my tiger and my lion (like my little tiger and little (late) lion) wherever I go.

 

[A bottle of Red]

Missed Hermes and Loewe weeks, and just made MJ

Navy MJ Venetia with red contrast stitching. I really love this bag.

View attachment 5877116

Spoiler: The other thing

DH has become more positive since take ownership of his diet/treatment. He still hasn't been properly and clearly diagnosed which is just so stressful

Good news for shopping from our own closets fans, after visiting Gucci Cosmos exhibition in London I was just determined to find my own priceless possessions. I shopped till I almost dropped and found:

Frida era Gucci purple croc jacket with silver hardware that my late uncle bought me, and another Gucci calf-hair military-style jacket I bought myself, plus Tom Ford for Gucci springbok jacket my (sadly, now also late) mother reluctantly bought me sooooo long ago, all I haven't worn for years, all in perfect condition - all will be worn and worn this AW. Time for patina!

I was so excited at the Gucci exhibition, I couldn't take it all in. I was ridiculously exited . I took pics and vids just so I could enjoy it later. What it told me mostly was "Sort your wardrobe out!!!!!". Some of the things we already have are better than these 'luxury' brands sell now, and if they did still sell such quality/materials, I for one couldn't afford them. I can't remember the last time I saw a crocodile or fur jacket at Gucci (well I can - it was 2018 and it was a mink for £48K).

I also found my mother's yg lion ring with the diamond collar and emerald eyes Now I can wear my tiger and my lion (like my little tiger and little (late) lion) wherever I go.

First of all, wishing your husband an accurate diagnosis and full easy recovery!
Second, I would love to see pictures of your treasures that you have rediscovered!

 

[papertiger]

First of all, wishing your husband an accurate diagnosis and full easy recovery!
Second, I would love to see pictures of your treasures that you have rediscovered!

Thank you!

Tomorrow, I will try to take pics when it's light

 

[SakuraSakura]

Hi everybody! I haven't been around much in the past few months. I have plenty of catching up to do in this thread. I can't wait to see what everybody has been doing and what gorgeous goodies you've been posting!

Spoiler: How Life Has Been

The months feel like they've been blending together. I'm busy continuing to learn ASL ; however, I feel like I'm not where I want to be in proficiency. I was signing to someone and I accidentally signed 'hungry' instead of 'tired' - the learning curve is tough but I'm doing my best! I think I need to relax more before I sign. I can't wait to be at a place where I feel more confident in my ability to sign.

As for work, I have an interview on Wednesday. While I've had a few interviews nothing has really come of it. I'm sure the right opportunity will come along... perhaps this job on Wednesday will be it. It's within walking distance too.

Some incredible news... I'm in love again. I mean, I've been in love for the past year but I'm noticing that I continue to BE in love with him. He's so funny and cute and I'm smitten like a schoolgirl ( at twenty-six, no less!) I hope everyone gets to experience this kind of love in their lives whether it be platonic or romantic. I hope this lasts. I've wanted this kind of stability for the longest time. I'm terrified but thrilled. Yes, it's with the same older man.

All in all I'm doing okay.

 

[880]

Thank you!

Tomorrow, I will try to take pics when it's light

Cannot wait! Glad things are progressing with your DH. Our thread is rooting for him

 

[whateve]

No LV for me, one Marc Jacobs

View attachment 5876954

I love this color!

 

[A bottle of Red]

Hi everybody! I haven't been around much in the past few months. I have plenty of catching up to do in this thread. I can't wait to see what everybody has been doing and what gorgeous goodies you've been posting!

Spoiler: How Life Has Been

The months feel like they've been blending together. I'm busy continuing to learn ASL ; however, I feel like I'm not where I want to be in proficiency. I was signing to someone and I accidentally signed 'hungry' instead of 'tired' - the learning curve is tough but I'm doing my best! I think I need to relax more before I sign. I can't wait to be at a place where I feel more confident in my ability to sign.

As for work, I have an interview on Wednesday. While I've had a few interviews nothing has really come of it. I'm sure the right opportunity will come along... perhaps this job on Wednesday will be it. It's within walking distance too.

Some incredible news... I'm in love again. I mean, I've been in love for the past year but I'm noticing that I continue to BE in love with him. He's so funny and cute and I'm smitten like a schoolgirl ( at twenty-six, no less!) I hope everyone gets to experience this kind of love in their lives whether it be platonic or romantic. I hope this lasts. I've wanted this kind of stability for the longest time. I'm terrified but thrilled. Yes, it's with the same older man.

All in all I'm doing okay.

Wishing you success with finding a good job and happiness with your love!

 

[dcooney4]

Missed Hermes and Loewe weeks, and just made MJ

Navy MJ Venetia with red contrast stitching. I really love this bag.

View attachment 5877116

Spoiler: The other thing

DH has become more positive since take ownership of his diet/treatment. He still hasn't been properly and clearly diagnosed which is just so stressful

Good news for shopping from our own closets fans, after visiting Gucci Cosmos exhibition in London I was just determined to find my own priceless possessions. I shopped till I almost dropped and found:

Frida era Gucci purple croc jacket with silver hardware that my late uncle bought me, and another Gucci calf-hair military-style jacket I bought myself, plus Tom Ford for Gucci springbok jacket my (sadly, now also late) mother reluctantly bought me sooooo long ago, all I haven't worn for years, all in perfect condition - all will be worn and worn this AW. Time for patina!

I was so excited at the Gucci exhibition, I couldn't take it all in. I was ridiculously exited . I took pics and vids just so I could enjoy it later. What it told me mostly was "Sort your wardrobe out!!!!!". Some of the things we already have are better than these 'luxury' brands sell now, and if they did still sell such quality/materials, I for one couldn't afford them. I can't remember the last time I saw a crocodile or fur jacket at Gucci (well I can - it was 2018 and it was a mink for £48K).

I also found my mother's yg lion ring with the diamond collar and emerald eyes Now I can wear my tiger and my lion (like my little tiger and little (late) lion) wherever I go.

I hope they find the actual diagnoses. I went through something like this last year and it was very rough. My heart goes out to you both.
The bag is very pretty. I am excited to hear about all you rediscovered in your closet.

 

[dcooney4]

Had to go pick stuff up at the consignment shop that didn’t sell. Feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the stuff in my closet. It all fits, but I prefer more open spots. So I listed a bunch of stuff. With holidays coming I really want to clear more space. Give me your best tip on getting rid of clutter.

 

[lill_canele]

I'm so behind lol, barely catching up.

@papertiger best wishes to your husband and his health!
Changing diet for health is tough. I remember when I found out I was gluten sensitive (not celiac's though) in my late teens. And it was horrible. Back then they didn't have that many gluten or wheat substitutes so it was a nightmare trying to find foods that worked or wheat substitutes that tasted tolerable (I remember a lot of things tasting like cardboard.)

@SakuraSakura good luck with your interview! And with your love life! I remember when I fell for my (future) husband after I thought I could never love again. It's definitely like a dream haha.

Had to go pick stuff up at the consignment shop that didn’t sell. Feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the stuff in my closet. It all fits, but I prefer more open spots. So I listed a bunch of stuff. With holidays coming I really want to clear more space. Give me your best tip on getting rid of clutter.

Hmm, that's hard if items don't sell. At the end of the day, I'll usually take the price reduction and further loss because it is a huge pet peeve of mine to see items that I don't want or need anymore hanging around the house or closet. There are even times in which I just end up donating items or giving them away even if I could sell them if I had the patience.

Speaking of clutter. We had a bit of house drama last month. My husband and I cleaned the filter of our washing machine and he didn't properly twist the filter back into place. So you can guess what happened when I put in the next load of laundry for a wash...
Laundry room flooded, bathroom next to laundry room, also flooded, 1/3 of our kitchen partially flooded.
Our closet's wall shares the wall with the laundry room, so that got some water too.
One dog ran away to the far corner of the kitchen and just watched it happen. The other dog just walked through the water like nbd.
We spent all night mopping everything up. Luckily I have one of those big floor fans. We use it when the couches outside get rained on unexpectedly.
The carpet in our closet we managed to save. Glad to live in California where it is dry.
However, one of my shoe shelves got water damage and had to be tossed.
This situation forced me to go through the closet and clear out a lot of items. That's why I was able to get rid of some stuff last month.
Rearranged my clothes as well. Now items are lot more visible when I go in and look for them.

In addition, I went in again this past weekend and purged some more items.

I bought a contemporary bag for fun (brand Verafied). It was $250. I like the design. It's a "modern" design I guess. Quality not as good but I expected that. It's suede leather but smelled chemically and I could tell the leather strap was on the "plastic" side and felt stiffer and cheap.
Comparing it to my one other contemporary bag (not including my Longchamp bags), my Polene bag which was $410, the Polene leather is definitely much better quality. It feels and smells like leather.
The Polene bag was also wrapped much better than the Verafied bag (both were shipped).
But I'm not mad. It's a you-get-what-you-pay-for sort of thing and I expected that.
Knowing my past experience with fabric/denim bags and how I rarely reached for them, I want to try suede leather. I've never had a suede bag before. And I bang my bags around a lot. So let's see how this goes!

 

[papertiger]

Had to go pick stuff up at the consignment shop that didn’t sell. Feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the stuff in my closet. It all fits, but I prefer more open spots. So I listed a bunch of stuff. With holidays coming I really want to clear more space. Give me your best tip on getting rid of clutter.

I'm the worst person to get rid of stuff - as you all know, so I'm not going to say I'm an expert. For me curate means don't make mistakes whilst collecting, editing, I'm really bad at. But going to the Gucci Cosmos gave me a jolt. I'm not a museum and some of my things are more impressive and in better condition than what I saw. Why am I not wearing the good stuff? I'm going to see Chanel exhibition at the V&A this week - hopefully it'll spur me on again.

The only thing that works for me is to organise piles.

Start by bye-bye clothes to rag.

Clothes/shoes/bags that served you well but either need repairing, mending or major laundering. If they've been waiting for treatment 'forever' you're not going to get around to it - let them go.

Things that were never perfect like '00s too short tees or jeans that cripple you - be gone!

Clothes/shoes/bags/books nice enough to pass on

I have a big plastic bag of stuff in the car right now. It didn't sell, I can't wear it, so it's going (charity). It will be joined by things I now have a better version of. Wooden-soled boots I loved went in the charity pile because I have Gucci clogs, I have so many black boots it literally hurts to give away, my black calf hair Bumper boots had to go, they are 19 years old and they are so warm I can only wear them in snow/ice. I have a better Italian aprés-ski pair in Scotland.

To keep (and use)

You must go through everything! Found Chanel black lace-ups (never worn because - well who knows why?

) keeping. They were with spare hangers and magazines.

 

[papertiger]

Thank you!

Tomorrow, I will try to take pics when it's light

@A bottle of Red I didn't manage to today. I had to go to a meeting with DH after work - and then the bike repair shop (apparently it looks like it'll cheaper to buy a new one - but I love my mountain bike ).

I was back in my Burberry peacoat today, last weekend I was crossing the street to avoid walking in the sun, this week I was crossing to find it.

 

[Purses & Perfumes]

Intreccio is more delicate (but not impossible) in the satin calf but I find it very durable in deer (Cervo).​

​

I think the Andiamo is lovely too (calf) but the straps run-through the loops back and forth and I was worried about the rubbing. However, wanting a beautiful Andiamo made me search for and find my Roma which is basically similar but stronger and holds more (deeper). I hadn't worn mine for 5 years, suddenly I am in-love again. I would recommend looking at a pre-loved Med for you which has a shoulder strap (I have the Large with is only hand-held)​

​

.​

​

I didn't know the medium Roma comes with a shoulder strap! Thank you for the recommendation. I love the Roma, so this has me excited to look for one.
Your MJ Venetia is simply gorgeous. I love the navy with the red piping, and the overall style of the bag!

I do hope you will be able get a proper diagnosis for your DH, which will reduce stress. Proper diagnosis is everything! I have been dealing with family health issues, and we are still trying to get a diagnosis, so completely understand the stress. Take care of yourself too, and glad to hear your DH is taking positive steps forward with the treatment.

 

[papertiger]

I didn't know the medium Roma comes with a shoulder strap! Thank you for the recommendation. I love the Roma, so this has me excited to look for one.
Your MJ Venetia is simply gorgeous. I love the navy with the red piping, and the overall style of the bag!

I do hope you will be able get a proper diagnosis for your DH, which will reduce stress. Proper diagnosis is everything! I have been dealing with family health issues, and we are still trying to get a diagnosis, so completely understand the stress. Take care of yourself too, and glad to hear your DH is taking positive steps forward with the treatment.

Oh, I hope I've been helpful. A preloved Roma is a lot more cost-effective than a new Andiamo but no less exciting.

Thank you. Last week was terrible (apart from the Gucci Cosmos exhibition). I am insisting things get better .

 

[cecchetti]

Missed Hermes and Loewe weeks, and just made MJ

Navy MJ Venetia with red contrast stitching. I really love this bag.

View attachment 5877116

Spoiler: The other thing

DH has become more positive since take ownership of his diet/treatment. He still hasn't been properly and clearly diagnosed which is just so stressful

Good news for shopping from our own closets fans, after visiting Gucci Cosmos exhibition in London I was just determined to find my own priceless possessions. I shopped till I almost dropped and found:

Frida era Gucci purple croc jacket with silver hardware that my late uncle bought me, and another Gucci calf-hair military-style jacket I bought myself, plus Tom Ford for Gucci springbok jacket my (sadly, now also late) mother reluctantly bought me sooooo long ago, all I haven't worn for years, all in perfect condition - all will be worn and worn this AW. Time for patina!

I was so excited at the Gucci exhibition, I couldn't take it all in. I was ridiculously exited . I took pics and vids just so I could enjoy it later. What it told me mostly was "Sort your wardrobe out!!!!!". Some of the things we already have are better than these 'luxury' brands sell now, and if they did still sell such quality/materials, I for one couldn't afford them. I can't remember the last time I saw a crocodile or fur jacket at Gucci (well I can - it was 2018 and it was a mink for £48K).

I also found my mother's yg lion ring with the diamond collar and emerald eyes Now I can wear my tiger and my lion (like my little tiger and little (late) lion) wherever I go.

Cannot Wait to see pics of your Gucci croc jacket!!!!!❤️