Find a leather worker to clone the bag in a much more manageable size. Problem solved!
Share Your Edited Bag Closet Journey......
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Find a leather worker to clone the bag in a much more manageable size. Problem solved!
What is this “wearing out” that you speak of?
I still have the bag I carried in high school.
I still have the bag I carried in high school.
I'm working towards this goal of using the current bags instead of storing them or selling them at a loss. I've realised that I've reduced alot of EDC that I can actually do away with just a phone and a physical credit card for places that dont accept Apple Pay or Google Pay. So at times I dont even need to carry a bag!
I have 7 bags right now, including a backpack and an all around, schlepping tote. I was BRUTAL in editing - I sold several inherited bags and an impulse buy =( the relief and lightness I felt after curating my collection is satisfying compared to the "pressure" of loving/looking after/managing the bags I let go of.
I've been following several minimalists long enough to realize that "enough" isn't a number per se - it's a state of mind and it can be dynamic. My life stage, where and how I live made it easy for me to decide which ones to let go; though I think my mother would've turned over in her grave if she found out I let go of all her Chanels (but see - even if it was taken cared of for a LONG time, a humid climate, leather and a daughter with sensitive shoulders is a disastrous combination in the long run).
Right now I am pretty satisfied with my collection, though there is still one bag that calls out to me. I've been stewing in this want for three years now, but I haven't felt that the time is right to buy it. Sigh.
I've been following several minimalists long enough to realize that "enough" isn't a number per se - it's a state of mind and it can be dynamic. My life stage, where and how I live made it easy for me to decide which ones to let go; though I think my mother would've turned over in her grave if she found out I let go of all her Chanels (but see - even if it was taken cared of for a LONG time, a humid climate, leather and a daughter with sensitive shoulders is a disastrous combination in the long run).
Right now I am pretty satisfied with my collection, though there is still one bag that calls out to me. I've been stewing in this want for three years now, but I haven't felt that the time is right to buy it. Sigh.
Very good point. Most things in life are dynamic and affected by extrinsic factors and situational circumstances. What is enough today may not be in a few years, and vice versa. Whatever "the magic number" is, it is transient and will evolve at different life stages.
It's much wiser to look at it as a state of mind, in the way you describe, where we are content and fulfilled with what we have, rather than eternally seeking to add more to our collections to complete them- which, come to think of it, actually distracts us from enjoying what is already there and may be completely fulfilling as is.
Based on my (premier) bag collection:
I'm in two minds whether to get rid of #11 and #12 because I have a lot of black crossbodies, but another part of me tells me to keep them because they are more practical, still considered classics and are less serious than my top 10. I keep telling myself that they could be good options for travel when I don't want to take any of my top 10 bags.
Otherwise, I have a few Longchamps for work and travel. I currently have three contemporary bags listed on eBay and plan to replace those with a Polene Numero Un.
Luckily for me, I am not a fan of the current Hermes leathers for a Birkin or Kelly (i.e. Togo, Clemence, Epsom, Swift, etc) and prefer the vintage structured leathers, especially Ardennes and Vache Liegee, so the temptation or craving to buy a B30 from FSH has disappeared. I'm also learning to appreciate my B35 again and love how it looks small because of it's structure and is not heavy because the leather is lightweight.
I'm in two minds whether to get rid of #11 and #12 because I have a lot of black crossbodies, but another part of me tells me to keep them because they are more practical, still considered classics and are less serious than my top 10. I keep telling myself that they could be good options for travel when I don't want to take any of my top 10 bags.
Otherwise, I have a few Longchamps for work and travel. I currently have three contemporary bags listed on eBay and plan to replace those with a Polene Numero Un.
Luckily for me, I am not a fan of the current Hermes leathers for a Birkin or Kelly (i.e. Togo, Clemence, Epsom, Swift, etc) and prefer the vintage structured leathers, especially Ardennes and Vache Liegee, so the temptation or craving to buy a B30 from FSH has disappeared. I'm also learning to appreciate my B35 again and love how it looks small because of it's structure and is not heavy because the leather is lightweight.
Over the past few months I've managed to donate 9 of my bags, so I've whittled my premier number down to 10: 7 Bottega Venetas and 3 Fendi baguettes. (I admit to being a loyalist.) I still have 4 or 5 Longchamp le Pliage totes and several Pacsafe bags in varying sizes for travel, but my top 10 are my core collection. I wonder how long it will stay like this?
You guys are so good! I tried to decrease my collection. I couldn't go under 25 ugh. Ive thrown and gave some already.
I’m pretty sure my next step will be to remove all bags I’m not sure I want to keep and put them in another closet until I test life without them. It will remove any fear of making a mistake, as I’ll be able to readjust which ones I plan to keep as I move through my daily life. If I can get things aligned with my current lifestyle, I’ll feel I’ve succeeded. Future needs will be addressed in the future.....although, since I’m staring down 70, I can only imagine my bag needs diminishing, rather than increasing. I’d like to think I’ll get closer to the minimalist lifestyle I’ve toyed with for decades....
I like that idea. I have 20 bags and I love them all, but I don't carry them all???? I keep making a list to donate/sell or trade, but then I don't do anything. I am going to follow your example and separate the ones I do not carry and see if I EVER go hunting for one of them.
Update. It did not take me long at all (maybe 3 minutes) to put 7 bags in the uncertain spot. I did it without even a second thought. This tells me I CAN cull my collection. We shall see if I reach for any of them over the next few months. Thanks for a great idea Diane. Not only are you an artist in staging your photos (and in decorating your house), you are a creative solution artist for those of us on this bag journey.
I recently moved two bags that I wasn’t using from my bag shelf to a different spot in the closet to see if I would feel better without them. It’s so weird. Almost immediately I started appreciating the ones that didn’t move and I’ve switched my bag more often this week than I would have if I hadn’t done this. It’s so weird that giving myself less options gives me more peace.
Part of Costco's philosophy works on this principle. In that context, studies have shown that the more options you have, the more overwhelmed you are, and the more likely you are not to make any choice at all and instead just walk away. That's one reason why they don't carry multiples of similar items (eg., all the different flavors of Cheerios).
Today I did an actual “pull” and there are now 15 bags in my closet. I’m trying not to even think about what’s been removed....I’m trying to think of those bags as gone. There’s no reason I can’t get by perfectly fine with the remaining bags and I should be able to further reduce what I have. I’m not making any choices based on color or style....just on what I love and use. I suspect the next pull will be more challenging......but perhaps it will get easier as I get used to doing this. If I do decide to bring a bag back, I’m going to try to put another one into my Closet for Departing Bags. I’m actually excited about this, but there’s still an element of “I may have gone over the edge and into the abyss....” 
LOL I actually have one of these but didn't realize it until now! I put my outgoing stuff in one particular spot until it accumulates enough to batch into a consignment.