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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Oh no, @cecchetti! Is your mum still poorly? I'm not caught up on the thread...okay I just saw your last post and you're having such a rough time. I'm so deeply sorry you lost your family friend. And I'm so sorry your mum isn't able to eat still. I recall she was unable to swallow last time I popped in here as well, so this has been lingering. It's devastating.
We're all here for you.
Oh yes, I remember our birthdays are only a day apart. I'll have a cup of tea in your honour on the 19th.
You should buy the McQueen if it's within your budget. It's so rare for you to find things that fit and sometimes a bit of retail therapy is a necessary distraction from the more depressing realities of life.
Wishing your mum well. These are the hardest days but I'm sending you all strength.
So sorry to hear this. Z&V bags have been very poor quality in the last few years, imho. The display pieces in their stores are always peeling! I'm not sure what's happening over there since I know they're very popular in France and I recall they used to be made of sturdier leather (or maybe I didn't know better back then?). I happen to love the vibe of the bags, but I keep advising people not to purchase because I can't remember seeing one in recent years that was in decent condition.
I'm glad you are able to return it. Hopefully something better finds its way to you.
I’m afraid she deteriorated and is having palliative care -we’ve been told that she could go at any minute.Oh no, @cecchetti! Is your mum still poorly? I'm not caught up on the thread...okay I just saw your last post and you're having such a rough time. I'm so deeply sorry you lost your family friend. And I'm so sorry your mum isn't able to eat still. I recall she was unable to swallow last time I popped in here as well, so this has been lingering. It's devastating.
We're all here for you.
Oh yes, I remember our birthdays are only a day apart. I'll have a cup of tea in your honour on the 19th.
You should buy the McQueen if it's within your budget. It's so rare for you to find things that fit and sometimes a bit of retail therapy is a necessary distraction from the more depressing realities of life.
Wishing your mum well. These are the hardest days but I'm sending you all strength.
Emotions are running high, and although, yes I could afford the McQueen and love it, I literally cannot think straight..
I will drink coffee on your birthday !❤️❤️❤️❤️
@cecchetti - I’m sending you comfort, hugs and strength as you go through the situation with your mother.
@Bag peace - I hope your mom’s condition stabilizes for her and for you. It’s so hard to feel grounded with life when a major part is in unheaval. Allow yourself to just let the box be a happy presence but one you don’t have to open for now. You can open and enjoy when you have the bandwidth.
And wow! 600 bags! I was feeling a little bad because my collection has grown to 42. I guess everything is relative! But, none of it as important as family and our own mental health.
@Bag peace - I hope your mom’s condition stabilizes for her and for you. It’s so hard to feel grounded with life when a major part is in unheaval. Allow yourself to just let the box be a happy presence but one you don’t have to open for now. You can open and enjoy when you have the bandwidth.
And wow! 600 bags! I was feeling a little bad because my collection has grown to 42. I guess everything is relative! But, none of it as important as family and our own mental health.
I’m moving back into the primary suite now that construction is over. The movers put our furniture and heavy bins back in the rooms on Tuesday. I’m bringing my bags downstairs a few at a time by hand as I never put them in boxes prior to the start of the project. They were just inhabiting every surface of my art room. 
In any case, I have a bit of a surprise on my hands. I have bought bags over Q4 ‘24 - Q1 ‘25 and now don’t have room for everything to be on display.
I wasn’t sure how this happened as I exited 7 bags until I remembered that most of those were on my “for sale” shelf in a different closet. They weren’t taking up room in my bedroom closet. So in adding bags, I’ve oopsed myself past my maximum. That hasn’t happened before. Sooooo…..?????
Hmmm… I’m certainly not selling anything I have. My collection is stable on that end. But, I do expect to add 3ish more bags over the next 2ish years.
I guess I could put some on top of the closet shelving. But that will irritate my (admittedly too) finicky self. I could turn them all sideways so the sides are just showing but, I like displaying some face-on as would happen with a store display.
I’m well aware this is the epitome of a first world problem. But, I allow myself to dither over it because 1) I like playing with my bags and 2) Seeing that I have a bounty of bags keeps me from wanting, craving and impulse buying which is sooooo critical to me being grateful and shopping what I have.
In any case, I have a bit of a surprise on my hands. I have bought bags over Q4 ‘24 - Q1 ‘25 and now don’t have room for everything to be on display.
I wasn’t sure how this happened as I exited 7 bags until I remembered that most of those were on my “for sale” shelf in a different closet. They weren’t taking up room in my bedroom closet. So in adding bags, I’ve oopsed myself past my maximum. That hasn’t happened before. Sooooo…..?????Hmmm… I’m certainly not selling anything I have. My collection is stable on that end. But, I do expect to add 3ish more bags over the next 2ish years.
I guess I could put some on top of the closet shelving. But that will irritate my (admittedly too) finicky self. I could turn them all sideways so the sides are just showing but, I like displaying some face-on as would happen with a store display.
I’m well aware this is the epitome of a first world problem. But, I allow myself to dither over it because 1) I like playing with my bags and 2) Seeing that I have a bounty of bags keeps me from wanting, craving and impulse buying which is sooooo critical to me being grateful and shopping what I have.
Side note. Did anyone see that Prada has purchased Versace from Capri (Michael Kors?). I’m so thrilled. Versace had fallen into MK overexposed land during their ownership. You could get the Versace logo slapped on everything from a couture gown to a set of coasters. It just didn’t feel luxe or special.
I’m a fan of Versace from years back and hope they go back to their roots of over the top but still fashionable glam. It’s not my “style” per se but a piece or two certainly would liven up my wardrobe here and there. Sort of in the way a fun Pucci print could do so. I think Versace could push D&G completely out of the maximalist space quite easily if done right.
I’m a fan of Versace from years back and hope they go back to their roots of over the top but still fashionable glam. It’s not my “style” per se but a piece or two certainly would liven up my wardrobe here and there. Sort of in the way a fun Pucci print could do so. I think Versace could push D&G completely out of the maximalist space quite easily if done right.
Try and look at it as a fun distraction. Your mom will enjoy seeing them to when she feels better. I think you need a bit fun now as a distraction from all the other stress.This is just an accountability post. I will pop back in during the weekend to catch up on everyone's updates.
It's been a rough few weeks with a lot of hospital stays as mum had multiple medical emergencies. I'm a wreck. Just taking things day by day and trusting that things will be okay. She's doing better now, so I'm trying to just be grateful for this while it lasts and not stress about what may happen later.
On the subject of bags and shopping our own...I don't know where to start.
My friends have bought me a birthday bag that I'll be receiving on the day. So, that's 1 'in' that I found out about early. Then, in the midst of the chaos with mum, I lost my head a bit and bought a bag. Preloved Marc Jacobs for $20. I've been wanting a yellow bag for ages and it's so hard to get the right shade of yellow. This looks to be a sunny yellow and I could use an uplifting colour right now. Somehow it made sense, even though I really don't need it and my original plan was to get a yellow from a new-to-me brand rather than go back to my old tried-and-true. I'll see how I feel about it when it arrives next week.
Then the very next day after the yellow bag order, a friend had a short layover in my city and asked to meet me for coffee. I was so thankful for the break (hospitals are so depressing). Well, she gave me a box to store for her, which I gladly took home, thinking she'd pick it up on her return trip. Only after she got on her connecting flight did she text me to say that the contents of the box were for me!
It turns out she has been downsizing her bag collection and cut down from 600 to 400. She sold all the ones she removed but picked out 10!!!! to gift to me. I haven't looked in the box yet, but saw the one on top is a beautiful duck egg blue. I'm sure each one she picked will be amazing. But......this has triggered the worst anxiety in me.
On the one hand, that's a looooot of bags in after I've finally culled my collection and brought it to a manageable number; and on the other, it's so very kind of her to just give them to me when she could have sold them.
It's weird to simultaneously feel intense gratitude and total overwhelm. I'm firmly in the overwhelmed camp for the most part, with both bags and life, so am trying to actively focus on gratitude for the windfall.
Bag stats at the end of this month are going to be...interesting. At least it's distracting me from the situation with mum.
@dcooney4 said:
Could you put most facing forward and ones of similar style behind another with just a third showing from behind.
My last three bags (2 Jimmy Choo buckets and the large Prada Galleria) are the room hogs. So I’m gong to try to figure out a way to display the buckets in a unique way and slide the Prada in sideways. Reorganizing my collection is my weekend project.
Could you put most facing forward and ones of similar style behind another with just a third showing from behind.
My last three bags (2 Jimmy Choo buckets and the large Prada Galleria) are the room hogs. So I’m gong to try to figure out a way to display the buckets in a unique way and slide the Prada in sideways. Reorganizing my collection is my weekend project.
Thinking about you and your mom. I’m glad she is doing better. And, I’m so happy for your birthday. I hope you can enjoy your new yellow bags and your friends box. Clearly your friends think of you as the treasure that you are. HugsThis is just an accountability post. I will pop back in during the weekend to catch up on everyone's updates.
It's been a rough few weeks with a lot of hospital stays as mum had multiple medical emergencies. I'm a wreck. Just taking things day by day and trusting that things will be okay. She's doing better now, so I'm trying to just be grateful for this while it lasts and not stress about what may happen later.
On the subject of bags and shopping our own...I don't know where to start.
My friends have bought me a birthday bag that I'll be receiving on the day. So, that's 1 'in' that I found out about early. Then, in the midst of the chaos with mum, I lost my head a bit and bought a bag. Preloved Marc Jacobs for $20. I've been wanting a yellow bag for ages and it's so hard to get the right shade of yellow. This looks to be a sunny yellow and I could use an uplifting colour right now. Somehow it made sense, even though I really don't need it and my original plan was to get a yellow from a new-to-me brand rather than go back to my old tried-and-true. I'll see how I feel about it when it arrives next week.
Then the very next day after the yellow bag order, a friend had a short layover in my city and asked to meet me for coffee. I was so thankful for the break (hospitals are so depressing). Well, she gave me a box to store for her, which I gladly took home, thinking she'd pick it up on her return trip. Only after she got on her connecting flight did she text me to say that the contents of the box were for me!
It turns out she has been downsizing her bag collection and cut down from 600 to 400. She sold all the ones she removed but picked out 10!!!! to gift to me. I haven't looked in the box yet, but saw the one on top is a beautiful duck egg blue. I'm sure each one she picked will be amazing. But...
On the one hand, that's a looooot of bags in after I've finally culled my collection and brought it to a manageable number; and on the other, it's so very kind of her to just give them to me when she could have sold them.
It's weird to simultaneously feel intense gratitude and total overwhelm. I'm firmly in the overwhelmed camp for the most part, with both bags and life, so am trying to actively focus on gratitude for the windfall.
Bag stats at the end of this month are going to be...interesting. At least it's distracting me from the situation with mum.
Thank you. You're right, I have to wait until I have the bandwidth. I like the way you phrased this! "A happy presence" is a much better way to frame it.
And I just saw your renovation news! Congratulations.
Yes, she has a terrible shopping addiction. She's been to therapy for it but never made any progress. She has so very much of every conceivable thing because she cannot stop buying. She stores her stuff across 3 houses (her parents and in-laws, as well as her own).
I'm incredibly proud of her for making such progress. She was beaming about it and I'm truly thrilled to see her take control of her life again.
Thank you so much! I hadn't even considered mum enjoying them. Maybe she'll choose a couple for herself. Thank you
Thank you!
I'm incredibly lucky!I'll post about the gems in my treasure chest when I get around to opening the box.
I’m so glad you’re now able to look at the gift box as a happy thing vs a blessing.Thank you. You're right, I have to wait until I have the bandwidth. I like the way you phrased this! "A happy presence" is a much better way to frame it.
And I just saw your renovation news! Congratulations.
Yes, she has a terrible shopping addiction. She's been to therapy for it but never made any progress. She has so very much of every conceivable thing because she cannot stop buying. She stores her stuff across 3 houses (her parents and in-laws, as well as her own).
I'm incredibly proud of her for making such progress. She was beaming about it and I'm truly thrilled to see her take control of her life again.
Thank you so much! I hadn't even considered mum enjoying them. Maybe she'll choose a couple for herself. Thank you
Thank you!
I'll post about the gems in my treasure chest when I get around to opening the box.
And a huge congrats to your friend for making progress on her addiction! The heady high of getting a new “thing” can be hard to resist for all of us but I can’t imagine the pain it would cause when it goes from fun to burden. I’m wishing her continued progress and personal peace.
Re: my now larger collection. I used to sell / flip my bags quite a bit. I had the opposite issue. I never felt “ok” about spending on my bags (despite being well within my means to do so) and would sell bags or other things in the house to fund new purchases. I know now this harsh internal control came from childhood trauma based in lack. That insight allows me to freely curate my collection without misplaced guilt or ridiculous antics to justify buying. Hopefully your friend finds the source of her craving and can solve it at its root so she is set free.
To this point, I want to honor two of my buddies here for their influence on my healthy curation. @dcooney4 gave me the great idea to manage to the space I have. This is so helpful as I don’t like clutter. So I built a specific space in my closet to house what I feel is a reasonable (plus some
) amount of bags. I’m learning now to live within that space.And seeing @papertiger ‘s lovely collection has helped me get over the need to chase trends. I feel comfortable and confident in curating a collection perfect for me which means I no longer feel I need to sell my lesser used or off trend (at the moment) bags. They happily live in my wardrobe for the times they serve me and my chosen outfit of the day. This change in my psyche has greatly cut down on my frantic selling and flipping.
I love how everyone here influences me to be better not only with my bags but also, oftentimes, in life. I love you - my purse peeps!
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Long time lurker here. I am loving the conversations and points of view, fascinating. I have always loved bags, but only started getting more high end ones in the last few years. I have a few more on my list, but I want to move to other categories of accessories and also, house renovations… anyway, I think today is the last day for brown bags, so here goes… 
