Anyone stepping away from handbags?

[poleneinblack]

I remember reading "How Luxury Lost its Luster" years ago. I think the author's angle was that luxury is not exclusive enough and it has lost its luster because too many people could afford it. The author would probably be happy with the current state of the luxury market in that it not as easily accessible to most people as it used to be.

I didn't get the feeling the author wanted it to be more exclusive. It felt more like a neutral reporting of the situation. Luxury brands are mostly aspirational and rely on middle class consumers to buy their products. The books also cover how the luxury market changed from focusing on quality and slower production to fast production and cheaper quality, like fast fashion. If you liked Deluxe you should definitely read Fashionopolis. It covers extensively all the costs of the fashion industry and its environmental effects. Slowing down consumption and production is a good thing but I don't think the purpose is to increase exclusivity and elitism.

 

[880]

I buy fewer items but they are generally higher quality. After years of doing this, I am content to shop my closet
the majority of the time. I try to use what I have before looking to buy something else. To me, a handbag is an accessory, secondary to RTW, and I enjoy finding something unique, often deadstock vintage. I also find some of the current retail prices today to be totally unreasonable. ETA: as I get older, I also don’t want to carry as much

 

[haute okole]

I buy fewer items but they are generally higher quality. After years of doing this, I am content to shop my closet
the majority of the time. I try to use what I have before looking to buy something else. To me, a handbag is an accessory, secondary to RTW. I find some of the prices today to be totally unreasonable

Completely and wholeheartedly agree. Thank Goodness, Yahweh, Buddha and Lao Tzu that we started shopping decades ago before social media, tariffs and influencers. I have all that I, my two daughters, my two sisters and my favorite cousin can ever wear and borrow for my lifetime. The RTW for the last few seasons is just a different color and slightly different cut from what I purchases a few seasons before. At the same time I bought my Faubourg Tropical Birkin, I spent the same amount on NVDA stock. Although the Birkin has doubled in value, the NVDA stock has gone up by over 430+%. I am trying to teach my daughters the importance of fiscal responsibility. No more Hermes shopping for me unless they DROP prices.

 

[jess236]

I didn't get the feeling the author wanted it to be more exclusive. It felt more like a neutral reporting of the situation. Luxury brands are mostly aspirational and rely on middle class consumers to buy their products. The books also cover how the luxury market changed from focusing on quality and slower production to fast production and cheaper quality, like fast fashion. If you liked Deluxe you should definitely read Fashionopolis. It covers extensively all the costs of the fashion industry and its environmental effects. Slowing down consumption and production is a good thing but I don't think the purpose is to increase exclusivity and elitism.

It wasn't neutral reporting. Personally, I thought she definitely wished for the old more exclusive luxury houses.

She felt that luxury wasn't "elite" enough and too many regular folks were buying it ...thereby, contributing to luxury losing its luster.

Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

"The book examines the corporate consolidation of small family-run luxury businesses into luxury goods holding companies, and their process of "********izing" luxury by making it available for sale to the masses in the forms of handbags, clothing, and accessories."

Anyway, I think the luxury market is definitely moving away from making fashion for the masses and is now pricing out the middle class.

 

[poleneinblack]

It wasn't neutral reporting. Personally, I thought she definitely wished for the old more exclusive luxury houses.

She felt that luxury wasn't "elite" enough and too many regular folks were buying it ...thereby, contributing to luxury losing its luster.

Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

"The book examines the corporate consolidation of small family-run luxury businesses into luxury goods holding companies, and their process of "********izing" luxury by making it available for sale to the masses in the forms of handbags, clothing, and accessories."

Anyway, I think the luxury market is definitely moving away from making fashion for the masses and is now pricing out the middle class.

That's fair. I see where you're coming from. I also read about how Bernard Arnault changed the luxury industry so that was interesting.

 

[poleneinblack]

A big part of my reasoning for downsizing my collection recently is I wanted to sell off my Celine bags for money and to minimize the risk of theft. Anyone else also downsizing their collection or wearing their luxury designer bags less because of theft and safety concerns?

 

[chanellover333]

A big part of my reasoning for downsizing my collection recently is I wanted to sell off my Celine bags for money and to minimize the risk of theft. Anyone else also downsizing their collection or wearing their luxury designer bags less because of theft and safety concerns?

For me this is a very serious concern. I feel I do not wear all of my bags as much as I want to because I have safety concerns. I am not at the point where I am interested in selling but it does give me pause before buying more. I would really love a robust exotics collection but I worry it is not very practical due to the crime issues here. Unfortunately armed robberies are very common where I live. I completely understand why folks are taking a step back if they feel like they cannot use their handbags due to the current state of crime/the world. It sucks. I still really love handbags and will purchase them and continue to research and admire bags.