In this week’s Closet Confessional, we learn from this 20-something about his path to a substantial bag collection that was mostly gifted by his generous parents, to later taking a more conservative approach to spending once he earned his own income. Once scoring his first job in his professional field, he treated himself to his lifelong dream of purchasing a new Birkin, which promptly lead to the uneasy sticker shock that many first-time Birkin buyers experience.
Enjoy this young man’s CC and don’t forget to submit one of your own.
[sc_cc_callout]The Basics
Age: 22
Gender Identity: Male
Location: New York City, NY
Occupation: Marketing Coordinator
Industry: IT/Social Media
Salary: $41,000
Household Income: $800,000
The Bags
Are you a PurseForum member? Yes
How many bags do you own? 16
What bags are in your collection?
Hermes Birkin 30
Hermes Octagone Mini
Hermes Onimaitou
Hermes Trim 24
Hermes Victoria II
Chanel Boy Small
Celine Croissant Pouch
Celine Cabas Gusset
Akris Ai Tote mini size
Balenciaga Classic City
Proenza Schouler PS1 Large
The Row Sling 15 Hobo
Prada Hobo
Coach Dinky
Coach Kisslock
Coach Hobo bag
How much is your collection worth? $38,000
What is your most expensive bag? My Hermes Birkin 30. I bought it brand new from the store. I almost had a heart attack when I got the call because of how expensive it was. I was not ready for it, but that made the experience so much more thrilling!
What are the most important brands or pieces in your collection? The most important brands in my collection are Hermes and Celine. I love the quality of Hermes and how the bag will last forever. Also, Hermes’ after sales service is fabulous and ensures your bags will outlive you and your future generations. I really appreciate buying into that type of quality and service. I love Celine for their minimalist designs and gorgeous leather options. I am a huge Phoebe Philo fan! Celine bags also have lots of pockets for organization which I really appreciate.
What age did you get your first designer bag, and what was it? I got my Celine Cabas Tote as a high school graduation gift from my parents when I was 17 years old. The day after my ceremony, my mom took me to Barneys and said I can choose whichever bag I would like (obviously under a certain price range). I chose the tote and used it throughout college. It is a fantastic tote and I recommend it to anyone who needs a good, stylish tote for any need. I still have it and will never part with it!
Any particular bag that holds a special sentimental value? My Hermes Birkin because it was a lifelong goal of mine to get one. I was finally able to achieve it after getting my first job, which I’m still working now. I paid for the bag entirely by myself and I look at it as an achievement. I feel especially proud since this was a goal that I achieved so early and I am eternally grateful for that.
Do you feel like your bags change people’s perceptions of you or how you’re treated? Yes! Some friends, coworkers, and family members look at me as a snobby, high maintenance type of person because of my higher end bags and other pieces in my wardrobe. In reality, I am the complete opposite in terms of my personality. I like to dress well to be respectful to others, not to appear as better than them. Also, I like nice bags for their quality, longevity, and the way they look, not the way they make me look. At work, no one really notices since I am in the tech field, most people actually just complement the bag and move on. There was one moment with a particular coworker that I wasn’t too fond of, but I can’t get into the details of it.
While shopping, I do notice a change in treatment by SAs when I’m carrying my Coach Dinky vs when I am carrying my Birkin, but I don’t really care about it. I just ignore it.
[sc_ic_ad1]The Shopping
How often do you buy new bags? I buy about 1 or 2 per year. Most of my bags I get as gifts from my parents, so I don’t really have to shop for more. This allows me to be picky with my purchases and save the most of my money on more important future purchases. But I do love the experience of buying a bag in store, since I buy so little, that experience is still very special to me.
Which stores do you frequent the most? My favorite stores are Barneys, Saks, Macys and Hermes. I mostly shop online for clothes but I like to go to local malls if I’m traveling outside of the city to find good deals! I love Saks and Barneys for their wide range of brands and designers, plus they have fantastic sales. Macy’s is the classic American department store where you can always snag up bags from Coach for an amazing price.
For Hermes, I mean, do they even need an explanation? Hermes is the epitome of luxury, and their stores are just as beautiful as their products.
Do you ever buy second-hand bags? Where do you buy used? I do! I’ve been looking into second-hand a lot more recently. I mostly browse stores like Yoogi’s Closet, Fashionphile, and eBay. You can get vintage or gently used bags for amazing prices. But it is super important to do your research and pay for authentication services to make sure you’re not getting a counterfeit. 3 of my Hermes bags are second-hand and I love them to bits, they are all discontinued models so I would not have been able to find them brand new from the boutique.
Do you sell old bags to pay for new purchases? I do! I sold so many bags in my collection last year. They were bags I acquired as gifts or purchased myself. I wish I hadn’t bought them in the first place since I sold them at a loss, but it is better to sell them rather then let them collect dust in the back of my closet. I sell them to online consignment shops and sometimes on Depop or Ebay. I even sold a few to friends and distant relatives too.
Do you ever feel societal pressure to purchase more bags? I do not feel any societal pressure. I rarely keep up with trends and found my own personal style that I am comfortable with. I like making my own unique looks and work on my wardrobe myself without having any outside influence. If I stuck to trends, I would be spending way too much money, and I would not dress as my true self. I think buying classic bags are the best way to go. Marketing doesn’t get to me either since I work in the field, I know all the secrets! Ha!
Do you consider your bag purchases investments? I do! I think classic bag styles are best at keeping their value. My bags from Chanel and Hermes hold their value pretty well and I can get a lot of my money back if I decide to sell it. Certain bags don’t hold their value so well, and I learned that the hard way while selling some of my collection. But, any bag can be sold and you can put that money towards other new bags which I see as some sort of investment value.
Who influences your buying decisions? I don’t really allow anyone to influence my buying decisions. I do look to some public figures as inspirations for outfits, such as, Rihanna and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.
But I don’t think anyone has a direct influence on my buying decisions. I tend to just buy a bag I like and then base my outfits for it around that. I don’t think I’ve ever bought a bag because I saw a celebrity carry it. But I will say that some negative comments about my expensive bag-buying habits have caused me to buy more under-the-radar designs. I don’t want all the attention going straight to the most expensive items I own, which usually are my bags.
Are sales associate relationships instrumental to your shopping? Yes! They are key to having a good sales experience. For me it was especially important to have a good relationship with a sales associate at Hermes in order to get my Birkin. But having a good relationship is important at any store you go to just in case you need to get a bag that is extremely limited, or for pre-orders. It can also help you with any potential career-related connections in the future. My first internship was actually from a reference my SA at Celine gave me. I’m eternally grateful to her for that. I’m very friendly with my SAs at all the stores I repeatedly visit and we talk very casually over text!
Why do you enjoy shopping, beyond just acquiring something new? I enjoy shopping because of the experience of buying something that you know you’ll use and love forever. It doesn’t matter if I’m buying something small or big. Shopping is an enjoyable experience and therapeutic for me. I find it to be an escape from the real world. I am by no means an shopaholic though. I rarely window shop, mainly because I want the experience to remain special. When I am shopping, I tend to look less on social media, and stay focused on myself which I very much enjoy. It also makes for great cardio to keep me in shape!
Have you ever felt like you received inferior service at a store or boutique due to your appearance, ethnicity or gender? Yes! I am a gay person of color. This plays a huge role in my shopping experience. I have several experiences where I have been given inferior service. It is extremely unfortunate that treatment like this still exists, and there is still a long time until it gets any better. I’ve learned to ignore it and just do what I intend to do which is shop for the things I want and get out of there. If an SA treats me poorly, chances are I won’t go back to them, so I won’t make a big deal about how poorly they treated me. Although, I now shop at the same places where SAs recognize me or know me well, so I rarely experience any sort of unfair treatment. But I do know people and read about people who still receive poor treatment and it still makes me extremely upset.
[sc_ic_ad2]The Money
Who pays for your bags? Most of my bags have been gifts from my parents. But since early 2018, I have been paying for my bags.
Do you set aside a budget for your bag purchases? No, I don’t set aside any budget since the prices of the bags I want varies. I just manage my account and plan my purchases out to make sure I don’t spend too much within a certain amount of time. However, I do put a certain amount aside for my savings and that is strictly not used for any luxury handbag purchases. That account is for emergencies and for my future.
The Taboo Topics
Have you ever purchased a counterfeit because you couldn’t afford a designer item? Never! I don’t believe in counterfeits and I think buying a cheaper bag for the look is better than buying a counterfeit. I do understand why people buy counterfeits, and I don’t judge them based off of that. But counterfeits are just not the way I roll.
Do you ever hide purchases from your significant other? I don’t have a significant other but I do not hide my purchases from anyone. I am open and honest about my spending with my family and friends and they are, for the most part, supportive of it. Some folks do choke up when they hear the prices of certain bags I have bought, but most are okay with it.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve done to afford a bag? I have never done anything crazy to afford one. But I did make my brother drive 100 miles with me to another location to get my Chanel boy bag! It was the specific leather, color, and hardware that I wanted. My local boutique for some reason would not order it in so I called the other store and had it reserved. We drove there in the morning, got my bag, and drove back! It was a fun little road trip and brings great memories!
Do you think your shopping is ever a problem? Have you ever felt like you were struggling with a shopping addiction? Yes! There was a time in my life where I would excessively buy bags for the sake of owning them. I learned the hard way when I realized how little money I had left. I was so young and there was no reason for me to have so many expensive bags. My friends and family started to become concerned and I soon realized that it was not the right thing to do. I stopped buying completely for a few years and then began to sell off my collection. At one point, I had almost 40 bags. Now I am down less than half!
The Rest Of It
Any other expensive hobbies or passions? I really love jewelry! I love investing in jewelry and love wearing it even more! I have added a lot of fine jewelry pieces to my collection and plan to add more in the future. I love it because jewelry is a much better investment than bags. I keep up with gold and platinum price fluctuations and purchase from local jewelers and artisans. Though I do own a few designer fine jewelry pieces too. Vintage jewelry is also lots of fun and I find vintage jewelry shopping to be very thrilling!
These are great reads. I always enjoy them. So far, I think that this is one of the best collections in terms of quality designers and rareness leading to a successful investment. This guy really knows how to pick out a bag.
My gosh i can truly relate to your story. I feel like we have the same. Except i dont have a birkin yet but that is my next handbag goal. I have been going crazy saving for it and doing my research. I have double number of your bags with broader range of brands like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Valentino, Burberry, Givenchy and Gucci. Most of them are also gifts from my mom for special occasions like Christmas and of course my birthday. Hoping and crossing my fingers i can finally add a birkin to my collection soon.
When it’s asked “how much is your collection worth” do people use the current market price of their handbags or the price that they had purchased it? Sometimes I read these confessionals and think the value should be more than is stated.
Good point.
Hold up….22 years old, $41k salary, with $800k household income? Guess someone still lives at home and includes their parents income as part of their own? For $41k you can barely afford RENT in NYC, let alone a Birkin LOL. Usually I like these articles, but this one is kinda disingenuous and dumb.
I think we seem to forget that there is an abundance of subsidized housing in NYC. There are numerous ways to apply for apartment lotteries in Manhattan where young professionals manage to secure apartments with incredibly affordable rent. I have a friend who lives in Hell’s Kitchen paying less than half of what a two bedroom goes for and she got it by way of an apartment lottery about five years ago. And let’s not forget the Bronx – it currently stands as the most affordable borough in the city.
I actually like that someone is upfront about how they afford their bags – i.e. with help. So often I’m just like, how the heck are people affording to spend so much?! I like the transparency.
Um… it’s a confession. It’s not a how-to-live-your-life guidebook. I don’t see what’s wrong with living with their parents (as long as everyone is happy) and the question is asking for “household income” which means if they’re living together, the household income should be a sum of everyone’s earning, right? I don’t see anything wrong here. It’s called “confession” for a reason.
Everyone gets to live their own life the way they want. I think the writer also said it many times that he got gifted bags and stuff a lot and often.
Probably he packs sandwiches, walks to work, and spend all his salary on bags? I wouldn’t judge. It’s his life after all.
I don’t understand the problem here. He obviously lives with his parents whom make a lot of money. Who wouldn’t do that if they made a starting salary and lived in NYC? I sure would!!
Also, his parents buy him nice things. This is quite common parental behavior, it’s just that some parents have a bigger budget then others.
I don’t think it’s necessary to speculate about his financial sense. His parents could very well have worked their way up in society and are more than capable of teaching their children the value of money.
I’m sorry but this article is beyond disturbing. For starters, his salary post tax is roughly $32k, so this birkin is a third of his take home for the year. IMHO, he should be saving $ so that he can actually move out of the house!
Then he claims that he isnt snobby or high maintenance but (A) says that “Hermes is the epitome of luxury and needs no explanation”. And points out he has 3 other Hermes bags… At 22. Of which he paid for only 1. And he only started paying for his own bags last year. (B) Made his brother drive 100 miles to acquire a chanel boy bag. (C) this current state is an “improvement” to where he was a few years back when he had 40 bags (none of which he bought according to his timeline).
Did I mention he is 22?! I dont mean to roast the kid but wow…
On a salary of $40k in NYC, he would be making a terrible financial decision to move out of home.
It’s his first job, hence a starting base of 32, not 40. My whole point was making mature financial adult decisions vs whatever this is. You have to start somewhere.
Ok… on a takehome salary of $32k in NYC, he’d be barking mad to move out and start paying rent in one of the most expensive cities in the US.
He has reviewed and changed his financial habits so this clearly is about him starting somewhere.
So the many people who started with humbling beginnings in such cities are “barking mad” as well? Wow.. alright then.
And I beg to differ. IMHO, he hasnt changed his financial habits that much. Yes, he now has 20 instead of 40 handbags AFTER family and friend intervention but I believe his living situation and lack of adult responsibilities (rent, food, utilities, children, etc) is merely enabling his high end shopping expenditures.
Don’t be disingenuous. I’m talking about this person in particular, not everyone who lives in NYC.
This is beyond silly. Please re-read what I wrote word for word.
You’ve clearly missed my point.
Please. Just stop.
To be fair, it doesn’t seem like they ask the participants about their living situation but I can see why some more details would be better for readers to understand. Although I’m sure it is safe to assume that this person lives with their parents.
Ah yes, if someone is a little more fortunate than many of us because they can live with their families in NYC and thus save money for higher end bags, then they must be disingenuous and dumb. Good point. Thanks?
I don’t see how it’s disingenuous? I thought it was obvious that the $800k probably was because he lived with family and/or siblings, since he said he doesn’t have an SO. He clearly states multiple times that his family has gifted him bags, plus if he’s living at home I’d assume that most of his $41k could go towards fun money. What part is disingenuous lol?
Thanks for speaking up, this is supposed to be fun, miserable people need to go to political blogs..Jeez
I’m certainly not a miserable person lol. But seriously. At 22 years of age, he is including him income along with the PARENTS income? Who does that? Especially when his contribution is 5% of the “household” income lol. I’d rather read articles about people who actually work and save for their stuff, like most of us here
Couldn’t agree more. I’m so put off by this CC. This one truly lacks any sort of genuineness and isn’t as transparent as other confessionals.
My thoughts exactly! I would never, ever criticize someone for having been fortunate enough to have been brought up in a well-off family and gifted bags, but these articles would be more meaningful if finances were further broken down!
I completely agree!!!!! There is no way someone can afford rent in NYC and a Birkin. The purpose of this is to be transparent, but it’s not. Can I recommend that in future posts we ask folks to identify other major financial obligations, like kids and mortgage.
I really liked that cc29 doesn’t let trends influence his style and that he sticks to his own. Overall it was a great read.
I wonder how much he spent at Hermes in order to establish a relationship with his SA before he was given permission to purchase a Birkin
I think some commenters are missing the boat when they expect the confessor to détail every aspect of their life. Seriously – asking people to list mortgages/living arrangements??? Should we also have them provide their annual income as reported on their tax returns over the last 10 years??
Side note: While this confessor is young, we should bear in mind that some folks might post a more « average » income, yet have chosen to take a pay cut or make a career change (just an FYI).
I thought the confessor was very honest in saying he received bags as gifts, knowing that some may pass judgement. These confessionals aren’t meant for people to try to poke holes but (I think) are meant to find some commonality among our various stories or be exposed to new perspectives.
Agreed people know how to take the fun out out of everything and sounds like people want an itemized tax statement and a notirized occupancy form. Just weird.