Do wet want some new challenges in August?
How about wearing one non-black neutral per week (whatever is a neutral for you)
How about wearing one non-black neutral per week (whatever is a neutral for you)
2025 Resolution: Shopping my own Bag and SLG Collection
- Thread starter papertiger
- Start date
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I'm so sorry to hear that! I know you were trying so hard to make it work for you. Given that it has sentimental value and your brother went to so much trouble with a custom piece, this really is such a shame.
Perhaps it can hold some of your art supplies that you don't reach for often? Or all those extra cables we all seem to have! I have no idea how I always end up with so many cables when all my appliances have theirs.
I'm sure your brother appreciates that you're going to find a way to make it functional.
I really admire how you both look out for each other in small ways. Not many siblings have that.
It's making me laugh so hard! Such a cute way to make your car your own. Hopefully your pugs don't get jealous of the toys! My friend gave me a stuffed toy cat once and my cat went feral on it, ripping it to pieces. "Only space for me in this house!"I like the the one with the big eyes under the steering wheel.Staring into everyone’s souls
Cords are great idea. Oh or maybe spare leashes.I'm so sorry to hear that! I know you were trying so hard to make it work for you. Given that it has sentimental value and your brother went to so much trouble with a custom piece, this really is such a shame.
Perhaps it can hold some of your art supplies that you don't reach for often? Or all those extra cables we all seem to have! I have no idea how I always end up with so many cables when all my appliances have theirs.
I'm sure your brother appreciates that you're going to find a way to make it functional.
I really admire how you both look out for each other in small ways. Not many siblings have that.
It's making me laugh so hard! Such a cute way to make your car your own. Hopefully your pugs don't get jealous of the toys! My friend gave me a stuffed toy cat once and my cat went feral on it, ripping it to pieces. "Only space for me in this house!"
View attachment 6193742
Hehe of course!
I like the the one with the big eyes under the steering wheel.
I understand that feeling! Over the last five years, I think I have only purchased two pairs of jeans: both straight leg styles from Levis that were a quick try-on and "rush out of store" purchase. I however badly needed some variety in my jeans closet!
I am sorry to hear about Mr. Grumpy, but I am glad you are still able to enjoy having him around to store useful items.
Yes, I don't know why it took me so long to look for a pair of barrel leg jeans! The ones I got are not too much of a barrel shape: the barrel is subtle, but definitely there. I was surprised at how comfy and flattering they are, and being easy to style is a bonus!
It's making me laugh so hard! Such a cute way to make your car your own. Hopefully your pugs don't get jealous of the toys! My friend gave me a stuffed toy cat once and my cat went feral on it, ripping it to pieces. "Only space for me in this house!"
Oh man, when we dropped them off to their dog sitter this past weekend, they were eyeing the pug toys! 🧐
They were also eyeing my labubus!! I was like...no! Don't you dare! 😠
We have 2 door stoppers, made of wool. One is a dog, the other is a cat. When I first got them, Kiki went straight for the cat and tried to pull it away by the ear! I was like, oh no you don't!😱
They love our dog sitter's cats and occasionally, if the cats allow it of course, play with them. So I don't think they have anything against cats. Not sure if Kiki felt that the door stopper cat was just a very compliant playmate.
Wearing old BV and vintage brown Loewe - (my belt is brown) with vintage Chanel scarf top and jeans skirt on this very hot day.
Making progress and feeling a little better, I allowed myself to go to the chemist (drug store) and for some reason 2 jars of kim chi.
I have been enjoying wearing vintage and old bags especially Loewe and BV before they started to go all 'fashion'.
Anyone prefer their bags from earlier eras? If so which brands, which bags?
Making progress and feeling a little better, I allowed myself to go to the chemist (drug store) and for some reason 2 jars of kim chi.
I have been enjoying wearing vintage and old bags especially Loewe and BV before they started to go all 'fashion'.
Anyone prefer their bags from earlier eras? If so which brands, which bags?
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So happy to hear that you’re feeling a little better❤️❤️..
Stunning outfit, stunning bag! Glad you're on the mend!
I love vintage bags, though I don't have any premier bags, just your bog standard vintage that's all over the place. I've seen people carrying vintage Loewe (bucket bag) and Pucci (top handle), and I was drooling over both. They were more understated than the current styles and the leather did all the talking.
Stunning outfit, stunning bag! Glad you're on the mend!
I love vintage bags, though I don't have any premier bags, just your bog standard vintage that's all over the place. I've seen people carrying vintage Loewe (bucket bag) and Pucci (top handle), and I was drooling over both. They were more understated than the current styles and the leather did all the talking.
Thank you! I have been wearing some of my vintage bags that are either little known brands or are no longer around. I think they can be just as high quality and/or interesting.
Mid-year check in! Where has the time gone? 
Edit:
Wow, that turned out to be a long post!
Sorry. I'll add in some spoilers so that my post doesn't take up the whole page. Don't worry about reading my rambling, I won't mind if people just skip it. I'm mostly just keeping myself accountable.
The bag closet:
The remainder of the closet:
Social life:
Mental health:
So, how's everyone else doing with regards to their closet goals and their personal ones? Will you be making any changes for the second half of the year?
Edit:
Wow, that turned out to be a long post!
Sorry. I'll add in some spoilers so that my post doesn't take up the whole page. Don't worry about reading my rambling, I won't mind if people just skip it. I'm mostly just keeping myself accountable.
The bag closet:
I had a lot of movement and have lost track of ins and outs for the year but, after making a big donation to a women's shelter a couple of days ago, the total number of bags in my collection is currently 13.
I'm so grateful my friend helped me arrange getting the donations across borders. It was more complex than usual but we got it done.
Looking at my bag collection as a whole, I went from having mostly handmade pieces when I joined tpf, to an equal mix of contemporary and handmade during the pandemic years. Now my collection is basically a mix of contemporary and premier brands (the latter ones generously gifted to me by my friend a few months ago), most of which are vintage (or pretty close).
The evolution of my bag closet is a pretty good reflection of how much my lifestyle has changed. Now that I'm not moving so often, my collection has become less handmade, quirky and unique, and more standard and functional.
I hope I'll be lucky enough to go back to my nomadic ways and collect unique bits from small artisans in other countries, but until then, I'm really focused on enjoying what I currently own. I'm very lucky to have what I do and I want to use and love each piece.
I've learned a lot about my bag preferences with all the changes, and above all, have confirmed that I do better with a smaller collection than a vast one. I'm too easily overwhelmed by stuff and it's good that I know this about myself so that I don't give in to impulsive shopping when I'm stressed, as I so often did when I was younger.
I'm so grateful my friend helped me arrange getting the donations across borders. It was more complex than usual but we got it done.
Looking at my bag collection as a whole, I went from having mostly handmade pieces when I joined tpf, to an equal mix of contemporary and handmade during the pandemic years. Now my collection is basically a mix of contemporary and premier brands (the latter ones generously gifted to me by my friend a few months ago), most of which are vintage (or pretty close).
The evolution of my bag closet is a pretty good reflection of how much my lifestyle has changed. Now that I'm not moving so often, my collection has become less handmade, quirky and unique, and more standard and functional.
I hope I'll be lucky enough to go back to my nomadic ways and collect unique bits from small artisans in other countries, but until then, I'm really focused on enjoying what I currently own. I'm very lucky to have what I do and I want to use and love each piece.
I've learned a lot about my bag preferences with all the changes, and above all, have confirmed that I do better with a smaller collection than a vast one. I'm too easily overwhelmed by stuff and it's good that I know this about myself so that I don't give in to impulsive shopping when I'm stressed, as I so often did when I was younger.
The remainder of the closet:
In other categories in my closet, I've managed to hit some of my goals.
I've reduced my silver jewellery a bit by including some pieces in my last lot of donations, but those pieces had been ones I'd enjoyed for a long time so I was ready to pass them on. In the end, the stuff I gave away was all Etsy handmade stuff (before it became a drop-shipping hub), and I hung on to the bits from my travels which are sentimental and still my style.
I've also started to wear some of my old 'office' shoes casually, which was one of the goals I'd made for myself at the start of the year.
With clothing, I'm styling the older bits I have in new ways and am finding it to be a lot of fun.
On a related note, today's project is going to force me to reflect further on clothing I own. The storage unit I was using is too large for the amount of stuff I have and a smaller one finally opened up, so I'm moving my stuff over.
I'm taking the opportunity to go through all the pieces and repack them properly, with fresh acid-free paper and silica packets inside.
Frankly, I don't have a crazy amount of clothing right now, but it's still enough that it may take me another 2-4 years to use it all. That's just because, like my bags, I get overwhelmed if I have too much hanging in my closet at once. So I am still creating capsules of around 15 pieces that I mix and match, then wear until they're completely worn out before retiring them and pulling out a new capsule from the storage unit.
It's a system that works for me but it is crazy that I'm wearing clothing I bought when I was 20 years younger. I really didn't have a grasp then of how long each piece would last with me and ended up with so much more than I needed.
Between the fact that pretty much everything I own was 80% off (those were the best warehouse sales, lol), and the fact that I haven't needed to buy anything more than a handful of essentials since those days, it has managed to save me a lot of money. But I can't lie and say that was the goal- I just had too much and found a way to work my way through it all instead of constantly adding more.
Good thing my taste and size hasn't changed in all those years!
I've reduced my silver jewellery a bit by including some pieces in my last lot of donations, but those pieces had been ones I'd enjoyed for a long time so I was ready to pass them on. In the end, the stuff I gave away was all Etsy handmade stuff (before it became a drop-shipping hub), and I hung on to the bits from my travels which are sentimental and still my style.
I've also started to wear some of my old 'office' shoes casually, which was one of the goals I'd made for myself at the start of the year.
With clothing, I'm styling the older bits I have in new ways and am finding it to be a lot of fun.
On a related note, today's project is going to force me to reflect further on clothing I own. The storage unit I was using is too large for the amount of stuff I have and a smaller one finally opened up, so I'm moving my stuff over.
I'm taking the opportunity to go through all the pieces and repack them properly, with fresh acid-free paper and silica packets inside.
Frankly, I don't have a crazy amount of clothing right now, but it's still enough that it may take me another 2-4 years to use it all. That's just because, like my bags, I get overwhelmed if I have too much hanging in my closet at once. So I am still creating capsules of around 15 pieces that I mix and match, then wear until they're completely worn out before retiring them and pulling out a new capsule from the storage unit.
It's a system that works for me but it is crazy that I'm wearing clothing I bought when I was 20 years younger. I really didn't have a grasp then of how long each piece would last with me and ended up with so much more than I needed.
Between the fact that pretty much everything I own was 80% off (those were the best warehouse sales, lol), and the fact that I haven't needed to buy anything more than a handful of essentials since those days, it has managed to save me a lot of money. But I can't lie and say that was the goal- I just had too much and found a way to work my way through it all instead of constantly adding more.
Good thing my taste and size hasn't changed in all those years!
Social life:
As I was taking note of how my bag closet changed, I noticed that my friendships have also changed over the past few years. When I first joined tpf, I had just completed 2 years of physiotherapy to learn to walk and chew again after my accident. I was adapting to my new face and trying to change careers to work around that. At the time, I had a lot of people who were actively hurting me over the changes in my appearance and this toxicity only worsened as time passed.
That lack of support combined with my growing health issues over the next few years really wrecked my self-esteem. Then the pandemic happened and I lost so many people I loved, and ended friendships with people who hated that I survived covid somehow. It was a dark time. I bought a bunch of bags, I think to self-soothe. I only noticed in hindsight and wish I hadn't turned to retail therapy because it didn't heal anything. So, a lesson learned there.
Thankfully now I'm surrounded by better friends, many of whom are fellow tpf'ers. We may be virtual friends but your impact is very real! You've made me feel safe and 'enough', which is so precious to me. I often reflect on how fortunate I am to have such amazing role models here, so thank you to each and every one of you who has ever read my long rambling posts, or taken the time to offer a kind word and a bit of advice when I was lost and scared. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay this community for all that you have given me.
That lack of support combined with my growing health issues over the next few years really wrecked my self-esteem. Then the pandemic happened and I lost so many people I loved, and ended friendships with people who hated that I survived covid somehow. It was a dark time. I bought a bunch of bags, I think to self-soothe. I only noticed in hindsight and wish I hadn't turned to retail therapy because it didn't heal anything. So, a lesson learned there.
Thankfully now I'm surrounded by better friends, many of whom are fellow tpf'ers. We may be virtual friends but your impact is very real! You've made me feel safe and 'enough', which is so precious to me. I often reflect on how fortunate I am to have such amazing role models here, so thank you to each and every one of you who has ever read my long rambling posts, or taken the time to offer a kind word and a bit of advice when I was lost and scared. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay this community for all that you have given me.
Mental health:
I need to focus on my mental health, which took a couple of hits along the way as mum and I are still navigating life with our respective health problems.
Thankfully, I'm doing much better after we identified my medication was the cause of so much of my confusion and depression, then switched it out for different meds.
I still have more work to do though, especially with the current state of the world which has me really panicked. So for this next month, I'm going to try to meditate daily. I've set this goal before but never managed to stick to it. I'm hoping that if I'm consistent, it will help ease my general anxiety.
I've also been continuing with my smaller habits to make my life simple and calm, like cooking with only 4 ingredients or less.
I also still have a daily tea/coffee ritual where I take 20 minutes to enjoy my hot drinks in silence, sitting somewhere where I can get fresh air and sun. It's been one of the best small changes I've ever made.
I'd like to come up with other small daily self-care habits that don't eat up a huge chunk of time. I tried my hand at art but it wasn't relaxing because all I could focus on was how bad I am at it!
I'd love to return to exercise but don't have clearance from my doctors to do so. I'm hoping that I'll be well enough in another month or two to start some proper cardio, at least. I really miss working out and feel it would help my mind and body so much if I could do just a little bit.
Thankfully, I'm doing much better after we identified my medication was the cause of so much of my confusion and depression, then switched it out for different meds.
I still have more work to do though, especially with the current state of the world which has me really panicked. So for this next month, I'm going to try to meditate daily. I've set this goal before but never managed to stick to it. I'm hoping that if I'm consistent, it will help ease my general anxiety.
I've also been continuing with my smaller habits to make my life simple and calm, like cooking with only 4 ingredients or less.
I also still have a daily tea/coffee ritual where I take 20 minutes to enjoy my hot drinks in silence, sitting somewhere where I can get fresh air and sun. It's been one of the best small changes I've ever made.
I'd like to come up with other small daily self-care habits that don't eat up a huge chunk of time. I tried my hand at art but it wasn't relaxing because all I could focus on was how bad I am at it!
I'd love to return to exercise but don't have clearance from my doctors to do so. I'm hoping that I'll be well enough in another month or two to start some proper cardio, at least. I really miss working out and feel it would help my mind and body so much if I could do just a little bit.
So, how's everyone else doing with regards to their closet goals and their personal ones? Will you be making any changes for the second half of the year?
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We all need to feel safe and enough, and I’m glad that you are prioritizing mental health and self care. On the closet side, I’m excited about your capsule collections, and I feel that bog standard leather goods from years ago could be really well made compared to today’s craftMid-year check in! Where has the time gone?
Edit:
Wow, that turned out to be a long post!
Sorry. I'll add in some spoilers so that my post doesn't take up the whole page. Don't worry about reading my rambling, I won't mind if people just skip it. I'm mostly just keeping myself accountable.
The bag closet:
I had a lot of movement and have lost track of ins and outs for the year but, after making a big donation to a women's shelter a couple of days ago, the total number of bags in my collection is currently 13.
I'm so grateful my friend helped me arrange getting the donations across borders. It was more complex than usual but we got it done.
Looking at my bag collection as a whole, I went from having mostly handmade pieces when I joined tpf, to an equal mix of contemporary and handmade during the pandemic years. Now my collection is basically a mix of contemporary and premier brands (the latter ones generously gifted to me by my friend a few months ago), most of which are vintage (or pretty close).
The evolution of my bag closet is a pretty good reflection of how much my lifestyle has changed. Now that I'm not moving so often, my collection has become less handmade, quirky and unique, and more standard and functional.
I hope I'll be lucky enough to go back to my nomadic ways and collect unique bits from small artisans in other countries, but until then, I'm really focused on enjoying what I currently own. I'm very lucky to have what I do and I want to use and love each piece.
I've learned a lot about my bag preferences with all the changes, and above all, have confirmed that I do better with a smaller collection than a vast one. I'm too easily overwhelmed by stuff and it's good that I know this about myself so that I don't give in to impulsive shopping when I'm stressed, as I so often did when I was younger.
The remainder of the closet:
In other categories in my closet, I've managed to hit some of my goals.
I've reduced my silver jewellery a bit by including some pieces in my last lot of donations, but those pieces had been ones I'd enjoyed for a long time so I was ready to pass them on. In the end, the stuff I gave away was all Etsy handmade stuff (before it became a drop-shipping hub), and I hung on to the bits from my travels which are sentimental and still my style.
I've also started to wear some of my old 'office' shoes casually, which was one of the goals I'd made for myself at the start of the year.
With clothing, I'm styling the older bits I have in new ways and am finding it to be a lot of fun.
On a related note, today's project is going to force me to reflect further on clothing I own. The storage unit I was using is too large for the amount of stuff I have and a smaller one finally opened up, so I'm moving my stuff over.
I'm taking the opportunity to go through all the pieces and repack them properly, with fresh acid-free paper and silica packets inside.
Frankly, I don't have a crazy amount of clothing right now, but it's still enough that it may take me another 2-4 years to use it all. That's just because, like my bags, I get overwhelmed if I have too much hanging in my closet at once. So I am still creating capsules of around 15 pieces that I mix and match, then wear until they're completely worn out before retiring them and pulling out a new capsule from the storage unit.
It's a system that works for me but it is crazy that I'm wearing clothing I bought when I was 20 years younger. I really didn't have a grasp then of how long each piece would last with me and ended up with so much more than I needed.
Between the fact that pretty much everything I own was 80% off (those were the best warehouse sales, lol), and the fact that I haven't needed to buy anything more than a handful of essentials since those days, it has managed to save me a lot of money. But I can't lie and say that was the goal- I just had too much and found a way to work my way through it all instead of constantly adding more.
Good thing my taste and size hasn't changed in all those years!
Social life:
As I was taking note of how my bag closet changed, I noticed that my friendships have also changed over the past few years. When I first joined tpf, I had just completed 2 years of physiotherapy to learn to walk and chew again after my accident. I was adapting to my new face and trying to change careers to work around that. At the time, I had a lot of people who were actively hurting me over the changes in my appearance and this toxicity only worsened as time passed.
That lack of support combined with my growing health issues over the next few years really wrecked my self-esteem. Then the pandemic happened and I lost so many people I loved, and ended friendships with people who hated that I survived covid somehow. It was a dark time. I bought a bunch of bags, I think to self-soothe. I only noticed in hindsight and wish I hadn't turned to retail therapy because it didn't heal anything. So, a lesson learned there.
Thankfully now I'm surrounded by better friends, many of whom are fellow tpf'ers. We may be virtual friends but your impact is very real! You've made me feel safe and 'enough', which is so precious to me. I often reflect on how fortunate I am to have such amazing role models here, so thank you to each and every one of you who has ever read my long rambling posts, or taken the time to offer a kind word and a bit of advice when I was lost and scared. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay this community for all that you have given me.
Mental health:
I need to focus on my mental health, which took a couple of hits along the way as mum and I are still navigating life with our respective health problems.
Thankfully, I'm doing much better after we identified my medication was the cause of so much of my confusion and depression, then switched it out for different meds.
I still have more work to do though, especially with the current state of the world which has me really panicked. So for this next month, I'm going to try to meditate daily. I've set this goal before but never managed to stick to it. I'm hoping that if I'm consistent, it will help ease my general anxiety.
I've also been continuing with my smaller habits to make my life simple and calm, like cooking with only 4 ingredients or less.
I also still have a daily tea/coffee ritual where I take 20 minutes to enjoy my hot drinks in silence, sitting somewhere where I can get fresh air and sun. It's been one of the best small changes I've ever made.
I'd like to come up with other small daily self-care habits that don't eat up a huge chunk of time. I tried my hand at art but it wasn't relaxing because all I could focus on was how bad I am at it!
I'd love to return to exercise but don't have clearance from my doctors to do so. I'm hoping that I'll be well enough in another month or two to start some proper cardio, at least. I really miss working out and feel it would help my mind and body so much if I could do just a little bit.
So, how's everyone else doing with regards to their closet goals and their personal ones? Will you be making any changes for the second half of the year?
So, you are well ahead. HugsBrands that are lesser known today but great quality: Carlos falchi (a gift from a dear friend) and ghurka
ETA: also Suarez, a family owned company in NY. A convertible clutch with a fabulous suede interior.
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I have been doing most of my goals for the year. The only one I have not done is work on personal style. I bought a few basics but nothing special or really me. I will work on that more in the fall. I have too many other things to do at the moment and want it to be fun, not a chore.
You’ve made a huge amount of progress, and are always your own harshest critic.Mid-year check in! Where has the time gone?
Edit:
Wow, that turned out to be a long post!
Sorry. I'll add in some spoilers so that my post doesn't take up the whole page. Don't worry about reading my rambling, I won't mind if people just skip it. I'm mostly just keeping myself accountable.
The bag closet:
I had a lot of movement and have lost track of ins and outs for the year but, after making a big donation to a women's shelter a couple of days ago, the total number of bags in my collection is currently 13.
I'm so grateful my friend helped me arrange getting the donations across borders. It was more complex than usual but we got it done.
Looking at my bag collection as a whole, I went from having mostly handmade pieces when I joined tpf, to an equal mix of contemporary and handmade during the pandemic years. Now my collection is basically a mix of contemporary and premier brands (the latter ones generously gifted to me by my friend a few months ago), most of which are vintage (or pretty close).
The evolution of my bag closet is a pretty good reflection of how much my lifestyle has changed. Now that I'm not moving so often, my collection has become less handmade, quirky and unique, and more standard and functional.
I hope I'll be lucky enough to go back to my nomadic ways and collect unique bits from small artisans in other countries, but until then, I'm really focused on enjoying what I currently own. I'm very lucky to have what I do and I want to use and love each piece.
I've learned a lot about my bag preferences with all the changes, and above all, have confirmed that I do better with a smaller collection than a vast one. I'm too easily overwhelmed by stuff and it's good that I know this about myself so that I don't give in to impulsive shopping when I'm stressed, as I so often did when I was younger.
The remainder of the closet:
In other categories in my closet, I've managed to hit some of my goals.
I've reduced my silver jewellery a bit by including some pieces in my last lot of donations, but those pieces had been ones I'd enjoyed for a long time so I was ready to pass them on. In the end, the stuff I gave away was all Etsy handmade stuff (before it became a drop-shipping hub), and I hung on to the bits from my travels which are sentimental and still my style.
I've also started to wear some of my old 'office' shoes casually, which was one of the goals I'd made for myself at the start of the year.
With clothing, I'm styling the older bits I have in new ways and am finding it to be a lot of fun.
On a related note, today's project is going to force me to reflect further on clothing I own. The storage unit I was using is too large for the amount of stuff I have and a smaller one finally opened up, so I'm moving my stuff over.
I'm taking the opportunity to go through all the pieces and repack them properly, with fresh acid-free paper and silica packets inside.
Frankly, I don't have a crazy amount of clothing right now, but it's still enough that it may take me another 2-4 years to use it all. That's just because, like my bags, I get overwhelmed if I have too much hanging in my closet at once. So I am still creating capsules of around 15 pieces that I mix and match, then wear until they're completely worn out before retiring them and pulling out a new capsule from the storage unit.
It's a system that works for me but it is crazy that I'm wearing clothing I bought when I was 20 years younger. I really didn't have a grasp then of how long each piece would last with me and ended up with so much more than I needed.
Between the fact that pretty much everything I own was 80% off (those were the best warehouse sales, lol), and the fact that I haven't needed to buy anything more than a handful of essentials since those days, it has managed to save me a lot of money. But I can't lie and say that was the goal- I just had too much and found a way to work my way through it all instead of constantly adding more.
Good thing my taste and size hasn't changed in all those years!
Social life:
As I was taking note of how my bag closet changed, I noticed that my friendships have also changed over the past few years. When I first joined tpf, I had just completed 2 years of physiotherapy to learn to walk and chew again after my accident. I was adapting to my new face and trying to change careers to work around that. At the time, I had a lot of people who were actively hurting me over the changes in my appearance and this toxicity only worsened as time passed.
That lack of support combined with my growing health issues over the next few years really wrecked my self-esteem. Then the pandemic happened and I lost so many people I loved, and ended friendships with people who hated that I survived covid somehow. It was a dark time. I bought a bunch of bags, I think to self-soothe. I only noticed in hindsight and wish I hadn't turned to retail therapy because it didn't heal anything. So, a lesson learned there.
Thankfully now I'm surrounded by better friends, many of whom are fellow tpf'ers. We may be virtual friends but your impact is very real! You've made me feel safe and 'enough', which is so precious to me. I often reflect on how fortunate I am to have such amazing role models here, so thank you to each and every one of you who has ever read my long rambling posts, or taken the time to offer a kind word and a bit of advice when I was lost and scared. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay this community for all that you have given me.
Mental health:
I need to focus on my mental health, which took a couple of hits along the way as mum and I are still navigating life with our respective health problems.
Thankfully, I'm doing much better after we identified my medication was the cause of so much of my confusion and depression, then switched it out for different meds.
I still have more work to do though, especially with the current state of the world which has me really panicked. So for this next month, I'm going to try to meditate daily. I've set this goal before but never managed to stick to it. I'm hoping that if I'm consistent, it will help ease my general anxiety.
I've also been continuing with my smaller habits to make my life simple and calm, like cooking with only 4 ingredients or less.
I also still have a daily tea/coffee ritual where I take 20 minutes to enjoy my hot drinks in silence, sitting somewhere where I can get fresh air and sun. It's been one of the best small changes I've ever made.
I'd like to come up with other small daily self-care habits that don't eat up a huge chunk of time. I tried my hand at art but it wasn't relaxing because all I could focus on was how bad I am at it!
I'd love to return to exercise but don't have clearance from my doctors to do so. I'm hoping that I'll be well enough in another month or two to start some proper cardio, at least. I really miss working out and feel it would help my mind and body so much if I could do just a little bit.
So, how's everyone else doing with regards to their closet goals and their personal ones? Will you be making any changes for the second half of the year?
You are doing SO well, and relaxing with tea/coffee is obviously very therapeutic for you.
Personally, my own life has changed in that I have a boyfriend -when I really wasn’t looking for Any relationship at all.
So far I’ve impulse bought a bag which is really not my usual style , but is fun to go out for casual lunches and days out(well, in a suit when the weather allows, I don’t really do casual!).(And more clothes).
He loves my clothes and bags, and I wouldn’t change for anyone anyway, but I intend to add to my closet in the second half of the year.
Thank you so much!We all need to feel safe and enough, and I’m glad that you are prioritizing mental health and self care. On the closet side, I’m excited about your capsule collections, and I feel that bog standard leather goods from years ago could be really well made compared to today’s craft
Love, love, love these bags! Your collection is divine!
Also, must thank you for all your outfit pics because your outfits always make me reconsider how I pair pieces. I have a cropped hooded jumper (I've had since I was...14, I think!) that I was just thinking I'd love to wear in the fall. I'm going to use your photo for inspo and style it similarly, if you don't mind. I'll post a pic when I do! You'll have to wait until we're out of the summer weather because this jumper is quite thick, but I'll make sure I post it when I wear it.
I won't look anywhere near as gorgeous as you always do, but I'll see if I can make it look less teen boy in a hoodie (my usual) and more intentionally styled.
Edit: a note about the 'teen boy' aesthetic. I recently shaved my hair because it was falling out in massive chunks following treatment. I went to a public restroom (women's) and was shooed out because they thought I was a boy.
It was quite a scene convincing them I'm in the correct restrooms! That's so important! Thanks for mentioning it because I needed the reminder, too. I'm happy to hear you're hitting most of your goals so far.
I don't think your impulse purchases count because they're actually intentional purchases!
You buy things that you know you'll use to death, so they're not impulsive, but rather opportunistic (in the sense that you grab stuff when it's on sale or when you're in town and it's convenient). I think that's a great way to shop!Hope your new man continues to make you feel super special.
Thank you, hope all's going well with you.
Mid-year check in! Where has the time gone?
Edit:
Wow, that turned out to be a long post!
Sorry. I'll add in some spoilers so that my post doesn't take up the whole page. Don't worry about reading my rambling, I won't mind if people just skip it. I'm mostly just keeping myself accountable.
The bag closet:
I had a lot of movement and have lost track of ins and outs for the year but, after making a big donation to a women's shelter a couple of days ago, the total number of bags in my collection is currently 13.
I'm so grateful my friend helped me arrange getting the donations across borders. It was more complex than usual but we got it done.
Looking at my bag collection as a whole, I went from having mostly handmade pieces when I joined tpf, to an equal mix of contemporary and handmade during the pandemic years. Now my collection is basically a mix of contemporary and premier brands (the latter ones generously gifted to me by my friend a few months ago), most of which are vintage (or pretty close).
The evolution of my bag closet is a pretty good reflection of how much my lifestyle has changed. Now that I'm not moving so often, my collection has become less handmade, quirky and unique, and more standard and functional.
I hope I'll be lucky enough to go back to my nomadic ways and collect unique bits from small artisans in other countries, but until then, I'm really focused on enjoying what I currently own. I'm very lucky to have what I do and I want to use and love each piece.
I've learned a lot about my bag preferences with all the changes, and above all, have confirmed that I do better with a smaller collection than a vast one. I'm too easily overwhelmed by stuff and it's good that I know this about myself so that I don't give in to impulsive shopping when I'm stressed, as I so often did when I was younger.
The remainder of the closet:
In other categories in my closet, I've managed to hit some of my goals.
I've reduced my silver jewellery a bit by including some pieces in my last lot of donations, but those pieces had been ones I'd enjoyed for a long time so I was ready to pass them on. In the end, the stuff I gave away was all Etsy handmade stuff (before it became a drop-shipping hub), and I hung on to the bits from my travels which are sentimental and still my style.
I've also started to wear some of my old 'office' shoes casually, which was one of the goals I'd made for myself at the start of the year.
With clothing, I'm styling the older bits I have in new ways and am finding it to be a lot of fun.
On a related note, today's project is going to force me to reflect further on clothing I own. The storage unit I was using is too large for the amount of stuff I have and a smaller one finally opened up, so I'm moving my stuff over.
I'm taking the opportunity to go through all the pieces and repack them properly, with fresh acid-free paper and silica packets inside.
Frankly, I don't have a crazy amount of clothing right now, but it's still enough that it may take me another 2-4 years to use it all. That's just because, like my bags, I get overwhelmed if I have too much hanging in my closet at once. So I am still creating capsules of around 15 pieces that I mix and match, then wear until they're completely worn out before retiring them and pulling out a new capsule from the storage unit.
It's a system that works for me but it is crazy that I'm wearing clothing I bought when I was 20 years younger. I really didn't have a grasp then of how long each piece would last with me and ended up with so much more than I needed.
Between the fact that pretty much everything I own was 80% off (those were the best warehouse sales, lol), and the fact that I haven't needed to buy anything more than a handful of essentials since those days, it has managed to save me a lot of money. But I can't lie and say that was the goal- I just had too much and found a way to work my way through it all instead of constantly adding more.
Good thing my taste and size hasn't changed in all those years!
Social life:
As I was taking note of how my bag closet changed, I noticed that my friendships have also changed over the past few years. When I first joined tpf, I had just completed 2 years of physiotherapy to learn to walk and chew again after my accident. I was adapting to my new face and trying to change careers to work around that. At the time, I had a lot of people who were actively hurting me over the changes in my appearance and this toxicity only worsened as time passed.
That lack of support combined with my growing health issues over the next few years really wrecked my self-esteem. Then the pandemic happened and I lost so many people I loved, and ended friendships with people who hated that I survived covid somehow. It was a dark time. I bought a bunch of bags, I think to self-soothe. I only noticed in hindsight and wish I hadn't turned to retail therapy because it didn't heal anything. So, a lesson learned there.
Thankfully now I'm surrounded by better friends, many of whom are fellow tpf'ers. We may be virtual friends but your impact is very real! You've made me feel safe and 'enough', which is so precious to me. I often reflect on how fortunate I am to have such amazing role models here, so thank you to each and every one of you who has ever read my long rambling posts, or taken the time to offer a kind word and a bit of advice when I was lost and scared. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay this community for all that you have given me.
Mental health:
I need to focus on my mental health, which took a couple of hits along the way as mum and I are still navigating life with our respective health problems.
Thankfully, I'm doing much better after we identified my medication was the cause of so much of my confusion and depression, then switched it out for different meds.
I still have more work to do though, especially with the current state of the world which has me really panicked. So for this next month, I'm going to try to meditate daily. I've set this goal before but never managed to stick to it. I'm hoping that if I'm consistent, it will help ease my general anxiety.
I've also been continuing with my smaller habits to make my life simple and calm, like cooking with only 4 ingredients or less.
I also still have a daily tea/coffee ritual where I take 20 minutes to enjoy my hot drinks in silence, sitting somewhere where I can get fresh air and sun. It's been one of the best small changes I've ever made.
I'd like to come up with other small daily self-care habits that don't eat up a huge chunk of time. I tried my hand at art but it wasn't relaxing because all I could focus on was how bad I am at it!
I'd love to return to exercise but don't have clearance from my doctors to do so. I'm hoping that I'll be well enough in another month or two to start some proper cardio, at least. I really miss working out and feel it would help my mind and body so much if I could do just a little bit.
So, how's everyone else doing with regards to their closet goals and their personal ones? Will you be making any changes for the second half of the year?
You sound like you are on the right road and progressing very well.
I can relate to much of what you say and have made mental notes of some of your strategy. Much of what you write about seems to be about freedom of choice but not feeling overwhelmed, limitations but the freedom of expression within those parameters.I keep telling myself, the world has always been crazy, I just didn't take much notice.
I am happy I have recycled and donated lots of things so far this year. I've moved furniture and paintings around too. I am surprised it doesn't look like I've done much.
Once I fixed the garden shed and the kitchen sink, the wooden bench in our lavender garden broke (my cat's favourite place to sleep) and a badger pulled the fence apart.
I am mentally working on mending the bench, but I'll need space to turn it upside-down, and since the bees are so enjoying the bushes, I'd have to drag it to the patio - so I'd have to ask for help - which I am not very good at. I also need to mend the fence. I am aware they need doing - I just haven't practically done anything (except bought wood and wood glue).
Closet wise, I have been going under a little transformation. I am really enjoying using long lost finds in terms of RTW and bags. I have also been less into new designer/fashion. It isn't because I think luxury has lost its way, but more because what I have already is what they are all trying to sell me again.
I looked under my day-bed in the office and found so many designer (mostly Gucci) shoes practically unworn. That will be my half-year resolution. Rotate shoes more than just 2 pairs of DMs!
I've also gone a bit more trans-seasonal. I'm not feeling in a floral or light/bright colour bag mood, preferring interesting but probably more serious looking vintage/new/old bags. I have my red Gucci Aphrodite in rotation, everything else seems to be navy, brown, tan or silver.
I mended my Small BV navy Roma (with a drop of WD40). It had been unstable. I feel pleased I actually mended something, now it's in my Summer rotation as a medium handbag which looks great smart-casual (the official Med Roma is put away for an Autumn/Winter bag for work).