CC 239: The Consultant Who is Looking to Downsize

In today’s installment of Closet Confessionals we meet a marketing consultant entering both a new decade and a new phase of life. Hailing from Cali’s central coast, CC 239 has been collecting luxury bags since she was in her mid-thirties, and in that time, she has curated a beautiful collection of bags, including two Hermès bags.

The last few years have truly been a collecting journey for this bag lover. She used to buy bags many times a year to ease some of the stresses of her corporate job. However, CC 239 recently left that stress behind in favor of working for herself.

Leaving the demands of her prior life behind, CC 239 has developed a whole new attitude towards collecting. She’s currently focused on downsizing her collection and will only keep bags she truly loves, and that suit her in this new phase of life. Read the full CC below (with pics, too!), and don’t forget to share your own with us!

---

Basic Bio

Your Age? 40
Your Gender Identity? Female
Where do you live? Monterey, CA
What is your occupation? Marketing Consultant
What industry do you work in? Private Equity Real Estate
What is your annual salary range? Total household income? $350,000
Are you a PurseForum member? No

---

Onto The Bags

How many bags do you own? 20

What bags are in your collection?

• Hermès Birkin 35
• Vintage Kelly 32
• Chanel Classic Flap M/L
• Chanel Mini Coco Handle
• Chanel 2.55 Maxi
• Chanel Vintage Maxi
• Chanel Vintage Mademoiselle Flap Maxi
• Chanel Square Mini
• Chanel Diana Medium Flap bag
• Chanel Vintage Beige Square Flap
• Louis Vuitton Alma
• Louis Vuitton Speedy 30
• Louis Vuitton Vintage Shoe Bag
• Louis Vuitton Keepall Bandoulier 45
• Hermès Herbag
• A few other contemporary bags from Mansur Gavriel

How much is your collection worth? $75,000

What is your most expensive bag? Hermès Birkin 35

Do you ever experience buyer’s remorse after purchasing a bag? If so, how do you deal with it? Yes. I didn’t used to, but since having my daughter, I feel this guilt that this money could be going towards her college fund (we contribute monthly to it, but it can always use more).

Also, I had another Birkin 35 which I recently sold to Fashionphile because during the 3+ years I had it, I wore it twice so it was a terrible cost per wear and it was sitting in my closet.

Do you feel a desire to downsize your collection? If so, what factors are driving that decision? Absolutely. In fact, I recently sold quite a few of my bags recently including a Lady Dior (I never wore it), Hermès Evelyn, a couple of Vintage Chanel Flaps because I simply did not need to have so many bags in my collection and am trying to minimize and downsize my collection.

Factors driving my decision include 1) I left a high-paying corporate executive job last year and started my own consulting business which means I no longer have a steady monthly paycheck. I constantly need to get new clients and grow my business so I wanted to sell some bags that I didn’t need

2) I work from home. I meet my clients via Zoom so I don’t really have places to take a lot of my bags. We are also in a more rural/suburban area where most parents dress very casually and it’s very hard to find people carrying a designer bag even in some of the affluent parts of the town. It’s all about dressing down and “Stealth” wealth here it seems and finally,

3) I realized after becoming a business owner and having gone through a big life change that I don’t really need a lot of things that I thought I needed; not only that, since I no longer have the stress of the long hours from my corporate job, I haven’t felt the need to release my stress or anything by buying a bag. I think I was “treating” myself and justifying the extreme stress of my corporate job by buying a lot of bags. I looked through all of my purchases in the last 4-5 years, and a lot of the bags I added to my collection were bought when I felt the most stress.

I want to practice living a more modest, minimalist life and have less “wants” and build more wealth through my investments and owning my own business. I am still figuring it out, but to be honest, selling some of my bags made me realize I don’t regret them as much as I thought I would and it’s this weird, liberating feeling that I am in control.

What age did you get your first designer bag, and what was it? Louis Vuitton Speedy 30, in my mid-30s. Before that, Coach bags.

Do you have a ‘holy grail’ dream bag you’ve always wanted to own? I think it was both the Chanel Classic Flap and a Hermès Birkin, both of which I own. I use my Chanel Classic Flap when I go out and when I travel and I bought my Birkin (I had two but now I only have one) to use as a work bag but now that I work from home, I don’t use it. I thought I wanted to have a vintage Louis Vuitton trunk (like that big one you can use as a coffee table) but I really don’t have any bags I want right now.

Any particular bag that holds a special sentimental value? My Chanel Classic Flap Bag. My husband bought it for me at the Rue Cambon boutique in Paris when I earned my M.B.A.

Do you feel like your bags change people’s perceptions of you or how you’re treated? Yes. To be honest, I think it’s like an armor for women where we feel really confident, especially when I feel down. I think even when I am dressed down but I am wearing one of my bags, I feel good. Also, yes, I notice a lot of people do look at the bag when we are out shopping or dining out, and for some reason, they do seem to have a different perception. Maybe I am overthinking but I wouldn’t say it doesn’t have any effect at all.

Or maybe it’s negative. People might assume I am terrible with money and what a waste, not realizing that I am very passionate about personal finance and planning for the future.

How do you take care of your bags? I honestly don’t think I think much about it and use microfiber cloths to clean and dust.

---

On Shopping

How often do you buy new bags? I have not bought a new bag this year. As mentioned before, when I had a corporate job where the stress level was extreme, I was buying a bag almost every month.

How has your bag collection changed during the past few years, and why? I would say before I kept adding new bags from different designer/fashion houses because I thought I HAD TO have the classic ones from each fashion house even if it wasn’t something I was crazy about. I also felt like I had to have this amazing Chanel collection in every leather type, color, and etc.

I’ve come to realize that ever since my focus has shifted to growing my business and focusing on my daughter’s extracurricular activities, I just haven’t thought about changing anything or adding anything to my bag collection. I am very content with what I have and feel grateful that I own what I have now.

Do you prefer shopping for bags online or in-store? Why? Online now. Before the pandemic, shopping at Chanel boutiques was really lovely and the whole experience felt so nice and luxurious. Now, it’s extremely transactional and I like to “hunt” and look at different bags at my own leisure so shopping online makes most sense.

Also, this works for me because now I primarily buy bags pre-loved. It is way too expensive to pay the retail price and I would prefer to get some good deals. A couple of bags I bought in the past were bought with an intention to restore in the future.

Which stores do you frequent the most? I haven’t gone to any stores recently, but circa 2021, I went to the Chanel boutique in SF and Hermès in SF.

Have you ever returned a bag after purchasing it? Why did you make that decision? No. I have never returned a bag. I do a lot of research and “agonize” over every purchase in a way lol I feel like because of the amount of money so I never returned a bag, BUT I have sold bags as I said before.

Do you ever buy second-hand bags? Where do you buy used? Absolutely. Love buying in the preloved market. I only buy from Fashionphile and Yoogi’s Closet.

Do you ever donate or gift your old bags? If so, to whom? Yes, I have gifted a couple of bags to my Mom 🙂

Do you feel that social media or influencer culture pressures you to buy more bags or certain brands? I would say so. If you look at some of the luxury influencers on YouTube or Instagram, it feels like your collection is never enough and that the amount of bags they have is normal when in reality it is not. It seems like it is their job to constantly buy new bags, but most of us in real life don’t.

In fact, I really don’t have anyone around me that would be buying designer bags all the time. I also feel like everyone is obsessed with Hermès right now without truly understanding the history or the brand which is fine because each their own, but this unhealthy obsession with the brand is interesting.

Do you consider your bag purchases financial or emotional investments? If you asked me this question a couple of years ago, I would tell you they are great financial investments, but after selling quite a few bags and barely recouping my money after the resellers take their cut, I think that money could have been better spent in my investment portfolio.

However, with that being said, they were excellent emotional and fun investments in that I enjoyed them, loved them and also got to get some money from selling them so not a waste at all. As handbag lovers, I don’t think we need to justify anything and as long as it works for you, your lifestyle, your budget, etc, go for it.

Do you follow the latest fashion trends when deciding on your next purchase, or do you prefer classic styles? No. I prefer classic styles. I am a working mom entering my 40s. I don’t think I am trendy at all LOL.

Are sales associate relationships instrumental to your shopping? Not anymore.

Do you enjoy shopping beyond just acquiring something new? I haven’t shopped much at all in the last 1.5 years… so I don’t know but I think after buying some bags in the preloved market, I love getting a great deal buying things online.

Have you ever felt you received inferior service at a store or boutique due to your appearance, ethnicity, or gender? No. Luckily I have not. BUT I hear it’s gotten worse since the pandemic. I would say it feels more rushed more than anything and you can’t really browse but know exactly what you want going in. I actually really love shopping online for Hermès because I don’t have to deal with making an appointment with the SA or seeing how they don’t have a lot of things in stock and have to order.

What factors may dissuade you from buying a bag, even if you like it? Price. To be honest, the price increases have really put me away from buying a bag. I have a personal limit to how much I’d spend and right now at the retail prices of these bags, I don’t know if I can buy it.

Is there a brand you outright refuse to buy? Why? Gucci. Never been a fan. Maybe because I am not a trendy person. I think it looks cool on other people though!

Balenciaga.

Do you ever rent designer bags? If so, from where? No

How do you feel about the concept of “quiet luxury” vs. “loud luxury”? Honestly, I understand both concepts, but I think it’s just really annoying when each side criticizes the others. I understand that some prefer the quiet luxury and I see a lot of people in Carmel/Pacific Grove area that seem to wear very quality items without any logos and they take pride in “if you know, you know”. On the other hand, what is wrong with loud luxury? I think it’s fabulous too. People should feel free to wear what ever they wear because they bought it.

---

On Budgeting & Perceptions

Who pays for your bags? Me. My husband has bought me several bags though in the past.

Do you set aside a budget for your bag purchases? I used to have what I called my “Luxury Fund”. Not anymore. I am really focused on boosting my daughter’s college fund and building my business right now. So as of now, I have zero budget for buying bags and I likely won’t be adding anything to my collection anytime soon. I would say in the future, I may buy a Chanel Square Flap for my daughter’s 18th birthday (she’s little right now so many years from now when that happens). I figure if I buy sooner than later, I can get a better price. She has already claimed my bags as hers hahaha!

Have you ever purchased a counterfeit because you couldn’t afford a designer item? Nope. I have never been a fan of buying a counterfeit because I know even if others do not.

Do you use financing or payment plans (like Afterpay or Klarna) for bag purchases? No, but I have thought about doing that here and there. It seems like it’s a great option if you want to break down a big purchase.

Do you ever hide purchases from your significant other? Have you ever lied about the cost of a bag to avoid judgment? No. We are very open about our finances. We have a shared budget sheet where we document every single bill, expense and investment. This helps us to be transparent and be honest with money with each other.

Do you think owning luxury bags helps you in professional or social situations? How so? No. To be honest, I don’t think so. If anything, it could make people judge me unfairly without knowing that I am all about investing for the future and passionate about building wealth and etc. It could seem as though I am frivolous with money if they aren’t into luxury bags.

Also, one point I want to make here is that I think women’s purchases seem to always be judged harshly. What’s wrong with women buying a designer bag when men buy watches and expensive cars, etc for more? I feel like there’s a bit of this weird sexist tone about women being wasteful if we buy designer bags.

I also have heard fellow colleagues (when I was in the corporate world) talk about how maybe certain people don’t need a raise because they have designer bags. Again, very unfair, but it seems like that does happen.

Do you ever resell bags on platforms like The RealReal, Fashionphile, or Vestiaire Collective? Yes, absolutely. I have sold my bags to The RealReal, Yoogi’s Closet and Fashionphile. I have had the best experience with Fashionphile.

Have your friends or family ever criticized your bag-buying habits? If so, how did you respond? Yes. I just ignore them LOL they aren’t paying my bills.

Do you think your shopping is ever a problem? Have you ever felt like you were struggling with a shopping addiction? Yes, I felt like I was losing control when my corporate job was getting very stressful and I was buying more bags, more often. I felt like I was getting addictive to buying things, but I am happy to say since making a major life change, I do not have that.

---

Let’s get personal…

What is the trait you most admire in others? Resilience.

What is your idea of perfect happiness? Being in control of your own schedule and your time. Having enough money to live the life I want with my family.

Any parting words you would like to share with our readers? This is just my experience and I’ve really changed the way that I view luxury bags in the last year or so. I just want all the readers to know that this may not be for you and it is OK if you want to grow your collection and it is also OK if you want to downsize. Do what’s best for you. Also, wear all the logos you want if you are into that – who cares?! It’s your money, your bags!! Go be yourself and just stay authentic!!!!!