First of all, Sthaaaap. I feel super lucky to even be considered for this feature. Thank you.
Such a great question, that I’ve been asked so many times in different moments of my collecting.
I started simply hoarding the ones I thought I liked – not knowing much about size, structure, or purpose. I saw a color I liked, I got it.
Which to an extent still drives my choice. The order to begin thinking about a bag and whether it is right for me is as follows:
- Identify the style and budget first: does it suit me and can I afford it (somehow?)
- Purpose: what will I wear this bag with, does it fit my collection, do I “need” it?
- Colour: shade is very crucial for me. I need something that matches most of the stuff I own, and goes with my skin tone and my hair.
- Size: I don’t do supermini or super big, but size can make a difference in the balance and shape of a bag and on you when worn. Try it before buying if you can!
- Leather: I prefer sturdy and caviar or Epsom, but I try to not let this drive the conversation totally. Some colors though, do look better in specific leather so be careful with that. Gold Togo and Gold Epsom: same color, very different look!
- Hardware (that has to go well with the specific shade). I don’t mind the hw, provided it goes well with the shade of the bag. Eg. Pink goes well with palladium, gold on gold for me works best, and so on.
But ultimately, make sure you choose something you love, not because of its value or resale potential but first do some research, see the item if you can, try it on and then once you cannot stop thinking about it for a month, get it.
