I can totally relate. I know purses, not jewelry. Two days of ring shopping and I asked for an engagement handbag instead... A day later, he was hoping I was serious on that one.
How do other people react to your love for LV?
- Thread starter Sonmi999
- Start date
TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others
I wish I had friends to shop LV with!
None of my friends get it! Can I join a shopping trip with you and your friends? Come to Portland for a shopping trip, no sales tax! [emoji4]
I have a black suhali le superb that I use when I want to fly beneath the radar. It's a nice bag but no one would know it is LV. There are times when I want to go incognito lol.
I want to go shopping with someone who enjoys it just as much!! Im in!
[emoji4][emoji4]
[emoji4][emoji4]
My DH and sister are supportive (most of the time) ha but most of my friends/family don't buy designer handbags, I carry mine most days and they either don't seem to notice or if they do they will never comment unless they have something nice to say. When I was younger (early -mid 20s) I would get the odd comments from friends about how much I was spending (esp if they came with me when I was making my purchase) now I'm older and feel more confident and happy to go on my own and buy, sometimes my sister will come (she also buys the designer handbags but not very often) but if she feels I'm spending too much too soon since my last purchase she will make my feel guilty about the ££££ I'm spending but I have a one in one out rule so my collection is always small and that's how I justify my spend. My mum was supportive when I was younger as the handbags I was into then were all mono bags under £700 max (Gucci, LV) but now I love my leather bags and spend £2500+ And I would never tell her the price!!!
Honestly, it's easy not to care about what strangers think about me, but with friends and family it's a different story for me. I told my mother how much my bags cost and she thinks I'm crazy, but it's my money and choices. She doesn't like the way my bags look though. My friends think I'm crazy to spend so much money on handbags. I really wish I had someone here in Poland to shop together and share my bag craziness with... 
I wear my lv bag to work, and one time my coworkers were talking about buying a bag for a staff member who was resigning. Between the conversation, one of them mocking lv bags while looking at me. I just laugh, I don't care, i told them this is my hobby and makes me happy =D
I loved reading your story. Thank you for sharing. I didn't grow up around expensive handbags and have always genuinely loved buying bags - especially colorful ones. Once I went to visit my childhood friend in NY and we went to Chinatown for dinner. She asked if I wanted to see some handbags that they sell on the streets. I said sure. It was all in fun but I didn't like seeing bags on the ground like that and honestly didn't even know what LV was. I ended up buying a no name no logo black leather bag cos I loved the look. Fast forward two years, we meet up in Toronto for lunch and I came in with my coach bag. She' looks at it and immediately says "fake?". As though "like you can afford a real coach. After all we went fake bag shopping". It bothered me and obviously still bothers me to this day that people would formulate an opinion so easily. Our friendship phased out over time, which is a good thing because I don't think she can handle my real LVs and chanel! I buy bags for me and according to what I can afford. A nice bag makes me feel good even on days I wore a dress but forgot to shave my legs! (Yes I went there lol!!)This is a great thread, thanks for sharing your thoughts on this topic. At the age of 5 I got my first little $5 purse that my parents had me pick out to match my favorite outfit, and that was the day a monster was created. I've been known as a handbag lover since. I'm the only person in my family who loves purses though and I find myself making sure to switch out of my fancier/noticeable LVs before visiting certain family members who are hurting a bit more from the economy. It makes me feel bad that one of my bags is a couple months rent for them and I don't want to stroll into their homes flashing designer goods. I know they won't judge me, but I don't want to be in-their-face.
I'll never forget, right after I moved out of my parents' house I visited my childhood best friend, and I had just graduated college and gotten my life started- I walked into her parents' house to visit her with my first LV monogram speedy 25 in hand. She gave me a look that could've killed. I couldn't believe it. I knew right away she was thinking I was walking in with a chip on my shoulder. As I sat down and we caught up, she started telling me how her family was hurting financially and it was the hardest time of their lives- I immediately had a moment of awareness where I realized how I changed the energy of the meetup by walking in with this bag. I tried to change the energy back by engaging in our normal sister-like conversation, but wasn't successful. She ended up insulting me very bluntly. (In short, our friendship phased out after about a year because she started changing towards me after I graduated and started building my life).
So what is a healthy level of empathy for others' financial situations AND compassion for oneself enough to enjoy what we've earned in life?-- I pondered the thought. And after much consideration, I told myself that I didn't walk into her home dripping in diamonds or with my bank account statement attached to my forehead. I genuinely enjoy handbags, as I find them an extension of my personality. I don't buy them for the latest trend. I buy them because I love the look and comfort. For this reason, I'm going to enjoy them.
That day was an eye-opener for me though. Because I genuinely care about everyone in my life, I now put as much consideration into my bag for the day as I do making plans or putting together my outfit for the day- I make a conscious effort to not insult anyone and just stay mindful of who I'm going to be seeing and where I'll be going. I find my Epi and Damier LV is very understated and I like to use them if I'm going to be around someone who's hurting a bit more financially. I'm not going to not use my good stuff, but I don't need to walk into a family members house who's truly struggling with monogram LV.
So, for me, I love handbags and that's just fine because it's an act of self compassion to be kind and generous to ourselves. At the same time, if I ever sense that I may insult or offend with my luxury items, the bolder ones just stay home that day and out come the understated LVs. But I'm going to go to the grave with a purse collection, because I've come a long way in life from that $5 purse at the age of 5
I really, really love reading all the stories here! It's so interesting to see how each one of us deals with so many different situations that involve approval and support or disapproval and such mean comments. I really wish I lived in USA so I could shop with some girls around here, hahah!
My friends never say anything they all know that I'm a huge bag person and never rub my nose in it. In fact, one year for Christmas my close friend bought me a Kate Spade wallet. My mom usually just asks if its real and my husband acknowledges my obsession and has even promised to buy me a Chanel one day! Strangers usually compliment my bags and I've never had a bad reaction from anyone really.