CC 137: The Collector On a Streamlining Kick

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.

مشاركة اعترافك!

أساسيات

Age: 53
الهوية الجنسية: أنثى
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Occupation: university English Professor
Industry: Education
Salary: 86,000
Household Income: $210,000

الحقائب

هل أنت عضو محفوظ؟ نعم

How many bags do you own? 27

ما هي الحقائب الموجودة في مجموعتك؟ Coach, Longchamp, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Aspinal of London, Alexander McQueen, Prada, Ferragamo, Tory Burch, Mulberry

كم تبلغ قيمة مجموعتك؟ Geez, that’s a good question. لست متأكدا.

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.

في أي عمر حصلت على حقيبة المصمم الأولى ، وماذا كان؟ 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.

أي حقيبة معينة تحمل قيمة عاطفية خاصة؟ 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”

هل تشعر أن حقائبك تغير تصورات الناس عنك أو كيف تعاملت؟ أجل أقبل. 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

التسوق

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? أجل أقبل. 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? ليس صحيحا. 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 duه إلى مظهرك أو العرق أو الجنس؟ كنت في بوتيك شانيل في بيفرلي هيلز. كنت في مهب تمامًا ، في أكثر من مناسبة. دخلت وحاولت الحصول على انتباه SA ونظروا إلى أبعد من ذلك إلى عملاء آخرين. مرة أخرى ، ذهبت أنا وأختي إلى نفس البوتيك ولم تكن مزدحمة ولم يعترف أحد حتى وجودنا. الشيء المضحك هو أننا ذهبنا إلى هيرميس وكانوا جميلون ومفيدون للغاية. تلك التجارب تضعني حقًا من شانيل. أحب أحذية شانيل ، لكني أحضرها في Nordstrom أو متجر آخر. وعندما حصلت على حقيبة كان من سوق اليد المستعملة.

المال

من يدفع لحقائك؟ أنا.

هل تخصيص ميزانية لشراء حقيبتك؟ لا.

موضوعات المحرمات

هل سبق لك أن اشتريت مزيفًا لأنك لا تستطيع شراء عنصر مصمم؟ نعم ، أردت LV Sooooo سيئة وحصلت على جودة ألما. بدا الأمر ورائحة مثل الشيء الحقيقي ، لكنني علمت في النهاية أنه كان مزيفًا حتى لو لم يفعل أي شخص آخر وتوقفت عن ارتدائه. تركت أطفالي يتجولون معه.

هل سبق لك أن أخفي عمليات الشراء من الآخر المهمة؟ اعتدت أن أفعل هذا عندما كنت أصغر سنا. لقد شعرت بالذنب لإنفاق المال على نفسي. لقد غيرت هذا المنظور منذ ذلك الحين. أتحدث مع زوجتي حول ما أريد شراءه. وقلت له من سياسة واحدة في سياسة واحدة.

ما هو الشيء الأكثر جنونًا الذي قمت به لتحمل حقيبة؟ باعت مجموعة من أكياس متوسطة المدى للحصول على ديور.

هل تعتقد أن التسوق يمثل مشكلة؟ هل شعرت يومًا أنك تكافح مع إدمان التسوق؟ كلامي ، نعم! واجهت مشكلة خطيرة في التسوق ، ولكن ليس فقط لحقائب اليد ولكن لكل شيء. سمها ما شئت ، اشتريتها … كتب ، مكياج (لا أرتديها كثيرًا) ، الأحذية ، الملابس ، إلخ. بمجرد أن أدركت هذا ، بدأت في التغيير. كما قلت من قبل ، أنا عمل مستمر ، وقد أحرزت بعض التقدم الجيد.

ما تبقى منه

أي هوايات أو عواطف باهظة الثمن؟ 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.