Share Your Edited Bag Closet Journey......
- Thread starter diane278
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I can’t imagine fitting in sunglasses. They’d have to be foldable and teeny tiny.
Not my picture but on Sex & the City they mentioned Cynthia Rowley and I wanted to look like Carrie. Fur wasn't frowned upon and it made me happy just to think about it.
Then phones got bigger, the bag didn't fit mine and fur was not done anymore. Hadn't worn it in years, so it could go. I absolutely regretted that. Good thing that the bag was impossible and I could easilly source it pre-loved.
I love bags and found that it's okay to keep some I don't use. Since I have enough, some don't have to perform as an actual bag but them making me happy is enough. I do have to say I also got rid of a plethora of black bags and there is no regret there.
So unique! I understand totally. What sparks joy is not always what is most practical. I’m going to use my woc next time I food shop and see if I feel bouncy and happy using it, as I can go without inhalers and epi pens for that kind of outing.
I guess I could keep my sunglasses on my head. My keys don't even fit in a WOC. They have a big bulky thing on there for the car. I can't leave those out.
I love this! I have a bag with fur. I love it because it is so silly. I'm not the original owner so I got it very cheap. I don't carry it a lot but I don't see any reason not to keep it. Because fur isn't popular I couldn't get much for it if I sold it. I don't feel bad for owning a fur bag because I'm keeping it out of a landfill.
@TheBagLady20 as long as the bag makes you happy, don't let go of it. If you regret it, it will be the money you have to pay again versus the closet space it takes up now.
For me mentally moving it from "it's a bag an should function as such" to "it makes me happy to own" was quite a relieve.
@whateve I love my furs. Although I don't wear them anymore I still feel l love them more unused than someone else would but keeping it out of landfill is also a good reason. And whatever happens, it will always stay so incredibly soft, that always makes me happy too.
For me mentally moving it from "it's a bag an should function as such" to "it makes me happy to own" was quite a relieve.
@whateve I love my furs. Although I don't wear them anymore I still feel l love them more unused than someone else would but keeping it out of landfill is also a good reason. And whatever happens, it will always stay so incredibly soft, that always makes me happy too.
I loved reading through this thread. I've collected a slightly excessive number of bags, and getting a "shelf of departing bags" set up has helped me put aside about 20 to sell. The other thing that really helped was sorting all my bags by color; I am prone to buying a style I like in multiple colors. Being able to look at my shelf and see that maybe I don't need another red bag is much more helpful than looking at a shelf organized by style and seeing that I don't have a particular style in red. Hoping to get my collection to the point many of you have where every piece has its own purpose 
Sorting by style and color can be such an eye opener. I moved, there was enough space for a bag-closet and all my bags finally in one place did shift my perspective. I already know I love to buy in multiples (style or color) but there were more bags that I thought. I never knew how much bags I owned because they were always scattered through the house.I loved reading through this thread. I've collected a slightly excessive number of bags, and getting a "shelf of departing bags" set up has helped me put aside about 20 to sell. The other thing that really helped was sorting all my bags by color; I am prone to buying a style I like in multiple colors. Being able to look at my shelf and see that maybe I don't need another red bag is much more helpful than looking at a shelf organized by style and seeing that I don't have a particular style in red. Hoping to get my collection to the point many of you have where every piece has its own purpose
There was a tremendous overflow in black, square, crossbody, flap bags. I mean, if one can even narrow down a subdivision that much, you know there's a lot. The crossbody department was already over flowing, not by numbers but because I hardly wear those.
Let's just say a friend was just starting on her bag journey and in the work field and she has an amazing collection already
I think the last bag I bought at Bergdorf's was at least 5 years ago. Since then I have very much streamlined my bag collection and focused on multiuse classics.
I do shop online with BG for other things, but I literally laughed out loud and involuntarily said "Oh my GOD" when I got an email suggesting that I would LOVE this bag:
I am sure it is lovely but it is SO..... NOT..... ME!
Another perhaps unacknowledged victim of the pandemic: shopping algorithms!
I do shop online with BG for other things, but I literally laughed out loud and involuntarily said "Oh my GOD" when I got an email suggesting that I would LOVE this bag:
I am sure it is lovely but it is SO..... NOT..... ME!
Another perhaps unacknowledged victim of the pandemic: shopping algorithms!
I seem to be in "one step forward, two steps back" mode right now. (Or, if I'm being completely faithful to the topic, it's one step back two steps forward!)
Long story short: an impulse sale purchase of a color/style combo that fills a gap, a grail color of a discontinued new-to-me purchase, a replacement for a bag that I have not yet rehomed, and at least one too many new "doo dahs" for the summer. I still have empty shelf space but not as much as I did when I did my last big purge.
What I have done is started detailed tracking of bag usage. So far I have 3 months of data and it's not pretty - I have used fewer than half my bags at all during this time. (I would expect more than half since I feel like only a small portion of my collection is truly seasonal and I try to change my bag daily.) In about 6 months I think I'll have sufficient info to peacefully rehome the poor dears just sitting on the shelf.
Long story short: an impulse sale purchase of a color/style combo that fills a gap, a grail color of a discontinued new-to-me purchase, a replacement for a bag that I have not yet rehomed, and at least one too many new "doo dahs" for the summer. I still have empty shelf space but not as much as I did when I did my last big purge.
What I have done is started detailed tracking of bag usage. So far I have 3 months of data and it's not pretty - I have used fewer than half my bags at all during this time. (I would expect more than half since I feel like only a small portion of my collection is truly seasonal and I try to change my bag daily.) In about 6 months I think I'll have sufficient info to peacefully rehome the poor dears just sitting on the shelf.
I started tracking too. Although I'm still in pandemic mode and do not even have a chance to go out, it's really insightfull to see what I wear when I do.
Most of the time I tend to go for the beater bag and descide to switch that up more. As a bag enthousiast it feels a bit ridiculous to somehow save my pretty bags. No need for a pristine pretty bag if I'm to petty to use it.
Although I’m not tracking usage, I came to the same conclusion awhile ago. I now use my all bags, even though I’m not living where my designer of choice is generally seen. I have used my Elsa Peretti Bone Cuff as inspiration. I wear it all the time and think it looks even better with the small dings and scratches. I’m 71, so waiting for “reasons” to use my better bags seems crazy….
My current collection is at 13, divided among 4 basic categories:
1 tote
6 clutches
3 shoulder bags
3 small shoulder bags that I refer to as a “clutch on a strap” (my ‘grab & go‘ bags that I purchased for the pandemic but now realize work for my regular life….)
I seem to have all my bases covered…..
I do have to say that I live vicariously trough your collection more than I wear my own bags
Your Birkin and clutches are a work of art.I love the Bone cuff. And feel that it's okay to stuff being worn. I realised that I only wanted things to be flawless because influencers on instagram and youtube use filters. Models in magazines are airbrushed and everything is fake. In their faces and on their clothes there is not a wrinkel to be found. And how much I iron my clothes, after a day of wearing them they look like they've been worn. Especially now it's summer. I don't think anyone can keep linnen wrinkle free. But if people have tips, please let me know.
I'm so sorry about the rant but I recently found and old pair of shoes that I bought because they had a scar. The shoes were new but the scar was embedded in the hide. And then the world changed, I forgot how to be myself and realised I don't have to look like a wrinkleless clone. There is a tad of lingering frustration there.
I do have to say that I live vicariously trough your collection more than I wear my own bags
I love the Bone cuff. And feel that it's okay to stuff being worn. I realised that I only wanted things to be flawless because influencers on instagram and youtube use filters. Models in magazines are airbrushed and everything is fake. In their faces and on their clothes there is not a wrinkel to be found. And how much I iron my clothes, after a day of wearing them they look like they've been worn. Especially now it's summer. I don't think anyone can keep linnen wrinkle free. But if people have tips, please let me know.
I'm so sorry about the rant but I recently found and old pair of shoes that I bought because they had a scar. The shoes were new but the scar was embedded in the hide. And then the world changed, I forgot how to be myself and realised I don't have to look like a wrinkleless clone. There is a tad of lingering frustration there.
Thank you for the kind words.
At 71, I’ve already gone through those challenges you mentioned. Somewhere along the way, I finally abandoned my efforts to find any kind of perfection. I decided to accept my “flaws”. Sure, I’d like to have great bone structure and long legs.…but I’m much happier now, having let go of the impossible.
The only wrinkle-free linen that I know of is either ironed and hanging on a hanger or in a photo.
I love linen and I embrace it washed, dried in the dryer and softly wrinkled as it comes out if the dryer. I prefer that softness to stiffly ironed linen. For me, ironed linen looks like it’s been creased when it wrinkles. If an item gets too wrinkly I steam it lightly just enough to get the really deep creases to soften up. But mostly, I leave it looking natural. I buy pieces in the softer, thinner linen. The heavy linen that I only see in ironed dresses won’t work for me…..I’m too casual. the more I wash my linen pieces the softer they seem to become. I live in an extremely hot climate and find linen comfortable. And yes, at the end of a day it can look ‘tired” but I’m ok with that.
Wear those shoes. You chose them because they spoke to you. wear them with some wrinkled linen if you want. Dress however you want. When I want style inspiration, I look at women online who are my age and have found “their” look. Linda Rodin inspires my boho side and Linda V. Wright has inspired my uniform dressing. But I don’t look or dress like them. It’s their comfort level with themselves I appreciate.
Now I’m rambling…..