[Poll] Collecting to collect?

[electricbluerita]

I am curious what everyone’s definition of “often” is - how much does a bag get used for it to get upgraded to “in rotation” status? (I’m excluding special occasion bags from this question, since I imagine for most of us those are 1-2x per year if that, but the standard is different for how much they “should” be carried.)

Often for me is at least once every 2-3 weeks. When a bag comes out that often, it means that I'm always gravitating towards it and it's functional for what I need. I can't expect myself to be super consistent though. Sometimes I go 6 months without using a favorite bag just because I have now acquired another favorite with similar practicality, but then if I go back and use it consistently again after those months, I would still say the bag is still very much so an important part of my collection and that doesn't diminish the past "oftenness."

I think another question is what is often enough for the bag's worth. I know some may not be very concerned with this, but I am. If I get to wear my $2,000 bag 100 times over however many years, I'm paying $20 per each wear, I think I'm fine with that. But if I only wear it 5-10 times, I'd feel a little concerned. Obviously, this measure becomes harder to stomach as the price of the bag goes up, and I think it is part of why we think so hard about our most expensive purchases. I remember exactly where I bought each pair of shoes, bag, top, and so on in my closet. And that feeling of knowing so much about it and its journey to my house gives me some joy. That doesn't mean I'll forget where I got my future Birkin or another very prized bag, but I just hope I never get to the point where the process or story that used to matter to me doesn't matter anymore.

 

[Claudia Herzog]

Another factor affecting the answer to “how often is often?” is the frequency with which one carries handbags at all. Under non-pandemic conditions, I don’t carry a bag to work. So the handbags in my collection are only a weekend thing. And I was never a nightlife kind of person, so my evening bags are used for their intended purpose never. Given these factors, I would say I skew slightly to the “work of art” side of this debate, because I don’t have much need for utility.

 

[Claudia Herzog]

I would also like to point out that historically, women have often been excluded from art for art’s sake. Women turn to quilting, knitting, scrapbooking, and handbag collecting in part because those forms of artistic expression also have utility. It’s more socially acceptable for a woman to spend money on these forms of art because they are also practically useful and of benefit to the family.