The 5 Stages in the Evolution of a Handbag Collector

In a world that’s become increasingly chaotic lately, it sometimes feels like we’ve been thrust into a juncture in life where everything is transitory. A fine line tethers us to our present realities, and an entirely alternate reality is mere moments away. 

Existential ennui, dormant disquietude, mid-life malaise – this creeping sense of dread goes by many names. Yet, we continue to live with it. Such is life, c’est la vie!

Therefore, it is to bring some sense of permanence to this greatly impermanent state of affairs that we humans have succumbed to our primordial instincts to gather. And in true hunter-gatherer fashion, gathered we have! Postage stamps, collectible coins, demonic dolls, comic books, cardboard boxes, empty tote bags inside yet more empty tote bags – we’ve gathered them all like our life depended on it.

Of all the things on planet Earth though, why have our singular community settled on handbags (and expensive ones at that, as my wallet would chime in) as a hobby? 

Some would say, a purse is more forgiving than footwear, more compassionate compared to couture, and certainly more stylish than sweatpants. But we also collect purses simply, well, for the fun of it. In the words of fellow PurseBlogger Alejandra, “Time flies when you’re spending funds having fun.”

Regardless of the reason, do you classify yourself as a handbag collector, curator, or connoisseur? You can find out with this handy but delusional guide that yours truly has devised to justify his unhealthy spending habits. Happy hoarding collecting!

Stage 1: The Overzealous Ogler

Millennials may have memorized MTV trivia, but hey, you’ve successfully memorized the intricacies of a Balenciaga City date code. Congratulations!

Now that you’ve read every possible PurseForum thread you could find, it’s down to business. All save for a tiny little detail: you don’t quite have the funds for it! In the excitement of your newfound love of handbags, in your fantasies of waltzing into the Hermès mothership store in Paris and walking out with armfuls of Birkins and Kellys, you forgot that you actually need to drop quite the pretty penny on them!

So, instead what you do is ogle. You ogle at the office-goers with their overflowing Neverfulls, you ogle at the chic young waifs with their sleek armpit carries, and you ogle at the elegant, chauffeur-driven ladies and their decorative clutches. You ogle and ogle until you’re mistaken for a creep, and only by then have you managed to finally dip your toe into the luxury pond. 

Congratulations on your first purchase. The first of many.

Stage 2: The Prodigal Purchaser

“The bag: A container made of cloth, leather, plastic or paper, used to carry things in, especially when shopping or travelling.” 

The Oxford definition sheds light on a rather significant development in the history of the handbag: a means of carting your things from place to place. Clearly, the point of a purse is somewhat defeated if you end up with more such bags to carry things in than said things themselves. Welcome to the travails of the prodigal purchaser.

Regardless of how well thought-out your first ever purse purchase might’ve been – whether it’s an everyday neutral or a seasonal closet-stuffing – you’re unlikely to ever stop at one bag. Or, for that matter, stop at all. So, this is the stage when your collection truly starts to spread its wings. 

And by wings, I mean the little treats that you’ve been surreptitiously ordering from Nordstrom (you’re too good to go back to Macy’s now) that has snowballed into a luxurious mountain of totes, messengers, crossbodies and satchels at the back of your closet.

A mishmash of monetary misdecisions that have pushed you further away from eyesight as you’re continually distracted by the newness of your next purchase waiting at the doorstep. Quality over quantity – whoever has heard of that?

Stage 3: The Composed Curator

Now, it’s worth noting that just as there is quite a (financial) jump between stages one and two (and the subsequent waning of luxury sticker shock), there’s an equally big jump between stages two and three. This time, however, it’s all about the mindset leap, where you learn to recognize that there is, in fact, an entirely logical limit to how many bags you should own. Or rather, what number works for you (as an individual) without having your precious purses lying idle and wasting.

But this “maturing” of a collectors’ composure is a prolonged process that doesn’t always correspond with age. Instead, it’s where you begin to explore avenues of letting go of pieces that don’t work for you – be it via resale sites, trading services, or even donations, while also coming into your own unique sense of personal style. 

So, if stage two was about experimentation, stage three is about streamlining. And while ghosts of handbags past may occasionally appear like an unwelcome visitor, remember that you won’t actually be missing the purses themselves, you’ll only be missing that time in your life when you used to love them.

Stage 4: The Carefree Connoisseur

You’ve finally come into your own, hallelujah! 

You’re at that stage in life where the trends don’t affect you to a significant degree, and you seek to stand out with your personality, rather than with an outward accessory. Or to quote The Devil Wears Prada, “That’s what this multi-billion dollar industry is all about anyway, isn’t it? Inner beauty.” You’re no longer interested in the full, in-store experience, hoping to woo an SA and snagging a coveted bag. You’d much rather raise a toast to yourself while closing a deal on Fashionphile. 

But most of all, you really wear your bags. You don’t baby them, you set them down on floors, pack them with groceries, or hang them off of chairs, and still look chic. Because at the end of the day, they are an extension of you, not the other way around.

Stage 5. Purse Peace – Is It Real?

NEVERTHELESS, it’s worth noting that as much as you’d like to tightly curate and religiously regulate your closet under the strictest of principles, it may all come crashing down the moment you set your sight on your next soon-to-be favorite purse from a heritage house. And that’s precisely what these brands are out to do in the first place: in the attention economy, catching your eye is halfway winning the battle!

Moreover, FOMO is real, and it’ll always strike at moments when you’re at your most vulnerable. And while breaking down and adding that new patent red Gucci to your cart won’t make your problems go away, it sure can make you feel a whole lot better. So maybe they really aren’t so bad at all. 

After all, that’s why we began collecting purses in the first place, right?