In the most true to words treat-yo-self moments, I decided about a month ago that I would invest in a designer bag. I am probably one of the last people on the planet to buy designer, after all, it's usually way over my budget and something that I don't want to invest in. Me being me, I'm also bad at making decisions - how am I supposed to choose one bag to spend hundreds of dollars on?
Decluttering my life has been a long time coming. I've always been a bit of a hoarder, holding on to anything that could possibly be sentimental and remotely usable in the future. But having a lot that quickly falls out of style is not necessarily better than classic pieces that can be styled in many ways. In fact, I think more creativity comes from having less and doing more. So I decided I wanted something timeless and close to my heart.
I decided that since I did well academically this past semester and got a (finally) paid internship, I deserve this! After all, part of the reason I got this internship was talking about Kate Spade during the interview, who has always been one of my favorite designers - by that, I mean I always admired her aesthetic and brand from afar and never bought anything.
But me being me, I would never want to pay full price, especially for something so expensive. Spending so much money on one thing is so painful and wasteful to me, no matter what the quality. My mom and I took a trip to a nearby outlet mall, where we found deals galore ($10 bras! $7 shirts! Outlet malls = bargain heaven).
My mom knew I wanted to look for a purse, so we went to Kate Spade, Michael Kors and Coach to check out the deals. Nearly all of which were the same, 70% off and way too fancy for me. I found a very neutral bag first stop at Kate Spade, and put it on hold, immediately wishing it was back on my shoulder as I handed it to the woman behind the counter.
At the other two stores, I tried on many bags for size and style, and nothing seemed right. With each passing bag, something seemed off and didn't quite fit my style. To be perfectly frank, nothing "luxury" or "designer" seemed to fit into my idea of something I could wear, and I found myself back in Kate Spade.
I got the bag back and reminded myself why I fell in love. I had missed it, a weird feeling, but I looked down at the blush-tan exterior, the white sides and the sophisticated elegance that was exactly what I'd been looking for.
Especially since the brand embodies the playful, serious but unique career woman in New York, I felt a special kind of connection to it. It matched with anything, its design was timeless and the bag was the perfect size to fit everything you needed - nothing more.
The purse was originally $280, 70% off with an additional 20% off. This brought the bag down to $70, a true steal and a bargain for something so beautiful and so originally expensive.
I don't think my style is changing, but perhaps maturing from many, trendy, less expensive things to fewer, more expensive, better quality and timeless pieces. After all, this shift, though gradual, would make my wardrobe more sustainable and classic.
I've been donating a heavy portion of my wardrobe since last summer, but this has helped me realize that I don't need one of everything to be stylish - but you still don't have to spend all your money either.
Comments