In today’s brand new confessional we meet a bag lover whose taste for classic bags knows no bounds. Like many of her fellow tPFers this lawyer from down under has been collecting bags since she was 18, mainly focusing on the holy trinity—Hermès, Chanel and Louis Vuitton. Recently though, she made her first Bottega Veneta purchase and fell hard for BV under Daniel Lee with the addition of a coveted Pouch bag into her rotation. While she loves collecting luxury bags just like the rest of us, this confessor has a calculated approach towards bag-buying, questioning how a bag will fit into her wardrobe and assessing if it’s different enough from what she already owns. She’s not opposed to shopping pre-loved either and in fact, nearly half of her bags come from the secondary market. Read this week’s full confessional below and don’t forget to submit your own!
[sc_cc_callout]The Basics
Age: 37
Gender Identity: Female
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Occupation: Lawyer
Industry: Law
Salary: $150,000
Household Income: $300,000
The Bags
Are you a PurseForum member? Yes
How many bags do you own? 22+
What bags are in your collection?
Hermes B35 Black togo GHW
Hermes B30 Gold togo PHW
Chanel Jumbo CF black caviar GHW
Chanel Jumbo CF red lambskin SHW
Chanel Medium CF black caviar GHW
Chanel Medium CF beige clair caviar SHW
Chanel Medium CF plum lambskin RHW
Chanel classic WOC black caviar GHW
Chanel classic WOC red caviar SHW
BV Pouch in tan
Chloe medium Paraty ivory leather
Chloe medium Paraty black leather
Chloe Paddington in almond leather
Dior black lambskin leather shoulder bag/hobo
Prada hobo in teal leather
Michael Kors chocolate leather Skorpios hobo
LV Capucines PM galet GHW
LV Capucines PM black GHW
LV Alma PM in cannelle epi leather
LV Neverfull MM in damier ebene
LV Sofia Coppola clutch in cherry
LV Sofia Coppola clutch in cobalt
Vintage Tom Ford for YSL black satin cigarette wristlet
Vintage Tom Ford for YSL white satin cigarette wristlet
How much is your collection worth? In terms of replacement at today’s insane prices, around $140,000
What is your most expensive bag? My Hermes B35 is the most expensive in today’s pricing but because I bought it in 2011, the B30 is actually the most I’ve ever paid for a bag. I bought that bag in 2017.
What are the most important brands or pieces in your collection? I’m really attached to all my bags to be honest, so it’s hard for me to pick just one bag or brand! My personal taste and style is pretty classic and I think as a result my collection is probably quite similar to a lot of TPF members. There is the holy trinity of Hermes/Chanel/LV and then I have other bags that I’ve picked up over the years. My BV Pouch is the newest and I’ve been absolutely thrilled with it as my first piece from BV. But I also only purchased my Chloe Paddington pre-loved earlier this year as well and I’m pretty obsessed with it as well – makes me feel so nostalgic.
What age did you get your first designer bag, and what was it? When I was 18 I was given some money by my grandparents for my birthday and I bought a beautiful bright red leather tote at Longchamp and then put the rest in savings. I had that bag for over 10 years, it went with me to university and to my first job interview. It was basically attached to me for 10 years. Sadly, the handles split a few years ago and I tried having it repaired but it didn’t really work.
Is there a specific bag you are looking to purchase next? I have been looking more seriously at BV since buying the Pouch earlier this year but I also fell really hard for the metallic rainbow leather WOC at Chanel this year and I think I might keep an eye out if that appears pre-loved somewhere.
Any particular bag that holds a special sentimental value? I adore all my bags but my most sentimental is probably the Hermes B35 in black with GHW. She was my ultimate HG bag and it was so completely unlikely when I actually got her. I was in Paris with my mum and we went to the FSH store and it was busy but I don’t imagine as crazy as it is now with people having to line up etc. We browsed for a while, I bought a Clic H bracelet and then I noticed a man standing at a counter with a list and a book with leather samples in it. I thought, I have nothing to lose here and walked over and asked whether it would be possible for my mother and I to order a bag? He said yes, certainly. And he took our details and we each ordered a bag – my mum ordered a classic Kelly 32 in gold epsom with PHW and I picked my beautiful Birkin. He said we will contact you when it is ready to collect and that was that. We left, I looked at mum and said well, obviously we’ll never hear anything further, it can’t be that simple. But 4 months later there was an email that both our bags were ready and when would we like to collect them? Just like that, the H fairy waves her wand sometimes.
Do you feel like your bags change people’s perceptions of you or how you’re treated? Not really. When you’re young and you make your first designer purchase, people might be inclined to remark on it – I think the world sometimes treats young people like public property and feels that it’s ok to comment on a younger person’s discretionary spending. I think it’s different when you’re older, I don’t feel as though I have to apologise for my passion for luxury goods. I’ve been collecting bags for 20 years and I think after a certain age or a certain purchase, people stop feeling entitled to question you, at least to your face. I’m sure some people comment behind my back but that’s just part of life really and it doesn’t bother me.
The Shopping
How often do you buy new bags? It varies, I can go for 2-3 years without buying anything and then I seem to buy 2 or 3 bags in a few months.
Which stores do you frequent the most? LV, Chanel, Matches, Net-a-Porter and Yoogi’s Closet.
Do you ever buy second-hand bags? Where do you buy used? Yes, I’ve bought probably half my bags new retail and half pre-loved. There is a luxury consignment boutique in my city called Designer Archives which I love and online, I feel confident with Yoogi’s Closet and My Timeless Luxuries.
Do you sell old bags to pay for new purchases? Yes, I audit my closet at least once a year and move items on. I’m selling fewer bags as I get older because I’m more confident in my taste and style so I know now before I purchase whether I’ll get use out of a bag or not. I sell my bags at Designer Archives or alternatively, I have sold to friends or colleagues directly.
Do you ever feel societal pressure to purchase more bags? No, not at all.
Do you consider your bag purchases investments? Not in the traditional sense of making a capital gain on them down the track, but in the fashion sense of being able to wear and re-wear a bag for years, yes. I’m a collector and I always look at a purchase from the perspective of “Where does this piece fit in my existing collection? What does it bring to my collection that I can’t get from a bag I already own?”
Who influences your buying decisions? I typically will research a new bag after I see it on Instagram a few times and decide I like it. I’ll also come to TPF and see if there are modelling shots or if someone has any negative comments about the design/wearability etc.
Are sales associate relationships instrumental to your shopping? Yes, I like to have a reliable SA if I can but it’s not always possible. Right now, I have good relationships with SAs at Chanel and Dior, which means its just so much easier to reserve something if I see a cute item online. My Chanel SA always leaves me a message when hard to get items like espadrilles or ballet flats come in. My SAs at Hermes and LV have both moved on in the past couple of years so I don’t really know anyone there at the moment.
Why do you enjoy shopping, beyond just acquiring something new? I don’t really enjoy the act of shopping, to be honest. I prefer to browse and research online in the comfort of my home when it’s convenient to me, so I only go into store to try something on or to make the purchase. I’ve always had a demanding job and when I’m not working I enjoy being home, cooking and spending time with my family. The act of shopping as recreation isn’t really something I do, so my approach is probably more utilitarian: I’m here to get the thing, let’s get the thing and go!
Have you ever felt like you received inferior service at a store or boutique due to your appearance, ethnicity or gender? When I was younger sometimes. People can be a bit sniffy about a young person buying a luxury bag but now, never.
The Money
Who pays for your bags? I do. My husband has bought me one bag – my LV Capucines PM in Galet, as a Christmas present the year I had our little boy. I didn’t meet my husband until I was in my late 20s and I’d already been collecting for around 10 years at that point, so meeting him didn’t change the dynamic of how I purchased my bags. Bags are my hobby and passion.
Do you set aside a budget for your bag purchases? After bills, investment savings and retirement savings, I put everything else into a personal account, which I call my funsies account. Everything that is not a household or joint purchase, so clothes, shoes, jewellery, bags, comes out of the funsies account. I don’t set a budget for bag purchases as such but I prefer to always have no less than $7K in my funsies account. So if buying a bag (or anything else) takes the balance below $7K, I won’t do it. That’s a psychological thing really, I just like having that buffer there.
The Taboo Topics
Have you ever purchased a counterfeit because you couldn’t afford a designer item? No.
Do you ever hide purchases from your significant other? Haha, absolutely. “This? I’ve had it for AGES.”
Narrator: Since yesterday. She bought it yesterday.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve done to afford a bag? I don’t know that I’ve ever done anything crazy to afford a bag but flying to Paris to pick up a bag is pretty crazy!
Do you think your shopping is ever a problem? Have you ever felt like you were struggling with a shopping addiction? I struggled after my son was born because I went from a very intense and high-pressure job to caring for a newborn and it was such a big change. Coupled with the usual body changes and a bout of PND and I could NOT find my style and I hated item of clothing I owned. I felt like everything was wrong and I needed a whole new look. Fortunately, I had a great friend who was also a mum and she warned me to watch our for the newborn spending phase. After I bought a few items online during those midnight feeds with my son and they turned up and just looked terrible, I remembered what she said and then I didn’t buy anything else for over 18 months.
The Rest Of It
Any other expensive hobbies or passions? I’m like most bag collectors I think – I like clothes, shoes and jewellery as well. My husband and I also collect art on a small scale.
I love these closet confessionals but one thing I would like to see added to the questionnaire is How do you store your bags? I love hearing people’s creative ideas for displaying and storing these delicate beautiful items.
Great idea, I can add the question to the questionnaire.
Is it possible to also get them to submit photos of their collection as well? I’d appreciate more photos to ogle at ?
The CC questionnaire offers an image upload for people to submit pictures of their collection, but sadly only very few do.
I love that idea! Maybe also add asking if they have any particular care tips?
Loved this one!
Really loved this one. No 83 seems really down to earth and simpatico.
She reminds me of CC70–I feel like they would be friends lol
She’s such a fun read!
“I prefer to always have no less than $7K in my funsies account.”
Oh my. People really have money.
There’s something about these closet confessionals that I really don’t like. Everything is just perfect and they’re able to purchase expensive bags “bc I’ve worked really hard my whole life and saved a lot, etc. etc.” Give me a break.
Can we get some realer stories here? The people who have gone in debt to make purchases? The people who actually come from money so they have disposable income to have a 20 item luxury handbag collection? The people who admire bags but honestly cannot afford them bc they aren’t in mid-six figure households where their FUN spending budget doesn’t go under $7,000? The people whose husbands/partners/acquaintances actually do pay for everything?
I don’t know. Reading this wasn’t fun or cute to me. I’d rather just see pictures of their collection rather than read the Instagram curated version of how they got them.
And I’m not bitter/jealous – I truly don’t want the collection this person has bc it doesn’t fit where I’m at or my lifestyle. I’m just saying that I know the designer bag life is often far less rosy than a lot of these confessionals have made it out to be. They’re not even confessionals at this point. But I’m happy to write my own and share why I own only two or three “designer” bags (none over $600).
I’d hope people aren’t spending their life savings on bags. The people who purchase luxury tend to come from a particular type of background (wealthy, worked hard), but there are people who still save up and can afford these purchases without a white collar salary. Point being, it’s not unusual. It’s possible for people to work hard to afford these items. I’m a few years out of college and my starting pay was six figures, but I save and pay for my essentials with the occasional splurge on bags. I’m not in debt or super wealthy, but I worked hard and have room to treat myself. It’s definitely possible. People just have different spending/saving habits so don’t hold other people to your standards.
She said that she works hard and buys her own bags, with the exception of the one her husband gave her. She “may go for 2-3 years without buying anything and then I seem to buy 2 or 3 bags in a few months”. She also pays her bills and sets aside some for her bags. She isn’t depending on anyone but herself to buy bags. This upsets you? Aren’t you more adult than that?
And you seriously believe everything you read? You’re completely missing my point. The vast majority of these confessionals everyone likes to come off as hardworking & humble as if collections worth tens of thousands are a natural product of being in the white-ish collar workforce. It’s not. I do not believe ppl are being honest about 1. their income/wealth, 2. who is buying these bags, or 3. how they are financing them.
And if people choose to write a filtered version of their reality, editors at PB cannot change that. But they CAN change/diversify which confessionals they post. And they can adjust the questions they ask.
But if posts are mostly going to stay as they are, then my perspective stands. I rarely read CCs anyway bc I find them obnoxious.
The ‘vast’ majority of people who do buy designer bags are probably wealthy (either by merit of inheritance) so the CCs are reflecting the population. If the vast majority of people who buy designer bags do so with credit/have less than 7k in the bank, then humanity is in trouble.
Read again. No less than 7K in her fun account at all times – not just what she has in the bank generally. They’re a family making 300K a year (she’s 37, so probably has done for a few years), so they’re well off.
Are the vast majority of PB readers who would submit a confessional wealthy? That’s your source population, btw, not the vast majority of people who buy designer bags.
Anyway, if you’re still missing my point, you’re doing so willfully. I’ve been very clear in my perspective. This is the 83rd confessionals, and they all pretty much say the same thing.
“This is the 83rd confessionals, and they all pretty much say the same thing.”
Umm, maybe because they come from a pool of luxury bag-buying population, that, somehow, you seem to believe are not who they say they are. And your sample size?
I totally agree with you! She’s a hardworking woman, so she can buy whatever she please! Law school in Australia is highly competitive and very difficult. People always have something to say about others…
While I understand your frustration because wealthy people don’t make up the majority of the population and therefore the internet population where we all have equal access to things like the Purse Blog…luxury is for the wealthy. That is our main customer base. Having worked in luxury (LVMH and Hermes) for 15 years, if the less fortunate were to stop buying entirely, our balance sheets would not even pick up on that. We have people come into the stores and spend $50,000 in an hour. They are our clientele. We do not market or advertise; we create art. Customers come to us. The whole point is to be desirable. If someone spends their life savings to purchase a handbag, that is wonderful and we are happy for them if it fulfills an enormous desire of theirs…but they are not our base customer.
I apologize that this is harsh (I know it is), but that is the way of things. We recently had the luxury alcohol division at my company jack up its price for a limited edition anniversary package because we didn’t know where to price it. So we set the price at $X…it sold out immediately. We jacked the next batch up to $X x2…it sold out in a day. Our final batch was selling at over $80,000 for no reason other than HNW people wanted to brag to their friends. The point of luxury is that the price is not justified. You are paying for a piece of art that was made with extreme skill and care. And the wealthy is the group of people that is able to afford it on a large scale. We will stop price hikes when people stop buying.
And that is why you are getting a disproportionate amount of well-off CC’s. I know it’s not what you want to hear, but that is the nature of this industry. They are just better able to afford luxury handbags.
I agree with you. I didn’t enjoy this confession at all. I found it to be boastful and somewhat annoying. I also think this young woman must come from family money if both she and her Mom can afford to buy Hermes bags together on a whim – – why don’t people just admit that? There is nothing wrong with having family wealth.
Stop the hate because she can afford what she wants. Geez this forum is for us to enjoy our passion which are designer bags. Find another blog to read and let us enjoy reading these confessions. Thank you!
Yes, Iike this beautiful Chanel bag, where can I get a cheap one?