What are your thoughts on kids/teens with designer bags

As I was working last night my mind wandered off as it so often does and I was thinking back to when I was in California and the number of teens i saw with designer bags. It might of just surprised me a little because where I live I don't see a lot of it (unless i'm just not paying attention). I wasn't really sure what to think, I mean with certain brands that are very -in- right now like celine and givenchy it didn't surprise me much but when I was in Beverly Hills I saw a surprising number of teens with chanel and even some birkins. I have to say it was a little off-putting to me, maybe because I associate designer bags with a certain sense of maturity and appreciation for the craftsmanship that goes into them. I even saw a "celebrity mom" with a daughter on instagram that was carrying a chanel and she couldn't of been any older then 10! I'd like to think when I have kids of my own they will be allowed to borrow some of my more durable bags that I spent less money on but if (when :biggrin:) I own a birkin or a chanel I can't ever imagine letting my child borrow/have it until they are at least old enough to vote!
So i wanted to find out what all you ladies and gents think about teens with designer bags, does the designer matter? do your kids have designer bags? will you be giving your kids designer bags when you have them?
 
I agree with you that it is off-putting. I did go to a prep school so saw plenty of that, not to mention some kids got a Benz or even a jet for their sweet sixteen...
if i have a daughter in the future (i hope i do cuz who will i go shopping with??) i would definitely encourage her to cultivate her own style. not to cover yourself in different designer brands as a status symbol for clearly what you yourself didn't earn. having your own sense of style is different though, and i hope she will grow to have that level of sophistication. regardless of how much money i make, her i will get her her first premier designer bag as a college entrance gift, no earlier.
 
A jet for their sweet sixteen?! :amazed:

One wonders what is left for them to look forward to after THAT? Must feel all downwards from there...

I have no kids, so I can´t judge really except to say "Excuse while I pick my jaw off the floor" - my godkids are all in their teens now and their most outlandish wishes have been a contribution for their driving license/end of year school trip/a used Vespa. So if any of them came asking for a designer piece I guess I´d be flabbergasted... but then kids in my area are more into cell phones and especially sports stuff (skis, hiking boots, snowboarding), I mean into practical items, than into "decorative" stuff!
 
we have lots of that here in Vancouver where the rich parents buy their kids designer purses, expensive cars etc...well, I don't really care what people do with their money but it looks a bit off because it's clear that the 16 year old didn't buy that LV purse....you know what I mean?
 
we have lots of that here in Vancouver where the rich parents buy their kids designer purses, expensive cars etc...well, I don't really care what people do with their money but it looks a bit off because it's clear that the 16 year old didn't buy that LV purse....you know what I mean?

Oh I don't have an issue with what they are doing just think it looks a bit weird when someone who probably can't even spell Hermes is carrying around a kelly :biggrin:
 
These comments are great. I agree 100% with you, OP. I think part of the joy of being a handbag collector is appreciating the craftsmanship that goes into a beautiful bag. That is all lost on a young kid. And exactly, a jet at 16? I didn't own my car until I was 27! Yikes.
 
Where I live, I have never seen kids or teenagers carrying designer bags. Yet there are pretty expensive places in or around the city.
I don't see many ladies wearing high end bags either.
Maybe it explains why their kids are not into top brands....
 
What's left to look forward to if you're just given these luxury goods just because you're privileged? I'm sure there are a few older teens that have saved up the money they earned to buy themselves such luxuries but it is a little weird to see a ten year old carry a Chanel...
 
I think earning a designer bag is the right approach to understand the value of the money you are spending on it.
So whenever a teen understands the value and is willing to work for it I would agree on a designer bag.
Paying a bit towards a hard earned bag as a parent is a possibility, but I would want to see that my kid will actually work for it first.

If I have a daughter in the future I would want her to see anything this pricey as a special treat. And not as a day to day thing. I would want her to be happy with that one special bag for a while and being content with not splurging on other things.

Just my personal feelings.
 
I think it's a misunderstanding of rich people to say they're spoiling their kids this way. They're simply introducing them to their standard of living. I mean, a lot of 16 year olds don't pay for their bags - it's just that the rest of us can't afford Birkins. I'm not sure that I'd think any higher of a 16 year old who didn't buy their own no-name bag. Parents mostly end up teaching their kids what level of spending is acceptable and for rich people, that is a very high level of spending. For those people what they'll have to work for is the mansion or the Ferrari, not the bag.

All I can say is I hope the kids can sustain that level of income themselves after school, otherwise they'll have some unsustainable habits.
 
My Mom never bought me any designer bags. When I was in high school she Did buy me a Kipling backpack while my fellow schoolmates wore mandarin duck and many prada nylons.
I bought my first designer bag in college when I had summer jobs.

Now with My own daughter, I may give her some of my older bags (which are not high end). I would prefer her to work her way up like I Did!
 
For me personally:

age 0-12: hand me down Le sport sac or Vera Bradley; no name brands

Age 12-20: Coach (vintage or mono), Longchamp, maybe one LV mono in the later part of high school

Age 20-25: whatever they can reasonably afford based on their income. If I were to gift them something I think it would still be coach, Longchamp, LV mono or the like.

Age 25-30: Chanel (to buy themselves if they could afford it, but at that age it no longer looks out of place)

Age 30+: Hermes
 
I think it's a misunderstanding of rich people to say they're spoiling their kids this way. They're simply introducing them to their standard of living. I mean, a lot of 16 year olds don't pay for their bags - it's just that the rest of us can't afford Birkins. I'm not sure that I'd think any higher of a 16 year old who didn't buy their own no-name bag. Parents mostly end up teaching their kids what level of spending is acceptable and for rich people, that is a very high level of spending. For those people what they'll have to work for is the mansion or the Ferrari, not the bag.

All I can say is I hope the kids can sustain that level of income themselves after school, otherwise they'll have some unsustainable habits.
That's exactly it, sustainability of such a standard of living, and it's unliklihood. I don't think young girls should be raised to think they are the Queen of Sheba; I don't think it's a very good preparation for the rest of their lives.
 
For me personally:

age 0-12: hand me down Le sport sac or Vera Bradley; no name brands

Age 12-20: Coach (vintage or mono), Longchamp, maybe one LV mono in the later part of high school

Age 20-25: whatever they can reasonably afford based on their income. If I were to gift them something I think it would still be coach, Longchamp, LV mono or the like.

Age 25-30: Chanel (to buy themselves if they could afford it, but at that age it no longer looks out of place)

Age 30+: Hermes
I am 65, and I have never owned a Chanel or a Hermes. And, I don't think many others have, either. (By 'many,' I am referring to the percentage of the population as a whole). Edited to add: I know you were only talking about age appropriateness, not what every woman should have.
 
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