Very often in our Closet Confessionals series we read about bag lovers who have inherited their love of luxury from a mother or grandmother, but in today’s CC it’s the other way around. We’re introducing you to a bag lover whose mom got into designer bags when her daughter did. Now the two share a love of Louis Vuitton and more, often sending links to each other or bonding during shopping trips. They even have a few matching bags and our confessor hopes that one day she’ll be able to pass her purchases on, as when she buys a bag her mindset is to hold on to it forever versus acquiring it as an investment. Though this confessor is not afraid to treat herself and is smart with how she shops, she’s not too shy to admit that her parents will treat her to bags now and then. Overall though this confessor loves and appreciates the finer things in life, she believes in being kind towards others and doing what makes you happy. Read the full confessional below and be sure to submit your own!
[sc_cc_callout]The Basics
Age: 31
Gender Identity: Female
Location: Denver, CO
Occupation: Software Sales
Industry: Healthcare
Salary: $90,000
Household Income: $120,000
The Bags
Are you a PurseForum member? Yes
How many bags do you own? 18
What bags are in your collection?
Louis Vuitton
Alma BNB
Palm Springs Mini
Graceful DE MM
Neverfull MM Catagram
Neverfull GM DA
OnTheGo Escale Rouge
Keepall 55
SLGs
Key pouch DA
Kiragami Monogram
Pallas compact wallet noir
My World Tour- passport cover
Gucci
Dionysus GG Supreme mini bag in taupe
Rajah Large Leather Tote White
Marmot GG Mini Leather Bucket Red
Celine
Big Bag Small in Sand
Phantom medium in canvas
Nano Luggage in tweed/leather
Chanel Classic Flap Small Black Caviar SHW
Saint Laurent Classic Monogram Belt Bag Embellished Leather GHW
Mulberry x Cara Delevingne Backpack (now bayswater backpack) in oxblood
Mansur Gavriel Mini Bucket Black/gold
Marc Jacobs Single Baroque in nude lambskin
How much is your collection worth? I would estimate retail value to be north of $30,000
What is your most expensive bag? My Chanel, I’m sure! I just found the receipt the other day. It was purchased about 7 or 8 years ago. I’m astounded at how much the price has gone up for the same bag over the last few years.
What are the most important brands or pieces in your collection? Louis Vuitton will always be one of my faves, it was the first brand that I began regularly buying luxury bags from. Gucci is important to me because it is so easy to wear and I also own many shoes by the brand. Individually, I love each of my bags – I will spend several weeks, or months in some cases, evaluating my next purchase and typically each purchase represents an important milestone or accomplishment.
What age did you get your first designer bag, and what was it? When I was a pre-teen I had quite a few Coach and Dooney & Bourke bags. I honestly don’t remember the styles anymore, I’ve sold those over the years.
My first real designer bag was the Chanel Classic Flap which was a college graduation gift. It was quite hard to track down at the time. I had visited a Nordstrom Chanel boutique that didn’t have any stock of the bag, a boutique in Honolulu while on family vacation and they didn’t have in stock, finally – found the bag while visiting Toronto and was ecstatic when they brought her out!
Is there a specific bag you are looking to purchase next? My wishlist is always growing and changing… I love to research, visit TPF, stalk online shops…
Chanel WOC in beige or Chanel WOC trendy (will for sure get soon once stores open up ideally in a light neutral)
Goyard St Louis (would like to see in person in my travels to fully decide)
Saint Laurent Medium LouLou (the latte is beautiful)
LV Pochette Accessoires (I’m always looking for this)
Dior- would love a book tote but I have so many totes. I also love the saddle revival 🙈
Loewe basket bag
Chanel 19 in light pink, but don’t think I could pull the trigger with the price
Chloe Tess intrigues me but with Chloe I get a short obsession and then it ends. I’ve never been in love enough to make the purchase.
Any particular bag that holds a special sentimental value? I suppose I’m sentimental about all of them. I buy the bags with the mindset that I will keep them forever and pass them down if there’s an opportunity to my future child. I really love bags that I purchase with my mom. We have such a fun time shopping together and making memories.
Do you feel like your bags change people’s perceptions of you or how you’re treated? Yes, although the situation varies. Sometimes I am met with some judgement (or is it jealousy?) when speaking with strangers who feel the need to comment on the bag or ask questions. I’ve had coworkers make comments both positive and negative about my bags. If someone doesn’t treat me with respect I really won’t engage nor give them the time of day. My whole life I have been pegged as “spoiled rich girl” and there’s no truth to that – I work hard and have been privileged, but I’m a nice person. People who know me well know that I love bags/luxury items and I wear these items for my own pleasure.
The Shopping
How often do you buy new bags? Too often, probably! I used to buy one new bag a year, but over the last 2-3 years I’ve bought 3-5 bags each year. This year I have only purchased one bag! I also think this year will be a pretty light year for new acquisitions because of COVID – when I get a new bag I want to be able to go out on the town and flaunt it! Obviously I haven’t had that opportunity during quarantine so when things reopen I plan to “shop my closet”.
Which stores do you frequent the most? Online: the designer websites themselves, 24 Sevres, Nordstrom
I don’t really shop bags in person unless I’m traveling. The boutiques near me are a hassle to get to and I prefer to stalk things online anyway. When I am in store I’m very direct and want to see everything that I’ve been eyeing on my wishlist.
Do you ever buy second-hand bags? Where do you buy used? I have! I’ve used both Fashionphile and the RealReal one time each. Handbags are the only type of items I would consider shopping second-hand and only if it was something I couldn’t obtain new otherwise.
Do you sell old bags to pay for new purchases? Sort of… I did sell old bags (Coach, D&B, Kate Spade, Tory Burch, and a Burberry) but the main reason was to declutter my closet not really to make way for a new purchase. Of course it’s nice to make a little money off of something I’m not using anymore. I’ve sold on Poshmark and Ebay and to the RealReal once. I sell a lot of clothing via Poshmark as well even to this day.
Do you ever feel societal pressure to purchase more bags? Hmm, I do follow trends but that doesn’t make me feel pressured to buy more bags. I hate when blogging/Instagram influencers all suddenly start carrying a particular bag- that’s a big signal to me that I do not want that and I will strike it off my list. I like to be unique (although I do have some popular bags). I buy when I want to treat myself or to celebrate, whenever that time occurs.
Do you consider your bag purchases investments? Not in the sense that I plan to gain money by selling them later. But as an investment to my personal style, then certainly yes! I also think about how much joy and wear I get out of any item- the more I love it and use it then that is money well spent.
Who influences your buying decisions? Me! I am a habitual browser – I scroll through websites to see what’s new multiple times through the week and I love reading here on PurseBlog for the content and discovering new things. Once I have my eye on something then I start checking out celeb Instagrams to see styling ideas. There are a few great influences that I admire collections of as well but I try to always think of how I will wear and style a bag in my own life and not stylized and “curated”.
Are sales associate relationships instrumental to your shopping? No, however I do love a good sales rep but since I rarely shop in store I don’t get to rely on them too much. If someone helps me in store though I will hang on to their contact information forever and reach out when I need help tracking something down. It is great to have a live point of contact too for repairs or customer service reasons. I have had wonderful experiences with sales reps who have taken the time to listen to what I need (like shopping for a wallet and picking something out that I haven’t seen before) or special ordering things that are out of stock.
I have learned to rely on my own research for shopping – there’s nothing worse than going in to a store only to realize you know more about the products than the person who assisting you is. There are bad sales associates that basically provide no value to the shopping experience.
Why do you enjoy shopping, beyond just acquiring something new? I love the craftsmanship of designer items and honestly, admiring things for that is a thrill for me. It’s also a fun time when I go shopping with my loved ones (husband, parents, etc) because we are relaxed and carefree just checking things out whether in person or online (sending links).
Have you ever felt like you received inferior service at a store or boutique due to your appearance, ethnicity or gender? No. I think I have been ignored but not purposely – probably due to the stores being busy or something. If no one greets me when I enter the store that’s pretty annoying but if I need assistance I will just ask someone for help and wait my turn.
The Money
Who pays for your bags? Me and my parents. I feel I will get flamed for this, but my parents have purchased several bags for me as gifts. It makes them happy to give gifts to my husband and me, so who am I to stop them? My mom didn’t really get in to designer bags until I did (over the last decade) and now she’s like “what I get, you get!”. It’s so fun and we have several matching bags and like to discuss our shopping lists together.
Do you set aside a budget for your bag purchases? No, but since bags are high dollar purchases I do discuss with my husband (we fully share finances) before finalizing a purchase. In my commission for my job, my monthly income varies, but if I close a large sale (or want to celebrate) I’ll say something like, “that’s a new bag for mama!”
Over the years, both my husband and I have ebbed and flowed in our incomes- we’ve moved a lot to pursue work and grad programs, some years he’s made more than me and vice versa. We have budgeted strictly in the past and have worked very hard to get to where we are now.
The Taboo Topics
Have you ever purchased a counterfeit because you couldn’t afford a designer item? When I was like, 11, my family took a vacation to NYC. I begged my parents for a multi-color Louis Vuitton and we snapped up a fake one on Canal Street (bad!! I know!!). I think this could have been influenced from Sex and the City. I was young, we didn’t know anything about designer shopping at the time, and I would never do it again.
Do you ever hide purchases from your significant other? No, but if my parents buy me a bag as a gift my husband may groan a little about how they “shouldn’t be buying” all these things. When we discuss a large upcoming purchase, he typically verbalizes that I don’t need another bag but once it arrives he appreciates it. I do know some of my bags could finance a vacation for the two of us to enjoy so it’s important to consider purchases to make sure I only get what I truly LOVE.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve done to afford a bag? Haven’t done anything too crazy but in my younger years definitely asked my parents to buy me a bag when I wasn’t making much money.
Do you think your shopping is ever a problem? Have you ever felt like you were struggling with a shopping addiction? I don’t think it’s a problem but I do spend a lot of time browsing bags in my free time. I think I’ve made mistakes before I was married because I was young and simply buying whatever I felt like without thinking about my future finances. But now, I have the means to afford anything I want to buy (within reason) and I think of the long term enjoyment I will have from my bag collection.
The Rest Of It
Any other expensive hobbies or passions? Yes… Definitely a fan of designer shoes. I love jewelry and have been building a small Cartier stack of bracelets and purchasing diamond jewelry. I also like to make investments in stocks/markets – this is something my husband and I have fun doing together.
Anything else you would like to include?
Be kind to others. No matter what.
I think the old adage of you get what you pay for is true. I think anyone, no matter their financial status should buy things that are quality but above all else – buy what makes them happy.
Don’t buy something just because someone else has it, go with what makes your heart sing.
Don’t ask someone the price of what they are wearing – it’s rude and uncouth – look it up if you must.
Also, baby your bags – be kind to them so they look like-new for years to come.
