Sorry if this is rather long and detailed!
In high school, I used a soft canvas backpack that was marketing material for an Italian menswear line that my father was importing.
One day I passed by the local Louis Vuitton store while Christmas shopping and there was a sequinned Damier speedy on display which caught my eye. At the time I was still in school and found the price to be outrageous so I asked for a damier speedy 35 for Christmas that year, since it was similar but more reasonably priced than the limited edition.
The speedy sparked my love for handbags and I started saving money for something extra special. After saving my pennies and spending hours researching on TPF, I narrowed down my options between the Hermès Marwari and the Louis Vuitton Antheia Ixia.
After comparing both in their respective boutiques, I opted for the Ixia because it felt more refined than the Hermès despite stretching my budget past the cost of the Marwari. At the time I felt conflicted spending more on an LV than an Hermès because I had been partially indoctrinated by TPF that “H” was the lofty pinnacle of all handbag brands.
A few years later, I started university and while shopping for a birthday gift I found a Dolce&Gabbana bag which I fell in love with due to its thick leather and ruthenium hardware.
Fast forward several years and my brother was getting married and my father bought my mother a Dior clutch for the event, which got me interested in maybe getting a clutch.
While flipping through a Loewe purseblog feature, I came across several bags that interested me but I found to be a bit too expensive for my intended purposes. The bag in question was one of their handpainted T pouches. As though brought to me by fate, I received an email notification that Holt Renfrew would be having an online sale for Boxing Day. After a few clicks, I noticed the pouch in question was reduced by 80% and I immediately bought it.
Lastly, several months ago I realized that there was a gap in my collection for a small bag that could be used to carry essentials (keys, umbrella and wallet). This need arose due to my continued frustration of having to either leave my bag unattended at the salon while having my hair washed or placing it on the floor.
I began my research on TPF and then visited many different stores and perused instagram, which led me to the Chanel square WOC. The bag was transferred in for me but unfortunately it was too small for my needs.
In addition, I became paranoid of potential premature wear due to rubbing of the chain against the sides of the bag. My SA then tried to reassure me by showing me her personal WOC which only confirmed my fears as the leather was visibly worn from the chain.
I was back at square one and quite disappointed so I left the boutique only to come across a young woman with the most gorgeous brown classic flap in a jumbo size. I turned around and went back to the boutique to try on various sizes of classic flaps in order to narrow down the size and drop length that I desired.
Unfortunately the store didn’t have any of the configurations that I wanted so I went home to thoroughly browse the upcoming collections on Chanel’s iPhone app.
I found a sequined flap that would be part of a collection releasing in a couple of weeks so I called back my SA to know if her store would be carrying it. She informed me that all of Canada would only be receiving one in black but that she didn’t know which store would be receiving it.
In a panic, I called each of the Chanel stores in Canada and finally the Toronto flagship informed me that they would be the ones to receive it and that she would allow me to reserve it but that she couldn’t ship it to me until the collection launched.
Fast forward several weeks and I receive a phone call by a visibly annoyed SA that my transfer had been received. I happily headed down to the boutique to pick up my purchase only to be greeted by the most cold service I have ever experienced in a store. (Note to self don’t expect outstanding service from someone who isn’t getting any commission).
If you read all of this, you deserve a gold star and I hope you enjoyed the story.
In high school, I used a soft canvas backpack that was marketing material for an Italian menswear line that my father was importing.
One day I passed by the local Louis Vuitton store while Christmas shopping and there was a sequinned Damier speedy on display which caught my eye. At the time I was still in school and found the price to be outrageous so I asked for a damier speedy 35 for Christmas that year, since it was similar but more reasonably priced than the limited edition.
The speedy sparked my love for handbags and I started saving money for something extra special. After saving my pennies and spending hours researching on TPF, I narrowed down my options between the Hermès Marwari and the Louis Vuitton Antheia Ixia.
After comparing both in their respective boutiques, I opted for the Ixia because it felt more refined than the Hermès despite stretching my budget past the cost of the Marwari. At the time I felt conflicted spending more on an LV than an Hermès because I had been partially indoctrinated by TPF that “H” was the lofty pinnacle of all handbag brands.
A few years later, I started university and while shopping for a birthday gift I found a Dolce&Gabbana bag which I fell in love with due to its thick leather and ruthenium hardware.
Fast forward several years and my brother was getting married and my father bought my mother a Dior clutch for the event, which got me interested in maybe getting a clutch.
While flipping through a Loewe purseblog feature, I came across several bags that interested me but I found to be a bit too expensive for my intended purposes. The bag in question was one of their handpainted T pouches. As though brought to me by fate, I received an email notification that Holt Renfrew would be having an online sale for Boxing Day. After a few clicks, I noticed the pouch in question was reduced by 80% and I immediately bought it.
Lastly, several months ago I realized that there was a gap in my collection for a small bag that could be used to carry essentials (keys, umbrella and wallet). This need arose due to my continued frustration of having to either leave my bag unattended at the salon while having my hair washed or placing it on the floor.
I began my research on TPF and then visited many different stores and perused instagram, which led me to the Chanel square WOC. The bag was transferred in for me but unfortunately it was too small for my needs.
In addition, I became paranoid of potential premature wear due to rubbing of the chain against the sides of the bag. My SA then tried to reassure me by showing me her personal WOC which only confirmed my fears as the leather was visibly worn from the chain.
I was back at square one and quite disappointed so I left the boutique only to come across a young woman with the most gorgeous brown classic flap in a jumbo size. I turned around and went back to the boutique to try on various sizes of classic flaps in order to narrow down the size and drop length that I desired.
Unfortunately the store didn’t have any of the configurations that I wanted so I went home to thoroughly browse the upcoming collections on Chanel’s iPhone app.
I found a sequined flap that would be part of a collection releasing in a couple of weeks so I called back my SA to know if her store would be carrying it. She informed me that all of Canada would only be receiving one in black but that she didn’t know which store would be receiving it.
In a panic, I called each of the Chanel stores in Canada and finally the Toronto flagship informed me that they would be the ones to receive it and that she would allow me to reserve it but that she couldn’t ship it to me until the collection launched.
Fast forward several weeks and I receive a phone call by a visibly annoyed SA that my transfer had been received. I happily headed down to the boutique to pick up my purchase only to be greeted by the most cold service I have ever experienced in a store. (Note to self don’t expect outstanding service from someone who isn’t getting any commission).
If you read all of this, you deserve a gold star and I hope you enjoyed the story.
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BTW, it was also my grandmother who started my love of fragrances. I probably enjoy my fragrance collection more then my bag collection if I am honest
