CC 256: The One and Done Confessor

In today’s installment of Closet Confessionals, we meet a rare one-and-done confessor whose first (and only) luxury purchase was driven by her love of art. CC 256 works in tech and hails from the East Coast. She states that in most areas of her life, she feels like a plain Jane, but when it came to purchasing a luxury bag, she went for the artful and ultra-rare.

While CC 256 typically prefers to spend her money on pieces of art, traveling, or expensive perfume, her Louis Vuitton Aquarelle Richard Prince Speedy was a rare exception. The bag is sentimental to her for this reason, and she treats it like art, using it sparingly and wearing Longchamp and other non-branded bags in her day-to-day life.

Read the full CC below, and don’t forget to submit your own!

Basic Bio

Your Age? 40
Your Gender Identity? Female
Where do you live? East Coast, USA
What is your occupation? Tech
What industry do you work in? Tech
What is your annual salary range? Total household income? $150,000
Are you a PurseForum member? Yes

Onto The Bags

How many bags do you own? 1

What bags are in your collection?

• A white watercolor LV Speedy [Aquarelle, Richard Prince]

I don’t count these other basic bags; they are not special:

• Other non-designer label bags [non-expensive, either in plain black leather or plain black nylon]
• A few plain Longchamp big and small totes [in black, or in tan]
• Some novelty purses for decoration

How much is your collection worth? $1,000

What is your most expensive bag? The watercolor speedy.

Do you ever experience buyer’s remorse after purchasing a bag? If so, how do you deal with it? Yes — I often do DIY on the cheap bags. I hate doing ‘crafts’ but weirdly love to experiment on cheap bags.

Do you feel a desire to downsize your collection? If so, what factors are driving that decision? No

What age did you get your first designer bag, and what was it? In 2021, it was the watercolor speedy. I wanted to submit a entry because I’m a big fan of this series and love reading it — but personally I only have one designer bag. I can’t recall seeing someone write in and be in my situation [re only 1 fancy bag], so I thought I’d participate; there’s got to be at least one other person out there like me : )

Is there a specific bag you are looking to purchase next? No

Do you have a ‘holy grail’ dream bag you’ve always wanted to own? Not really. I’d like to be wealthy enough to have a super long stacked stone fence, or go to the entire Ring cycle of operas [Wagner], or to live in Provence for a whole year [like Peter Mayle’s first book concept.] After I got my watercolor Speedy, I didn’t want purses as my #1 dream ‘item’ anymore — which isn’t to say that I wouldn’t like a suede Kelly!

I have to say, I would like a marbled leather Cuoiofficine bag from Italy. But I feel like I would need to feel very wealthy suddenly to do that. I prefer to only use my money [mostly haha] for ROI or for things I feel I literally must have on some level [which can include luxuries.]

Any particular bag that holds a special sentimental value? Yes, the watercolor LV bag does mean a lot to me. I prefer to buy pieces of artwork, travel or buy super expensive perfume [ie Henry Jacques, JAR, Creed, Roja, etc] instead of using money on bags, so it is just nice to have this kind of ‘work of art’ in a bag. I know that doesn’t really answer the question — I first saw a watercolor LV while I was in Naples once years ago, and I was blown away. So it is special because of that kind of ‘neat’ experience [imho.]

Do you feel like your bags change people’s perceptions of you or how you’re treated? No, I’m pretty blah and not great looking [lol], so if it does change it, it’s just to make me look like a mark. Regardless I should add that I don’t actually wear the bag very much. I don’t live in a big city, so I don’t really want to go out and about with it, especially since my style [and the area’s style] is pajama-level casual.

I really mostly use the watercolor LV bag as a piece of art — I collect art, and love art very much. This bag strikes me as more like ‘visual beauty’ than even just being a ‘usable mundane object’. I have it displayed and see it constantly at home, which I like. I know this is probably unusual compared to the other purse-confessions I’ve read.

How do you take care of your bags? I try not to damage it in general, or have it in the sun, but don’t do anything big time special.

On Shopping

How often do you buy new bags? Almost never in the last few years. I only buy a bag now if I have some specific issue I want the bag for — like to go to stores, or to use in winter/rain. Recently I started using a tiny bag [for my phone, wallet] and bringing a bigger bag that ‘stays in the car under a blanket’ that has like extra tissues in it etc. But these bags aren’t nice/designer. I prefer it that way, since I don’t live in a flashy/designer in public type area. I definitely like visiting areas like that though, it’s so fun and neat to see people out with their cool fashion and amazing bags.

How has your bag collection changed during the past few years, and why? I have really stopped buying bags, since I realized I have enough designer — my watercolor LV — and enough ‘plain’/grey etc type bags [black nylon bags.]

Do you prefer shopping for bags online or in-store? Why? I did like to walk around big places like Bergdorf’s etc to see many bags in person, but honestly not anymore. I don’t like being around all the people. I now just look at photos online of real people carrying the bags, I feel like if I look at enough of them, I get to see the bags in all different angles/ways etc.

I still like looking at bags online even though I don’t plan to ever buy another expensive one.

Which stores do you frequent the most? I like to buy vintage, mostly. I hate the idea of a brand new item that I will inevitably mark up haha! Whereas with vintage, you already know what it will look like, so it feels more comfortable to me to use. I don’t have time/energy to worry about a bag, so I prefer to use vintage mostly, and often plain ones that I don’t have to worry about.

I do like to buy from more ‘artsy’ brands, or brands from places I like a lot — like certain cities, or brands with more interesting looking wallets [in the art sense]. Obviously, art is in the eye of the beholder, I know, but at times I like it when the bag doesn’t really look like a bag [like that louise-Leconte black big circular shield bag.]

Have you ever returned a bag after purchasing it? Why did you make that decision? No, I have only bought one expensive one and wanted it very much.

Do you ever buy second-hand bags? Where do you buy used? I buy from everywhere online that sells vintage — many of my ‘average’ bags are from random vintage sites [from Vestiaire to ebay to poshmark, etc, all over].

Do you ever donate or gift your old bags? If so, to whom? Yes, if my mom wants one of the average ones and I don’t mind, then I give it to her. If I do mind, then I just buy another one and give one to her.

Do you feel that social media or influencer culture pressures you to buy more bags or certain brands? Only in the sense that it shows me new options. Though of course I’m sure I get ‘influenced’, I’m sure that’s inescapable on some level.

Do you consider your bag purchases financial or emotional investments? The one designer bag I have I just bought for me to enjoy as an art piece, so it’s only emotional. I would only sell it if some emergency happened — like if aliens came by to abduct me, I would trade them it so that they would leave me on Earth. Hyperbole, but truly that’s what it would take, haha!

Do you follow the latest fashion trends when deciding on your next purchase, or do you prefer classic styles? I don’t know, I would say classic but at the same time look what I bought. Haha. So I guess I would say I like cheap classic/plain bags but when I buy designer, I went for something that I felt was a more unique art piece.

And just to make it clear, of course I’m not conflating a super rare handmade oil painting and my watercolor bag, I’m just saying that I think of it in the same way, in a sense. It’s another piece of art that I enjoy looking it, and using once in a great while.

Are sales associate relationships instrumental to your shopping? No, I’m not pretty/stylish so I wouldn’t imagine that would be a good road to go down for me, haha. I dress like a lumberjack by choice. I look like I want to always be ready to drive to a beautiful vista and enjoy it in hiking-type clothes, and then drive home — and yes, I know that’s very pathetic. It’s just what I enjoy : )

Do you enjoy shopping beyond just acquiring something new? I like it in terms of art, like looking at new ‘creations’. I really like to buy things I can enjoy in perpetuity, like books, movies, music, going to art exhibits/galleries and operas [I enjoy the memory of it after], perfume. Stuff like that.

Have you ever felt you received inferior service at a store or boutique due to your appearance, ethnicity, or gender? Probably, because I don’t look very good [and also dress blah most of the time], but I don’t really pay attention and don’t often go into stores anymore. If I do, it’s just to walk through and leave, just to glance around, but only when I’m in big cities or traveling.

What factors may dissuade you from buying a bag, even if you like it? It depends on why I have the bag — like if you have a bag that’s for ‘fancy meals/outings’, then if it’s hard to open [Kelly style] then that’s fine to me. I personally have to have both a hand strap and a shoulder strap on some bags; others I can tolerate with just one strap. I thinks it’s almost about like physical comfort, in a way. At times I feel like a bag is a little shield, literally, and it can make me feel more confident or just ‘better’ in some nebulous sense to hold it a certain way.

Is there a brand you outright refuse to buy? Why? I don’t like the idea of buying from brands that would get negative attention in real life — so that’s honestly all designer, and beyond, even. I don’t want attention in any sense. But in general, if I were going to buy another designer bag, I think I would avoid all the ones that have been in the news for bad stuff just in general. I’m not saying I wouldn’t accept one free or something, but personally when I look at a bag I don’t want any other associations with it in my thoughts. I know that probably sounds odd!

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

How do you feel about the concept of “quiet luxury” vs. “loud luxury”? Most of my bags are ‘quiet’, I think one would say. But then again, my only designer bag is ‘loud’ [watercolor LV speedy]. So I think it depends on the situation and area. Like if I visited Miami, I’m going to wear different outfits than I had on in Canada.

I also think it depends on the person, some people look amazing in bright colors and ‘loud’ stuff, other people look better the other way. Personally, at home I dress sloppy and with some crazy bright orange colors [etc], but when I’m out I dress in [also sloppy] black and plaid [unless at an opera or something I do have some taste lol.]

I guess though I should admit that I did wear a bright orange outer coat/layer of a kimono [I just thought it was so beautiful] to an opera at the Met once, so who am I to say that I don’t wear loud stuff. [I wanted to get on the ‘Last night at the MET’ instagram, and did not, haha.] I think a person’s location and what they’re doing really decide what to wear — sometimes loud/bright stuff is appropriate and almost required, and the opposite as well, at other types of events/areas/etc. Being flexible is what’s impressive, imho.

On Budgeting & Perceptions

Who pays for your bags? Me, but my parents let me use their money. So it’s not really right to say ‘me’ then! I would say I work hard and do have my own money and use it, and also it’s easier for me to have bought that one designer bag I did buy [and anything else I buy] because of how I know my parents are there as a backup.

Do you set aside a budget for your bag purchases? No, because I only bought one and never did again, and I have everything ready for retirement, savings, have parents’ help if wanted, etc.

Have you ever purchased a counterfeit because you couldn’t afford a designer item? I used to like to buy extreme dupes to ‘try out’ bags, and I never liked any — so many show me why I am not the target for most bags [I don’t know why, I guess I’m hard to please in terms of the shape of bags/how you interact with them physically.] I end up needing to use, for everyday life, plain small black nylon bags [similar to a tiny Longchamp tote, or some of those too.]

For some reason those are the only bags that are easy for me to handle.

Do you use financing or payment plans (like Afterpay or Klarna) for bag purchases? No.

Do you think owning luxury bags helps you in professional or social situations? How so? No, I am not in a world where that would help.

Do you ever hide purchases from your significant other? Have you ever lied about the cost of a bag to avoid judgment? No and no.

Do you ever resell bags on platforms like The RealReal, Fashionphile, or Vestiaire Collective? No.

Have your friends or family ever criticized your bag-buying habits? If so, how did you respond? No, I’m more into going to operas and ballets in foreign countries, and seeing art shows. And buying pieces of art. If someone says anything to me, it’s about that stuff instead.

Do you think your shopping is ever a problem? Have you ever felt like you were struggling with a shopping addiction? No — but I think when my life was less nice many years ago, I did buy stuff to make myself feel better, a bit. Now I don’t buy anything, unless it’s books of photographs of old gardens [seriously].

Let’s get personal…

What is your greatest extravagance? Traveling, going to operas/ballets/concerts/art galleries, buying art pieces.

What is your greatest fear? Just the normal ones like suffering/death.

What is the trait you most admire in others? Being able to create art or literature or music. [And yes, being a good person of course and all the normal ones — just also that, too.]

Which living person do you most admire? I really like a lot of authors’ books, but I admire the books and not the person [I don’t care who the writer was as much as a care about the book.] I would have said Jessye Norman, the incredible singer, but she passed away a few years ago. I guess I’m not sure about the word ‘admire’ here — does it mean in a moral sense, a ‘this person is so talented’ sense, etc. There are so many ways to think about it.

Limiting to ‘living’ makes it hard for me. I would say Tolkien for the Silmarillion, if ‘admire’ is about ‘admiring creativity’, but for ‘admiring bravery’, I would say Buzz Aldrin, and all the other astronauts. How amazing was what Buzz did, and of course everyone else too.

It probably sounds silly to other people, but I always feel so emotional to know how brave they were, everyone who first went up to the moon. Of course it’s amazing in so many other ways [tech etc], and they had so many great people helping them, but still. I would not have been brave enough.

I find Jacques Cousteau and so many others amazing too, for their exploration. So I guess I would say it’s explorers who I most admire — and doctors, surgeons and firefighters.

What or who is the greatest love of your life? I would say art or music.

What is your favorite journey you have taken so far? I guess just some trips around the world. I think really going to certain classical performances, some museums and different gardens have been the ultimate highlight of my life.

What is your idea of perfect happiness? It’s shallow, so brace yourself! Being super rich and going to classical concerts all the time. And also buying lots more art — not just for me, because I love art so much, but also to support the artists.

Any parting words you would like to share with our readers? I love reading these purse-confessions! Thank you to all who sent them in. I especially always enjoyed the more unique ones, which is ironic because in my real life I am very boring and plain in most ways.