By changing handbags often, do we miss out?
- Thread starter isabellam
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Great thread!
My mom, as long as I can remember is a one (cheap) bag until it dies. I would love to get her a nicer, longer lasting one, but she would think I was crazy if I told her I spent more than $50 on a bag.
Ironically, she is the one who encouraged me tho buy bags. A few years ago, I had one nice "work" bag and the lots of cheaper bags for various ocassions. The bulk of the bags were literally random target or tj maxx purchases for $20 and under.
Eventually I got my first designer bag (a coach) and was totally content until it died. That was my weekday bag, and i would switch to a random cheaper bag for weekend.
When that perfect bag died, I have been on a subconscious mission to replace it. And find a summer bag. I have purchased more nicer bags in the past ~18 months than I had in ther previous 8 years.
Current Collection:
1 banana republil khaki bag for summer/spring
1 BCBG black satchel for work year round
1 BCBG mint green barrel bag for spring (3-4 years old)
1 furla royal blue/purple bag for "spring" (only a few months old)
1 coach grey bag for work in spring /summer (a few weeks old)
1 via spiga neglected black hobo for everyday, first 'designer' purse (10 years old)
1 coach orange hobo for summer (3 years old)
1 MK gunmetal slouchy shoulder bag (6 months old)
Lots of super cheap bags for other occasions: clutches, cross bodies that have little to no monetary value, but some have sentimental value totaling about 10-12
I cleared out a ton of cheap bags in fall cleaning spree. No I am tempted to sell of a Coach bag that I have hardly used to fund my ultimate black bag so I can go back into handbag shopping retirement.
Current wishlist:
Black clutch
Black structured work/everyday bag
I think it is very true about we feel like we need a bag to suit all of our identities, but I am really hoping to cultivate my signature style in my 30s.
It would be interesting to see how this changes as we age. (I am 32)
My mom, as long as I can remember is a one (cheap) bag until it dies. I would love to get her a nicer, longer lasting one, but she would think I was crazy if I told her I spent more than $50 on a bag.
Ironically, she is the one who encouraged me tho buy bags. A few years ago, I had one nice "work" bag and the lots of cheaper bags for various ocassions. The bulk of the bags were literally random target or tj maxx purchases for $20 and under.
Eventually I got my first designer bag (a coach) and was totally content until it died. That was my weekday bag, and i would switch to a random cheaper bag for weekend.
When that perfect bag died, I have been on a subconscious mission to replace it. And find a summer bag. I have purchased more nicer bags in the past ~18 months than I had in ther previous 8 years.
Current Collection:
1 banana republil khaki bag for summer/spring
1 BCBG black satchel for work year round
1 BCBG mint green barrel bag for spring (3-4 years old)
1 furla royal blue/purple bag for "spring" (only a few months old)
1 coach grey bag for work in spring /summer (a few weeks old)
1 via spiga neglected black hobo for everyday, first 'designer' purse (10 years old)
1 coach orange hobo for summer (3 years old)
1 MK gunmetal slouchy shoulder bag (6 months old)
Lots of super cheap bags for other occasions: clutches, cross bodies that have little to no monetary value, but some have sentimental value totaling about 10-12
I cleared out a ton of cheap bags in fall cleaning spree. No I am tempted to sell of a Coach bag that I have hardly used to fund my ultimate black bag so I can go back into handbag shopping retirement.
Current wishlist:
Black clutch
Black structured work/everyday bag
I think it is very true about we feel like we need a bag to suit all of our identities, but I am really hoping to cultivate my signature style in my 30s.
It would be interesting to see how this changes as we age. (I am 32)
yes, in the modern life, many girls change their handbags very frequently, this is related to the living background of each person, in my opinion, if there is unnecessary to change the bag for different occasions, each person could own just 1-3 bags, it will be quite enough!
Wonderful post! I intend to read all the comments later. I loved your insights about bonding with handbags. I would love to do this as well, carry a great leather bag that became obviously well-loved and well-used over the years. But that's increasing materialism for you! Like so many women I rotate several bags and sometimes wish I didn't. As a compromise I have stopped buying bags, or at least I'm trying. But sometimes it's not that easy to bond the way you'd like. I have a wonderful Burberry satchel I've been carrying a lot lately. Trouble is, it's open-topped. Because of that I realize its limitations and don't carry it in crowded, unfamiliar places. Just a sign of the times we live in. And so I rotate my Burberry with my Bal Twiggy. Now that summer is (hopefully) on the way, there are my lighter-coloured bags to think about. I suppose the best I can hope for is to bond strongly with the Twiggy and the Burberry satchel. I'm already part-way there as both bags are over two years old. My grandmother also only had one handbag, a purely functional, plain black vinyl bag that went with her everywhere. To this day I still don't know what was in it.
By changing bags often (every day) I know I'm definitely missing out. I love to experience how bags change with age & regular use. I saw a lady at Stein Mart over the weekend that had a great older Cole Haan bag that was simply gorgeous, it was all broken in and smooshy and had this TDF patina. I was jealous with my brand-new looking fresh bag like my purse didn't have any character yet. So yes I'm missing out!
I like this thread! I have about 13 or so bags that i consider my "signature" bags. However, there is one that i favor the most because of sentimental reasons. But i want to keep it forever so i don't use it much. I love aged bags. I would love to carry the same bag every single day. I am trying to apply this concept. Most of my bags are "occasion" bags, not daily drivers. I have temporarily retired my daily driver, even though i got so attached to it. Only because i have a new daily driver which is so practical and i'm trying to break it in. I love the concept of carrying one until it dies. Of course, it will take awhile for me as LV bags are virtually indestructable. Sometimes i feel like buying a vintage one...
Isabellam, I would love to take up your signature bag challenge. I'm still sifting through the posts here and finding they're better than some novels! Since your excellent thread has given me lots of food for thought, I am now nominating my 3 y/o Balenciaga Twiggy as my signature bag. Like so many here, I play around with the various bags in my collection. But I have long wanted to 'grow really attached' to the one bag. So it's gonna be Anthracite Twiggy. Funnily enough, I have just realized that the Twiggy resembles (in shape) the black vinyl bag my granny used to carry everywhere!
LOVE this thread, such an interesting concept and question OP. I have too been having this very discussion with DBF lately, and he was saying "I don't care how much you spend on a bag, but if you are going to buy it--you better use it". He is so right. I keep on buying new bags and switching them out so frequently that I am not getting the chance to actually use them and bond with them. It is even to the point that people at work are starting to notice and make comments to me like, "do you ever carry the same purse, how many bags do you have?" embarrassing! This may have just pushed me over the edge to sell some of my collection!
Great thread!
For me, a bag that a woman carries is more than just a storage place for things. I think the style,size,colour and quality (not necessarily the amount of $$ spent) all give clues about a person.
Some of my dear friends think otherwise,that it's "just a bag", as long as it serves the purpose, it doesn't matter. I have one friend that will buy a cheap bag and use it till it wears out, then she throws it away.
For myself, I tend to "bond" with my bags for varying lengths of time.
I have 5 bal City bags and for some reason i used the dark brown one for so long, it started to show wear. The black one and the Greige one have not been as well used.Red and green also get more use. Go figure.
Right now I'm carrying, and have been carrying for over a year now..an LV Totally MM. I have a deep bond with that bag, probably because of its functionality and practicality.
It really depends on what (if anything) a bag means to you.
My guess is that most people here don't buy $20 bags and dispose of them:giggles:
For me, a bag that a woman carries is more than just a storage place for things. I think the style,size,colour and quality (not necessarily the amount of $$ spent) all give clues about a person.
Some of my dear friends think otherwise,that it's "just a bag", as long as it serves the purpose, it doesn't matter. I have one friend that will buy a cheap bag and use it till it wears out, then she throws it away.
For myself, I tend to "bond" with my bags for varying lengths of time.
I have 5 bal City bags and for some reason i used the dark brown one for so long, it started to show wear. The black one and the Greige one have not been as well used.Red and green also get more use. Go figure.
Right now I'm carrying, and have been carrying for over a year now..an LV Totally MM. I have a deep bond with that bag, probably because of its functionality and practicality.
It really depends on what (if anything) a bag means to you.
My guess is that most people here don't buy $20 bags and dispose of them:giggles:
I wanted to agree w the ppl that said that their premier designers don't get used often by they're afraid to wreck them.
I've only bought I mbmj bag brand new, in lilac a long time ago, and I rarely wear it for that reason, even though I managed to leave a small water stain on the back bottom bc I carelessly held off spraying protectant on it forever.
My 2 collection mj bags were bought pre-loved, so I don't feel the need to baby them, bc they've already started to show wear. ESP my venitia that was so sad I had to dye it just to make it wearable!
If I wanted to pick one bag that screamed "me!" I don't know if I could do it. I've been into the buying/selling game, too, and lots of bags have rotated in and out w me. But for a small every-day bag, I usually tend to stick w one black pebbly leather one w fringe that runs down the middle to the bottom, light and not super boho, neutral but different than a plain black bag.
I'm glad to see this thread, and its given me inspiration to find what bags I can make my signature for all occasions. And maybe downsize what I can live without.
I've only bought I mbmj bag brand new, in lilac a long time ago, and I rarely wear it for that reason, even though I managed to leave a small water stain on the back bottom bc I carelessly held off spraying protectant on it forever.
My 2 collection mj bags were bought pre-loved, so I don't feel the need to baby them, bc they've already started to show wear. ESP my venitia that was so sad I had to dye it just to make it wearable!
If I wanted to pick one bag that screamed "me!" I don't know if I could do it. I've been into the buying/selling game, too, and lots of bags have rotated in and out w me. But for a small every-day bag, I usually tend to stick w one black pebbly leather one w fringe that runs down the middle to the bottom, light and not super boho, neutral but different than a plain black bag.
I'm glad to see this thread, and its given me inspiration to find what bags I can make my signature for all occasions. And maybe downsize what I can live without.
I have recently scaled down my collection considerably. I am down to about 6 bags (from over 20). I rarely buy from brand new so I was even able to recover what I had paid for them originally. Well, more or less.
It feels absolutely great!
Like many of you mention I also think that my previous collection (ever changing that is with the constant selling and buying) was kind of a stress factor as I felt that I didn't use each one enough. Some were only carried once or twice and I felt bad every time I opened my closet and saw them just sitting there, unused.
I currently have only 2 "core bags" that I change between and really, really like for different occasions and needs, so I will probably downsize a couple more soon and not even feel that I am missing out. This is very surprising to me; I'm like a bag-junkie turned clean!
It feels absolutely great!
Like many of you mention I also think that my previous collection (ever changing that is with the constant selling and buying) was kind of a stress factor as I felt that I didn't use each one enough. Some were only carried once or twice and I felt bad every time I opened my closet and saw them just sitting there, unused.
I currently have only 2 "core bags" that I change between and really, really like for different occasions and needs, so I will probably downsize a couple more soon and not even feel that I am missing out. This is very surprising to me; I'm like a bag-junkie turned clean!
I believe if you really like something you just carry it. Perhaps, that was your Grandma's favorite handbag. I change handbag for the different seasons. Right now I am carrying a crochet bag because it is light and fun for the summer. However, usually in the winter time I change to a leather handbag. However, you can carry leather handbags in the summer and winter. They have so many vibrant colors to choose from.
