Has Your Bag Changed Your Life?

[Annabel Lee]

Well . . . TBH, it's made me kind of a snob about what I'm willing to carry. I have a lot of perfectly lovely but not high-end bags that I used to wear all the time, and now when I try to carry them, I just keep thinking how much nicer my outfit would look with a better bag. There are some exceptions of course, and high-end doesn't necessarily mean designer, but like some of the other posters. I'm now irreversibly spoiled.

 

[catsinthebag]

Well . . . TBH, it's made me kind of a snob about what I'm willing to carry. I have a lot of perfectly lovely but not high-end bags that I used to wear all the time, and now when I try to carry them, I just keep thinking how much nicer my outfit would look with a better bag. There are some exceptions of course, and high-end doesn't necessarily mean designer, but like some of the other posters. I'm now irreversibly spoiled.

Me too!

 

[applecidered]

Hm, probably, it led me to purseforum!

Joking aside, I agree with the comment on how it made me a bit more conscious about my attire and what others may perceive of me. I work in a largely male workplace environment (90% men) and there are definitely a handful of guys who would know the purse brands I carry because of their wives! But yes, I agree I am spoiled. I can't buy any non-designer brands (e.g. like the Gap or something) because it's just not the same?

 

[reeco]

I wasn't born rich so everthing I have now, I've worked hard for it.
My first high-end designer bag was a Prada nappa gaufre. It made me nervous buying it... And then in just a few months, I ended up buying 2 more gaufres! It didn't change me like how the others are describing it. It just made me realize how far I've become / accomplished. Looking at my bags makes me grateful and reminds me how blessed I am.

 

[Chachalouve]

I wasn't born rich so everthing I have now, I've worked hard for it.
My first high-end designer bag was a Prada nappa gaufre. It made me nervous buying it... And then in just a few months, I ended up buying 2 more gaufres! It didn't change me like how the others are describing it. It just made me realize how far I've become / accomplished. Looking at my bags makes me grateful and reminds me how blessed I am.

I am in a same kind of situation as you and love your post. I started collecting premier handbags only 2 years ago and I will be 40 this year in my case. A lot of hard work and saving before that. Finally, I decided I should start treating myself too!
In the same way, I feel blessed for my collection and know how lucky I am. The reason why I love using and rotating my bags.
Though, I got a little snoby/spoiled too as I prefer by far my premier bags now..!!

 

[Chachalouve]

And yes my handbags change my life in the way that I decided to treat myself and not only be pragmatic when it comes to spend my earning!
And it s a darn good feeling!
However, I am (almost) done with my collection and won't add anything major before a long time..

 

[floodette]

Yes. Cleaning my bag closet made me realize how I love classic things. The bags I keep are now only classic items (veneta, city, noe). That translates how I buy my clothes now, while I used to be very trend obsessed.

 

[Hobbsy]

Absolutely not. Loss of jobs, houses, cancer, death of friends and family......those are things that will change your life. A purse is a bag to carry your stuff.

 

[Bitten]

Love this thread. Yes, my bag changed my life, I think! Or at least my aesthetic. Carrying my LV Speedy every day made me start paying more attention to the beautiful details and small tactile luxuries that I encounter throughout my day. It made me feel tremendous gratitude for all these small things, and just as beauty begets beauty (love that!) gratitude also begets gratitude. Carrying it made me feel surrounded by abundance and beauty. I hope that I'm able to shine those things outward into the world when I feel that way inside.

It also elevated my style, in general, and made me start articulating to myself: what's important to me? What do I want to project to the world? What does my lifestyle require? What makes me feel good and why? A lot of self-examination and self-discovery resulted from receiving that first LV bag!

This is such a great post! Perfectly articulates the evolution of my style as I started to explore luxury goods and to grow into my adult life and my career.
My bags (like my clothes, my jewellery) are definitely part of my esteem and my self-love. Choosing to dress in a manner that makes me feel strong and confident, choosing to wear the heels (if I want) or the flats (if I want), choosing to carry a bag that fits my laptop and my lunch and still looks chic in my office, is all part of how I present myself to the world every day.

 

[Annabel Lee]

Absolutely not. Loss of jobs, houses, cancer, death of friends and family......those are things that will change your life. A purse is a bag to carry your stuff.

That's true, and it's important not to lose perspective about what really matters. But I think small things can sometimes be an indicator of a much bigger picture, as the OP described in the start of this thread. The events you described are all so devastating that of course they're life-changing, but some positive events also have huge impacts (getting married, having kids, winning the lottery). And while the life-changing events you describe are horrible in part because there's nothing anyone could do to prevent them, a lot of life-changing decisions begin with a choice (starting a new job, breaking up, moving across the country, etc).

Sometimes those choices are triggered by small things. For example, people sometimes end relationships over really insignificant issues, but generally it's because it's one thing that makes them realize their goals/communication styles/expectations/etc. are ultimately incompatible. So I guess the question is "Was there ever a time your purse triggered a life-changing event?" And I think there are definitely people who could say yes.

 

[Summerfriend]

That's true, and it's important not to lose perspective about what really matters. But I think small things can sometimes be an indicator of a much bigger picture, as the OP described in the start of this thread. The events you described are all so devastating that of course they're life-changing, but some positive events also have huge impacts (getting married, having kids, winning the lottery). And while the life-changing events you describe are horrible in part because there's nothing anyone could do to prevent them, a lot of life-changing decisions begin with a choice (starting a new job, breaking up, moving across the country, etc).

Sometimes those choices are triggered by small things. For example, people sometimes end relationships over really insignificant issues, but generally it's because it's one thing that makes them realize their goals/communication styles/expectations/etc. are ultimately incompatible. So I guess the question is "Was there ever a time your purse triggered a life-changing event?" And I think there are definitely people who could say yes.

Agree. And I think it also depends on how one interprets "life-changing." Life can change suddenly, in big, irreversable ways, and it also can change gradually, in small ways (like changing your diet, adopting new hobbies, starting to exercise, changing your personal style, etc.). Hopefully none of us are static; the little choices we make daily are what continue moving us along in our personal evolution.

 

[Annabel Lee]

I answered this question already, but in thinking about Hobbsy's post and the idea of whether or not a purse could play a role in changing a person, I came up with this answer instead:

It took me awhile to adjust to having so much disposable income that I could afford such luxuries as expensive purses. I showed a friend a picture of a Givenchy Lucrezia, and I said "That is so gorgeous--I wish I could buy that." And my friend looked at me and lovingly said, "Um, hello, lunkhead, you CAN." It really kind of startled me, because yeah, I could have bought it, but I wasn't in that mindset yet. I was still buying ten $50 items instead of one $500 item.

I didn't buy that bag, but that conversation definitely made me rethink my spending and savings habits (I'd been saving for a house before I met my husband and still kept putting the same amount in savings every paycheck even after I moved into his house). And one day, I was flipping through a theater playbill and saw an ad for a Hermes Halzan, and I fell in love and had to have it. I went out and bought one the next week--it was my first new premier designer purchase. I've never regretted it, and it definitely changed my spending patterns and habits.

 

[closedaccount.3837238]

When I went to buy my first work bag I found a beautiful non-designer bag - but it was too much at $100. I couldn't buy the bag, and I had trouble buying clothes that were new. The experience wasn't life changing, but it planted a seed in my mind that I wanted to change my life.

It took time because I was in a difficult position with no car, no money and no education. 2 years later I went to college, and then 2 years from that point I went to University as a mature student. These days I can pay all my bills, add to my savings, afford the medical care I need, and spoil myself and my Mum rotten with no guilt.

 

[Hobbsy]

That's true, and it's important not to lose perspective about what really matters. But I think small things can sometimes be an indicator of a much bigger picture, as the OP described in the start of this thread. The events you described are all so devastating that of course they're life-changing, but some positive events also have huge impacts (getting married, having kids, winning the lottery). And while the life-changing events you describe are horrible in part because there's nothing anyone could do to prevent them, a lot of life-changing decisions begin with a choice (starting a new job, breaking up, moving across the country, etc).

Sometimes those choices are triggered by small things. For example, people sometimes end relationships over really insignificant issues, but generally it's because it's one thing that makes them realize their goals/communication styles/expectations/etc. are ultimately incompatible. So I guess the question is "Was there ever a time your purse triggered a life-changing event?" And I think there are definitely people who could say yes.

Sorry, I know you're right. It's been a bad year and a half.

 

[Summerfriend]

Sorry, I know you're right. It's been a bad year and a half.

I'm so sorry, Hobbsy. Hugs (if wanted).