In today’s installment of closet Confessionals, we meet a reformed shopaholic who admits to being a “work in progress” (aren’t we all?!). CC 137 hails from LA, and has been collecting bags since college. The purchase of her first coach bag kicked off her collection, and some years later, the purchase of another coach bag impacted her collection too. With one red bucket bag, CC 137 realized how much more fun it is to buy what you love rather than what is practical.
This confessor also discusses how her habits changed over the years, and through hard work and self-reflection, she’s worked hard to address some of her addictive patterns. COVID has helped this collector too, who is now focused on streamlining her collection with a strict one-in-one-out policy. read the full CC now, and don’t forget to submit your own.
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Det grunnleggende
Age: 53
Gender Identity: Female
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Occupation: university English Professor
Industry: Education
Salary: 86,000
Household Income: $210,000
The Bags
Are you a PurseForum member? Ja
How many bags do you own? 27
What bags are in your collection? Coach, Longchamp, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Aspinal of London, Alexander McQueen, Prada, Ferragamo, Tory Burch, Mulberry
How much is your collection worth? Geez, that’s a good question. Jeg er ikke sikker.
What is your most expensive bag? lady Dior
What are the most important brands or pieces in your collection? Dior is now my favorite brand. I bought a pre-loved lady Dior art bag and it is beautiful. I have a Vuitton Neverfull world tour that has special patches from the places I’ve visited.
What age did you get your first designer bag, and what was it? I got my first designer bag when I was 26. It was a coach drawstring bag. I wanted a coach bag from the time I was in college and a classmate got one from her mom.
Is there a specific bag you are looking to purchase next? I don’t know why, but I want a silver leather bag. I know they were the rage a few years back, so I’m looking at pre-loved Chanel or Dior.
Any particular bag that holds a special sentimental value? I have a twenty-two year old red coach bucket bag. It is pretty banged up and really heavy, but I refuse to get rid of it. It was the first bag that I bought that wasn’t a “go with everything” bag. I just loved the rich red color. since then I buy bags that I love not something “traditional”
Do you feel like your bags change people’s perceptions of you or how you’re treated? Ja, det gjør jeg. When I was in grad school, I carried a Chanel Flap to class and one person noticed it and commented out loud. The person wasn’t being rude or anything. If anything they were complimentary, but I was self-conscious. It made the class realize I wasn’t like them. I was older than all of them and this made me stand out more
Have your bag-carrying habits changed since Covid? I work from home now, so I downsized my collection
Shoppingen
How typically do you buy new bags? I used to buy bags a lot, like a lot a lot. However, I’m being more mindful with my purchases.
Has the Coronavirus pandemic changed your shopping habits or overall attitude towards luxury? I shop more online or through sales associates via email.
Which stores do you frequent the most? Dior, Louis Vuitton and Neiman Marcus
Do you ever buy second-hand bags? Where do you buy used? Ja, det gjør jeg. I like Fashionphile, and Yoogi’s closet.
Do you sell old bags to pay for new purchases? I didn’t in the past but with Covid, I’ve had a change of habit. now I have a strict one in one out policy and I want to keep my collection at about 30 bags. I used to have a collection as large as 100+ and I realized that was ridiculous. I’ve sold bags to Fashionphile and TheRealReal. I prefer Fashionphile for luxury.
Do you ever feel societal pressure to purchase more bags? No. pressure comes from me, and me alone. I love bags.
Do you consider your bag purchases investments? Oh gawd no!! It is an investment in my happiness and that’s it.
Who influences your buying decisions? I watch YouTubers or influencers, but I usually see a bag on social media or in magazines, and then use the youtube community to see specifics about the bag.
Are sales associate relationships instrumental to your shopping? Ikke egentlig. I just started developing SA relationships because of lockdown. I found a wonderful SA at Bergdorf Goodman, from the PurseForum btw, and I had a wonderful experience. I realized the ease with which you can acquire bags and the special touch a SA can provide.
Why do you enjoy shopping, beyond just acquiring something new? Pre-Covid I loved to touch things and talking to sales staff. It was a social activity for me, in addition to getting something new. Now, shopping isn’t as enjoyable. I buy bags that suit my needs. I am a total shopaholic, but I am working on changing that.
Have you ever felt like you received inferior service at a store or boutique duE til utseendet ditt, etnisitet eller kjønn? Jeg var på Chanel -butikken i Beverly Hills. Jeg ble helt blåst av, ved mer enn én anledning. Jeg gikk inn og prøvde å få en SAs oppmerksomhet, og de så utover meg for andre kunder. En annen gang gikk søsteren min og jeg inn i samme butikk, og den var ikke engang overfylt, og ingen erkjente engang vår tilstedeværelse. Det morsomme er at vi dro til Hermès og at de var så nydelige og hjelpsomme. Disse opplevelsene setter meg virkelig av Chanel. Jeg elsker Chanel -sko, men jeg får dem i Nordstrom eller en annen butikk. Og da jeg fikk en pose var det fra andrehåndsmarkedet.
Pengene
Hvem betaler for posene dine? Meg.
Setter du av et budsjett for posekjøpene dine? Nei.
Tabuemnene
Har du noen gang kjøpt en forfalskning fordi du ikke hadde råd til en designerartikkel? Ja, jeg ville ha en lv sååå dårlig, og jeg fikk en alma. Det så ut og luktet ut som den virkelige tingen, men etter hvert visste jeg at det var falskt selv om ingen andre gjorde det, og jeg sluttet å bruke den. Jeg lot barna mine få det til å banke rundt med.
Skjul du noen gang kjøp fra din betydningsfulle annen? Jeg pleide å gjøre dette da jeg var yngre. Jeg følte meg bare skyldig for å ha brukt penger på meg selv. Jeg har siden endret det perspektivet. Jeg snakker med ektefellen min om hva jeg vil kjøpe. Og jeg fortalte ham min i en utpolitikk.
Hva er det sprøeste du har gjort for å ha råd til en pose? Solgte en haug med midtområdet vesker for å få en Dior.
Tror du shoppingene dine noen gang er et problem? Har du noen gang følt at du slet med en shoppingavhengighet? Mitt ord, ja! Jeg hadde et alvorlig problem med shopping, men ikke bare for vesker, men for alt. Du nevner det, jeg kjøpte den … bøker, sminke (jeg har ikke engang mye), sko, klær osv. Jeg lærte gjennom terapi og selvrefleksjon at jeg prøvde å fylle et tomrom. Når jeg kjente igjen dette, begynte jeg å endre meg. Som jeg sa før, jeg er et arbeid som pågår, og jeg har gjort noen gode fremskritt.
Resten av det
Any other expensive hobbies or passions? handbags are my weakness. everything else is done within reason.
Anything else you would like to include? Don’t listen to people telling you that luxury handbags are investments, as in a monetary return. They can be investments in your wardrobe because the will last a lot longer and probably can be used for (with careful shopping), multiple purposes, but they are generally not money earners. buy what you love, not what you think you should get. I watched a lot of YouTube during the beginning of the pandemic and I kept hearing about investment purchases, until I started to have that little thought creep into my brain when I was thinking about buying something. The reality is unless it is a rare Hermès B or K. You will not make money.