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.

 

[nyeredzi]

I am so sorry. Perhaps rehome both immediately?

Thanks @880 and @cowgirlsboots , but it's okay. In the scheme of things, it was a relatively cheap lesson. I learned that I don't care that much if the leather is great by some standard I barely even understand. If I don't like everything else about the bag, if I don't think it's cute or pretty, it's not for me. There are other bags out there more expensive that I've considered at some point just because people raved about the leather and honestly ... I've now learned that just having whatever kind of leather is not enough for me. Lesson learned.

But, I will keep the Kate Spade card holder. It doesn't feel great, but at least it is cute. It's not maximally functional, either, because the zip compartment does not have a gusset, and I should have realized that would make it harder to get stuff out of, but I just forgot. It's small, though, and doesn't take up much space, and it's festive with the winter scene. It'll do.

 

[whateve]

Still no stats... but the pouch project is finally finished. Sigh of relief!

View attachment 5904929

This one is made from the remnants ( hence the stitchlines on some pieces and patching- I used almost every little bit I still had) of my red curb couch leather and parts of a very ugly Massimo Dutti bag for 5€ which I only bought for its hardware and the lovely Bree strap it came with.

View attachment 5904926View attachment 5904927View attachment 5904928

The lining is grey polished cotton from the Dutti bag and did not make me happy. I prefer leather linings... only I didn´t have enough leather and my machine already heavily struggled with the shell of the bag. Too much piping, too many layers...
So I made a red quilted insert. The little pocket was harvested from the Dutti bag, too.

View attachment 5904925

The inspiration for this project was a 30ies clutch I saw in a post by a Canadian collector of German fashion from the pre war era.

This is adorable!

 

[whateve]

November stats are:
1 bag in, 1 SLG in, 0 bags out, 0 SLGs out

It would have been two bags in, but I received one damaged and returned it. The one I brought in was a Dooney and Bourke I bought on great sale just because I was curious about their Florentine leather. I have learned that this is not a good reason to buy a bag. I bought it and it immediately went to the very bottom of bag list. I haven't even carried it, and don't have a desire to. I don't care very much for the bag. One day, it will end up with someone who likes it and they will say "I wonder what happened that someone never even used this ..."

The 1 SLG in was the slim long card holder or whatever it's called, that's a winter scene cityscape. I don't regret this purchase, but I can already tell I prefer my Coach Dreamie card holder + a compact wallet. I mean, the KS is cute, but it really is not giving me the thrill I hoped. It doesn't feel as nice as my Coach one, which was my first and only one until now. Nevertheless I will be using it throughout December.

I'm sorry to hear that about the Florentine bag. I've gotten so close to buying one and always stop myself at the last minute. Maybe my subconscious knows something I don't.

 

[dcooney4]

Thanks @880 and @cowgirlsboots , but it's okay. In the scheme of things, it was a relatively cheap lesson. I learned that I don't care that much if the leather is great by some standard I barely even understand. If I don't like everything else about the bag, if I don't think it's cute or pretty, it's not for me. There are other bags out there more expensive that I've considered at some point just because people raved about the leather and honestly ... I've now learned that just having whatever kind of leather is not enough for me. Lesson learned.

But, I will keep the Kate Spade card holder. It doesn't feel great, but at least it is cute. It's not maximally functional, either, because the zip compartment does not have a gusset, and I should have realized that would make it harder to get stuff out of, but I just forgot. It's small, though, and doesn't take up much space, and it's festive with the winter scene. It'll do.

I am sorry both items didn’t make you excited. Which style of the Florentine leather did you get? I like them but most styles are to heavy for me.

 

[Bag peace]

I'm playing a very quick game of catch-up! I hope I haven't missed too many posts...

It´s kind of quirky and will be a Christmas present for DH, but only if it actually works out...

As your DH loves to fix up cars, this will be most perfect for him!
Your work is outstanding! This little pouch is something I would carry proudly and, if you hadn't mentioned it was for DH, I would have asked to buy it off of you because it would fit in really well with my quirky bags!
You're incredibly talented! I can't express just how good you are. I wish I had an ounce of your skill!

I would love to really learn the proper skills and get my hands on all the nice professional equipment.

Me too! I wonder what I could make if I had proper equipment. I have so many ideas but no way to actually see if I can do a decent job with making them a reality!
You're making such flawless pieces out of your domestic machine that I've no doubt you'd be unstoppable with the proper equipment.

To make up for my spreading spree, so to speak, I passed along a winter coat, four tops, two sweaters and a blazer to the niece who stayed with us over Thanksgiving. She’s in her early twenties and just starting out professionally, so needs to look corporate, but doesn’t have a ton of discretionary spending. Luckily we wear the same sizes in things likes tops and coats, and she loves many of the brands I wear (Vince, Theory), so was eager to shop my closet. She put a new winter coat on her Christmas list (a fancy PowerPoint; no joke!), but is having problems finding a nice one that is lined. Turned out what I passed along was exactly what she is looking for, even the color, which made me that much happier. I suspect her mother (my SIL) is breathing a sigh of relief that one pricey item is now off that list!

What a lovely, generous and thoughtful thing to do! You've given her such a great head start on her corporate life!

Here are a few. Most went last weekend.

I squealed like a little girl! These are adorable! It's even more impressive when I think of how hard it would have been to get so much detail into such a small space! Love!
Also, randomly, I recall you once describing how you were meant to paint this massive piece for your brother. Isn't it funny you're now doing teeny-tiny stuff? I know these ornaments are just for fun whereas that was a proper job, but for some reason this reminded me of that and the fact that both are on extreme ends of the scale made me giggle.

My little black dress! The only semi-formal/dressy dress I have. But it’s the only one I need.

I love it! The perfect LBD!

 

[stacy_natalie]

View attachment 5904006Here are a few. Most went last weekend.

These are so cute! You are very talented.

 

[Bag peace]

My final update for the year, I think. I have treatments scheduled this month and likely won't be online much.

2023 has been wacky and I'll be glad to see the back of it.
On the upside, I had a lot of 'Outs' this year in every category and raised some money for charity in the process.
I also made my first ever sale, which actually made me cry. My lovely python lantern bag has gone. It paid my rent, so I'm very grateful, but as many of you will know, I've never sold any of my bags so this was a big deal to me.
Still, it went to a very glamorous woman who clearly adored it. I got the impression she intends to use it lots, so I'm happy about that. The way my health has been, I've barely gotten out and that bag hasn't seen much action with me. It deserves to be used and loved. It'll be missed, though.

I also had some bags come in. I traded 2 of my bags in a consignment store and received 3 bags as gifts, iirc. A mental tally tells me my collection sits at 32 bags. Sigh!
Each year, I give away a bunch in the hopes of getting down to a reasonable collection, but the effort is offset by dear friends who will not listen when I tell them not to send me bags for my birthday. It's a good problem to have but, I would really like to see that number drop.
One resolution for next year will be to donate 6 bags. Like this year, I won't pressure myself to do so. I'll just allow the opportunity to donate to arise and trust that the bags will find happy homes.

 

[More bags]

Still no stats... but the pouch project is finally finished. Sigh of relief!

View attachment 5904929

This one is made from the remnants ( hence the stitchlines on some pieces and patching- I used almost every little bit I still had) of my red curb couch leather and parts of a very ugly Massimo Dutti bag for 5€ which I only bought for its hardware and the lovely Bree strap it came with.

View attachment 5904926View attachment 5904927View attachment 5904928

The lining is grey polished cotton from the Dutti bag and did not make me happy. I prefer leather linings... only I didn´t have enough leather and my machine already heavily struggled with the shell of the bag. Too much piping, too many layers...
So I made a red quilted insert. The little pocket was harvested from the Dutti bag, too.

View attachment 5904925

The inspiration for this project was a 30ies clutch I saw in a post by a Canadian collector of German fashion from the pre war era.

It’s stunning- outstanding creativity and craftsmanship!

 

[Vintage Leather]

Wow.

I have not bought or sold anything since October of this year. I do have a bag of 27 books to be donated, but haven’t gotten them out of the house yet which puts me at a big ol goose egg for the month in all categories

The Knight has been working a lot of hours in the last two weeks, and Vintage Mama has been sick. We are in the middle of college applications and end of the semester madness. I’ve come to the realization that I enjoy shopping for stress relief - but I hate buying. Buying is stressful. Shopping is letting yourself exist in an attractive space surrounded by pretty or interesting things and people who want you to like them.

 

[DME]

Still no stats... but the pouch project is finally finished. Sigh of relief!

View attachment 5904929

This one is made from the remnants ( hence the stitchlines on some pieces and patching- I used almost every little bit I still had) of my red curb couch leather and parts of a very ugly Massimo Dutti bag for 5€ which I only bought for its hardware and the lovely Bree strap it came with.

View attachment 5904926View attachment 5904927View attachment 5904928

The lining is grey polished cotton from the Dutti bag and did not make me happy. I prefer leather linings... only I didn´t have enough leather and my machine already heavily struggled with the shell of the bag. Too much piping, too many layers...
So I made a red quilted insert. The little pocket was harvested from the Dutti bag, too.

View attachment 5904925

The inspiration for this project was a 30ies clutch I saw in a post by a Canadian collector of German fashion from the pre war era.

Wow, what an amazing work of art! Truly impressive!

 

[cecchetti]

My final update for the year, I think. I have treatments scheduled this month and likely won't be online much.

2023 has been wacky and I'll be glad to see the back of it.
On the upside, I had a lot of 'Outs' this year in every category and raised some money for charity in the process.
I also made my first ever sale, which actually made me cry. My lovely python lantern bag has gone. It paid my rent, so I'm very grateful, but as many of you will know, I've never sold any of my bags so this was a big deal to me.
Still, it went to a very glamorous woman who clearly adored it. I got the impression she intends to use it lots, so I'm happy about that. The way my health has been, I've barely gotten out and that bag hasn't seen much action with me. It deserves to be used and loved. It'll be missed, though.

I also had some bags come in. I traded 2 of my bags in a consignment store and received 3 bags as gifts, iirc. A mental tally tells me my collection sits at 32 bags. Sigh!
Each year, I give away a bunch in the hopes of getting down to a reasonable collection, but the effort is offset by dear friends who will not listen when I tell them not to send me bags for my birthday. It's a good problem to have but, I would really like to see that number drop.
One resolution for next year will be to donate 6 bags. Like this year, I won't pressure myself to do so. I'll just allow the opportunity to donate to arise and trust that the bags will find happy homes.

On the subject of selling, I listed a few of my bags, with the object of selling a couple to make space for a new one.
But ironically the 2 which aroused a lot of interest turned out to be the 2 which I wanted to use, and didn’t want to let go of!
So I removed them from sale, as I wasn’t doing it for financial reasons, but just because I have my “Goldilocks “ number of bags -8, but that’s a number imposed by myself, and my wishlist is only 4 bags, so even if I bought all of them I’d only have 12 bags..
So no need to sell bags which I still like..one hadn’t even been used, but I could see myself using it, this would have sold today if I hadn’t removed the listing..
All of the bags on my wishlist are exotics, I’m not likely to buy all 4 in one go, and I’ve promised one to my dear Niece for her 21st next year..if I can bear to part with one of mine..
But I didn’t want sellers remorse..hopefully one of the ladies asking questions won’t come back to me today trying to buy one of the bags!

 

[dcooney4]

I'm playing a very quick game of catch-up! I hope I haven't missed too many posts...


As your DH loves to fix up cars, this will be most perfect for him!
Your work is outstanding! This little pouch is something I would carry proudly and, if you hadn't mentioned it was for DH, I would have asked to buy it off of you because it would fit in really well with my quirky bags!
You're incredibly talented! I can't express just how good you are. I wish I had an ounce of your skill!



Me too! I wonder what I could make if I had proper equipment. I have so many ideas but no way to actually see if I can do a decent job with making them a reality!
You're making such flawless pieces out of your domestic machine that I've no doubt you'd be unstoppable with the proper equipment.


What a lovely, generous and thoughtful thing to do! You've given her such a great head start on her corporate life!


I squealed like a little girl! These are adorable! It's even more impressive when I think of how hard it would have been to get so much detail into such a small space! Love!
Also, randomly, I recall you once describing how you were meant to paint this massive piece for your brother. Isn't it funny you're now doing teeny-tiny stuff? I know these ornaments are just for fun whereas that was a proper job, but for some reason this reminded me of that and the fact that both are on extreme ends of the scale made me giggle.


I love it! The perfect LBD!

I ended up not painting that massive piece for my brother. I suggested he find some one local to him. He is an airplane ride away and measurements and shipping alone would have been a nightmare. The wall he had done the painting for angled in a strange way. I have since painted other normal sized things for him.

 

[dcooney4]

These are so cute! You are very talented.

Thank you!

 

[stacy_natalie]

Still no stats... but the pouch project is finally finished. Sigh of relief!

View attachment 5904929

This one is made from the remnants ( hence the stitchlines on some pieces and patching- I used almost every little bit I still had) of my red curb couch leather and parts of a very ugly Massimo Dutti bag for 5€ which I only bought for its hardware and the lovely Bree strap it came with.

View attachment 5904926View attachment 5904927View attachment 5904928

The lining is grey polished cotton from the Dutti bag and did not make me happy. I prefer leather linings... only I didn´t have enough leather and my machine already heavily struggled with the shell of the bag. Too much piping, too many layers...
So I made a red quilted insert. The little pocket was harvested from the Dutti bag, too.

View attachment 5904925

The inspiration for this project was a 30ies clutch I saw in a post by a Canadian collector of German fashion from the pre war era.

This is amazing. What a way to upcycle. I hope your family appreciates your talent and creativity!

 

[stacy_natalie]

On the subject of selling, I listed a few of my bags, with the object of selling a couple to make space for a new one.
But ironically the 2 which aroused a lot of interest turned out to be the 2 which I wanted to use, and didn’t want to let go of!
So I removed them from sale, as I wasn’t doing it for financial reasons, but just because I have my “Goldilocks “ number of bags -8, but that’s a number imposed by myself, and my wishlist is only 4 bags, so even if I bought all of them I’d only have 12 bags..
So no need to sell bags which I still like..one hadn’t even been used, but I could see myself using it, this would have sold today if I hadn’t removed the listing..
All of the bags on my wishlist are exotics, I’m not likely to buy all 4 in one go, and I’ve promised one to my dear Niece for her 21st next year..if I can bear to part with one of mine..
But I didn’t want sellers remorse..hopefully one of the ladies asking questions won’t come back to me today trying to buy one of the bags!

12 sounds like a good number to me - one for each month of the year Better make it 13 so you can give 1 to your niece