I still won't go over $400 for a bag. I've gotten good at it even if it means holding off on a bag that I really like or buying it secondhand. With that being said, I'm not really into getting a Chanel, Dior, LV, et cetera. I only have two over $1000 bags that I want-a Gucci and an Hermes Lindy.
What was your road to paying thousands for a bag?
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Throughout high school and college, I used a few messenger bags (including a Ralph Lauren one given to me from my aunt and a Jack Skeleton one purchased at Disneyland). In my early to mid 20s, I started using an awesome mustard yellow Alice in Wonderland that I also bought at Disneyland for ~$40. Yes, I was very sophisticated.
Then, in my mid 20s, I started discovering real bags. I remember the first time I saw the Chanel 2.55. This was before I had any interest or knowledge in handbags, and I thought that was the prettiest thing I've ever seen. Went online and did a quick Google and found out the price, so that was the end of it. But it did make me pay attention to handbags more in general. Eventually, I got this pretty green satchel for ~$90 at TopShop and was thrilled about it.
One day, while browsing Nordstrom Rack, I found a black patent Rebecca Minkoff Jane bag and fell in love. In retrospect, it wasn't very pretty (looked like a knock off Birkin, but I didn't know it then), but I loved it at the time. I didn't buy it immediately, because it was ~$300 and that was a lot of money. However, I did some research and saw it retails for ~$500, so that made the decision easier. I went back and bought it, and started looking into more RM bags. Eventually, I got the Cupid (with a slight discount from Amazon) and 2 Mini Macs (one was a gift). At that point, the most I spent on a bag was still ~$400.
About a year later, I started noticing the PS1, and that was the big leap into dangerous territory. TBH, I wouldn't have even considered the ~$1700 price point if I wasn't in such a great place professionally and financially. After months of contemplating, I pulled the trigger, and the PS1 became the most expensive bag in my humble collection.
Now, purses in the ~$2k range look pretty reasonable, and the Givenchy Pandora and Chanel WOC are on my next-to-buy list. However, I am exercising self control and don't see a reason to make large purchases like this so close to each other. Even with price jumps, the thought of spending $1k+ on something every year seems too luxurious, and I'm not at the point where I want to spoil myself like this. I don't think I can buy anything that is $3k+, but who knows what I'll be thinking in 5 years.
Throughout high school and college, I used a few messenger bags (including a Ralph Lauren one given to me from my aunt and a Jack Skeleton one purchased at Disneyland). In my early to mid 20s, I started using an awesome mustard yellow Alice in Wonderland that I also bought at Disneyland for ~$40. Yes, I was very sophisticated.
Then, in my mid 20s, I started discovering real bags. I remember the first time I saw the Chanel 2.55. This was before I had any interest or knowledge in handbags, and I thought that was the prettiest thing I've ever seen. Went online and did a quick Google and found out the price, so that was the end of it. But it did make me pay attention to handbags more in general. Eventually, I got this pretty green satchel for ~$90 at TopShop and was thrilled about it.
One day, while browsing Nordstrom Rack, I found a black patent Rebecca Minkoff Jane bag and fell in love. In retrospect, it wasn't very pretty (looked like a knock off Birkin, but I didn't know it then), but I loved it at the time. I didn't buy it immediately, because it was ~$300 and that was a lot of money. However, I did some research and saw it retails for ~$500, so that made the decision easier. I went back and bought it, and started looking into more RM bags. Eventually, I got the Cupid (with a slight discount from Amazon) and 2 Mini Macs (one was a gift). At that point, the most I spent on a bag was still ~$400.
About a year later, I started noticing the PS1, and that was the big leap into dangerous territory. TBH, I wouldn't have even considered the ~$1700 price point if I wasn't in such a great place professionally and financially. After months of contemplating, I pulled the trigger, and the PS1 became the most expensive bag in my humble collection.
Now, purses in the ~$2k range look pretty reasonable, and the Givenchy Pandora and Chanel WOC are on my next-to-buy list. However, I am exercising self control and don't see a reason to make large purchases like this so close to each other. Even with price jumps, the thought of spending $1k+ on something every year seems too luxurious, and I'm not at the point where I want to spoil myself like this. I don't think I can buy anything that is $3k+, but who knows what I'll be thinking in 5 years.
Throughout high school and college, my first wallet was the little red envelope receipt holder Salvatore Ferragamo associates would give customers. Haha it was made of paper and so it would get damaged after 5-6 months. So I did actually ask them for some to keep. My mother was the buyer, I didn't even buy anything 
but they were nice enough to give me some 
After constantly working in retail and finally as I was about to graduate from college, I bought my first wallet for $375 from Fendi since it was the only wallet I really liked that was yellow colored and with nice stitching without any logos on the outside.
I bought a men's Prada rain Jacket for over $2000 actually during my freshmen year in College after having saved up and though my family thought I was crazy, honestly, it's been used nearly daily for years and I still think it looks like only a few months old.
I wish I had stopped there but I bought a nylon Messenger bag from Ferragamo for $450 from the outlet to use during college. I also bought a nylon briefcase from Prada for $500(?) from the outlet. I think, the $2000 I spent on 1 item just scared me and I frequented the outlets a lot, though I ended up with only 3 purchases in 1 year. I'm 24 now but my only designer purchase in the last 5 years has been a Fendi bag bug for $700 which I thought was crazy cute.
I don't know, the addiction ended really really quickly for me. I'm not sure why or how, but I went from viewing designer goods as products that would last me for 10+ years to window shopping and seeing how other stores display their products in the window.
Plus with all the price increases, as someone who works in retail, I just feel, bags are too pricy now and customers are simply deciding more. To me, if customers don't purchase on their first visit, the chances of them returning a 2nd time to actually make the purchase, is almost nonexistent. Or if they don't purchase quickly, the chances of a return is not low at all now.
but they were nice enough to give me some After constantly working in retail and finally as I was about to graduate from college, I bought my first wallet for $375 from Fendi since it was the only wallet I really liked that was yellow colored and with nice stitching without any logos on the outside.
I bought a men's Prada rain Jacket for over $2000 actually during my freshmen year in College after having saved up and though my family thought I was crazy, honestly, it's been used nearly daily for years and I still think it looks like only a few months old.
I wish I had stopped there but I bought a nylon Messenger bag from Ferragamo for $450 from the outlet to use during college. I also bought a nylon briefcase from Prada for $500(?) from the outlet. I think, the $2000 I spent on 1 item just scared me and I frequented the outlets a lot, though I ended up with only 3 purchases in 1 year. I'm 24 now but my only designer purchase in the last 5 years has been a Fendi bag bug for $700 which I thought was crazy cute.
I don't know, the addiction ended really really quickly for me. I'm not sure why or how, but I went from viewing designer goods as products that would last me for 10+ years to window shopping and seeing how other stores display their products in the window.
Plus with all the price increases, as someone who works in retail, I just feel, bags are too pricy now and customers are simply deciding more. To me, if customers don't purchase on their first visit, the chances of them returning a 2nd time to actually make the purchase, is almost nonexistent. Or if they don't purchase quickly, the chances of a return is not low at all now.
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One day, while browsing Nordstrom Rack, I found a black patent Rebecca Minkoff Jane bag and fell in love. In retrospect, it wasn't very pretty (looked like a knock off Birkin, but I didn't know it then), but I loved it at the time. I didn't buy it immediately, because it was ~$300 and that was a lot of money. However, I did some research and saw it retails for ~$500, so that made the decision easier. I went back and bought it, and started looking into more RM bags. Eventually, I got the Cupid (with a slight discount from Amazon) and 2 Mini Macs (one was a gift). At that point, the most I spent on a bag was still ~$400.
Yeah, the idea of the sale is so effective at pushing me beyond a price point. "I'm saving $200 instead of spending $300!" I've noticed that I'm also more inclined to buy when it's limited stock/availability. So many tricks...
I think part of the creep upwards is also just purely social as a result of being on these forums. I've noticed some people are unfortunately addicted, but most are just exposed to higher price points through chatting with so many other women who have high end bags.
I'm trying not to feel too bad about it though - I've realized there are so many other things that can cost just as much, like electronic gadgets and whatnot, but since they "do stuff" it's seen as generally more worthwhile than a purse that "does nothing." I know guys who have tons of cameras and lenses for their photography hobby. But a bag is just as functional in every day life, if not more so!
Oh yeah. A lot of it is generally the buyers who are actually shopping and deciding on their first purchase in a Premier Designer store. It is...odd because sometimes they come with a budget but don't mind spending up to the budget or just slightly less, but then come back the next day or few days later after the initial excitement of the purchase has worn off.
The fastest I've seen was 1 hour later, being dragged into the store by her mother.
Sometimes, I just feel social media isn't helping and some buyers are just susceptible to jealousy.
Very interesting thread from a psychological POV.
I had some beautiful bags bought for me from my parents trips to Italy and also my mother's cast-offs. Therefore sparing me paying for some very covetable bags.
Except for a couple, bags I bought myself as a teen were fine and often vintage but my first 'major' new bag was the Gucci horse-bit chain convertible clutch, about 10ish years ago, I think it was about £600ish (about $900). Since then, prices of bags, shoes, RTW etc have gone up at least 100% (I have the old magazines to prove it) whereas 'normal' people's wages in the UK have not (if they've gone up at all).
If I was starting a bag collection now, I possibly couldn't afford to buy what I have already, if that makes sense. These prices now have very little to do with materials/labour/promotion/store overheads + some profit. I think most companies have totally the wrong pricing strategy when it comes to accessories and people will just turn away from bags as signifiers and modes of personal, creative expression.
I had some beautiful bags bought for me from my parents trips to Italy and also my mother's cast-offs. Therefore sparing me paying for some very covetable bags.
Except for a couple, bags I bought myself as a teen were fine and often vintage but my first 'major' new bag was the Gucci horse-bit chain convertible clutch, about 10ish years ago, I think it was about £600ish (about $900). Since then, prices of bags, shoes, RTW etc have gone up at least 100% (I have the old magazines to prove it) whereas 'normal' people's wages in the UK have not (if they've gone up at all).
If I was starting a bag collection now, I possibly couldn't afford to buy what I have already, if that makes sense. These prices now have very little to do with materials/labour/promotion/store overheads + some profit. I think most companies have totally the wrong pricing strategy when it comes to accessories and people will just turn away from bags as signifiers and modes of personal, creative expression.
I've really enjoyed reading about everyone's bag journeys.
I personally went from feeling guilty about spending £50-60 on a high street bag to buying a Mulberry Tillie bag in 2012 that I saw on a celebrity and decided I just had to have. It was quite a jump and I questioned my decision again and again, but there was no going back. I then developed an interest in Michael Kors, DKNY, Lulu Guinness and a few independent bag designers I discovered on Boticca. But I soon went from keeping purchases under the £500 mark to buying a Louis Vuitton Vernis Alma for just over £1K. I felt sick with guilt every time I'd look at my LV bag, but it didn't stop me from coveting and buying more and more bags at higher and higher prices. The most expensive one I've bought is my Miss Dior 18 months ago that cost around £2300. I have no intention of ever going above or even near that price point again.
I still fantasise about adding more bags to my collection, but I rarely take the plunge these days. I refuse to be a victim of the constant price increases and quality issues across many of the brands. As some of you have pointed out, there comes a point where you're no longer paying for better quality but rather just the label and status of carrying such a bag. I don't have a single bag that I believe to be worth what I paid for it.
I personally went from feeling guilty about spending £50-60 on a high street bag to buying a Mulberry Tillie bag in 2012 that I saw on a celebrity and decided I just had to have. It was quite a jump and I questioned my decision again and again, but there was no going back. I then developed an interest in Michael Kors, DKNY, Lulu Guinness and a few independent bag designers I discovered on Boticca. But I soon went from keeping purchases under the £500 mark to buying a Louis Vuitton Vernis Alma for just over £1K. I felt sick with guilt every time I'd look at my LV bag, but it didn't stop me from coveting and buying more and more bags at higher and higher prices. The most expensive one I've bought is my Miss Dior 18 months ago that cost around £2300. I have no intention of ever going above or even near that price point again.
I still fantasise about adding more bags to my collection, but I rarely take the plunge these days. I refuse to be a victim of the constant price increases and quality issues across many of the brands. As some of you have pointed out, there comes a point where you're no longer paying for better quality but rather just the label and status of carrying such a bag. I don't have a single bag that I believe to be worth what I paid for it.
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My first designer bag was Liz Claiborne. Now they sell at JCPenney and the brand is completely different. She was like Michael Kors or Kate Spade today. You can still see grannies in my area carrying them. I bought a Gucci Boston with my first bonus check in 1987. Then came Coach and Dooney and Bourke. Outlets took over central Florida in the mid-90's and every year I added to the collection always buying deletes from the FP stores I had seen in Vogue or Bazaar. The economic bust led to the collapse of the luxury market and I scooped up Michael Kors, Tods and Burberry.
Then a funny thing happened. I hit 49 and decided that my bag collection was silly and sold it ALL eBay. I took myself to the local LV store and purchased 2. For my 50th I bought a Gucci wallet. That with 2 MK and a few nylon "Junkers" for outings with the kids are all I have in the closet.
My handbag journey was fun, exciting and sometimes heartbreaking when I missed a deal but I now into quality. And putting the kids through college [emoji2]
Then a funny thing happened. I hit 49 and decided that my bag collection was silly and sold it ALL eBay. I took myself to the local LV store and purchased 2. For my 50th I bought a Gucci wallet. That with 2 MK and a few nylon "Junkers" for outings with the kids are all I have in the closet.
My handbag journey was fun, exciting and sometimes heartbreaking when I missed a deal but I now into quality. And putting the kids through college [emoji2]
Nice post, so true about grannies and Liz Claiborne, I had totally forgotten about that brand!
My dad bought me a Prada when I was in college, which - lacking an appreciation for designer bags at the time - I did not take care of properly. However, when I started my PhD, he bought me a Marc Jacobs as a Christmas present. I finally realized the quality difference between it and my Express/Guess bags, so I then borrowed one of my mom's old Ferragamo purses.
Next my dad bought me a Stuart Weitzman clutch and bag. Then one day I saw a red leather Michael by Michael Kors bag on sale for maybe 250 or 300? I had never spent so much of my money on a bag, but did so anyway. Then another day I was out with my mom and saw a raspberry Tod's bag on sale for around maybe 500 or a little less, so I bought it, too.
Then my dad bought me a Burberry and MbMJ for another Christmas since he saw I was finally taking care of my bags. Then I received a prestigious summer internship that paid me a lot of money (far more than my grad student stipend). As a present to myself, I bought a Dior. After that, it was over.
Now I just finished my PhD and started my first grown up job with a solid income. Hermes
Next my dad bought me a Stuart Weitzman clutch and bag. Then one day I saw a red leather Michael by Michael Kors bag on sale for maybe 250 or 300? I had never spent so much of my money on a bag, but did so anyway. Then another day I was out with my mom and saw a raspberry Tod's bag on sale for around maybe 500 or a little less, so I bought it, too.
Then my dad bought me a Burberry and MbMJ for another Christmas since he saw I was finally taking care of my bags. Then I received a prestigious summer internship that paid me a lot of money (far more than my grad student stipend). As a present to myself, I bought a Dior. After that, it was over.
Now I just finished my PhD and started my first grown up job with a solid income. Hermes
I love my bags, but never brave the designer line until I'm in my master degree and before this bag, i always paid for them with my money. Marc Jacobs Stella is my first designer bag. It was a tad less than 1,000 though. And it's a gift from my mom. I basically told her I love it before though. After that, I got a couple of his bags, a multi pocket, 2 Venetias. Just a bit below 1,000.- then, I fall for Balenciaga big time and got a day, then, a parade of Cities and other style, which all are above 1,000.- Then, I stumbled into Chanel and Dior.
I still buy bags from independent designer and other on the lower price, but they have to be good quality. I find I like designer bags for the leather. The fabric bags suck since I can't justify the price tag. If I want the non-leather stuff, I know I can always find the better one from the non-designer brand.
I still buy bags from independent designer and other on the lower price, but they have to be good quality. I find I like designer bags for the leather. The fabric bags suck since I can't justify the price tag. If I want the non-leather stuff, I know I can always find the better one from the non-designer brand.
For most people who love designer items, I feel like materials and quality doesn't have a lot to do with it... I feel like I wouldn't buy most of what I have clothing wise if I factored quality more into it! So many synthetic blends...
I started buying designer handbags soon after I started working. I figure once you adjust for inflation, my spending hasn't really increased too much. Looking back, I spent an insane amount of money for an 18 year old kid, but I also worked an insane amount of hours. I've never paid more than $850 for a bag, but am now contemplating buying a Balenciaga Velo, which is just over 2K with tax. I'm not sure if I'll actually go through with it, though. If I do, that will be a step for me... not sure it's one I want to take just yet...
In high school, my mom always bought me Dooney Bourkes for Christmas. Then it became Coach. Once I married, my husband liked the Coach price point. However...my first LV a couple of years ago killed all that. 
I now have a nice little collection including LV, YSL, and Chanel. One more Chanel and I'm done. I promised hubby!
I now have a nice little collection including LV, YSL, and Chanel. One more Chanel and I'm done. I promised hubby!