(You may be sorry you asked!)
Last year I went a bit nuts with “Doodah” bags. Pandemic-related lifestyle changes, some of which are permanent, led me to rethink my collection focus, which turned out to be mostly a mistake. But any lessons learned are valuable!
I let go of a couple of H bags last year that were style dupes (no regrets), but the rest are staying. They all get carried at least once in a while, but even if they didn’t they are almost art objects and were either too much of a PITA to acquire, are essentially irreplaceable (discontinued colors/styles that I lucked into), or I am simply emotionally attached to them even though they spend 97% of their lives in my closet (Bolide Secret, my oddball crumpet). I will revisit these in a couple of years.
I branched out last year back into
Fendi (mini fuchsia Peekaboo that will get lots of love this spring) and Ferragamo. The
Fendi and one Ferragamo (a tote that I am loving a lot and is unlike anything else I have) are staying.
I am over being sad about what happened with Moynat and am staring down what I have left of Ramesh’s designs. Two are being rehomed because they don’t fit my lifestyle anymore but the rest (two daybags and one mini) get used and loved. Moving on.
Last year I commissioned a Dream Bag from Peter Nitz, which was a fantastic experience. It’s suede and going to move to the top shelf soon until the fall, but it’s a keeper and I plan to order another from him, probably this year, if not next.
A chance encounter last month with a lady carrying a chic and well-loved Ricky led me into the Ralph Lauren boutique where I impulse bought a 33 in a fantastic and versatile taupe suede (
@diane278 it’s kinda your BV Barn Bag’s soul mate). It definitely fills a gap in my collection and will get a lot of use until summer.
Most of the doodahs are gone - Vanessa Bruno makes great cabas totes, but the ones I had didn’t just work with my organizer “system.” Her raffia bags are also great but I don’t do the beach and the material ruins a lot of clothing fabrics. An Italian tote from a quirky local boutique was too floppy. (All going.) A smallish and utterly unique hair calf convertible backpack is a great color and makes me smile, so it stays at least until my next seasonal reevaluation. A red RSVP Paris minibag stays. Two recent Akris mini AIs stay (and may be followed by a larger model). Several more “what was I thinking?” purchases have been or are in the process of being moved along to happier owners.
I am also reorganizing my coat closet to accommodate my three largest bags (which I carry infrequently for work and only in very specific situations). I keep my canvas and fabric totes there too, but those I don’t count those in my “number.” That move will allow everything else to fit on my bag shelves with enough room for one or two more, although I’m going to stick to a strict “one in one out” program going forward (she says with complete sincerity). I have decided that “too many bags” means spillover, rather than a number. (This also has the nice result of accommodating my apparent shift to smaller bags in general.) I keep everything in dustbags, so if I do get to the point where I can’t remember what something is (senility?) I may rethink that approach, but for now it feels like a good place to be.
As always I feel so fortunate to be informed and inspired by the parallel curatorial journeys of you and everyone here! We are all a truly lucky lot.
Perhaps I need a new bag to make me feel better.
