Did you stop buying/using contemporary bags once you go luxury?

[yukaeshi]

For me it depends on the design(s) of the bag. I tend to veer for classic but unique designs, and I like to have like one of every style (Satchel/Top handle/Flap/Messenger, etc) in unique designs Now a lot of contemporary designers are using high quality materials and workmanship, and with the ever increasing prices of luxury bags, I think a lot are also considering contemporary. It gets kind of hard to justify the prices of new luxury bags unless you're swimming in cash.
For example apart from my Delvaux, Loewe, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Gucci, YSL, etc I have Polene, Cambridge Satchel Company, Aspinal, Coach, and I am looking at other brands like Acne Studios, Cuyana, J W Anderson, APC. I think there are more alternatives now.

 

[Pursephile]

I think I probably have a bit of an unpopular opinion, but now that I buy luxury bags, I haven’t carried any of my contemporary bags. The only exceptions are my longchamp leather le pliage, which I use for travel and for work etc., one Polene numero un that I spontaneously bought back when Polene was relatively new and unknown, and one Kate Spade novelty bag because it’s so cute I can’t part with it. Imo there is a significant difference in quality between a Kate Spade/Michael Kors and an LV/Chanel; and now that I’ve gone up I can’t go back. One of my LV bags literally predates ME (it was launched 2 years before I was born). I’m the third owner to carry it pretty much all the time, and yet it’s in fantastic shape. Showing its age a bit perhaps - the vachetta has patinaed (my personal preference!) and the canvas looks a tiny bit worn now, but no one could tell that the bag’s over 30 years old. I frequently use my mom’s luxury bags and they’re 20,30,40 years old but still in great condition. Imo you get what you pay for. I know that they’ve become way more expensive now but personally I’ve been lucky enough to not have any quality issues, at least nothing that hasn’t been immediately resolved. And I’ve been blessed with mostly great regular SAs who have gone out of their way to make sure my experience has been truly a luxury experience (service when I’ve bought from other boutiques hasn’t always been wonderful, but my home boutique for basically every brand? Stellar).

So, would I buy contemporary brands now? Very few things. I adore my le pliage, it’s an absolute workhorse, and if something happened to mine I would 100% replace it. I would never “upgrade” because I haven’t found a bag worth upgrading for yet. I was very impressed with the quality of the Polene leather, so… perhaps? Unlikely, though, because I don’t really like any of their designs other than the Un. I would never do the Kate Spade novelty bag again, though. I can see myself purging that in my next clean out. I know coach has apparently excellent quality but I got rid of all my old coach bags because they were all canvas and the pattern of the canvas isn’t my thing. Actually, I dislike basically all canvas patterns, across brands, except for LV monogram (normal and reverso).

That being said, there’s some luxury brands I find myself staying away from too. I don’t like Goyard for example - the price point is high but their totes, at least, are terrible quality, and I hate the design. Give me LV any day. Also not a fan of Celine, Fendi, Balenciaga, Givenchy - the designs don’t appeal to me at ALL.

 

[Sibelle]

I think I probably have a bit of an unpopular opinion, but now that I buy luxury bags, I haven’t carried any of my contemporary bags. The only exceptions are my longchamp leather le pliage, which I use for travel and for work etc., one Polene numero un that I spontaneously bought back when Polene was relatively new and unknown, and one Kate Spade novelty bag because it’s so cute I can’t part with it. Imo there is a significant difference in quality between a Kate Spade/Michael Kors and an LV/Chanel; and now that I’ve gone up I can’t go back. One of my LV bags literally predates ME (it was launched 2 years before I was born). I’m the third owner to carry it pretty much all the time, and yet it’s in fantastic shape. Showing its age a bit perhaps - the vachetta has patinaed (my personal preference!) and the canvas looks a tiny bit worn now, but no one could tell that the bag’s over 30 years old. I frequently use my mom’s luxury bags and they’re 20,30,40 years old but still in great condition. Imo you get what you pay for. I know that they’ve become way more expensive now but personally I’ve been lucky enough to not have any quality issues, at least nothing that hasn’t been immediately resolved. And I’ve been blessed with mostly great regular SAs who have gone out of their way to make sure my experience has been truly a luxury experience (service when I’ve bought from other boutiques hasn’t always been wonderful, but my home boutique for basically every brand? Stellar).

So, would I buy contemporary brands now? Very few things. I adore my le pliage, it’s an absolute workhorse, and if something happened to mine I would 100% replace it. I would never “upgrade” because I haven’t found a bag worth upgrading for yet. I was very impressed with the quality of the Polene leather, so… perhaps? Unlikely, though, because I don’t really like any of their designs other than the Un. I would never do the Kate Spade novelty bag again, though. I can see myself purging that in my next clean out. I know coach has apparently excellent quality but I got rid of all my old coach bags because they were all canvas and the pattern of the canvas isn’t my thing. Actually, I dislike basically all canvas patterns, across brands, except for LV monogram (normal and reverso).

That being said, there’s some luxury brands I find myself staying away from too. I don’t like Goyard for example - the price point is high but their totes, at least, are terrible quality, and I hate the design. Give me LV any day. Also not a fan of Celine, Fendi, Balenciaga, Givenchy - the designs don’t appeal to me at ALL.

Glad to hear that your old LVs hold up so well . I just fear that the new LVs and other luxury bags do not have the same quality anymore that they used to have - despite the much higher price point. I doubt that the LV bags you buy today will hold up for 20 years or even longer. My oldest LV is a Speedy 30 that I bought in 2016 and the handles already started peeling although I have not worn the bag very often. I also bought a few other LVs that had quality issues after a few months. On the other hand I have DKNY, Michael Kors and Coach leather bags that I have bought around 2016 as well, I have been using them regularly for 8 years and they still have no issues at all. So I am not convinced that luxury bags are the ones with better quality or let's say longevity. Maybe they seem that way with the nice leather and shiny hardware, but in the long run not so much.

 

[Pursephile]

Glad to hear that your old LVs hold up so well . I just fear that the new LVs and other luxury bags do not have the same quality anymore that they used to have - despite the much higher price point. I doubt that the LV bags you buy today will hold up for 20 years or even longer. My oldest LV is a Speedy 30 that I bought in 2016 and the handles already started peeling although I have not worn the bag very often. I also bought a few other LVs that had quality issues after a few months. On the other hand I have DKNY, Michael Kors and Coach leather bags that I have bought around 2016 as well, I have been using them regularly for 8 years and they still have no issues at all. So I am not convinced that luxury bags are the ones with better quality or let's say longevity. Maybe they seem that way with the nice leather and shiny hardware, but in the long run not so much.

Oh no, that’s awful! My second oldest LV is a vernis leather from 2012. That one is also in “like new” condition - with some minor scratches towards the bottom. Every other LV I have is post 2016 and so far is in great condition. The only Chanel I abuse (can’t even call it use) is my black goatskin WOC from 2019. That one is just beginning to show minor signs of wear around the clasp. But I think some of it is luck of the draw. My MK bags (last one I bought was 2016 I think) never lasted me more than a year. But of course what is important is obviously your own experience with the brand(s). I’m glad your contemporary designer bags are holding up!

 

[mrywng]

I love my Hermes, Chanel, LVs BUT! I just found out about the Isabel Marant Darwen tote and I have been using it every single day since it arrived. It's so light it's a piece of paper compared to the heavy leathers.
If I go to an event or nice dinners I'll still use my Hermes, but for now...I don't even consider using anything else other than the Marant tote, and my shoulder is saying thanks LOL

 

[Sa26]

I think I probably have a bit of an unpopular opinion, but now that I buy luxury bags, I haven’t carried any of my contemporary bags. The only exceptions are my longchamp leather le pliage, which I use for travel and for work etc., one Polene numero un that I spontaneously bought back when Polene was relatively new and unknown, and one Kate Spade novelty bag because it’s so cute I can’t part with it. Imo there is a significant difference in quality between a Kate Spade/Michael Kors and an LV/Chanel; and now that I’ve gone up I can’t go back. One of my LV bags literally predates ME (it was launched 2 years before I was born). I’m the third owner to carry it pretty much all the time, and yet it’s in fantastic shape. Showing its age a bit perhaps - the vachetta has patinaed (my personal preference!) and the canvas looks a tiny bit worn now, but no one could tell that the bag’s over 30 years old. I frequently use my mom’s luxury bags and they’re 20,30,40 years old but still in great condition. Imo you get what you pay for. I know that they’ve become way more expensive now but personally I’ve been lucky enough to not have any quality issues, at least nothing that hasn’t been immediately resolved. And I’ve been blessed with mostly great regular SAs who have gone out of their way to make sure my experience has been truly a luxury experience (service when I’ve bought from other boutiques hasn’t always been wonderful, but my home boutique for basically every brand? Stellar).

So, would I buy contemporary brands now? Very few things. I adore my le pliage, it’s an absolute workhorse, and if something happened to mine I would 100% replace it. I would never “upgrade” because I haven’t found a bag worth upgrading for yet. I was very impressed with the quality of the Polene leather, so… perhaps? Unlikely, though, because I don’t really like any of their designs other than the Un. I would never do the Kate Spade novelty bag again, though. I can see myself purging that in my next clean out. I know coach has apparently excellent quality but I got rid of all my old coach bags because they were all canvas and the pattern of the canvas isn’t my thing. Actually, I dislike basically all canvas patterns, across brands, except for LV monogram (normal and reverso).

That being said, there’s some luxury brands I find myself staying away from too. I don’t like Goyard for example - the price point is high but their totes, at least, are terrible quality, and I hate the design. Give me LV any day. Also not a fan of Celine, Fendi, Balenciaga, Givenchy - the designs don’t appeal to me at ALL.

hey I just want to say the few contemporary bags you are keeping, you still love them because they are what I call PRIME Contemporary. Still not LV and YSL but a few levels above MK and Kate Spade.
id suggest you to try Coach again they are turning into prime contemporary. only their Wallets on chain now are in the 200 dollars mark.


the Coach prices are going up in the 400 mark and quality is definitely getting better. The only thing Coach needs to maintain their status of prime luxury is leaving storeslik Macys Or Dillard and stay only at bloomingdales or Nordstrom

 

[Pursephile]

hey I just want to say the few contemporary bags you are keeping, you still love them because they are what I call PRIME Contemporary. Still not LV and YSL but a few levels above MK and Kate Spade.
id suggest you to try Coach again they are turning into prime contemporary. only their Wallets on chain now are in the 200 dollars mark.


the Coach prices are going up in the 400 mark and quality is definitely getting better. The only thing Coach needs to maintain their status of prime luxury is leaving storeslik Macys Or Dillard and stay only at bloomingdales or Nordstrom

I think if I saw a coach bag that I LOVE I would definitely consider it but I haven’t really been moved by any of their bags in a while!

 

[Wigglebean]

For me it depends on the design(s) of the bag. I tend to veer for classic but unique designs, and I like to have like one of every style (Satchel/Top handle/Flap/Messenger, etc) in unique designs Now a lot of contemporary designers are using high quality materials and workmanship, and with the ever increasing prices of luxury bags, I think a lot are also considering contemporary. It gets kind of hard to justify the prices of new luxury bags unless you're swimming in cash.
For example apart from my Delvaux, Loewe, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Gucci, YSL, etc I have Polene, Cambridge Satchel Company, Aspinal, Coach, and I am looking at other brands like Acne Studios, Cuyana, J W Anderson, APC. I think there are more alternatives now.

Argee. I also have jw Anderson, polene, apc , a golden goose, no. 6, blood & honey, Ghurka, and a few longchamp all of which I love and are well crafted and lovely . I suppose the question is what exactly makes a contemporary bag. Other than polene, longchamp le pillage , no 6 , which are under $500, most all of the other mentioned bags are $1000+. Even the longchamp leather bag is about 1k. And the quality is not that different from my LV , celine, metier london , Loewe, valextra delvaux, Perrin Paris. Is a 1k+ handbag necessarily contemporary? I must be getting influenced by social media because since when does a 1k bag become the “knock around bag “? Does the rest of the bag community think that’s normal or did I become my parents last night with the “when I was young” comments . Lol

 

[Christofle]

Argee. I also have jw Anderson, polene, apc , a golden goose, no. 6, blood & honey, Ghurka, and a few longchamp all of which I love and are well crafted and lovely . I suppose the question is what exactly makes a contemporary bag. Other than polene, longchamp le pillage , no 6 , which are under $500, most all of the other mentioned bags are $1000+. Even the longchamp leather bag is about 1k. And the quality is not that different from my LV , celine, metier london , Loewe, valextra delvaux, Perrin Paris. Is a 1k+ handbag necessarily contemporary? I must be getting influenced by social media because since when does a 1k bag become the “knock around bag “? Does the rest of the bag community think that’s normal or did I become my parents last night with the “when I was young” comments . Lol

It’s pretty arbitrary because you could say it’s about having an amazing creative director but then Delvaux doesn’t even have one anymore.

If you say it’s based on craftsmanship it doesn’t work either because some contemporary brands use solid brass hardware while some premier brands don’t.

You can’t go with leather quality either because so many “luxury brands” use corrected grain leather.

You can try age whereby historical brands would be premier but then you’re stuck with say Coach as contemporary and a “new brand” like the row as premier so that doesn’t work either.

Much better off enjoying your bags and ignoring made up hierarchies!

 

[Wigglebean]

It’s pretty arbitrary because you could say it’s about having an amazing creative director but then Delvaux doesn’t even have one anymore.

If you say it’s based on craftsmanship it doesn’t work either because some contemporary brands use solid brass hardware while some premier brands don’t.

You can’t go with leather quality either because so many “luxury brands” use corrected grain leather.

You can try age whereby historical brands would be premier but then you’re stuck with say Coach as contemporary and a “new brand” like the row as premier so that doesn’t work either.

Much better off enjoying your bags and ignoring made up hierarchies!

Exactly. You are right. I may be aging myself but I thought any bag over let’s say $750? was on the lux side. I can’t tell anymore. I never spent more than $200 0n a bag until I was in my mid 40’s and frankly I can’t even remember my coach, Kate spade or dooney , all bags I thought were very nice at the time, being that much. And back in the 1980s-90s coach and dooney were very well made bags. We also didn’t have the internet and only saw what was in the mall. After clearly watching too many influencers on the internet, spending 2500 on a bag these days doesn’t strike me as being outrageous anymore. Is this the way normal women think now or is this just the way us Bagaholics think? Damn the internet for bringing me down the rabbit hole of fabulous bags. Lol

 

[cecchetti]

Exactly. You are right. I may be aging myself but I thought any bag over let’s say $750? was on the lux side. I can’t tell anymore. I never spent more than $200 0n a bag until I was in my mid 40’s and frankly I can’t even remember my coach, Kate spade or dooney , all bags I thought were very nice at the time, being that much. And back in the 1980s-90s coach and dooney were very well made bags. We also didn’t have the internet and only saw what was in the mall. After clearly watching too many influencers on the internet, spending 2500 on a bag these days doesn’t strike me as being outrageous anymore. Is this the way normal women think now or is this just the way us Bagaholics think? Damn the internet for bringing me down the rabbit hole of fabulous bags. Lol

I think it’s us Bagaholics lol-I don’t think any of my non bag loving friends would spend 2500 on a bag!!
A high proportion of my collection are exotics(at one point I Only carried exotics), but the fashion for mock croc means that many people would have zero idea what I’m carrying.
This isn’t always a negative ..I’m very small, I’ve never had my bag stolen and don’t want to start now!

 

[Christofle]

Exactly. You are right. I may be aging myself but I thought any bag over let’s say $750? was on the lux side. I can’t tell anymore. I never spent more than $200 0n a bag until I was in my mid 40’s and frankly I can’t even remember my coach, Kate spade or dooney , all bags I thought were very nice at the time, being that much. And back in the 1980s-90s coach and dooney were very well made bags. We also didn’t have the internet and only saw what was in the mall. After clearly watching too many influencers on the internet, spending 2500 on a bag these days doesn’t strike me as being outrageous anymore. Is this the way normal women think now or is this just the way us Bagaholics think? Damn the internet for bringing me down the rabbit hole of fabulous bags. Lol

I started to reevaluate things when the taxes I paid on the bag I purchased passed the 5000$ mark.

It’s a crazy world and things only seem to be getting pricier by the minute.

It also doesn’t help that the echo room of TPF can make us numb to pricing.

 

[nyeredzi]

Exactly. You are right. I may be aging myself but I thought any bag over let’s say $750? was on the lux side. I can’t tell anymore. I never spent more than $200 0n a bag until I was in my mid 40’s and frankly I can’t even remember my coach, Kate spade or dooney , all bags I thought were very nice at the time, being that much. And back in the 1980s-90s coach and dooney were very well made bags. We also didn’t have the internet and only saw what was in the mall. After clearly watching too many influencers on the internet, spending 2500 on a bag these days doesn’t strike me as being outrageous anymore. Is this the way normal women think now or is this just the way us Bagaholics think? Damn the internet for bringing me down the rabbit hole of fabulous bags. Lol

Ditto about the cost of bags until my 40s. The internet is strange; it can make you think abnormal things are normal. It almost doesn't even matter what the abnormal thing is. Whatever it is, there's some rabbit hole on the internet where people with similar proclivities have gathered and become an echo chamber. Our in-real-life lives also can be kind of bubble-ish, but not as bad of a bubble as social media algorithms create for us (we also seek them out). I don't think it's normal to pay $2k for a bag, and in the luxury space that the bulk of this forum operates in, $2,000 is considered a pretty good price, lol! But I do think the last few years luxury social media and what not has made it slightly less abnormal. A greater percentage of the population is buying stuff that would have seemed ridiculous to them just a few years ago.

 

[Wigglebean]

Ditto about the cost of bags until my 40s. The internet is strange; it can make you think abnormal things are normal. It almost doesn't even matter what the abnormal thing is. Whatever it is, there's some rabbit hole on the internet where people with similar proclivities have gathered and become an echo chamber. Our in-real-life lives also can be kind of bubble-ish, but not as bad of a bubble as social media algorithms create for us (we also seek them out). I don't think it's normal to pay $2k for a bag, and in the luxury space that the bulk of this forum operates in, $2,000 is considered a pretty good price, lol! But I do think the last few years luxury social media and what not has made it slightly less abnormal. A greater percentage of the population is buying stuff that would have seemed ridiculous to them just a few years ago.

To add to the crazy bag loving mentality, I constantly find amazing deals you can find on unbelievable preloved bags. Meaning, I’m forever buying way too many bags. Does that stop me? Never. I’m staying in our bubble. It’s fabulous in here!

 

[Wigglebean]

I think it’s us Bagaholics lol-I don’t think any of my non bag loving friends would spend 2500 on a bag!!
A high proportion of my collection are exotics(at one point I Only carried exotics), but the fashion for mock croc means that many people would have zero idea what I’m carrying.
This isn’t always a negative ..I’m very small, I’ve never had my bag stolen and don’t want to start now!

Good point. At least the mock croc carriers confuse the thieves so you can get the girls out of the closet for a stroll. Plus, doesn’t it make you feel like you have a cool secret carrying a special piece that only you know about? I enjoy that “secret luxury” thing , probably too much. Lol