Investment Bags

I’m not really a bag lover.  In fact, I almost resent them.  I hate having to carry things.  In my twenties, I refused to carry a bag; I just got by with pockets.  Going out in the evening if I didn’t have any, I’d say to my friend or boyfriend, “Oh!  Can I ask you to put this lipstick in your jacket, please?  Thanks!  Oh, and some cash.  I’ll carry my card in my bra.  And I’m having my monthly, so can you carry this tampon too, just in case? Sorry!  And this little mirror, I promise that’s all…”  I love shoes, I love jewellery, and I love coats… I can never seem to get enough of those, but bags rarely make my heart race.  I like them and I can certainly appreciate why other people are bag crazy, but I still don’t love them.  The exception is the one above, the Hermes Medor clutch, which unfortunately has been discontinued for quite some time.  I’ve wanted one for years.  Every now and then, I’d see or hear of one at an Hermes shop in an airport somewhere, but it was always in lime green ostrich leather or some other colour I’d rather not have.  We asked several times in the flagship Hermes store in Paris if they could make an exception and order one for me, but the answer always eventually came back ‘No, this bag is discontinued.’  Even the most helpful and optimistic salespeople couldn’t seem to make it happen.  I gave up.  I wasn’t keen to get one on the secondary market because the prices are so marked up (because of being discontinued) and they aren’t always in pristine condition.   Then, as if by magic (black magic!) my husband managed to get a brand new one in black with gold hardware, and surprised shocked me with it for our six year anniversary last week.  I know!  I was totally over the moon; it is exactly what I wanted.  I love it with silver hardware too, but I slightly preferred the gold for evening; it seems a little more special.

I wear the Hermes Collier de Chien cuff bracelets almost daily; they are a part of my signature style whether I wear them with a cocktail dress or jeans.  To me, they are the perfect combination of  badass toughness and elegance… something a modern day Wonder Woman or an Amazonian would wear for power and protection (heaven knows I need a lot of both)!  The Medor clutch is the same style, so that’s why I’ve lusted after one for so long.  It feels more like jewellery than a bag.  Yes, wearing them both together is super matchy matchy, and maybe a little naff as well.  I don’t care.  To quote my idol Iris Apfel, ‘More is more and less is a bore’.

Anyway, back to bags… Despite being a lover of fashion and style, the reason I’m not as excited about bags as most women are is because I don’t see the point of having more than just a few.  Also, I’m lazy.  Let me explain.  Lots of bags have logo prints on them, and I’m slightly allergic to prints and pattern; I tire of them quickly (I’m the same with wallpaper.  I love it, but then two months later, I want to change it).   My print allergy rules out all of the printed logo bags (Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Goyard, etc) which is convenient.   They’re beautiful, but not for me.   Also, I’m too lazy to change bags frequently, so other than slipping a few things into a bag for evening, I carry the same one for weeks or months at a time.   I need a solid coloured one that can go with anything, and not compete with whatever outfit I’m wearing.  I wear a lot of black, so a black daytime bag is a must, and a black Birkin is what I carry most days.  It goes with EVERYTHING and it carries all of my stuff, including a 1.5 litre water bottle and a shitload of toddler snacks when I’m travelling, thanks to its expanding sides with the straps undone.

Sometimes, usually in summer, the black bag seems a little dreary and heavy, and for that I have a mushroomy taupe one.  It seems to go with pretty much anything that the black one doesn’t work with.

I’ve had both the black and the taupe bags for six or seven years and they still look new, despite daily use.  I made sure to get them made in the Hermes ‘Togo’ leather because it is really tough and never shows any scratches like some of the more fragile shiny leathers do. I genuinely consider these bags an investment, because they don’t ever date and their hand-crafted workmanship is the best in the world.  They’re classics in the best possible way.  They aren’t fashionable and of-the-moment in the way that this gorgeous rainbow-fringed Chloe bag is.  That’s ok though, I’ve made peace with the fact that I am not a bag lady.  I am a lady of many words, many shoes, and many sparkles, but few bags!

What about you?  Are you bag crazy, like so many of my friends are, or you in my camp?

Linking up this week to: notdeadyetstyle, stylenundge, fizzandfrosting, thewardrobestylist, notdressedaslamb, elegantlydressedandstylish, sydneyfashionhunter, honestmum, fashionshouldbefun, highlatitudestyle