2024 Resolution: Shopping my own Bag and SLG Collection

[Sparkletastic]

December Activities and Challenges - pick and choose as you please.

I. 2024 Year In Review Reflection
(Thanks @Vintage Leather)

Utilize these thought starters to evaluate your collection, your usage patterns and your lessons learned in 2024.
• What is your most useful purse?
• What is your best purchase of the year?
• We’ve all had a lot of lifestyle changes this year - how has it affected your style?
• What is the one thing we’ve learned this year that you want to take into the next?

II. Setting 2025 Goals
Take this month to consider what you want to do with your handbag collection, wardrobe or even your beautiful life in 2025. Share these thoughts in January when we start the 2026 Shopping Your Closet thread.

III. End of year optional challenges

• Holiday colors: December has many holidays celebrated across the world - red & green, brown & gold, blue & white and more! Pick the holiday that you want to honor and wear / show off your bags in those traditional colors.

• End with a bang: As we come to the last part of the year, wear the last bag you’ve purchased at least 3 times this month.

@Vlad please pin this to the top of our thread.

 

[cecchetti]

Thanks! Turns out I broke it. It will be a learning experience to become a lefty for six weeks.

Nnnoo!

I’ve had osteoporosis for 15 years (perils of being an ex-ballerina), but thankfully never broken anything.

It must be excruciating .

You poor thing..I hope it heals quickly ❤️❤️❤️❤️.

 

[dcooney4]

Nnnoo!

I’ve had osteoporosis for 15 years (perils of being an ex-ballerina), but thankfully never broken anything.

It must be excruciating .

You poor thing..I hope it heals quickly ❤️❤️❤️❤️.

Thank you! i am sorry for your loss.

 

[dcooney4]

We lost our dog two weeks ago. While I haven't done too much shopping, I have been numbing myself with social media. I don't have the energy to even envision my future right now. I relate to you both - I hope things are better now. I miss him so much it hurts.

In the meanwhile, I decided to swap out my Coach 2007 signature soho flap for a 2005 soho pocket flap as I needed a change. It was an excellent purchase. I've thought about the Soho Pocket Flap for quite sometime. I'd love to find one in red.

Sorry for your loss of your fur baby.

 

[Cookiefiend]

Sooooo… being “out of it” for so long with health issues has meant I’m behind in some of the little but important-to-me things I like to do. One of those is keeping my bags cleaned, conditioned, organized and displayed so that I’m happy when I see them all together.

I spent the day reloading my entire closet to edit out what isn’t working. With that I had to reset and adjust every single shelf in my bag tower. I’m happy with what I could fit -
but now with my purchases, I can’t fit 3 bags that can / should “sit” on the shelves (you can see them languishing on the top shelf second pic). My 2 new Prada monochrome top handle bags take up a lot of vertical space.

I’m also not happy with my hanging bag section as I can barely differentiate what is what. Even the new Gucci multi colored python is getting lost.

Suggestions? I’d love to see how everyone else displays / stores their bags. @dcooney4 - you are really good about holding your collection to a certain amount of space so feel free to tutor me! View attachment 6080618View attachment 6080619

And yes. Those of you with keen perception can see I’m photographing everything BUT the 9 bags I need to sell.

Procrastination thy name is Sparkletastic.

wow - beautiful closet! I don't have any suggestions but you gave me one with these hangers for your shoulder bags!
Thanks!

I won't be able to post much. I hurt my right wrist and I am a righty. Sparkletastic you are on a roll. Good luck with the sales.

OH Dear!! I'm so sorry... hopefully the break will heal quickly!

We lost our dog two weeks ago. While I haven't done too much shopping, I have been numbing myself with social media. I don't have the energy to even envision my future right now. I relate to you both - I hope things are better now. I miss him so much it hurts.

In the meanwhile, I decided to swap out my Coach 2007 signature soho flap for a 2005 soho pocket flap as I needed a change. It was an excellent purchase. I've thought about the Soho Pocket Flap for quite sometime. I'd love to find one in red.

awww hon... so sad. Sending you hugs.

Wow, I love how you display your bags! While it’s probably not so helpful to you since I keep mine in their dust bags (with the exception of whatever work tote I’m currently using and two grab-and-go bags that I rotate a couple of times per season to encourage more wear), I’ll include some closet photos in case they’re helpful. Earlier this year I swapped out three jewelry trays just under the shelf where my work bag sits with two more drawers to accommodate my growing SLG collection. I’ve been consolidating/downsizing/curating my jewelry collection, giving away or selling a lot of my fashion jewelry and putting what’s left in one place so I can better see what I have. I finally got around to selling many of the items from my mom that I wasn’t keeping and I was pleased with the place I used (so much better than the last place). Of course I took the proceeds right to VCA and bought myself a pendant, but… At least I don’t have things I know I don’t want still sitting around.

View attachment 6081044View attachment 6081038View attachment 6081043View attachment 6081042View attachment 6081041View attachment 6081040View attachment 6081039

great googly moogly beautiful! Goals for sure!

My sister’s father-in-law passed away on Sunday afternoon in hospital, suffering from pneumonia.

He was 86(or 87, I’m not sure).

I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

[Sparkletastic]

Thanks! Turns out I broke it. It will be a learning experience to become a lefty for six weeks

I am SO sorry! That will interrupt your beautiful painting. Will you need physical therapy once it’s out of the cast?

wow - beautiful closet! I don't have any suggestions but you gave me one with these hangers for your shoulder bags!
Thanks!

OH Dear!! I'm so sorry... hopefully the break will heal quickly!

awww hon... so sad. Sending you hugs.

great googly moogly beautiful! Goals for sure!

I'm so sorry for your loss.

The hangers, clear risers and sunglasses stand are all Amazon finds.

 

[880]

Thanks! Turns out I broke it. It will be a learning experience to become a lefty for six weeks.

Oh no. I am so sorry. I hope you are not in too much pain. Hugs

 

[Sparkletastic]

Questions of the day:

In your collection, which brand is most represented and which brand is least represented? Is this what you expected or is this a surprise to you? Do you know why you tend to buy your most represented brand? And/or now that you have this info do you need to make a change in how you purchase going forward?

I’ll start. I own more Dior bags than any other brand. That makes “sense” because I use those bags (Miss Dior and Diorama in particular) quite a bit. Second is Chanel. That makes no sense as the jumbos are my least used but most expensive bags. I need to put on my big girl undies and sell at least one or two of the four. I don’t want museum pieces. Every bag I own needs to be used.

Least populated is hard to say. I have a lot of brands from which I’ve purchased one – three bags. Interestingly, those tend to be highly used bags because I ignored brand, price retention / appreciation opportunity and other “shoulds” and bought purely on a combo of aesthetics and functionality. And when you buy something that is beautiful that works well, you tend to wear it. My new Louis Vuitton blossom tote is a great example. I’ve worn it two days in a row and the functionality for this bag is outstanding for me. Add to that I really like both the overall look and the feel of the leather and I’m in love. I want to buy another one ASAP. (After ban island release in the future.)

Thinking about this yielded a tough but important revelation. I have some important curation to do. I want bags I USE - not just look at. So I’m going to force myself to cull just 2 more bags by years end. Given they won’t be bags I use, I won’t feel long term pain. But when my much needed lengthy sentence is served on ban island, I’ll have space in my collection for more usable additions.

 

[whateve]

Questions of the day:

In your collection, which brand is most represented and which brand is least represented? Is this what you expected or is this a surprise to you? Do you know why you tend to buy your most represented brand? And/or now that you have this info do you need to make a change in how you purchase going forward?

I’ll start. I own more Dior bags than any other brand. That makes “sense” because I use those bags (Miss Dior and Diorama in particular) quite a bit. Second is Chanel. That makes no sense as the jumbos are my least used but most expensive bags. I need to put on my big girl undies and sell at least one or two of the four. I don’t want museum pieces. Everu bag I own needs to be used.

Least populated is hard to say. I have a lot of brands from which I’ve purchased one – three bags. Interestingly, those tend to be highly used bags because I ignored brand, price appreciation and other “shoulds” and bought purely on a combo of aesthetics and functionality. And when you buy something that is beautiful that works well, you tend to wear it. My new Louis Vuitton blossom tote is a great example. I’ve worn it two days in a row and the functionality for this bag is outstanding for me. Add to that I really like both the overall look and the feel of the leather and I’m in love. I want to buy another one ASAP. (After ban island release in the future.)

Thinking about this yielded a tough but important revelation. I have some important curation to do. I want bags I USE - not just look at. So I’m going to force myself to cull just 2 more bags by years end. Given they won’t be bags I use, I won’t feel long term pain. But when my much needed lengthy sentence is served on ban island, I’ll have space in my collection for more usable additions.

The most represented brand for me is Coach, which isn't a surprise as that is where I started on the forum. Just out of college, Coach was the first brand I bought for myself with my own money. Once I had kids, for some reason I started carrying department store bags, not really paying attention to the brand, just looking for functionality. When my oldest was in high school she got a job at McDonald's and with her first paychecks, she splurged on a Coach bag and wallet. I probably didn't react the best way. I went on ebay to show her I could get a Coach bag without spending so much. That's when I found out there were fakes and joined the forum for authentications. I stayed on the Coach forum for conversation, got interested in vintage Coach and started collecting those. It's difficult to venture out into other brand forums when you are comfortable. I learned so much about Coach that I can authenticate them myself, which makes it easier to buy second hand Coach for me than any other brand.

Because of my interest in vintage Coach, I started shopping at thrift stores for bags. When I came across a brand I didn't know how to authenticate, I just held my breath and got them authenticated once I got back home. When I found a Balenciaga at a thrift, I discovered how nice the people are on the Bal forum and started collecting those too. Some of the same people are on the Bottega Veneta forum so I got a few of those. Still, I was afraid to venture into some of the other forums, plus some of the authenticators won't authenticate something in your possession, so no thrift store purchases. That makes it less likely I'll be bringing home those brands.

Other brands that I own at least a few of are Brahmin, Dooney & Bourke, Kate Spade, Michael Kors and Henri Bendel. The brands that are barely represented are Longchamp, Ferragamo, Hammitt and Chanel. Of those, the only one I'm likely to buy again is Hammitt. I've decided that if I'm buying new, I'm more comfortable with less expensive. If I end up not using them very much, I won't feel very guilty. And resale is a lot less nerve wracking when the amounts are in the hundreds rather than the thousands. I've had this philosophy a year or more and I doubt I'll go back to shopping premier designers. There are a lot of smaller lesser known brands I might try. I like the idea of carrying things that no one knows what brand they are.

 

[880]

Hermes
Chanel -4
Bottega - 3
Dior -3
Loewe-1
Goyard -1
LV -1

Seasonal : heimat atlantica raffia/straw

Most of my bags are Hermes. I wear them 95% of the time. I’ve been collecting them since 2008. Prior to 2008, I mainly wore Chanel bags. I consider most of my bags to be ones that I will wear forever, four season. I do love toile, felt, and mixed media bags which are somewhat seasonal. I rarely consign bags, but I do give some to family and friends. I wish balenciaga worked for me, but it’s simply not my style. To me, bags are secondary to RTW, so I mainly wear neutrals and prefer styles and models and sizes that I already know well. I prefer structured top handle bags and hand carry to shoulder, but that is slowly changing. I carry less and less, so my MKII and sac Kelly elan, both 2024, are among my newest and most used. I buy well priced vintage heritage leather as well as boutique. And, I don’t pay high resale prices for anything. Most of my bags are size 28/30 BK, but for my smaller sizes, I no longer feel the urge to buy multiple colors and sizes. I’m very close to bag peace. HW can be a deal breaker. And, I tend to prefer phw as more casual and modern.

 

[papertiger]

Thanks! Turns out I broke it. It will be a learning experience to become a lefty for six weeks.

O.M.G. I am so sorry. I wish you all the best

 

[papertiger]

The most represented brand for me is Coach, which isn't a surprise as that is where I started on the forum. Just out of college, Coach was the first brand I bought for myself with my own money. Once I had kids, for some reason I started carrying department store bags, not really paying attention to the brand, just looking for functionality. When my oldest was in high school she got a job at McDonald's and with her first paychecks, she splurged on a Coach bag and wallet. I probably didn't react the best way. I went on ebay to show her I could get a Coach bag without spending so much. That's when I found out there were fakes and joined the forum for authentications. I stayed on the Coach forum for conversation, got interested in vintage Coach and started collecting those. It's difficult to venture out into other brand forums when you are comfortable. I learned so much about Coach that I can authenticate them myself, which makes it easier to buy second hand Coach for me than any other brand.

Because of my interest in vintage Coach, I started shopping at thrift stores for bags. When I came across a brand I didn't know how to authenticate, I just held my breath and got them authenticated once I got back home. When I found a Balenciaga at a thrift, I discovered how nice the people are on the Bal forum and started collecting those too. Some of the same people are on the Bottega Veneta forum so I got a few of those. Still, I was afraid to venture into some of the other forums, plus some of the authenticators won't authenticate something in your possession, so no thrift store purchases. That makes it less likely I'll be bringing home those brands.

Other brands that I own at least a few of are Brahmin, Dooney & Bourke, Kate Spade, Michael Kors and Henri Bendel. The brands that are barely represented are Longchamp, Ferragamo, Hammitt and Chanel. Of those, the only one I'm likely to buy again is Hammitt. I've decided that if I'm buying new, I'm more comfortable with less expensive. If I end up not using them very much, I won't feel very guilty. And resale is a lot less nerve wracking when the amounts are in the hundreds rather than the thousands. I've had this philosophy a year or more and I doubt I'll go back to shopping premier designers. There are a lot of smaller lesser known brands I might try. I like the idea of carrying things that no one knows what brand they are.

I don't have any, but I have handled vintage Coach.

They are so well made and designed. I can imagine a young woman in the 70s looking so cool in original Levis, Frye Campus boots and fab Coach bag.

 

[papertiger]

Questions of the day:

In your collection, which brand is most represented and which brand is least represented? Is this what you expected or is this a surprise to you? Do you know why you tend to buy your most represented brand? And/or now that you have this info do you need to make a change in how you purchase going forward?

I’ll start. I own more Dior bags than any other brand. That makes “sense” because I use those bags (Miss Dior and Diorama in particular) quite a bit. Second is Chanel. That makes no sense as the jumbos are my least used but most expensive bags. I need to put on my big girl undies and sell at least one or two of the four. I don’t want museum pieces. Every bag I own needs to be used.

Least populated is hard to say. I have a lot of brands from which I’ve purchased one – three bags. Interestingly, those tend to be highly used bags because I ignored brand, price retention / appreciation opportunity and other “shoulds” and bought purely on a combo of aesthetics and functionality. And when you buy something that is beautiful that works well, you tend to wear it. My new Louis Vuitton blossom tote is a great example. I’ve worn it two days in a row and the functionality for this bag is outstanding for me. Add to that I really like both the overall look and the feel of the leather and I’m in love. I want to buy another one ASAP. (After ban island release in the future.)

Thinking about this yielded a tough but important revelation. I have some important curation to do. I want bags I USE - not just look at. So I’m going to force myself to cull just 2 more bags by years end. Given they won’t be bags I use, I won’t feel long term pain. But when my much needed lengthy sentence is served on ban island, I’ll have space in my collection for more usable additions.

Gucci (surprise ) is my most represented brand at around 45. I love the Gucci bags I have. Most were bought new but I also have my mother's which are 70s/'80s/'90s. My most vintage I bought from a friend of my mother's who wanted to downsize, so I have 3 very fancy 1960s bags. Gucci's archive is full of amazing designs they reissue, and they are so well made. I was first drawn to buying my own when I saw the XL horse-bit bags in the early '00s - so I have 4. My favourite is the Bamboo Top-handle (also x 4).

Maybe surprisingly to some, I've only bought 3 Gucci bags in the past 8 years although I've bought other things. My last Gucci bag I bought was last year, a long anticipated Blondie in hair-calf.

My other contenders are far fewer: Hermes 15; BV/Chanel 5 each; Everything else fewer.

15 Hermes bags is still a lot, I already have a couple of repeats of my favourites. 2 were passed down to me (not by my mother she didn't like H bags). I wear Hermes bags a lot, certainly every one I have.

3 out of 5 of my Chanels were also passed down, now all would be considered vintage, even my BV are old as the newest is from 2015. I hardly ever wear Chanel, and if I do, it's the Tassel flap, the back-pack or the Cambon, never the CF. I love all my BVs and have worn the heck out of them.

I've given up on BV. SAs don't stay for a month, and the SS25 fashion show was embarrassing. You'd think that BV would be taking advantage of the 'quiet luxury' trend.

I have quite a few singles and doubles, more from a time (00s) when I was interested bags as fashion items. Some of those were bought in department stores like my MJ Venetia, Bracher Emden or Pauric Sweeny python. I wouldn't buy a bag from a dept store anymore (since I live close to London). This year, I bought a couple of bags I'd call more fashion than specialist leather goods, like my new Bal and the Balmain. They don't make me want to get into the brand more, but the Bal Le City made me carry my Bowling too. In fact it was a quite a Balenciaga Summer.

I also still have a couple of Diors, a Prada, a Saint Laurent, etc. Apart from the YSL, they are the remains of larger collections I whittled down. I feel estranged from Dior and although I love Prada fashion lately (and makeup) nothing makes me want a new Prada bag.

I will also cull another couple of bags this year, but none from the list above.

 

[880]

young woman in the 70s looking so cool in original Levis, Frye Campus boots and fab Coach bag.

This made me think of the vintage bags by Bonnie cashin and the movie love story I’m also on the look out for a Roberto Di Camarino velvet bag and the perfect (for me) vintage Gucci top handle, but they haven’t crossed my path yet. Not sure if they are my style, but I love them.

Forgot my one bespoke bag by duret. It was his first bag in buffalo dalmation. I love it and wear it when the mood strikes. I wasn’t fond of the special order process though, and I doubt I will go through that again for any brand. (I second guess myself and I hate to wait)

 

[dcooney4]

I am SO sorry! That will interrupt your beautiful painting. Will you need physical therapy once it’s out of the cast?

The hangers, clear risers and sunglasses stand are all Amazon finds.

Probably, it has cast now, but in two weeks I find out if I need surgery. Fingers crossed I don't!

 

[dcooney4]

Thank you all for the good wishes.
I think the most represented brand is Mz Wallace . They are super light weight and practical. When I first started on tpf, I sold everything and bought only LV. I live in the country and received a lot of negative attention. Now I have more, Mulberry, Go Forth Goods, a few Coaches, and things that fly under the radar.