What is your designer bag history/development?

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#16
Very new :) Hi ladies! First real post of an intro type. Glad to find the forum and been cruising on it the last few days quite a bit. What an addiction.

I am a tomboy probly to an extreme. Never have I owned a purse, my entire life. I tend to always be on a motorcycle at 'home' in the usa, so always just have a backpack of some sort. But I do guess, I have some mighty expensive backpacks, and different ones to match which bike I was riding... So maybe this isnt so extreme to jump on this ship??

Anyhow, I am in Dubai working as a contractor and found that a wallet for the different currencies I carried was necessary and all the other stuff like mutliple credit cards when they block the one, and the american id, the uae id, etc that one must carry, it was just necessary even though I fought it for a long time. It was a hello kitty clutch that my friend got me last year that maybe started me on this path. I hated it and thought it was such a waste to have to carry around that BIG thing. But, I have more then one credit card and more then one id.... so I decided to use it begrudgingly. Ahhh... so quickly I was HOOKED. Then I tend to just use my little adidas 3$ Ross bag to throw my junk in to go to work or out and about, and when I get out the vehicle, I just grab my wallet. Never did I want or did I think I needed a purse.... until maybe two months ago. I was at my friends and saw his wifes LV bucket. Oh my gosh, love at first site. I always have to dump out my little nylon bag to find little things and here was this bag that just stayed up right.

Well... I ran right home and on the internet I went. And scoured and said, NO WAY am I paying that. I did though purchase some other bags that I thought were way more then I should be spending, but seemed decent quality and not over the top in price. Coaches and kate spade.

Well, three weeks later after having just received my new 'designer' purses, I wanna upgrade!! I want a prada and a gucci and the fricken LV bucket.... My 100$ish price tag, has quickly been raised to 300 to 400$, and looking at the used LV's costing that, and looking so used, probly that is going to quickly be raised higher :) I see that this is going to be another costly addiction!!
 
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#17
LOL, Jynxgirl!! Your post made me laugh so hard!!
Don't worry. I think the beginning of purse addiction is often like that. It's like this thing that you walked around completely unaware of then you notice it and suddenly it's a big part of your life.

I wouldn't go too crazy at first if you can help it. Try to enjoy the things you already have for awhile and be as picky as possible. Otherwise you could end up with a closet full of bags that seemed like a must have at the time, but turned out to be not very practical etc...

I'm also from Austin, TX btw!
 
#18
Jynxgirl said:
Very new :) Hi ladies! First real post of an intro type. Glad to find the forum and been cruising on it the last few days quite a bit. What an addiction.

I am a tomboy probly to an extreme. Never have I owned a purse, my entire life. I tend to always be on a motorcycle at 'home' in the usa, so always just have a backpack of some sort. But I do guess, I have some mighty expensive backpacks, and different ones to match which bike I was riding... So maybe this isnt so extreme to jump on this ship??

Anyhow, I am in Dubai working as a contractor and found that a wallet for the different currencies I carried was necessary and all the other stuff like mutliple credit cards when they block the one, and the american id, the uae id, etc that one must carry, it was just necessary even though I fought it for a long time. It was a hello kitty clutch that my friend got me last year that maybe started me on this path. I hated it and thought it was such a waste to have to carry around that BIG thing. But, I have more then one credit card and more then one id.... so I decided to use it begrudgingly. Ahhh... so quickly I was HOOKED. Then I tend to just use my little adidas 3$ Ross bag to throw my junk in to go to work or out and about, and when I get out the vehicle, I just grab my wallet. Never did I want or did I think I needed a purse.... until maybe two months ago. I was at my friends and saw his wifes LV bucket. Oh my gosh, love at first site. I always have to dump out my little nylon bag to find little things and here was this bag that just stayed up right.

Well... I ran right home and on the internet I went. And scoured and said, NO WAY am I paying that. I did though purchase some other bags that I thought were way more then I should be spending, but seemed decent quality and not over the top in price. Coaches and kate spade.

Well, three weeks later after having just received my new 'designer' purses, I wanna upgrade!! I want a prada and a gucci and the fricken LV bucket.... My 100$ish price tag, has quickly been raised to 300 to 400$, and looking at the used LV's costing that, and looking so used, probly that is going to quickly be raised higher :) I see that this is going to be another costly addiction!!
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum and thank you for your story!
 
#19
school
love of nylon >> LeSportSac, Army Surplus, flea market finds
quirky white crocodile framed satchel (this beloved bag is lost)

work
classic >> Coach, Ralph Lauren, more Coach, Kenneth Cole, JanSport backpack, Liz Claiborne
during this time I liked Chanel style

marriage/home/children
frugal necessity >> Nine West, DSW brands, inspired bags

joined tPF
TJ Maxx brands, contemporary designers Treesje, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Liebeskind, also Rioni, Latico, Kipling
achieved HG >>> Louis Vuitton Speedy, Chanel quilted flap

love of quirky comes full circle >> Marc Jacobs Stam (x4) (this is as close to a replacement I have for my lost bag 20 years ago)
 
#20
no name > knock off lesportsac (I didn't know I swear!) > Guess > Nine West > Coach > Back to Nine West again :D > first LV bag!!

I'm currently thinking about more designer bags, but I need them to be large for everyday and willing to take a lot of abuse. My NW got worn down to shreds but I still love her. As much as I love clutches and wristlets, I do not find them convenient for my day to day :(
 
#21
This is fun!
Started out with no name pleather on to no name leather with a tad more income. TJ maxx Italian made bags were next. Nothing recognizable but the quality improved 100%. My first Michael kors was purchased for me by DH at tjs. Shortly after my coworker walked in the door with a bright red MbMJ turnlock satchel and that's all I remember. 4 years and 10+ designer bags later here I am dreaming of a Hermes Constance. Current favorites that i enjoy are MJ Paradize Vera, MBMJ flight of the fancy tote, and vintage Gucci, Chanel and BV.
 
#22
Mine is a bitty story rather than linear:

If my father went abroad for work he would bring back my my mother beautiful bags (or jewellery). When my parents went abroad (Italy, always Italy for holiday) they would bring back a nice bag for both me and my sister (and of course my mother would also indulge a little). Added up that's quite a few bags. In the mid-1990s, my mother had a in one of those downsizing/makeover 'clear-out' and I got 75% which included many Chanels, Guccis, Loewe, etc.

More family stuff: My grandmother died quite young and she was one of those universally loved people. She had a very small collection of Hermes bags as well as a few bags of equal quality, but with names no longer recognisable. For special occasions I was allowed to carry one of those bags and then it went back into my grandmother's wardrobe. This was a bit like borrowing the crown jewels.

Meanwhile, I was much into clothes but managed to amass some vintage beauties for antique fairs, the odd high-street irresistible or boutique unique. I carried one of these the other day and my BF accused me of buying a new bag LOL, that is how long it takes me to rotate my bags :D. In addition, when I was a kid/teen I did some modelling and bags and shoes were often given as presents from the companies.

Without trying, I had many beautiful bags but that didn't stop me from walking about with a Samsonite travel bag everyday all during Uni :shame:

In 2002 I saw the Gucci catwalk pics and fell in love. I could not get the Gucci Horse-bit Chain Clutch out of my head (I have 4 of that line). I can't tell you how thrilled I was/am to own that bag but carrying one, saving and spending the money was like the thrill usually more associated to participating in an extreme sport.

I guess I haven't progressed at all really. I still don't mind whether I buy vintage or new, highstreet or Hermes, to me there is no bag hierarchy just different roles for different bags, just depends on what I am doing, where I am going and what I'm wearing.
 
#23
I think I was about 14. I was still wearing Eastpack rucksacks when I went to a department store and fell in love with a Burberry Novacheck shopper. So I saved all the money from grandparents, prizes I won in school competitions etc. for quite some time and finally bought it. I was so proud of it and wore it every day for two years. After that, I had some cheaper bags and then got an LV that I was also carrying every day. And it went on to Gucci, then Prada. After that, I finally stopped wearing only one bag at a time and started rotating. Today, my favourite bags are Chanel, Mulberry and Balenciaga. And I don't like Burberry or LV anymore, even thought they were my starter bags. :smile1:
 
#24
I've been into bags since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. :p In terms of progression, I went from no-name bags and graduated to Coach. Was into Coach for many years and then strayed away when the signature craze hit. Progressed into other brands like Rebecca Minkoff, Michael Kors and Marc Jacobs. Hit my peak earlier this year when I purchased a Reed Krakoff and a Chloe (my ultimate HG - the Paraty).

It's funny, but I'm now coming back full circle. I've now started collecting vintage Coach bags and rehabbing them. It's much kinder to my wallet, and it's so fun to take some of these older classics and breathe new life into them. The vintage Coaches are hearty old gals and the leather, hardware and craftsmanship of the old made-in-NYC bags is just amazing and so resilient. :smile1:
 
#25
My first designer bag was a Burberry when I was around 30. Then I bought Coach/Michael Kors/Rebecca Minkoff. Then to Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs. Now I'm back to mostly Rebecca Minkoff and my Marc Jacobs because I seem to like those the best.
 
#26
I guess I'm still a little young in my development:

> Backpacks (leather and nice nylon, one at a time)

> Coach Factory Store (though I did accidentally pick up a few full priced store bags there)

> Coach Full-priced store

> Coach Men's line (better leather)

I finally went to the luxury shopping district and picked out an LV artsy and a Balenciaga, but decided they weren't worth the extra money since I didn't need more big bags and I'm not a satchel girl. We just don't have a lot to look at IRL here. I would be in trouble if I could see the Celine, Tiffany, or Ferragamo bags, though. I like the smaller Marc Jacobs bags and the $900 MK bags, but haven't found one that fits into my collection yet.

I used to hate buying purses because I only bought one when mine was falling apart, so I was in a hurry. Now that I have a collection, I can buy one when I see one that I like, and I don't have to worry about not having a nice purse when I need one.
 
#27
no name ... Coach ... MbyMK ... Francesco Biasia ... RM/Lockheart/LAMB ... MbyMJ ... Marc Jacobs ... Valentino ... back to Marc Jacobs.
Sticking with MJ!!!

(Don't want Chanel, don't want Dior, don't want Gucci, don't want Fendi, don't want BV, don't want Bal.)
 
#28
Started at 16 with my first Chanel - a black patent which wore out followed by a Chanel navy lamb skin and a white Chanel lamb skin (which wasn't practical).

When both wore out I built up a collection of 30-40 bags, most of which were never the right size/shape/colour so I gave most of them to charity or to my ex boyfriend to sell on eBay.

My collection is now 4 bags, and as I can't afford my dream bag, I'll just replace these as they wear out unless I see a great buy in an outlet store...my Dior bag needs mending but the others are fine, although I don't think the Osprey navy mock croc is nearly as good quality as my large Osprey black mock croc, which is a great "all day" bag and after 3 years shows no wear at all (mind you, my 2 crocodile bags are both nearly 13 years old and still in perfect working order).

Basically, you get what you pay for, so a fashion bag will wear out but a top designer classic should last the course...)
 
#29
Never had anything over $50 until I was in my 50's. First was a small Kate Spade bought at Winners, then a couple of Coach, couple of LAMB, LV Speedy, then a small Michael Kors. I'm thrilled to have an LV but I don't think I'll ever buy another one, I'm more comfortable in the $300-$400 range and counting the days until our Kate Spade store opens in November!
 
#30
Mine started when I was about 14 - I will be 52 next month, so its been a long love of all things LEATHER.......
Teens - no name leather, as long as it was a hobo (hippie-chic seventies)
20s, 30s - Etienne Aigner, Jeanne Benet**, Cole Haan, Francisco Biasa
40s, 50s - Tods, Mulberry, RM, BV, Elena Ghisellini (Givenchy designer's personal line)
** The Jeanne Benet bag was a framed doctor's style bag - I bought in 1981 and used it forever.....Dont know what I did with it.........I am waiting for my Longchamp Legende Signature bag to get here now.......just proving what goes away comes back one day , since its a framed doctors style bag!
 
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