Share Your Edited Bag Closet Journey......

[diane278]

Too pretty for words...

Thank you! As a photo, I think it worked very well. But my reality was quite different. My bag collection was quite bloated back then and this is the most blatant example. The ugly truth is that several of these were NEVER used....embarrassing but true. I’ve already faced my bag demons, now I need to figure out how not to repeat my mistakes.

 

[ladysarah]

Thank you! As a photo, I think it worked very well. But my reality was quite different. My bag collection was quite bloated back then and this is the most blatant example. The ugly truth is that several of these were NEVER used....embarrassing but true. I’ve already faced my bag demons, now I need to figure out how not to repeat my mistakes.

Interesting. Looking at the photo, I have a vision of this incredibly stylish lady ( that’s you) contemplating them every morning, deciding on a colour....no?

 

[Bag peace]

I'll be following this thread with great interest as it speaks to my motto that "more isn't always better, sometimes it's just more."
My personal bag collection consists of 20 bags (including 2 backpacks) that I carefully selected and love. That number is not my ideal as it's too many for me. I become overwhelmed by excess and cannot enjoy each piece fully. I don't know my magic number, but I think it may be 8:
2 work bags
2 fun/weekend bags
1 backpack
1 nylon crossbody for travelling
1 gym bag
1 special events/ evening bag

I can't really contribute to the thread much as over the past year, I've been gifted 13 or 14 bags from friends and family, and that has brought my current total to around 33/34 bags. What I have is the opposite of an edited bag closet.
I'm so far removed from my ideal number and find myself in a funny position in that I don't *love* so many of these bags but, I do love the people who gifted them. Having this crazy high total does not bring me joy and it is seriously stressing me out, yet I don't dare part with any for fear of offending my friends.

I admire others who can live with collections of 50+ bags, but I function much better with moderation than abundance, and this applies to every area of my life.

Right now, I'm trying to work with the less-loved (gifted) bags and have created a capsule wardrobe with them to last me the next 6 months. If I cannot make these bags work in that time then they will be donated. I figure that's a fair balance of utilizing the gifts and showing my friends they were appreciated, but also letting go of them if they are only cluttering my world.

I'm really looking forward to following everyone's journey and seeing how you curate your collections. I'm hoping that over the course of the next year, I'll have donated the excess and edited my collection back down to only the pieces that I adore.

 

[Bag peace]

Interesting. Looking at the photo, I have a vision of this incredibly stylish lady ( that’s you) contemplating them every morning, deciding on a colour....no?

Not to reply on behalf of others, but in my experience, more often than not, I would end up using the same 2 or 3 that are broken in and the others would remain untouched.
My mother taught me that having too much is as bad as having too little, and this was proven to me each time I had multiples of anything (jeans/ bags/ suits) because I invariably used the same pieces over and over whilst the multiples sat in my closet unused. They may as well have been left on a retail shelf- at least then someone else would have bought and used them.

 

[Vintage Leather]

My closet has been ruthlessly edited, but my handbags and jewelry have run amuck. I think the biggest challenge for me is 1) I tend to buy multiples of of occasional items (three work bags, I can definitely use. Three evening dress clutches even if they are of different styles and colors... maybe not) and 2) figuring out what my base neutral is - I have a mix of black, brown and navy in my clothing; which should I augment with purses and which should I release? So I'm following along here, and my goal is, by my next birthday, to have carried every bag I will and to deacquisition the ones I will not.

 

[diane278]

Interesting. Looking at the photo, I have a vision of this incredibly stylish lady ( that’s you) contemplating them every morning, deciding on a colour....no?

No.....I’m “bag lazy”. Even though I’m retired and have plenty of time, I often take the path of least resistance and use the same bag for several days....or longer. There are times when I go through a period of daily changes but not all that often.

I'll be following this thread with great interest as it speaks to my motto that "more isn't always better, sometimes it's just more."
I'm really looking forward to following everyone's journey and seeing how you curate your collections. I'm hoping that over the course of the next year, I'll have donated the excess and edited my collection back down to only the pieces that I adore.

I would love to have a number that I could embrace, and maybe someday I’ll achieve that, but right now I’m aiming for efficiency with flexibility, as I know I will require it. After spending some time contemplating this adventure, I’m thinking I’ll be more successful if I do this in stages, although I don’t know what those stages look like at this point.....I’m all over the place.....

 

[diane278]

My closet has been ruthlessly edited, but my handbags and jewelry have run amuck. I think the biggest challenge for me is 1) I tend to buy multiples of of occasional items (three work bags, I can definitely use. Three evening dress clutches even if they are of different styles and colors... maybe not) and 2) figuring out what my base neutral is - I have a mix of black, brown and navy in my clothing; which should I augment with purses and which should I release? So I'm following along here, and my goal is, by my next birthday, to have carried every bag I will and to deacquisition the ones I will not.

I’ll be 70 in about 3 months and I’m hoping to have a good grasp on my bag situation. By that, I mean that I’ll be using all the bags I keep and not be looking at adding any (and pretending that new purchases ‘just happened’, as though I wasn’t involved!) I’d like to go a year without adding any more and see how that feels.

 

[Rami00]

I'll be following this thread with great interest as it speaks to my motto that "more isn't always better, sometimes it's just more."
My personal bag collection consists of 20 bags (including 2 backpacks) that I carefully selected and love. That number is not my ideal as it's too many for me. I become overwhelmed by excess and cannot enjoy each piece fully. I don't know my magic number, but I think it may be 8:
2 work bags
2 fun/weekend bags
1 backpack
1 nylon crossbody for travelling
1 gym bag
1 special events/ evening bag

I can't really contribute to the thread much as over the past year, I've been gifted 13 or 14 bags from friends and family, and that has brought my current total to around 33/34 bags. What I have is the opposite of an edited bag closet.
I'm so far removed from my ideal number and find myself in a funny position in that I don't *love* so many of these bags but, I do love the people who gifted them. Having this crazy high total does not bring me joy and it is seriously stressing me out, yet I don't dare part with any for fear of offending my friends.

I admire others who can live with collections of 50+ bags, but I function much better with moderation than abundance, and this applies to every area of my life.

Right now, I'm trying to work with the less-loved (gifted) bags and have created a capsule wardrobe with them to last me the next 6 months. If I cannot make these bags work in that time then they will be donated. I figure that's a fair balance of utilizing the gifts and showing my friends they were appreciated, but also letting go of them if they are only cluttering my world.

I'm really looking forward to following everyone's journey and seeing how you curate your collections. I'm hoping that over the course of the next year, I'll have donated the excess and edited my collection back down to only the pieces that I adore.

Phew..there is someone out there like me
I get overwhelmed like you too. I am trying to work on my capsule wardrobe right now, another not easy project.

 

[Rami00]

Thank you! I really don’t have a favorite, but if I could only keep one (in the spirit of this thread ) I think I would chose the origami knot because it’s limited edition. As well as being formal enough for black tie.. and looks chic for a daytime brunch. IF I had to choose

Thank you! I have been to Bottega twice in the last few months and I really admire those clutches. I would like to add one down the road but not sure what color.. seems like I am not ready yet.

 

[southernbelle43]

I, too, lean towards multiples in styles I really like. I think this is the most egregious example of multiples I used to have.....I’m now down down to three of these and planning on letting at least one more go....possibly two (if I can get to that place). At the time, I felt this was a good way to cover my basic color needs. Now I think I was delusional.
View attachment 4572396
I’m letting go of the Fume (beige) at the left end and keeping the Barolo in the middle and the Nero next to it. I think this photo was taken in 2018 and I had already let go of four at that time. I recently removed two more.

My first reaction was to email you and tell you I would buy one, but then I recovered and realized that I would have too many! I only have one which I bought from you and the color or lack thereof goes with almost everything I own..... so I will quit this thread before i get into trouble.

 

[Aerdem]

Thank you! I have been to Bottega twice in the last few months and I really admire those clutches. I would like to add one down the road but not sure what color.. seems like I am not ready yet.

There are so many gorgeous iterations. Take your time, and really fall in lust with one. It’s a lifetime piece- so no need to rush the process..

 

[GoStanford]

Great thread! Thanks for starting it and sharing your photos and story, Diane. I have a little contribution, not a bag, but a wallet story. I used to carry an Orla Kiely big zip wallet. This is a continental wallet that has room for about 12 credit cards/IDs, space for paper money, space for coins, and even an extra pocket behind the credit card slots for more stuff like receipts. I used to stuff it into my jacket pocket and take it everywhere, either in my handbag or in my pocket. Then I got a replacement wallet at the same time as I started carrying a shallow tote bag more often, and the wallet would fall out sometimes, which was not good! Luckily I never lost it permanently.

Then about a year ago, I downsized to a very simple wallet that fits in my palm easily. I forced myself to take out extra cards and keep them in a separate zipper pouch that goes into my larger handbag (things like my library card and frequent buyer cards). It is a treat to have lightened my load this way. I highly recommend it.

 

[LPR200]

I love this thread and it's making me think-- I've been keeping track of my bag usage and I realize that I use my big totes the most. It's hard to let go of some of the others, but I'm inspired here!

 

[diane278]

Great thread! Thanks for starting it and sharing your photos and story, Diane. I have a little contribution, not a bag, but a wallet story. I used to carry an Orla Kiely big zip wallet. This is a continental wallet that has room for about 12 credit cards/IDs, space for paper money, space for coins, and even an extra pocket behind the credit card slots for more stuff like receipts. I used to stuff it into my jacket pocket and take it everywhere, either in my handbag or in my pocket. Then I got a replacement wallet at the same time as I started carrying a shallow tote bag more often, and the wallet would fall out sometimes, which was not good! Luckily I never lost it permanently.
Then about a year ago, I downsized to a very simple wallet that fits in my palm easily. I forced myself to take out extra cards and keep them in a separate zipper pouch that goes into my larger handbag (things like my library card and frequent buyer cards). It is a treat to have lightened my load this way. I highly recommend it.

I agree with you 100%. I should look for a wallet like that. I’m using a tiny card case. I know it’s not for everyone. I stick in my necessary cards and a small bit of cash. But everything is stuck into the one opening, so I end up digging through to find the card I need. (Now that I’m on Medicare, there are three insurance cards I must carry.) My way isn’t for everyone as there’s no place for loose change or much of anything else. I tend to toss coins into my bag and then into the center console of my car. So, there’s that....and, yes, if I need change I dig around for what’s in the bottom of my bag. I also toss receipts into my bags......until I manage to misplace them.....
@GoStanford, do you have a specific wallet you recommend? I think I could be doing better....

 

[GoStanford]

@GoStanford, do you have a specific wallet you recommend? I think I could be doing better....

In case it's helpful, this is the brand: https://rsvp-paris.com/collections/all
and I got the folding cardholder. It doesn't fit American paper money lengthwise, so I have to fold up bills and carry them in the billfold area. It's been worth it for me, though. I put any coins I pick up in my pocket, and I put quarters into an old film canister in my car (those old plastic film canisters are the perfect size for quarters, this is something I've been doing for over 20 years) and I put smaller coins into a piggy bank. Every year, or maybe every six months, I visit a Coinstar machine with the piggy bank.