Today, we’re introducing you to a collector who works in the industry at the popular resale site The RealReal, offering a unique perspective on designer bags. While CC 231 has been working at TRR for 7 years, allowing her to see hundreds of different designer bags, she grew up loving them and has been collecting bags since her teens.
A lover of nostalgia, CC 231 has an impressive collection of vintage bags, and has curated an incredible collection worth over $20K. Her job affords her the opportunity to see a vast amount of bags, allowing this collector to truly think through each purchase. If there’s a bag she’s been lusting after for a long time and the opportunity hits, she’ll buy it.
Unafraid to part ways with a bag that no longer serves her, CC 231 will forever seek a Dior India Saddle Bag from the Galliano era—her holy grail because it celebrates her heritage. Read the full CC, and don’t forget to share your own!
Basic Bio
Your Age? 33
Your Gender Identity? Female
Where do you live? Brooklyn, NY
What is your occupation? Handbag Valuation Manager at The RealReal
What industry do you work in? Fashion
Your annual salary? $83,000
Total Household Income? $83,000
Are you a PurseForum member? Yes
Onto The Bags
How many bags do you own? 20+
What bags are in your collection?
- Late 80s Chanel CMDF
- Hermès 2020 Picotin Lock 18
- Louis Vuitton 2006 Denim Speedy, S/S 2005
- Yves Saint Laurent Parisienne
- J.W. Anderson Pierce Bag
- 90s Fendi Zucca Mama Forever
- A sample Christian Dior Oblique Diorama
How much is your collection worth? $20K+
What is your most expensive bag? Hermès Picotin Lock 18, only because buying it at retail was cheaper than buying it for resale.
Do you ever regret any of your bag purchases? If so, which ones and why? None. I’ve learned to part with those that I no longer wear or desire for something more nostalgic or something I’ve been watching for years.
What age did you get your first designer bag, and what was it? I was 14 years old when my mother gifted me a fuschia Coach Monogrammed Small Pochette from Lord & Taylor’s.
Is there a specific bag you are looking to purchase next? None at the moment. I recently acquired my Louis Vuitton Denim Speedy via trade, which was on my radar for several months. As of now, my Fendi Mama Forever is on its “retirement tour;” so I have been looking at vintage Fendi replacements (think season-specific Baguettes or Oyster bags) as I’ll have to stop wearing it soon.
Do you have a ‘holy grail’ dream bag you’ve always wanted to own? Yes, and I regret not having it each and every time I have the opportunity to value one in person. I’d love to get my hands on a Christian Dior India Saddle bag from when Galliano was there. It was a very formative handbag for me, and truly one of the earliest memories of my heritage being appreciated in the greater luxury fashion world.
Any particular bag that holds a special sentimental value? My Louis Vuitton Monogram Pochette Accessoires from 2007. I called my mom the day I received a holiday bonus check and begged her to spend it on a bag (when she prefer I saved my money at 18 years old). I did lie to her saying I was going to buy something from Coach/Michael Kors, but ended up taking the entire $250 to Louis Vuitton and buying the Pochette Accessoires, which cost about $195 – $210 back then.
Do you feel like your bags change people’s perceptions of you or how you’re treated? Not quite sure. I always have to worry about the color of my skin and how young I look if anything else. If I have ever received any particular treatment wearing a specific handbag, I’ve probably never noticed. I meet with very different clients daily, spanning all neighborhoods in NYC, so I’ve never treated any of them differently based on what handbag they are wearing, and I’d hope the same for myself. Amongst my coworkers and my friends, we absolutely love to show our collection when we get together because it’s an excellent conversation starter and encourages conversations about the handbag market in general.
How do you take care of your bags? I’m pretty straightforward with care, baby wipes and some dirt resistance sprays on non-leather textiles. Everything not leather is stored in my closet, everything else is in a glass cabinet. I’ve learned what to do and what not to do in the case of accidents, and thankfully it’s worked so far. The only bag I have had really repaired is my Fendi Mama Forever due of its age. I have debated about getting my Chanel CMDF fully reconditioned, but I don’t want to lose the lambskin hand that is still kicking all these years later.
On Shopping
How often do you buy new bags? It’s pretty rare nowadays. I have the rare opportunity to see so many handbags on a daily basis over a span of 7+ years. If its something I have long desired, the price is right, and it happens to fall into my lap, more than likely I will buy it.
Do you prefer shopping for bags online or in-store? Why? For resale, I’ll buy online almost all the time. I can authenticate pretty well via images and I know what things are worth per condition. I’ll be more than likely shopping in-store for newer styles so I can see quality, fit, and construction in person – kind of like handbag field research.
Which stores do you frequent the most? I don’t think I frequent one over the other. In NYC, you can tell how department buying teams operate per the general market, some will always have a better selection than others. I will say that one store I will never go back into Bergdorf Goodman though – they treated me like utter garbage when I was about 19-20 years old when I wanted to buy a Gucci bag, and in full cash too!
Have you ever returned a bag after purchasing it? Why did you make that decision? I have never returned a bag after purchasing it because it takes a lot of thought and desire to even buy it in the first place. I’ll sit on a new purchase for quite some time, and at whatever point I feel like it’s time to part ways with it, I’ll resale it when I feel the market is in its favor.
Do you ever buy second-hand bags? Where do you buy used? Always! I’ve been shopping resale as early as 18 because it was the first time I could attain something that seemed so far away. I’ve shopped everywhere from popular resale platforms (TRR, Fashionphile, Rebag) to smaller, lesser-known ones, all the way to eBay and various Japanese auction sites.
Do you sell old bags to pay for new purchases? Of course. When you work in the resale industry, it’s common practice. I recently moved in with my partner 6 months ago and parted with pieces to help with buying furniture – entering a new chapter to me means parting with things that just don’t fit your current lifestyle anymore. I see this frequently with new mothers, who are parting with their bags because they just need something more practical for their little ones. I mainly sell them at my workplace, other times at Fashionphile or Rebag.
Do you ever donate or gift your old bags? If so, to whom? Yes, I gifted my first Gucci bag to my mom because it was too large on my 90lb frame at the time.
Do you ever feel societal pressure to purchase more bags? Nope. I buy what I like, and I tend to like things for a long time.
Do you consider your bag purchases investments? Absolutely. Especially with how quickly the resale market has grown for handbags.
Do you follow the latest fashion trends when deciding on your next purchase, or do you prefer classic styles? I’m big on nostalgia, so I suppose I gravitate toward classic styles. I’m rarely moved by newer styles nowadays; however, I have been eyeing a lot of new Givenchy handbags lately.
Are sales associate relationships instrumental to your shopping? No. I’ve worked in both retail and resale almost my entire life, so I know what I am looking for and don’t need any persuasion to buy anything. Unfortunately, I end up knowing more than the majority of Sales Associates nowadays, but that comes with being versed across many heritage luxury houses.
Do you enjoy shopping beyond just acquiring something new? Not really. Shopping after the pandemic wasn’t really fun for me, and now that NYC almost feels as though it is back to normal, trying to go to at least 2 stores seems like an entire half-day task with all the waiting in lines and waiting around for someone to help you once you are inside.
Have you ever felt you received inferior service at a store or boutique due to your appearance, ethnicity, or gender? Absolutely. I visited Hermès in Chicago with 3 of my good friends (all of us of varying ethnicities) and wasn’t acknowledged until we had to make conversation. Mind you, 3/4 of us have existing purchase histories with Hermès. I was convinced it was because they assumed we were just some tourists browsing, but it wasn’t until we mentioned we live in NYC did they somehow manage to conjure up the things we asked for. We ended up taking our money to Chanel and Goyard, who treated us a bit better.
What are some factors that may dissuade you from buying a bag, even if you like it? Size and interior construction. I’m growing a little weary of the “tiny bag trend” because if my iPhone 14 Pro doesn’t fit, it’s not going to work because I have made the mistake of setting my phone down somewhere while wearing a tiny bag and not knowing where I put it. I prefer leather/canvas interiors as well, just because it’s easier to maintain over time.
Is there a brand you outright refuse to buy? Why? As of now, and it breaks my heart, but Balenciaga. Unfortunately, due to recent events, and when you work in the resale industry, you have to be mindful of everything you wear, otherwise, you look tone-deaf and unrelatable. I had to sell my Balenciaga Dynasty sunglasses almost immediately after the news broke, and I had only had them for about 9 months. The same can be said for Dolce & Gabbana due to their comments regarding the Asian market years ago. I’ll never forget that, especially as a South Asian woman, and refuse to buy anything from them.
On Budgeting & Perceptions
Who pays for your bags? Me, myself and I! My partner bought me one handbag – a Givenchy Mini Half Moon crossbody this past Christmas (probably because they kept hearing me rave about how well-made and financially attainable Givenchy handbags are nowadays).
Do you set aside a budget for your bag purchases? No, but I know how much I am willing to spend on each bag, based on their current resale performance and overall quality.
Have you ever purchased a counterfeit because you couldn’t afford a designer item? Nope. Cannot and will not ever justify doing so.
Do you ever hide purchases from your significant other? Never. If anything, they’ll put me in my place whether or not I will use it, which is nice to have that second opinion at times.
Have your friends or family ever criticized your bag-buying habits? If so, how did you respond? Always, since I was a teenager. Mainly because they all work in finance, so handbags were never an investment to them, just material. But I think now that I’ve worked with handbags and it’s a legitimate business in their eyes, they don’t get on me about my new purchases now. I never responded poorly to their opinions, but I always made sure that I was the one buying them. Now, we just talk about how much I can resale my bags for.
Have you ever made a significant sacrifice to afford a bag? If so, what was it? Never; that is a place I don’t ever want to visit. Buy within your means and stay firm on that, no matter what. That bag will always be there.
Do you think your shopping is ever a problem? Have you ever felt like you were struggling with a shopping addiction? I’d say that shopping becomes a problem when I enter the dollar store or a sample sale because I just want to buy things I probably don’t need at a fraction of the cost! Other than that, I’ve never felt as though I had a shopping addiction mainly because I’m aware of what I can spend in that moment. Fun fact: True Life once did a segment on this with a girl I went to high school with, so, unfortunately, got to see what a shopping addiction can do to one’s life.
Let’s get personal…
Any parting words you would like to share with our readers? Buy what it is YOU like, don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise, regardless of current trends or its resale value. At the end of the day, you are the one wearing it, not everyone else.
I really like this lady. Sensible with buying, great small collection. Very customer service focused and aware of what service is. That green Givenchy is a really gorgeous colour with the gold chain popping. Wonderful CC. I couldn’t work at resale or designer consignment. I’d be bankrupt with my lack of this ladies self control.
I’m sure I clicked on Blake Lively !!
It’s unfortunate that she works at TRR because I tried to return a bag, that was not the quality they represented, and it took 6 months. I kept getting bounced from S.A. to S.A. and department to department where each one said they’d “get back with me on an answer”. It was a nightmarish experienced and I vowed then I would never shop at TRR and never have again. Prior to that nonsense, I was a big customer both selling and purchasing, but no more.
Same here! I recently (two weeks ago) returned a diamond station necklace to TRR. It arrived to me with many knows as it had been shipped in a bracelet box. i was able to disentangle most of the knots save one and returned it to TRR, along with a note indicating that I was returning it taped to a piece of cardboard wrapped in bubble wrap (noted on the return sheet) and also returned the original box. When I called to see what was taking the refund so long, they said the box had been returned empty. No one will respond to me so I am disputing it with my credit card issuer. I will probably be out the nearly $2000 that the necklace cost me. I will NEVER purchase another item from TRR, even though I have spent tens of thousands of dollars with them over the years. NEVER AGAIN. They will lose more than I will.
Luckily I’ve always had good experiences with TRR. Buying and selling. Fingers Crossed!
Why is that unfortunate for her? Sounds like a personal problem to me that she had nothing to do with. You shouldn’t judge someone just because they work somewhere you have had a bad experience. It was not her fault and certainly does not define her.
Who knows? She could have been one of the ppl that kept bouncing me around. Also, it is unfortunate because the reputation of TRR, with quality and authentication issues, makes it an unfortunate place to work. I wouldn’t work at a place with such a stained reputation. Many ppl, if you do your due diligent research, have had equally bad experiences.
I just posted one!
She also could NOT have been one of the people bouncing you around. You have no idea and have completely misdirected your anger and unhappiness on a complete stranger. Not a good look and honestly you are sounding very immature and whiny. This is not the forum for such a discussion.
Who sounds immature and whiny? It’s not me; it’s you complaining about me. Move on because you’re misdirecting your anger and unhappiness on me, a stranger, and THAT is definitively NOT a good look! Oh, BTW this IS a forum to discuss whatever anyone wants to discuss i.e. Purseblog! Next….
As a Chicagoan who lives around the corner from Hermes and Chanel I’m so sorry you were mistreated at H. Thank you for visiting our city and please come back!! 🙂 🙂
What is the color code for the blue picotin? Perfect shade of navy blue
She has a nice collection! I also recently acquired the green LV Monogram Neo Speedy denim! I love it.
curious which “dirt resistance sprays” you use on your textile bags? (to OP AND other commenters)