Real Talk

Holy Grail Bags

The imperfectly perfect bag of my dreams.

The term Holy Grail traditionally refers to a religious object, but here on PurseBlog we know that the Holy Grail refers to our ultimate dream bag.  Holy Grails can take months or even years to obtain, whether that be because of financial constraints, limited availability, or you didn’t discover it until after it had been discontinued and it became the one that got away. Whatever the reason, Holy Grails are the bags that we obsess over and yearn deeply for, desperate to buy and place in our closets. They can take a lot of time and effort to track down, especially when searching the preloved market for something rare.

I have had a few Holy Grails in my life, most of which I haven’t had the delight of purchasing [yet]. My first Holy Grail was a Speedy 30 in Monogram print. Not a rare bag by any means, but definitely out of my price range at the time I discovered it. Everyone knows the Speedy, and love or hate monogram, the bag is a classic. The Speedy had always been the majestic bag of my handbag dreams, even before becoming a member of the PurseForum, but as I slowly began building my collection, I stuck with contemporary designers mainly due to being on a college budget. After I graduated and got my first real job, it was only natural that one of my first purchases was a Speedy.

The Speedy was not only my Holy Grail, but also my first premier designer purchase. It will always be a special bag to me for that reason—it truly represents achieving a goal. The excitement I felt when making that purchase, along with the incapacitating fear I felt, cannot be forgotten! It truly was nearly a decade long dream come to life and I couldn’t wait to take my bag out on her first outing.

Well let me tell you, my Speedy sat in its box for about four months. I would take the bag out of the box and hold her for short intervals of time before putting her away into a safe space again. I was terrified to use my Speedy! Vachetta leather is quite delicate and will darken over time, leaving any little mark to be seen. After months of deep breathing and self-administered pep talks, I finally got over my fear and used my bag.

Once I finally managed to stop obsessing with worry over damaging my beloved Holy Grail bag, I started using her every single day. While the Speedy 30 looked like perfection on my arm, early on I started to have frustrations when using the bag. Most problematic was the fact that it was handheld. As a young professional with a commute on public transportation in a busy city, it was not practical at all. I was having trouble fitting all of my belongings into the 30 size. Being handheld, it started to get heavy very easily and was a pain—literally!—on my commute. I was devastated, this was my Holy Grail. It was supposed to be perfect!

A naïve shopper, I thought that once I had my Holy Grail I would just use that every single day for the rest of my life. Silly, I know! I was so disappointed that this Speedy couldn’t possibly be my every day bag. It wasn’t practical for my lifestyle and it was really, really sad to come to that realization. I felt resentful, I had spent all this money on my bag and I couldn’t even use it every day—what was the point? I put my Speedy away and left her in the closet for a long time.

After a few weeks, the perfect opportunity arose to bring out my Speedy. I felt a fresh sense of true love when using it and was able to remember why it had been my original Holy Grail. I kept her and have even added another mon-monogram Speedy to my collection. My Holy Grail may not be used as an everyday bag as expected, but I still love her and I am so thankful I was able to add it to my collection.

My Holy Grail bags change regularly, but below are a few of mine at the moment! Do you have one?

Louis Vuitton Montaigne GM

Buy Now

Lady Dior Toile De Jouy Bag

Shop Dior Bags Here

Chanel Classic Flap Bag

Shop Chanel Bags Here

Gucci Marmont Matelassé Shoulder Bag

Buy Now

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