BOY OH BOY HAS THIS POST BEEN A LONG TIME COMING.
There’s so many of you who have asked about my thoughts on luxury handbags.
I have thoughts- many thoughts.
Let’s back up a min though.
I’ll never forget the first handbag I bought myself…
I so enjoyed speeding down the highway blasting Avril Levigne headed to the mall ( that’s right guys! No online shopping back in dinosaur days ) imagining how my first handbag purchase would look. Sophmore year had just started & I couldn’t wait to rock a high-end bag. Immediately upon arriving to the mall I grabbed a Hot Dog on Stick, because first things first. And then I headed to Coach- hot dog in hand, duh! I picked the smallest handbag they had because let’s be real, my job at Abercrombie & Fitch Kids wasn’t paying too well…& off I went, carrying my handbag ( & hot dog ) so proud of my first luxury purchase.
…It was covered in logos- like covered, but I was happy as a clam.
Cue to today…I’m now a pickier B when it comes to handbags.
Here’s the thing I’m not going to pay a 20342304 dollars for purse that is not just right. It has to speak to me in all the right ways, you know. Not too many logos. Ideal spacing. Maybe a pop of originality like a good button but still classic at the same time. Something you can carry everyday too please.
You guys get it, I need to be able to commit to it.
If I sound wildly critical, it’s because I am- BECAUSE luxury handbags are a real investment.
SO what’s my advice? Well it’s rather simple, actually…The secret’s out: pre-owned bags are key.
That’s right guys. SO MANY PEOPLE ARE NOW IN THE RESELL BAG CLUB.
BECAUSE we can’t be spending all our money on handbags when there’s too many other essentials ( my hair, for one…& I love my twice monthly brow tint…oh, and spray tans…& OH- of course, MY BUSINESS ). YES, my business is what I prefer to spend my money on, not the blogger handbag of the month.
You should know, when I heard about Trendlee I KNEW IN MY GUT that it was the PERFECT site to feature on The Skinny Confidential. So many of you guys work your asses off but still love a good handbag. Have your cake & eat it too! My kinda girls!
Basically Trendlee relies on the longevity of high-end handbags to resell bags for a discounted price. They have everything from Hermes to Chloe to Celine ( a fav ) to even Gucci, Chanel, Saint Laurent ( a REAL fav ), Tom Ford, Louis Vuitton- you get it.
Also do what I’m doing: I have three handbags to sell to TrendleeRebagg (Trendlee’s sister company where you can sell preowned items). After I sell them I’m going to take that money & put it back in one dreamy Trendlee bag ( been eyeing this one ).
Trendlee has it all figured out too: they guarantee authenticity AND offer payment plans for babes on a budget. I LOVE.
Oh, & this Chanel WOC I’m rocking in these pictures IS SOOOO CUTE it hurts. First things first: can we talk about the size. It’s so micro- which I love. I picture myself wearing this out with friends. In it I’ll have my phone, ID, credit card, & a red, blue-toned lipstick. Efficient. Micro is IN too. If it’s a crossbody, it’s a double win. Getting the bag was a BREEZE- it arrived to my door in PERFECT, shiny condition, ready to wear.
Some other luxury handbag tips for you:
- Overwhelmed? Go classic BUT not overly trendy. So here’s the thing- I hate overly trendy. My last handbag choice was actually a black, huge MEN’S HANDBAG. It’s unpredictable & something not a lot of girls have ( funny enough, Trendlee actually has the bag on their site too- in white AND black! ). Go for something different but keep it classic.
- I like to avoid too many logos. The less logos the better. Keep it simple. You can’t go wrong with nude, white, or black either. Right now I prefer really OVERSIZED or very MINI. You know I like things intense.
- If you’re going for flair do a metallic moment or a pop of spicy red. Also Kelly green is fun too…or apricot. I also like marigold. Baby blue is always chic with a kitten heel too…Oh shit, AHHHHH I can’t decide. Pretty much a pop of color can be festive. Just choose wisely because as I said, a luxury handbag is an investment.
- Be strategic- make sure the bag you’re choosing is something you will rock A LOT. Nothing worse than a high-end piece that you don’t wear. Shop online so you can see EVERYTHING as opposed to in-store where you’re only seeing half the inventory.
- Lastly!! USE IT. Take care of it with a good leather cleaner ( love this one ) but definitely use the bag. I display my favorite luxury bag on the vanity when I’m not using it. I just..like to look at it, you know? And I use it on the regular. BUT like I said, I take care of the bag. Every night I clean it out & give it a little TLC.
♡ | ♡ | ♡ | ♡ | ♡
And for all of you who have DM’d or e-mailed me about which handbag to get? I gotcha covered- I curated ( this took me a V. long time- LOL, like hours- wanted to make it PERFECT if you’re spending the money ) a luxury handbag selection of my personal favorites just for you. Pre-owned for the win!
If by chance you run into Michael please tell him I actually need the mini red Chanel or I’ll die. TYSM.
Off to read Jane Fonda’s autobiography ( a recommendation from one of you ) & drink some ginger tea.
Shop till you drop! x lauryn
SHOP THE POST: tee-shirt ( << get SIZE L ) | jeans | mini bag | hoops | booties ( sold out, similar )
+ this post is in collaboration with Trendlee. As always all opinions are my own.
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No. 2 is so important – you should be buying the bag for the BAG not the logo!
No. 5 are you missing a link here??
Anyhoo, lots of great tips here for any first purchase of a luxury bag xx
Thank you for the support! xx
SO Cute1 My senior year job was Abercrombie kids, too & I could barely afford the clothes with my discount alone so I had to keep babysitting aha!
http://www.taytayrose.com
I feel like we’ve all been there, hustling! xx
I don’t own a luxury bag however I’m planning to buy one in a few months for my 25 birthday as a treat yoself kind thing ;). I’ve always thought that I would buy new but used is a great idea as well 🙂
https://thedianaedition.com
Treat-yo-self a little everyday. xx
Such good advice for an investment purchase!
xo
krystal
http://www.krystalschlegel.com
Thanks for the support Krystal. xx
such good advice! I am so drooling over the Celine ones they have right now!
They are all sooo good. xx
That squatting photo has me shoooook! Love you and awesome advice like always.
Haha thanks Jen. xx
Luxury handbags are my weakness!!
BlondieInTheCity.com
Ugh same. xx
Oh my gosh, hot dog on a stick!!! This just made my day because it brought back so many memories (the good old days when I would actually eat a hot dog on a stick and not think twice). My first bag was a Dooney and Bourke and I thought I was just SO COOL.
Now I also stick to simple, classic, and big enough to haul all my teacher materials in it. This website is so helpful because usually those bigger designer bags cost a fortune! Thank you!
To be fair, it was cool back then. <3
A luxury bag is definitely investment! I think you have to be careful more so now than ever though, I read this page about “super fake” handbags that look identical to the real thing and it’s hard to tell if if they’re authentic or not. If buying a new or second hand one on ebay for a high price I think you have to make sure that it’s real.
This bag is so pretty, I wish I had a similar one
Awesome design you share on this blog. I am very impressed from this handbag design. Nice handbag. Great!
Pretty! an incredibly wonderful post.Thanks for supplying this info.
thanks
Very well written blog. I’ve been following theskinnyconfidential for a long time and it’s one of the best blogs out there on fashion & style.
Cheers!
BagsButler
<3
l.ove the glasses!
thank you 🙂
I agree with you on too many logos in the bag. Infact a higher end bag of a top brand will have minimal logo presence, sometimes you will be hardpressed to find it. As they say “less is more” , this is the hallmark of a luxury brand. Completely loved all the bags!
aw yay thank you so much !
Love your tiny bag! just so pretty!
thank you <3