48, funny, and extremely opinionated, Erica De Lima is a luxury fashion vlogger that prides herself in telling it like it is. Although she faces criticism for her unpopular purse opinions and unconventional sense of style, she doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.
I first discovered her Youtube channel, EricasGirlyWorld, about a year and a half ago while I was searching for online bag reviews. At first glance she seemed to be another vlogger whose primary concern was promoting the pursuit of a glamorous lifestyle; however, the longer I watched her videos, the more I saw a woman with a refreshing approach towards a niche that can too often become bogged down by the strict beliefs of purists and gatekeepers.
I scrolled through her Instagram and I checked out her TikTok. More and more, I appreciated her playful personality and brazen video titles (such as Bags I Would Recommend to People I Hate and The Tackiest Sh!t I Own) and began to wonder what it’s like to talk to someone who seemed to have so much to say about the world of luxury fashion.
Luckily for me, Erica’s friendly nature isn’t fabricated to pull in views and after a short email exchange, she agreed to have a little chit-chat with me.
Here’s what she had to say:
“I have always been interested in luxury fashion,” she began. “I am originally from Brazil and I feel like ﹘culturally speaking﹘ we really like our designer labels. We like the good stuff! We like to live it up and really enjoy being able to fully experience life so even as a teenager, I always dreamed of owning a Louis Vuitton bag.”
Her desire wasn’t unlike many others, but it wasn’t until years later that she experienced the reality of trying to buy something as in-demand as an LV purse.
“After I came to the US I was a very poor college student living off of student loans, but when I graduated I decided to finally treat myself by buying my first Louis Vuitton bag,” she explained. “As a newbie, I didn’t know much about luxury goods so I remember going on eBay and I found a Louis Vuitton Ellipse Monogram bag that I absolutely loved. It was only $300 and the seller guaranteed it was authentic. At the time I was very naive so when I finally got it and realized it was fake, I was devastated!”
“Oof. That’s rough,” I replied with empathy, remembering my own teenage mistakes.
“Unfortunately, that was my first experience trying to buy a designer bag,” she admitted.
“I have actually kept it til this day as a funny memory and because I obviously can’t sell it to anybody else, but I was finally able to to get my first real bag after a year of working as a chemical engineer and receiving a bonus from my job,” she said proudly while holding up a Louis Vuitton Sac Retro with cherry blossom monogram print. “I will never get rid of it. It’s a symbol of my accomplishments.”
Now wiser to the handbag-buying game, Erica did what many of us do after getting our first authentic bag ﹘ she hungered for more.
“Originally I just wanted quantity. I wanted to walk into my closet and see a bunch of bags! However, now that I have been in the luxury community for 15 years I would rather have a few ultra-special bags than dozens of bags that are just okay. Now I just want things that are unique. It is really an evolution. You might start your journey one way but you will change over time.”
“True that,” I said while eyeballing the display of Birkins and Lady Diors behind her. “What about your collection? How long did it take you to get to this point?”
“I would buy one bag per year after I started my career and have built my collection over time as I became more financially stable, “ she explained. ”At the highest point, I had 40 bags, but I have greatly reduced my collection.”
“How many do you own now?“ I asked.
“35,” she chuckled.
So much for greatly reduced. A collection of that size is certainly the dream of many, but it comes with the responsibility of protecting every piece. I could see her efforts to keep everything organized and cared for, so what would happen if there was an emergency situation and she could only grab one? Surely she would go for her favorite but with multiple pieces from heritage brands such as Chanel, Dior, and Hermès, I can’t imagine it would be an easy choice.
“I love my Birkins and want to get more of them but they aren’t my favorite bags because they aren’t that practical for my lifestyle,” she began. “If my house was about to burn down and I could only grab one bag it would be my mini Kelly. It’s Epsom leather in the color Rose Extreme with gold hardware. It’s so special to me and I don’t think I would ever be able to get anything else like it.”
Fair enough. Hermès bags definitely aren’t as easy to come by. But I wondered how someone with such a purchase history could feel that anything from the brand was still out of their reach.
“Sometimes I wish Hermès was a bit more contemporary,” she confessed. “I get that they need to maintain a balance between classics and trends but sometimes it feels like they are a bit slow to come up with new things. If they had more youthful ready-to-wear pieces I wouldn’t have a problem meeting the purchasing quota, but there are only so many Clic H bracelets you can buy…”
Admittedly, it was a problem I will likely never know, but I understood her mild dissatisfaction. Surely someone as creative as Erica would find a way to make things work. After all, she had already publicly committed the ultimate sin of the luxury fashion world: she added a non-standard modification to her custom Birkin 35 by attaching a leather strap she bought from Etsy. Sure, it made the bag easier to carry but didn’t she know that what she had done was sacrilegious?
“If Hermès did finally offer a strap I would get it but since it doesn’t offer something that fits my needs, I am ok with making a change like that. I get that some people are purists and only want the Birkin to be presented in its original state. I respect that opinion but I want my bag to be useful for my everyday life. If I want to embellish it in some way, I am entitled to do that,“ she explained. “As a content creator, it’s my role to show novelty to my followers. To let them know they have options.”
Erica was unashamed and confident in her decisions. She regards her ability to work hard and to always be herself to be what brought her the success and prominence she has today.
“Last year I got to go to the Zuhair Murad couture fashion show in Paris. It was beautiful and like dream. It was an emotional experience for me because unlike many others in this community, I am not super rich or young or the perfect vision of beauty, but I am confident in who I am. It was a surreal experience and I cried at the end of the show because it was everything I had worked for.”
Despite her newfound notoriety, she still wanted me to know that things aren’t always as they seem when you mix luxury fashion with social media.
“Influencers’ lives are not fairy tales 24/7 filled with a million bags and constantly going to Dior and Chanel events. We are all humans. Sure, I have many beautiful bags but behind the scenes, I still scrub my own toilet and clean my cat’s litter box. I came from nothing and I work hard for my money. It didn’t happen overnight,” she said. “We all like nice things but don’t ever let luxury make you feel bad about yourself. Don’t ever sacrifice yourself for it.”
Well said, Erica.
The hatred directed towards this woman is both disturbing & uncomfortable.
She’s feisty with a great personality; she also has beautiful bags!
I like Erica, she has a great personality. I like influencers who have a full-time job and career aside from social media.
Wow she’s very cool, great profile. I’ve checked her YT and and she’s funny.
she is amazing!! i follow her! how did i miss this??!
Yikes.. I have seen a few of her videos and she is one of the worst “youtubers”.. I can’t believe you guys are featuring her! Why is this 50 year old woman Acting MP like immature brat?
What makes her a bad youtuber? She’s real, and shows herself as such. She’s refreshing and not stuffy.
I didn’t know that this person was born before reading this post. So to be fair, I checked out her videos. Unbearable. Bottom of the barrel. ??
What makes her bottom of the barrel?
The go fund me situation, her attitudes, the hypocrisy.
Exactly.the over 20k usd go fund me that she took from her followers.no updates.
Yes that was quite interesting, she also doesn’t say when she is sponsored
Great question; I’d like to know too.
Maybe there’s a nicer way to word your comment? It sounds personal.
she’s hilarious and has a refreshing and realistic take on luxury shopping, with an impressive collection to boot. So personally i’m glad they’re featuring her.
I completely agree. She’s refreshing and realistic and unpretentious. And I like that before she criticizes a bag, she apologizes to anyone who may own it and says it’s just her opinion and lots of friends have and love it.
Erica is polarizing in her views but one thing that I respect is she stands by her ground. I disagree with the latest comments she’s been making about the pandemic on her IG but I also respect her hustle, her immigration story and her joy of life. She definitely keeps it real and is so funny.
I’m confused as to why this website would promote this individual. Perhaps you can have discussed her go fund me to pay for legal fees, while she spends thousands and thousands on her home and bags/jewelry. She is also a polarizing right wing Instagrammer. I thought TPF wasn’t a place for politics, no?
Have you never made a financial mistake? You don’t know her situation. Plenty of ‘rich’ people end up in precarious situations and need help. How blessed are you to be able to never need financial help. Her politics weren’t brought into this article. She’s entitled to her own opinions and it’s actually refreshing to see a different opinion. What’s obvious isn’t that you’re a left wing individual and what’s also, equally obvious, is that you’re unkind and intolerant.
If someone needs financial help, thats nothing to judge but its the needing financial help while at the same time, remodelling your house and buying luxury goods like hermes bags and van clef jewelry simultaneously AND posting about in on your social media! Nouveau, money cant buy class.
Exactly my thoughts.the gofundme got no updates after receiving the money.did she even use that money for the case? Until now.no update.what a scam!
I mostly agree with you, but if she does have a go fund me to pay for legal fees perhaps she could find a different way to pay her bills. I was recently in a sudden, difficult financial situation and to generate funds, I sold bags, etc. to pay my bill. Unexpected bills happen to all of us, but reaching out to the public, when she has 35 designer bags, a full time job, etc. is an undeniably questionable decision.
Good point! Why was she asking for $ while she is sitting on a closet of luxury goods? If people don’t want commentary on their life/beliefs, don’t put it on YT or Instagram. That’s not a left or right wing issue. A lot of Americans are very confused by someone who has had the privilege to immigrate to this country, but supports someone like Trump who is anti-immigrant. Her Instagram is full of right wing posts, so I would say it’s relevant to bring it up since she her beliefs are so strong. And no, i’m not a far left wing individual, i’d describe myself as a left leaning moderate.
Trump always supports legal immigrants! He needs legal immigrant to help America shine and grow! We have law to follow! Or you rather have anybody just cross the border and live in your house with your kids without vetting. They might have criminal background. They might carry deceases.
Sorry love, but I think your lack of tolerance doesn’t make you a left leaning moderate. PB is not a place for politics, if that’s what you’re craving I suggest looking for a different outlet.
If PB is not a place for politics, why do a column about a so-called influencer who is very much into politics? And by the way, having a different viewpoint from yours doesn’t make someone intolerant. If anything, you’re the one who comes across as my-way-or-the-highway. Sorry, love, if you want to point out intolerance, take a look in the mirror!
Unlike the OP I’m not opposed to divergent points of view. I’m simply highlighting that if she doesn’t agree with Erica, she can choose to not engage, rather than denigrating her (as she most definitely is). If you’re struggling to comprehend my point of view I’m happy to discuss it further?
No struggle, I understand your virtue-signaling holier than toi point of view perfectly well. You’re saying that if she doesn’t agree she should just shut up (aka “choose not to engage”) rather than voice her opinion.
I’m sorry but there is a difference between voicing one’s opinion and outright nastiness. If you condone being malicious then you’re part of the problem.
She’s absolutely horrible. The lying. The gofundme for her “attorney”. The replicas. The lying. The faking. The commenting on her own videos pretending to be a “hater” as she calls them. She’s so annoying. Her and her SCAMMING husband.