What is your designer bag history/development?

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C

cologne

O.G.
Jan 11, 2012
389
120
#1
I was wondering how your handbag passion started and where in the price spectrum you are right now! I am interested to know if you started out with no name bags, moved on to low end designers and finally arrived at the high end of designer bags. Or have you always stayed loyal to a certain price range and if so, which one are you most comfortable in?

Let's share our development into the high end bags!

I will start:

Of course as a teenager I started with cheap H&M bags ... then I bought my first couple of Longchamp Le Pliages... followed by some Zara bags ... I bought a Guess bag... I got my first LV... now I own a few Balenciagas. This slow movement towards high end just happend accidentally and I try hard not to develop a bag obsession :p
 
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#2
It's been a LONG time since I started my bag habit! My memories are hazy... I remember buying a Lambertson-Truex at NM back in the 90's, and it seemed like I spent a fortune. But I felt so elegant. Then, I bought what I believed was a fake LV on Ebay. I took it to NM and the SA reluctantly agreed that my bag was fake, even though they weren't supposed to authenticate. I had driven a long way, and I was determined to get a real LV, so I bought a Cabas Piano on the spot.
Then I became bag-obsessed and I bought and subsequently sold so many bags- LV, Chanel, Balenciaga, Hermes, Fendi, Coach, Dooney, Lancel- the list is endless. And finally, at least fifteen years later, I find myself cutting WAY back on my bag spending and enjoying my smaller collection.
 
#3
I have always been into purses, but not so much "designer" purses. I believe my 1st one was a D & B, about 15 -20 years ago. Not sure what happened to it, but it was super cute. I only got into Coach bags 2 years ago (and I don't mean obsessed or anything but I've been through a few of them) and am just this year buying bags in the $400-$500 range. I am comfy in this price range and haven't yet found a bag that would really fit my stay-at-home mom lifestyle that is above this range and I have to have it. I am sure there are some out there, but fortunately for hubby's wallet I haven't come across them yet :graucho:
 
#4
Coach, Ferragamo and Gucci in my 20s -> Louis Vuitton in my early 30s -> Balenciaga, Anya Hindmarch, Goyard in my mid 30s -> Chanel, Marni, Givenchy, YSL in my mid-late 30s. Longchamp always, Prada occasionally. From too too many, my closet is now down to just a few bags - 1 vintage Chanel, 1 Jil Sander, 2 Lanvin, 1 Marni, 1 D&G, 1 Marc Jacobs, 2 Anya, 1 Balenciaga. In the past I used my bags so rarely they always looked new. I now only keep bags I use often, and use my bags until they're used.
 
#6
I swear, I just keep going around in circles:

Started with no names, went to Coach, then to LV, then to Chanel, sold everything, went back to LV, then Coach again, sold those, now I'm with MZ Wallace, Linea Pelle, Rioni, etc.
So far MZ Wallace has worked best for my lifestyle. They seem to be the ones I gravitate to the most.
 
#7
I am pretty much similar to everyone but these days i fluctuate a lot..
Started with no names -> xoxo -> guess -> mmk -> f and c -> fluctuation starts from cleobella, nameless, aigner, ferragamo, miu miu, ysl, proenza, tory burch, alexander mcq, valentino

I am currently within less than $2k range for all my bags. I know I am still young and do not want to invest so much on bags. I am currently very contented with my collection and has no plan to buy a new one, unless it is uber beautiful or less than $500 range. I start to realize I am a little addicted to my bags, and possessive at times. Not good for my health :p
 
#8
I didn't go in any price order. My first designer bag was one of the most expensive I have. Up to age 37, I would only have one bag at a time, almost always a Fossil and I would wear it until it wore out and then buy another one. I wore it every day for every purpose. And then an episode of Ugly Betty aired in which she got a Gucci bag from the magazine's season clear out, and I fell in LOVE. I had never thought about spending that much on a bag before... but I ordered the $1,700 85th anniversary Gucci... which then made it a lot easier to finally buy a LV which I had wanted since high school... but neither worked well for work, so then I got my first Coach. So here I am 5 years and ## designer bags later (Coach, Frye, B. Makowsky, LV, Balenciaga). I didn't gradually go up in price, nor do I stick to a price range. This year I've bought from a $78 Lesportsac to a $1,500 Balenciaga... and several Coach & Frye bags in between.

But to map the order of the brands I've bought: Fossil > Gucci > LV > Coach > Tokidoki > B. Makowsky > Balenciaga > Frye
 
#9
For years I was happy with D&B (before they went teen), Coach, Kate Spade, Cole Haan, etc. then I bought a Chloe Elvire on sale at Nordstrom post Christmas. The leather was smooshy, thick and beautiful and I couldn't believe I bought a designer bag. That pretty much opened the flood gates to many more Chloe's, Miu Miu, Marc Jacobs and Givenchy.
 
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#12
I've always love handbags! Whenever I was 12 years old, I had a few from American Eagle, and Hollister. I believe I still have them. Lol. Then for my 13th birthday I got a guess purse with a matching wallet. At age 14 I wore coach...then came along Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Balenciaga, Chanel, and LV. I didn't grow to love LV until a few years ago...never cared for it bc too many people where I lived carried fakes.
 
#13
devoted7 said:
I've always love handbags! Whenever I was 12 years old, I had a few from American Eagle, and Hollister. I believe I still have them. Lol. Then for my 13th birthday I got a guess purse with a matching wallet. At age 14 I wore coach...then came along Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Balenciaga, Chanel, and LV. I didn't grow to love LV until a few years ago...never cared for it bc too many people where I lived carried fakes.
Click to expand...
I have loved bags since my early childhood.
When I started working, I bought a Speedy and began collecting croc vintage bags...
Then, I bought my first Prada, Fendi, Chloé,Balenciaga and Hermès Kelly and Birkin...
Today I am more into contemporary designers like Gérard Darel, Catherine Parra....and of course Longchamp...
 
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#14
I started off way way back with Coach & Dooney & Bourke. Then I would buy an original find in a street fair in NYC. Years later, when middle age approached, my niece suggested I buy one high end bag and wear it all the time. So,... after YSL, Gucci and Bottega Veneta I can almost say I'm done. Not quite. I think I am rotating back to a new Coach Legacy. I just want to add, I only buy leather bags. I just love them!
 
#15
When I first started working after university, I bought Ralph Lauren bag with my first pay cheque.

Then I went on to study post graduate, and I think I bought 2 high street bags when I finished it. They have been sent to charity shops long long time ago.

I then started working again and I was on vacation in Italy and bought 2 leather bags from local craftsman’s workshop. They were very quality bags in beautiful colours.

Then came my first high end designer in this phase, it was a Fendi. I then went through a Celine phase (when Celine was not so fashionable then). Then it was another Fendi, a Prada and a Chloe. My boyfriend gifted me a Chanel and a Mulberry and I bought myself another Mulberry and a Gucci. Then I bought an LV Alma in vernis leather.

A few years ago I scored big in Hermes and bought my first Birkin. Then I bought a few more Birkins and another Hermes bag and another LV in epi leather for rainy days. I sold off my Prada and Chloe (both in white colour and I just don’t use them much in my country,), most of the Celine (the smaller ones which don’t suit my need) and a fendi (again too small).

I did a lot of editing with my collection in the last few years and sold another Mulberry. I am pretty happy with what I have now. I probably don’t need another bag for a very long time but I am longing for a Kelly. It will never end I think.
 
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