In at the moment’s new Confessional, we meet a Novelist hailing from Philly who has been amassing purses because the ’80s! Again then, identical to at the moment, Gucci was in its prime, and her assortment began with a Gucci bag at age 16. Since then, this collector has grown her assortment to incorporate over 3 dozen baggage, although she prefers to maintain her assortment at round 40 baggage and believes in promoting off baggage which might be not serving her.
A surprising assortment of Chanel, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Saint Laurent, and extra, CC 169’s perspective in the direction of purses and amassing is actually great. She believes in actually loving and utilizing your baggage however understands the worth of buying what you possibly can afford. She believes within the energy of group and connecting with like-minded purse lovers who perceive the distinctive ardour for purses.
Learn the complete CC, and try baggage from CC 169’s assortment beneath. Don’t neglect to submit your personal!
The Fundamentals
Age: 53
Gender Identification: Feminine
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Occupation: Novelist
Trade: Publishing
Wage: $256,000
Family Revenue: $500,000
The Luggage
Are you a PurseForum member? Sure
What number of baggage do you personal? 38
What baggage are in your assortment?
How a lot is your assortment value? Not less than $200K.
What’s your most costly bag? Hermès Birkin 30 (as a result of I purchased from a reseller).
What are an important manufacturers or items in your assortment? I’ve baggage from a number of design homes, together with Hermès, Chanel, Saint Laurent, Gucci, Valentino, Loewe, Telfar, and a few up to date manufacturers as effectively, however I’m in a season of my life that I attain for baggage that effortlessly elevate my “informal” outfits — so I are likely to gravitate in the direction of my Chanel and Hermès baggage.
What age did you get your first designer bag, and what was it? I used to be sixteen years outdated, 1986, and I acquired it for my birthday. It was a Blue and Beige crossbody Gucci bag. In Philadelphia, Gucci was a highly regarded model within the ’80s!
Is there a selected bag you wish to buy subsequent? Sure, I’ve requested my Hermès SA for a Constance 22 in Etain with palladium {hardware}, and I’ll gladly look forward to it:)
Any explicit bag that holds a particular sentimental worth? A number of of my first designer baggage have been stolen from my faculty dorm, and I’ve given a couple of to my daughters and offered a couple of others over time, so I’ve to say that the one which at the moment holds a particular worth to me is my Louis Vuitton Speedy 30. It’s from 1999 and one of many first designer baggage that I purchased within the NYC retailer with my very own cash. I’ll by no means promote it.
Do you’re feeling like your baggage change individuals’s perceptions of you or the way you’re handled? Sure, I do. There may be positively a distinction in how gross sales assistants (in some shops) deal with me once I stroll in with a Birkin or Basic Flap versus one thing of much less $ worth in my assortment. It’s horrible to say, however it’s the reality, a minimum of in my expertise.
In my pal group, I’m referred to as somebody who has all the time beloved purses. Whilst an adolescent, once I clearly couldn’t afford my very own designer items, I’d nonetheless save up my allowance and go purchase a pleasant leather-based bag from Lord & Taylor or Bloomingdales. I don’t assume I’m handled in a different way by my mates due to my assortment, however I do generally really feel like I’ve to guarantee them that I’ve bought all of my payments coated and have fairly a bit of money squirreled away for retirement.
Have your bag-carrying habits modified since Covid? Neither my bag-buying or carrying habits modified due to Covid, and that’s as a result of I’ve all the time labored from residence. However the one factor I did do extra of throughout Covid was to observe extra purse movies, which in flip impressed me to buy a beautiful closet set up that permits me to show my purses. I consider my purses are artistic endeavors, and I LOVE them and carrying them. In truth, as a result of I can see what I personal now, I rotate their use greater than I used to be earlier than.
The Buying
How usually do you purchase new baggage? It relies upon, however I’d say on common, I buy 4-5 baggage a yr, rotating outdated ones out alongside the way in which. I don’t need my assortment to get larger than 40 baggage.
Has the Coronavirus pandemic modified your procuring habits or total perspective in the direction of luxurious? Covid solely elevated my luxurious procuring habits, and that’s partly because of stress but in addition as a result of individuals staying at residence had a constructive impact on my enterprise. I used to be making extra money throughout that point.
Which shops do you frequent essentially the most?
Neiman Marcus
Hermès
Saint Laurent
Chanel
Do you ever purchase second-hand baggage? The place do you purchase used? Sure, I’m an enormous supporter of shopping for second-hand items however solely from respected sources. Proper now, the one 2 locations I’m utterly comfy shopping for luxurious from are Fashionphile and Agora Classic.
Do you promote outdated baggage to pay for brand spanking new purchases? Sure, I promote them with Fashionphile or Agora Classic. I’ve additionally offered objects on eBay prior to now.
Do you ever really feel societal stress to buy extra baggage? I’ve all the time owned extra purses than any of my mates or colleagues, so I by no means felt that sort of “stress” to maintain up with anybody. Advertising campaigns will make me go “look” at a design home’s assortment however by no means to purchase. I purchase what I like, and I hold what I like.
Do you take into account your bag purchases investments? Firstly, I purchase purses as a result of I like carrying them. I don’t purchase something for “resell” worth, however I positively will take into account shopping for or not shopping for NEW from a sure design home if I do know I can get the bag less expensive on the resale market. Ex. Girl Dior.
Who influences your shopping for selections? At this level in my assortment, there are merely baggage that I need to buy that I’ve needed to personal for years. As soon as in a blue moon, I could make an impulse buy, and that’s normally once I’m out procuring with my husband or a pal and don’t need to go residence empty-handed.
Are gross sales affiliate relationships instrumental to your procuring? Sure, I’ve an SA at Hermès, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton. I like the non-public expertise. I really feel extra valued when an SA is aware of my identify, remembers what I’ve bought, and makes suggestions for me based mostly on my private style. I sometimes e mail or textual content them for an appointment or for them to assist me receive a sure bag, and I’ll pay for it with a hyperlink. I solely bodily go in when it’s Hermès as a result of you need to.
Why do you get pleasure from procuring, past simply buying one thing new? There may be an outdated image of me on Easter Day in a brand new gown, my hair curled, and I had a small black patent leather-based purse on my arm. Once I let you know that I felt like one million bucks that day, and I keep in mind it prefer it was yesterday ( I might have solely been 5 or 6 years outdated). That was the beginning of my love affair with purses. They make me really feel like I did on that Easter Day again and again, it doesn’t matter what I’m sporting or the place I’m.
Have you ever ever felt such as you acquired inferior service at a retailer or boutique because of your look, ethnicity or gender? Sure, and this sort of goes again to the sooner query about how I’m handled once I carry a sure designer. Based mostly on my ethnicity, I really feel as if I’m being judged the second I stroll via the door. Is she really right here to spend cash? Does she even have cash? So once I put on a “very” costly purse, I discover as their eyes zero in on the bag and their face modifications. Impulsively, they’re so useful and so good. I additionally assume age has one thing to do with this as effectively. This occurred extra once I was youthful. Now that I’ve a couple of grey strands, I feel individuals assume I even have a couple of extra {dollars}:)
The Cash
Who pays in your baggage? My husband will purchase me a bag for Christmas, however I buy and pay for many of my baggage.
Do you put aside a price range in your bag purchases? No
The Taboo Subjects
Have you ever ever bought a counterfeit since you couldn’t afford a designer merchandise? No, however my mother purchased me a counterfeit Coach bag one Christmas once I was an adolescent. I knew it was instantly as a result of by then, I used to be already a purse “snob” and by no means felt comfy carrying it. I knew that nobody would have been the wiser as a result of, by then, mates assumed all the pieces I owned was genuine, however I knew. It felt like mendacity.
Do you ever cover purchases out of your important different? Completely. The joke in my household is that I all the time say: “What new bag? I’ve owned that for a while.” I don’t assume I’m fooling anybody anymore at this level.
What’s the craziest factor you’ve accomplished to afford a bag? Take out a line of Paypal credit score. It was like 0% APR for 12 months, and I actually needed the bag, however I received’t do this anymore. It’s not that deep. If it’s an expensive Hermès buy, I’ll put $ apart in my “play cash” account till I’ve what I would like. If it’s the rest, I can normally cowl it each time I would like it.
Do you assume your procuring is ever an issue? Have you ever ever felt such as you have been combating a procuring habit? I don’t assume it’s an issue as a result of my purses have been bought in waves. Once I first graduated faculty and was working, I didn’t purchase any baggage for years as a result of I couldn’t afford them. When my 3 youngsters have been school-aged, I didn’t purchase any baggage as a result of we had different priorities as a household. Now that my youngsters are out of college and I’ve fewer monetary obligations, I’m ready the place I can develop my assortment once more. So, no, I’ve self-restraint and purchase solely the issues I like.
The Relaxation Of It
Every other costly hobbies or passions? I do have a ardour for jewellery and personal a group value over $200K as effectively. I’ve been gifted a majority of those items by my husband beginning in 1998, so I’ve been amassing for some time, however the subsequent piece I wish to add to my assortment is one thing from Cartier, in all probability a bracelet. I’m a bracelet fan, and personal items from: Philippe Charriol, David Yurman, Hermes, Jacob & Co., Tiffany in addition to some custom-made items from a jeweler we love in NYC.
Anything you wish to embody? There’s a cause why so many people are on this discussion board sharing our love of purses, and that’s as a result of a variety of our family and friends simply don’t get it. And that’s okay. There are far worse passions to have. So I encourage you to purchase what you like and may afford, put them on show, carry them usually (even to the grocery retailer:) and be sure you re-home them when they’re not working for you. Additionally, take footage along with your baggage. I purchased a Gucci bag from Paris on a highschool journey which was stolen from me in faculty. I don’t have any footage, and I want I did as a result of the bag was related to a gorgeous reminiscence for me.
