In the past few weeks, my colleagues have been amazed at the breadth of my purse collection. I show up to work carrying a purse they haven’t seen before nearly every day, and their response is always to ask, “how many purses do you even have?” These are people that have seen me constantly for a year: so what has changed?
It’s quite simple: I got a shelf.
You see, I’ve traditionally stored my purses in two or three tupperware containers stacked on top of each other in my closet, and that does not lend itself well to the early morning panic of choosing a purse to go with my outfit. So they sat in the containers in their dustbags for years, never seeing the light of day or receiving the warm flood of appreciative comments from my colleagues that they deserve. And really, when I pretty much wear jeans and a Star Trek t-shirt every day, the same denim hobo bag will probably do fine.
I was a huge fan of Clueless growing up in the 90’s, and the two pieces of technology that made the biggest impact on me were the mobile phones and Cher’s wardrobe software program: it let her mix and match outfits and even told her when something was a mismatch. I sort of took it for granted that when I grew up, we’d have advanced as a society to the point where both of these technologies would be commonplace. The mobile phones are here, of course, but unfortunately, that whole computerized wardrobe thing never caught on.
So while I now have a shelf to store my purses, I still find myself rifling through various dustbags to figure out what I actually have, and of course I have no artificial intelligence that would tell me when I’ve chosen a purse that doesn’t match my outfit (though I’d absolutely ignore any and all advice it gave me).
Is the answer as simple as labeling which purses are where? This wouldn’t help me, as I tend to put purses wherever there’s room and shuffle them into the wrong dustbags — you can imagine how my CD collections used to be organized. I’ve been thinking about putting pictures of every single one of my purses in one slideshow on my laptop or phone so I can scroll through them easily and choose which one I want for the day. It’s not as fancy as Cher’s system, and this still wouldn’t help me actually find the bags, but at least I’d know what I had.
I need help: how do you store your purses and make it easy to know what you have? And how do you find what you need quickly? I realize this is a very niche problem to have, but I need to ensure that I’m taking full advantage of the variety of my handbag collection. Cher Horowitz would understand.
*sigh* I totally have the handbag storage problem right now. Worst thing is some handbags have delicate handles that need “rehab” after being stored in squishy arrangement. Wish I had tall shelves that allow purse handles to live without being forced into awful positions :'(
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I was thinking about getting a nice bookshelf-thing to display my purses and provide easy access. Kristen, do you put your bags on the shelf in the dustbag, or without the dustbag? Out of the dustbag makes for a nicer-looking display but I also feel like putting the purses on a shelf leaves them vulnerable to UV light fading and dust.
I go back and forth about dust bags, too! They’re so pretty fully displayed, but also so exposed.
this is so relevant to my life. I never know how people store their bags…mine end up looking squished or hidden!
I built a shelving system to store my bags. There was just nothing deep enough and tall enough on the market.
Each bag has a “home” on the shelves where the dust bag lives while in use. I have a couple of small boxes on the floor to hold stuffing material, soft towels and leather conditioner.
This, of course, is only doable because I co-opted the 4th room in the house as my “Lady Room”. 🙂
I’ve taken advantage of my hobby; my pet parrots have their own room and their stuff takes up only 1 closet. There are 2 extra closets which I’ve made into bag storing units.
putting all my 76 purses on a shelf in our new house made me realize I only rotated between 10. So the other 66 went to new homes. Storing bags properly can be quite a revelation!
I recently started listing part of my collection that I rarely use dinky because they should be loved and not stuck in their dust bags on a shelf hidden. For the ones I do use I started using the storage bags with the clear front panel so I can keep them safe & clean yet still see what’s in there for when um searching for that perfect one for my outfit hehe
*lately
That is brave and very decisive!I wish i can close my eyes and do that!
I believe there are indeed wardrobe apps that basically have you take photos of your items (including bags, but generally speaking the everything in your closet – so clothes, shoes, bags, etc.) and classify them into categories, the point is so you can check your inventory and also put photos together into outfits. The initial amount of work is the painful part (especially if you have a lot of items, duh) but after that I imagine it to be a lot easier. However, I don’t think any of these apps really took off, I remember checking one out and thinking it looks very outdated. But it might actually help! For me it helped to remind me what shoes I have and stopped me from buying similar items to what I already got (I honestly think I have a shoe shopping addiction).
1) I buy very little
2) keep them in their boxes, neatly arranged in the closet
I heard keeping handbags in boxes is bad for the handbags? Usually dustbags are recommended – is this true?
Yes. Boxes trap moisture. The bags need air to circulate or it can degrade the finish of the leather, break down the glazing, or lead to mold.
Really? I didn’t know that. Thanks for letting me know. Where I live it’s very dusty so boxes add a layer of protection.
That’s too practical. 🙂
Yeah! I know…!!! ?
I am waiting for my husband to finish our walk in closet. In the meantime I have to rotate between summer and winter, so right now my white or warmer weather bags are in storage containers in the attic, and the bags I use now are squished in a plastic shelving system inside my son’s closet. Not great really, and I am getting gray hairs waiting for him to finish this closet.
I have 2 regular bedroom closets for my bags. One closet has 3 regular shelves and 4 sliding boxes which hold my bags. There’s a Mulberry box, a LC box and a box for Scandic brands. The bags sit up on the shelves in their dustbags. The other closet has 2 shelves which hold my travel bags and on the floor of the closet there’s an Ikea Antonius system with 4 metal baskets. I stores all my SLGs, pouches and non-LC nylon bags in it. It costs nearly nothing and it’s really handy!
Having bags without a shelf is like having cars without a garage. I like looking at my bags so I put them on the shelves next my bed without their dustbags. I think it’s healthier for their skin.
iI photograph everything i shop mostly bags and post on a dedicated IG account ( you could have a private profile too), scroll thru IG, pick up a new bag
I’m having the same problem. I need to see all my bags or I forget to use a lot of them. I also have no good way to store them all so I can see them. I also feel like I should store them in their dust bags to help preserve them, but I hate not seeing them. I want to see them, so I can easily choose which will go with my outfit AND because just looking at them brings me happiness. They’re like works of art to me.
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10119206/ Won’t work with super large bags, but this is a good solution.
great idea if you have a lot of space. I also found out that the Billy book shelves from Ikea works great for bags and shoes and you can line the shelves against a wall. I bought 6 of those shelves and in the process of organising the bags and shoes. A nightmare!
I typically store my handbags in their appointed dust bag on my closet shelf. That said, I also have taken a picture of each bag on my iPad, so I have a picture inventory of all the bags I have.
Why doesn’t a brand make an amazing display case for us? I also have all my bags in boxes and they rarely come out to play. it’s really difficult when you live in a small NY apartment!
Alyssa, I just purchased a display box from Luxurybagdisplay.com for my 2.55 and I absolutely love it. I am in no way affiliated with the company. I am just passing along the great find!
Still have not heard the answer to how many bags DO you have? I have about 30, which to me doesn’t seem that many. I have all of their photos stores in an album on my phone so I can visually see the bags I have when I want to decide if I need a new bag (do I already have one that’s similar?). I have a walk in closet so all my bags are on the shelves, NO dust bags on them. I like to see them all.
I have 25 bags at the moment – I am trying to be good this year but there are lot of nice bags that I have seen… :p It is a good idea to see how many bags you do have visually as it helps you take stock of what you do have – I may pinch that idea!
May I recommend looking into IKEA shelving? You can get assistance and create your own wall of shelves as you see it. I did this in my last house and was successfully able to display all my shoes, purses and then some. Sadly we sold the home along with the display which honestly might have been a booster to selling our home. I miss that set up dearly.
I keep my bags in their dustbags on shelves in my closet. I usually decide on a bag for the week and quickly grab another one if necessary. I really know where each bag is, don’t have that many and have pictures of them on my phone. I would like to one day take photos with my Polaroid camera and stick them on my closet door. You could also attach a Polaroid pic to the dust bag? Punch a whole through the picture and loop it or safety pin it to the dust bag?
Luxury Bag display boxes are clear acrylic that are ventilated to let the leather breathe, and there’s hooks to hold chains and straps.
I have around 35 items and I storage them 3 shelves by size: large ( that use for work on weekdays), medium and small. In each size group, my handbag are classify by color rather than by shape. I have them inside their dustbags but I rotate and change handbag everyday to fit with my outfit. My high frequency in rotation, and that color is the main selection factor within the size group facilitate a lot to my selection. I prefer my handbag and clothes the night before on working days. I remove everything from my handbag when I arrive home. The reason is that if I would go out again I would need a handbag from another size. I think that I offer to my handbags some outdoor life in regular basis and they offer me a lot of happiness back.
I keep track of mine on a spreadsheet. I print it out and tack it up in my closet. I also do photos and keep in an album on my phone. I customized my closet with more shelves for purses than hanging space for clothes, lol. Then I have an overflow closet in a spare bedroom.
wow! spreadsheet?
I store in a narrow tall linen closet outside of bathroom, each bag sits on its dustbag, so I can see all of them. I had Ikea pax before, it was too deep, but the lights were great.
I’m so OCD. I keep them in their original box and shopping bag, i.e., Harrod’s, Dior, LV, etc. I love the way they look on a shelf but unfortunately, I don’t have the space.
My bags usually take place on the bottom of my wardrobe above a chest of 2 drawers. I normally put the bags that I use regularly at the front so they are easy to reach, and the others bags that I use occasionally go towards the back. My handbags are normally stored in their dustbags. I have built quite a collection that I am starting to run out of space!
I group them on a table by designer and take a photo, then rearrange by color and take more photos. Then they go back into their dust bags and onto closet shelves or into the safe. I print out the group photos and make notations on each bag’s location. The photos are enough to help me decide what I want for each outfit. My jewelry is organized the same way.
I keep them in their dustbags on the shelf in my closet because I don’t want them to fade or discolor from sun exposure. I have a printed photo of each bag tuck to the shelf. This helps me keep the bags organized and easily see what I have.
Have you ever heard of Stylebook? It’s a great app and the closest thing to Cher’s system you can get. After the inicial hassle of photographing (or finding pictures) of all the stuff in your wardrobe you get to the super comfortable and convenient state of having everything on the top of your finger. It’s a really great app, here’s an example of me putting a look together for a day at the university.
That sounds like a well-organized and thoughtful approach to purse storage, and the idea of using a Polaroid camera to capture and display your bags adds a charming touch! Attaching a Polaroid pic to the dust bag is a creative way to easily identify each bag and add a personal touch to your storage system. Punching a hole through the picture and looping it or using a safety pin is a clever and practical solution, ensuring that you can quickly locate the bag you’re looking for. Plus, it adds a unique and visually appealing element to your closet. Thanks for sharing your method – it’s always inspiring to hear how others manage and enjoy their collections!