Today, we’re heading to NYC, where we meet a collector in her mid-thirties who has been collecting bags since she was a teenager. This avid collector first began collecting bags the same way many of us have: with her very first Coach! Since then, CC 261 has built an enviable collection of bags. These days, she’s definitely been stuck on the Hermès train!
CC 261 loves shopping both online and in stores and has diversified her collection by not shying away from pre-loved bags or those from the secondary market. In fact, her most expensive bag, a stunning Hermès Constance 18 Ostrich in Rose Tyrien with Palladium Hardware, came from a reseller. As CC 261 has gotten older, she’s begun to favor logo-free bags more and more and is looking to get rid of pieces from her collection that no longer suit her style.
Read the full CC below, and don’t forget to submit your own!
Basic Bio
Your Age? 36
Your Gender Identity? Female
Where do you live? NYC
What is your occupation? Shop manager, claims consultant, auto damage appraiser, insurance adjuster
What industry do you work in? Automobile repair and insurance
What is your annual salary range? Total household income? $70,000
Are you a PurseForum member? No
Onto The Bags
How many bags do you own? I would guesstimate around 60
What bags are in your collection? The ones I can remember off the top of my head are:
- Hermès MKII Epsom Etoupe GHW
- Hermès K25 Togo Gold on Gold
- Hermès Bolide 1923 25 Evercolor Beige de Weimar GHW
- Hermès Mini Bolide Chevre Mysore Etoupe GHW
- Hermès Evelyne TPM Clemence Beton PHW
- Hermès Evelyne TPM Clemence Noir PHW
- Hermès Evelyne TPM Clemence Gold on Gold
- Hermès Evelyne PM Epsom Rose Confetti PHW
- Hermès B25 Togo Gris Meyer PHW
- Hermès Clic 16 Epsom Gris Etain PHW
- Hermès Clic 16 Epsom Rose Extreme PHW
- Hermès C18 Epsom Noir GHW
- Hermès C18 Ostrich Rose Tyrien PHW
- Hermès Picotin 18 Clemence Gris Meyer PHW
- Hermès KTG Epsom Vert Fizz PHW
- Hermès Kelly Danse Evercolor Gold on Gold
- Hermès Gao Clemence Noir PHW
- Chloé Paddington
- Celine Small Classic Box
- 3 Loewe bags
- 12 Chanel bags (from before 2016)
- 8 LV bags
- 1 Versace pouch
- 4 Burberry Blue Label bags
- 5 Moschino bags
- 5 Gucci bags
How much is your collection worth? I’m guessing over $170,000 (Replacement value)
What is your most expensive bag? My most expensive bag is my Hermès Constance 18 Ostrich in Rose Tyrien PHW. I bought it in mint-condition from a known reseller when prices were at it’s highest for that category.
Do you ever experience buyer’s remorse after purchasing a bag? If so, how do you deal with it? I sometimes (rarely) do, but I usually get over it pretty quickly.
Do you feel a desire to downsize your collection? If so, what factors are driving that decision?m I simply grew out of it and using it makes me feel icky. I want to get rid of most of my collection.
What age did you get your first designer bag, and what was it? 14, Coach bag from the Coach store. (If that even counts)
Is there a specific bag you are looking to purchase next? I would love to buy a Birkin 25 in Togo Noir PHW next.
Do you have a ‘holy grail’ dream bag you’ve always wanted to own? Diamond Himalayan Birkin
Any particular bag that holds a special sentimental value? B25 Togo Gris Meyer PHW
Do you feel like your bags change people’s perceptions of you or how you’re treated? No, because I do not like to flaunt them. I am more of a collector. Most of the time, people do not notice or recognize my bags.
How do you take care of your bags? I keep them inside their dustbags when not in use. If one gets dirty, I would wipe it down with Lexol wipes.
On Shopping
How often do you buy new bags? As often as the opportunity comes, whether that means a very good deal, when I get a offer in the specs I want, or when I’m financially able to.
How has your bag collection changed during the past few years, and why? I’ve only been buying items without obvious logos. I do not want to attract attention to myself
Do you prefer shopping for bags online or in-store? Why? Each has it’s pros and cons. When shopping for bags online, I can have access to bags from all over the world, but brick and mortar stores can allow me to try them on.
Which stores do you frequent the most? Lately, I’ve been buying from Hermès most.
Have you ever returned a bag after purchasing it? Why did you make that decision? Of course. I bought an Hermes Kelly-To-Go in Chevre Mysore Vert Criquet PHW over the phone with my SA. I googled the color in many different lightings and decided that I’d be able to make it work. When I received it in the mail, it reminded me of “boogers” and old fashioned green toilets. I’ve never hated a color that much in a span of 3 seconds.
Do you ever buy second-hand bags? Where do you buy used? Yes, I am open to buying pre-loved bags. I have bought from Fashionphile, The Real Real, Rebag, and eBay.
Do you ever donate or gift your old bags? If so, to whom? I’ve given away many of my bags to relatives and friends. Now that my DD (13) is old enough, I’ve started giving some bags to her.
Do you feel that social media or influencer culture pressures you to buy more bags or certain brands? Not really. I like what I like. Social media only helps me figure out which ones suit my lifestyle more.
Do you consider your bag purchases financial or emotional investments? Both. The bags I buy are not cheap, but these purchases bring me unmatched joy!
Do you follow the latest fashion trends when deciding on your next purchase, or do you prefer classic styles? Sometimes. However, I generally prefer styles that have been tried and tested.
Are sales associate relationships instrumental to your shopping? Yes, my SAs are great in locating items that would appeal to me.
Do you enjoy shopping beyond just acquiring something new? Um, no. The whole point of shopping is to buy something new. I rarely window shop as it is a waste of my time. Maybe that’s because I work hard to be able to afford my lifestyle and do not have extra time to do that.
Have you ever felt you received inferior service at a store or boutique due to your appearance, ethnicity, or gender? At 14, when I walked into the Coach store to get my first “designer” bag, no one paid attention to me or assisted me. I was just a little kid to them and not worth their time, apparently.
What factors may dissuade you from buying a bag, even if you like it? Price. If I cannot afford it, it’s not gonna happen.
Is there a brand you outright refuse to buy? Why? In short, no. I generally stay away from contemporary brands for myself. A few that come to mind would be Kate Spade, Michael Kors, Longchamp. However, I am okay with buying these items for my teen.
Do you ever rent designer bags? If so, from where? No.
How do you feel about the concept of “quiet luxury” vs. “loud luxury”? I like it. But I don’t like the fact that it’s a lifestyle (aka “aesthetic” as they call it now). As I got older, I started leaning towards quality, hand-made items instead of mass-produced monogram items.
On Budgeting & Perceptions
Who pays for your bags? Me.
Do you set aside a budget for your bag purchases? Yes, I do have a “splurge fund” envelope.
Have you ever purchased a counterfeit because you couldn’t afford a designer item? BIG NO. A non-branded bag is fine but a replica is never okay. I’m allergic to fakes!
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? Not in my case. I do not work in a field where that matters.
Do you ever hide purchases from your significant other? Have you ever lied about the cost of a bag to avoid judgment? Yes, although my SO is quite supportive of my Hermès purchases, knowing that they are investments.
Do you ever resell bags on platforms like The RealReal, Fashionphile, or Vestiaire Collective? I’ve sold my bags on eBay and to Fashionphile before.
Have your friends or family ever criticized your bag-buying habits? If so, how did you respond? Criticized? No. Asking me 21 questions? Often.
My response: Are you interested in buying one? (Knowing that I am being judged at the very moment)
Their response: No, I won’t buy something so expensive. I don’t like to waste money like you.
Me: Well, then our conversation is over. I don’t like to waste my breath either.
Do you think your shopping is ever a problem? Have you ever felt like you were struggling with a shopping addiction? I have full control over my finances and try to not over-indulge.
Let’s get personal…
What is your greatest extravagance? Hermès
What is your greatest fear? Losing myself. Looking in the mirror and not recognizing who I am.
What is the trait you most admire in others? The ability to not be moved by the better (luxury) things in life.
Which living person do you most admire? I cannot think of one right now.
What or who is the greatest love of your life? My two cats.
What is your favorite journey you have taken so far? Every day is a journey.
What is your idea of perfect happiness? To be healthy, and content.
Any parting words you would like to share with our readers? I hope I didn’t bore you guys. My answers might make me seem shallow, but I answered them as honestly as I could.
Collection sounds massive and I’d love to see photos. The income vs collection however does not make sense unless the writer has other means and her income is purely used to fund bag purchases.
I am also often confused by this. I never say a peep when it seems financially irresponsible on the collection vs income topic but there are some diaries where it literally doesn’t make sense. There was one where the confessor made $35k/year and had a full Hermes collection and said that they pay for their own bags. I’m not trying to be critical but sometimes it literally doesn’t make sense. Maybe an inheritance?
I’m always surprised that someone thinks the income vs. collection is any of their business! Who cares? I’m just in lust with all of her beautiful bags!
The question shouldn’t be asked…every time I’m like why do people fill that answer in.
I agree. Some live on W2, some live on assets. The question is incomplete as far as trying to provide a financial angle. But who wants to show, and who needs to see, a full accounting for these supposedly fun & quirky essays?
I do appreciate this column, giving people an outlet if they want to talk about their collections and share their personal stories. It is cathartic and comforting. After all, this little hobby takes up quite a bit of energy (and provides quite a bit joy) yet very very rarely we get to elaborate for fear of being misunderstood.
LOL calm down. There was no judgement merely an observation that if the details are as presented this OP is sacrificing life essentials for Hermes. Clearly there is more to the story.
I’m fine & don’t need to “calm down”; I made an observation of being surprised because you’re not the only one that expresses that pov.
I actually don’t care how the OP spends her money, to each her/his own. I think the question is interesting in showing how people value the things they buy. Either way I don’t think there is any financial text book in existence that would indicate that a 10 to 25k for a basic or rare Hermes’ bag (more of the OP is buying more than one bag a year) is a good decision on a 70k household income unless this is grossly understated. I love bags but either there is a lack of truthfulness in this interview or there is actually a real problem here that’s not too different from say gambling. Either way filling this in a personal choice and people are allowed to think what they like and questioning the wisdom of these “investment purchases” does not make the other readers bad people.
My thought exactly. It’s not cheap to live in NYC for starters. I actually questioned the validity with no photos of the collection.
it’s called FAKES!
Same here!
Something is “up” with this confession. Nothing “adds” up with regards to income vs. expenditures. There are no photos either. Just strange…sorry, I had to say it!
My immediate reaction. I never post about these articles but this one jumped out as so off, I just had to.
I so agree with you!
We always aim to publish CC’s with photos but unfortunately some do not submit. I did reach out to this confessor to see if she could share some photos, and we will definitely add them if we are able 🙂
Do you not even attempt to verify info before publishing these?
Why did you even post this? Clearly it’s fake or not including all info
Greatest love of her life—her cats? But she did mention she has a SO and a daughter?
very weird. the whole diatribe seems like a lie. probably fake bags.
Some things just don’t add up in this story. First, you can’t live in NYC on only USD 70,000 year unless she is talking net income with SO paying for home, food, school, transport etc.
Then being shopoholic at Hermes is also out of her income range when most of us know the purchase to holy grail or special order bags would be way beyond her inventory list.
And I could go on but my dog needs me to put on her sable lined H raincoat and her leash….all in orange H and take her walkies in my H riding boots.
I think maybe you should verify some of these bios.
Maybe the $70,000 is the current taxable income of the OP. People have savings and lifestyle changes. Many people have more than one form of income, so that can be the case with the OP. At the end of the day, it is just entertainment for all of us.
The $70k salary could be pure trolling – as it’s clear that finances is a hot topic. The money/finances question derails every luxury bag interview. For example, a suburbanite married female from Kansas would need a family (before tax) income of approximately $225k to responsibly build that bag collection, especially given the fact that there are children in the family and a husband – all of whom would also possess and pursue continuous goodies. Cars, clothes, jewelry, watches, nice house, furniture, etc. that is on a similar luxury scale as Hermes bags.
There are many facets of upper-middle class suburban life that need financial attention. Even if the the suburban wife makes no money or a small amount like $70k – if one specific facet of the family possessions include that Hermes collection – it’s reasonable to assume that the dozen or so other luxury facets of their existence includes similar-caliber goodies. The husband probably has a Rolex Submariner (used $15k), the wife also has a Cartier Love ($8k) and a smattering of Tiffany, Van Cleef, Bvlgari totally $20k. I’m not saying she has an impressive collection of jewelry – but she’d at least have those items. She would similarly have at least on pre-loved Chanel jacket, perhaps a Balmain jacket and a probably constant seasonal dresses/jackets from Zara. In other words, you can’t just have Hermes bags but nothing else of that caliber in your life. Hermes bags go hand-in-hand with a luxury lifestyle even if it’s just aspirational. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
Agree with the post “After all, this little hobby takes up quite a bit of energy (and provides quite a bit joy) yet very very rarely we get to elaborate for fear of being misunderstood.”
Ohhhh noooo you are making me rethink falling in love with the vert criquet color. Dont say that about it because i cant get it off my mind. Hahahaha. I love it perfect for summer.
I love my vert criquet colour H bags. I have one as phone holder another as change purse and third as Kelly on belt bag. It is great spring summer colour and I always get compliments. Enjoy yours.