Late last month, I mused that I thought I would have my holy grail by now, halfway through my thirties. To sum up, I’m grateful I don’t because the bag that was once the end-all be-all for me has changed. Still, as I enter the latter half of this decade, I’m more confident in my style, my tastes, and my choices.
I once dreamed of walking into the Hermès boutique and walking out with a big orange bag in hand, inside a brand new classic black Birkin. While I still long for a little Hermès in my closet, my holy grail has changed.
I’ve known for quite a while that it had shifted to a Kelly, not a Birkin, but in the last few years, as fashion has become more unattainable than ever, I’ve decided that I’d go the vintage route. It also fits my style and aesthetic, which has changed drastically over the years, a lot better.
Sell to Save?
Still, at this stage of life, I’ve yet to start saving for my holy grail bag. Not because I don’t want to, but because I don’t even know where to begin, and the task seems daunting. Plus, as prices on the primary market continue to increase, increasing those on the secondary market as well, the task seems much more unattainable than ever before.
For a fleeting moment, I’d considered selling one or two bags to jump-start the process, but I’m very much at peace with the bags I currently have, using them enough to warrant keeping them. That said, I’d like to start the process, even if it’s slow. I just don’t know where to start.
Should I begin by saving any excess after all of my expenses are paid, and I’ve left room for dinners out (and other miscellany), or should I set aside a certain amount every month? How did you do it, and how long did it take you to save for your holy grail?
Let’s talk!
Ah, the sweet, deliberate dance of delayed gratification. There is a certain elegance, is there not, in watching one’s Holy Grail bag inch closer, not with a vulgar swipe of a platinum card, but with the cultivated discipline of a woman who chooses when to indulge.
My Birkin didn’t arrive on a whim: it was a slow courtship, a flirtation with restraint. Each saved sum was a toast to intention. And when the moment finally came, oh, the ceremony of it all! It wasn’t just a bag. It was triumph in Togo leather, lined in the quiet satisfaction of self-restraint. One doesn’t simply buy an Hermès. One earns it, ever so elegantly~!
Hi closetchateau, you must write blogs on bags. I would read it. Beautiful words!
Your writing is descriptive and beautiful! I felt caught up, in your words, and that I was on your journey with you. If you don’t write for a living, you should!
Beautifully written ❤️
Enjoying your writing!😌
It didn’t take long for me to get my HG Orange B25 (this was wayyy back then).
But I ended up giving it to my sister. It didn’t spark joy and honestly wasn’t very functional for me.
Now I go for niche brands instead, at just a fraction of the price with superior craftsmanship.
Can you recommend a few?
Primo Atelier Bangkok (primoatelierbkk) and Lotus Arts de Vivre (ladv)!
It took me three years to save for a Birkin….then I had a baby. 🤡
🙂❤️🙂❤️
Babies and kids are the best of the best while also getting in the way of our bag dreams!!
There are a TON of little ways to save in everyday life without feeling deprived in the meantime, like using the library instead of buying media, getting a better cell rate, eschewing designer coffee, etc. But when it comes to H, none of these are going to help…by the time you’ve amassed $$$$, they will cost $$$$$. I think the only way is a windfall – a huge promotion, inheritance, or lottery win!
First, make sure you really are going to use the bag. it is very heavy when you put all your things in there. You’ve got to be comfortable, walking and carrying it.
Slowly learning this!
Honestly, me too! Some years ago, I went to a chiropractor complaining of low back pain, first thing Doc said was “You need to carry a lighter bag”
Seven years. Other things were more important (children in sports). Then, the bag was discontinued. I finally got it, and it’s my most used bag. While I’ve bought other bags since then, I ALWAYS go back to my holy grail.
What was the bag you got?
By the time I was able to afford a Birkin or a Kelly, and when I was finally offered one, my needs had changed. I have grandkids and I need my hands-free and I need to be able to stuff things in my handbag. In the last five years, I’ve purchased three Evelynes, no regrets! Do I wanna tell people that it’s my choice, that I turned down the Holy Grail bag? Sometimes!
I haven’t saved for a bag since my early 20s when I saved for a Marc Jacobs Stam. I found that once I had saved enough, I didn’t want to blow it on a bag anymore. That’s why I think the best way to save would be through annual bonuses, if you get them, or something similar. Large increments versus many small sums over a longer period where it stops feeling like it could possibly be worth it.
One month because honestly if I don’t have the disposable income to afford it then why buy it.
The only B or K I ever coveted was a K Ghllies 32 Etoupe, which for various reasons didn’t happen, I decided not to pursue it any further. Quite partial to a red Kelly Waffle 32 as well, but too late to the party, alas. Instead, I found two other smallish H bags, much more unusual. I got a beige, not Etoupe/forgotten colour name, Chaine d’Anchre and a Rouge Shogun shoulder bag, both online and pre-loved, but never worn by the looks of them. The first one matches perfectly my Sterling Chaine d’Anchre TGM bracelet. I’ve also acquired a Turquoise Trim II 31 to go with my 140 cm moussie Trois Fleuves. Lastly got smitten with a Herbag Vibrato 31 in autumnal tones, GHW and comes with an interchangeable heavy brown woven cotton bag. The Vibrato is lovely, but very heavy and a magnet for dirt and grime, besides scared of using it when raining, as it’s not anti repellent I think. But, all together four/five quite useful bags, very under the radar – I immensely enjoy that the risk of a chance meeting someone with identical bags is virtually zero!
Oh gosh I can’t imagine wanting to save for a bag – seems like an oxymoron because savings are for retirement, college funds, housing, cars!
Agreed that these needs take precedence. However, for me once these needs were met, especially putting my 3 kids through college and law school, then in my 50’s I bought mine, a Chanel classic in lambskin.
I took me a short time to save for the bag compared to how long it takes to be able to buy it. I still have not been lucky enough to manage to buy the bag as they restrict the appointments in Paris.
I have continued saving so now I could afford a couple of Kellys and Birkins. However the bags are out of reach without appointment.
3 yrs for a b (took longer cuz i bought a few h and chanels in between)
2 yrs for a k
2 yrs for a c (still paying of a loan from my mom)
Sold 20+ old bags during the pandemic (my impulse purchases i wanted 1 bag from each brand but decided now i want to stick to just h and chanel my most favorites have 1 more in consignment right now “i will never be able to use them again once i have my holy grails” line worked)
No buying other things (clothes jewelry shoes sacrifice!…only spend for food haha)
Helped a lot i bought preloved
Lots of prayers (took 2 months of searching for the b 5 months for the k and 6 months for the c followed a lot of sellers in fb and ig refreshed every 15 minutes all day haha when the magical feeling rushes through you when its meant to be)
Now after all the h chaos i can finally focus on the chanel boy rainbow ive been dreaming about since its release in 2018 which i have put on hold for the last 7yrs to focus on building my h collection
I’ve always defined my “Holy Grail” bag as the bag that’s so perfect, it’s the one I always want to use, and no other bag could ever top it, rather than a particular bag.