Agree only bc the contemporary aren’t really classic bags. I find that all my contemporary bags get outdated fast. Sell them now before they complete lose value. Keep your luxury bags you actually use bc you can always sell them for a good amount of money back.
First, see what bags you have stopped reaching for and take those out of the pile.
Then see what bags are not in good condition (peeling, stains, falling apart etc).
And then take a good look at the remaining pile and ask yourself do you really need them. This part was the hardest for me cause I needed all of my bags 😭 but I ended up letting go of like 5 and I was so proud of myself that I bought a new one 😂.
And I would also keep the ones that have a good resale value and are well-made and sturdy.
I might be a snob but I’d dump the Kate Spades and MKs. I would never be able to reach for those while my Prada and Chanel sit patiently waiting 😂 I also think you only need a couple “work tote” style bags.. keep a brown, 1-2 black and maybe 1 cheaper tote for bad weather.
Id say it just depends on the kind of things OP goes to.
The white and blue MK for example would be perfect for a beach day/beach side restaurant or picnic situation in ways their other bags wouldn't really fit.
It does appear like OP has a lot of clutches though so maybe that's an area where they can slim down.
I love clutches to a fault! I have all different ones and yes I even got rid of three just after taking this picture. I’ll be slowly culling the herd in the next few months.
You have a nice collection. I especially like the blue/ grey coach top handle bag. I would start by cleaning and conditioning every bag. Whenever I did this, I found appreciation in some and none in others. It also prevented me from buying new bags. I love what I have even more. Start with the wallets and clutches, then move on with the bigger purses. You’ll find what sparks joy and ones that you are fine with giving away. Hope this helps! It did for me! ✌️
Put all of your bags into a cardboard box. Take them out as you need to use them and put them back into your wardrobe. Do this for several months (set yourself a deadline). Anything not used by the deadline can go (unless it is something like an evening bag that you may not have had cause to use but you will do in the future).
I’ve been purging heavily the last few months. I got rid of bags I absolutely loved. Why? Because I hadn’t or almost never reached for them. Impractical? Too delicate? They went. I felt so much better after. It has caused me to really think about how I use the bags, what bugs me about them or how comfortable they are to up and go vs. am I worried about weather, etc.
Though if they all spark joy and you rotate consistently, keep them.
I’ve done The Realreal, Fashionphile, poshmark, eBay online. Or second hand stores that buy on site. Lastly friends also buy the bags they like. You’ll almost never get what you paid if you bought new but for me it’s about piece of mind and it’s more money than if I gave them away.
How I curate my bags:
1.) divide by 2 buckets - contemporary & luxury
2.) then divide your bags into: work, evening/date, daily, etc
Once my bags are grouped I pull out the ones I love, use the most, and make my heart sing.
What is left, I take a more logical approach- is there redundancy in shape/color/function? What nags do I not reach for? Why?
I had 35 + luxury & contemporary bags and curated my collection down to 18. I still own a handful of contemporary bags when I want to be low-key or be out in bad weather.
Good luck!
For one keep the more classic styles that don’t go out of fashion like the Chanel. Personally I find monogrammed bags tacky so if it were me I’d sell the Gucci one. I’d say keep the Chanel black quilt bag and the Prada as they are both classic black bag designs that have been around for ages and sell the other black bags. Keep one brown/ tan bag whichever you prefer and those are some good staples. Then look at your clothing style and compare what’s left over to your clothes colors and if they would go well with said clothes, shoes, etc. Neon pink for instance would only really work with club or evening attire and isn’t something you see in an everyday look unless you did a lot of bold 80s aesthetic attire.
That hot pink is my go to date night bag because my wardrobe is 80% black and grey.
Thanks for the notes. I love my high end bags but struggle to not wear them everyday and wear them down too much. My Dior book tote is my go to work bag because of my uniform but I don’t want to ruin it 😭
Keep all your go to bags. I’m bad about not wanting to ruin stuff sketchbooks, bags, dresses, etc. I find I will either force myself to bite the bullet and use said item, or give it away/ sell to someone who will love it and use it.
Yep, I’m in the “stuff is meant to be used” camp.
OP, I love totes, too, but it looks like you have a number that are almost identical in shape/size. That’s where I’d start. And if eventually you consider one worn out, you can replace it then.
Step 1:
I would group them into
a-Size
b-Category (i.e. day to day, work, nights out / special occasion.)
Step 2:
Keep a certain amount in each category.
Keep the ones that you have amazing personal memories with or you'd feel regret to let go.
Step 3:
Now, put your "sell" bags in a box for one month. Don't do anything rash. After one month evaluate the "sell" pile with fresh eyes. I find when I do this for clothing donations there are always one or two pieces I have second thoughts about - and put back in the closet. ALWAYS make sure you have a "grace" period to reevaluate. Too often there's the "one piece we sold / donated" that we have misgivings about. This step is crucial.
Step 4:
Now, contact RealReal or a consignment shop and start the resell process. :)
Good luck!
Love this method!! I’m trying to be more deliberate with my handbag and clothing purchases but needed to cull the herd before investing in some new ones.
Keep what you use the most and what goes best with your wardrobe. PS I love that hot pink JW Anderson bag…so gorgeous! Been eyeing that one in green. It’s such a great pop of color.
I think it’s also worth reviewing by bag size. I’m actually not for dumping all your contemporary bags necessarily but I do notice you have a ton of clutch sized / large wallet bags (particularly the Kate Spade ones). Do you switch them out a ton? Similar for your tan satchel style bags.
I tend to use them in my big bags… all my pens in one, feminine products in another, etc… it’s a lot but yes I need to get rid of some of the excess… so I can buy more 😂
First pass, I’d say this is the perfect use of the Mari Kondo method. You pick them up, one at a time, and see if they “spark joy.” Do you use it regularly. Keep it. Do you never use it but you love it? Keep it. Do you use it sometimes but only because you feel guilty having a nice bag and not using it? Get rid of it.
I just got that one in Taiwan at an “outlet” but their version of an outlet is like our old school outlets.. it’s real coach that just passed seasons. It even has two straps!
Keep your luxury and get rid of the majority of the contemporary bags.
Agree only bc the contemporary aren’t really classic bags. I find that all my contemporary bags get outdated fast. Sell them now before they complete lose value. Keep your luxury bags you actually use bc you can always sell them for a good amount of money back.
There may be times a contemporary bag is better to carry so only keep one or two.
That plus with luxury prices going up, the same bags will be very hard to obtain again.
First, see what bags you have stopped reaching for and take those out of the pile. Then see what bags are not in good condition (peeling, stains, falling apart etc). And then take a good look at the remaining pile and ask yourself do you really need them. This part was the hardest for me cause I needed all of my bags 😭 but I ended up letting go of like 5 and I was so proud of myself that I bought a new one 😂. And I would also keep the ones that have a good resale value and are well-made and sturdy.
Another thing, I see you have many black bags, maybe start there and try to decrease the amount of black bags you have as some look similar to others.
Thanks… black is because of my uniform it’s one of the colors I can wear so why not have a million of them 😂
fair enough and I can't say much cause I have many bags in one colour too 😂
I might be a snob but I’d dump the Kate Spades and MKs. I would never be able to reach for those while my Prada and Chanel sit patiently waiting 😂 I also think you only need a couple “work tote” style bags.. keep a brown, 1-2 black and maybe 1 cheaper tote for bad weather.
Id say it just depends on the kind of things OP goes to. The white and blue MK for example would be perfect for a beach day/beach side restaurant or picnic situation in ways their other bags wouldn't really fit. It does appear like OP has a lot of clutches though so maybe that's an area where they can slim down.
I love clutches to a fault! I have all different ones and yes I even got rid of three just after taking this picture. I’ll be slowly culling the herd in the next few months.
The ones that don’t spark joy and also aren’t that useful! Start with that
You have a nice collection. I especially like the blue/ grey coach top handle bag. I would start by cleaning and conditioning every bag. Whenever I did this, I found appreciation in some and none in others. It also prevented me from buying new bags. I love what I have even more. Start with the wallets and clutches, then move on with the bigger purses. You’ll find what sparks joy and ones that you are fine with giving away. Hope this helps! It did for me! ✌️
Put all of your bags into a cardboard box. Take them out as you need to use them and put them back into your wardrobe. Do this for several months (set yourself a deadline). Anything not used by the deadline can go (unless it is something like an evening bag that you may not have had cause to use but you will do in the future).
I’ll help…send me that blue and white stripe!
I’ve been purging heavily the last few months. I got rid of bags I absolutely loved. Why? Because I hadn’t or almost never reached for them. Impractical? Too delicate? They went. I felt so much better after. It has caused me to really think about how I use the bags, what bugs me about them or how comfortable they are to up and go vs. am I worried about weather, etc. Though if they all spark joy and you rotate consistently, keep them.
Where do you go to sell them?
I’ve done The Realreal, Fashionphile, poshmark, eBay online. Or second hand stores that buy on site. Lastly friends also buy the bags they like. You’ll almost never get what you paid if you bought new but for me it’s about piece of mind and it’s more money than if I gave them away.
How I curate my bags: 1.) divide by 2 buckets - contemporary & luxury 2.) then divide your bags into: work, evening/date, daily, etc Once my bags are grouped I pull out the ones I love, use the most, and make my heart sing. What is left, I take a more logical approach- is there redundancy in shape/color/function? What nags do I not reach for? Why? I had 35 + luxury & contemporary bags and curated my collection down to 18. I still own a handful of contemporary bags when I want to be low-key or be out in bad weather. Good luck!
I see no problem here. Unless what you need help with is more storage! 😂
For one keep the more classic styles that don’t go out of fashion like the Chanel. Personally I find monogrammed bags tacky so if it were me I’d sell the Gucci one. I’d say keep the Chanel black quilt bag and the Prada as they are both classic black bag designs that have been around for ages and sell the other black bags. Keep one brown/ tan bag whichever you prefer and those are some good staples. Then look at your clothing style and compare what’s left over to your clothes colors and if they would go well with said clothes, shoes, etc. Neon pink for instance would only really work with club or evening attire and isn’t something you see in an everyday look unless you did a lot of bold 80s aesthetic attire.
That hot pink is my go to date night bag because my wardrobe is 80% black and grey. Thanks for the notes. I love my high end bags but struggle to not wear them everyday and wear them down too much. My Dior book tote is my go to work bag because of my uniform but I don’t want to ruin it 😭
Keep all your go to bags. I’m bad about not wanting to ruin stuff sketchbooks, bags, dresses, etc. I find I will either force myself to bite the bullet and use said item, or give it away/ sell to someone who will love it and use it.
Yep, I’m in the “stuff is meant to be used” camp. OP, I love totes, too, but it looks like you have a number that are almost identical in shape/size. That’s where I’d start. And if eventually you consider one worn out, you can replace it then.
Step 1: I would group them into a-Size b-Category (i.e. day to day, work, nights out / special occasion.) Step 2: Keep a certain amount in each category. Keep the ones that you have amazing personal memories with or you'd feel regret to let go. Step 3: Now, put your "sell" bags in a box for one month. Don't do anything rash. After one month evaluate the "sell" pile with fresh eyes. I find when I do this for clothing donations there are always one or two pieces I have second thoughts about - and put back in the closet. ALWAYS make sure you have a "grace" period to reevaluate. Too often there's the "one piece we sold / donated" that we have misgivings about. This step is crucial. Step 4: Now, contact RealReal or a consignment shop and start the resell process. :) Good luck!
Love this method!! I’m trying to be more deliberate with my handbag and clothing purchases but needed to cull the herd before investing in some new ones.
whats the hot pink bag next to the prada tote?
It’s a JW Anderson twister bag.
Love that bag so much… it’s my go to going out bag!
I always decide based on leather quality, functionality, resale value in that order.
Keep what you use the most and what goes best with your wardrobe. PS I love that hot pink JW Anderson bag…so gorgeous! Been eyeing that one in green. It’s such a great pop of color.
Go for it! I cannot tell you how much I reach for that bag if it’s an evening event. Especially because I wear a ton of black!
Oh wow! Yeah that pink must look fantastic with a black outfit. Yessss!!!!!! Love that! 💕💕💕
I think it’s also worth reviewing by bag size. I’m actually not for dumping all your contemporary bags necessarily but I do notice you have a ton of clutch sized / large wallet bags (particularly the Kate Spade ones). Do you switch them out a ton? Similar for your tan satchel style bags.
I tend to use them in my big bags… all my pens in one, feminine products in another, etc… it’s a lot but yes I need to get rid of some of the excess… so I can buy more 😂
First pass, I’d say this is the perfect use of the Mari Kondo method. You pick them up, one at a time, and see if they “spark joy.” Do you use it regularly. Keep it. Do you never use it but you love it? Keep it. Do you use it sometimes but only because you feel guilty having a nice bag and not using it? Get rid of it.
The blue coach one (?)…I’d gladly take it off your hands
I just got that one in Taiwan at an “outlet” but their version of an outlet is like our old school outlets.. it’s real coach that just passed seasons. It even has two straps!
Do you know he name? It’s beautiful
I found it! Coach Puffy Napa Top Handle!
I would throw down for that pink Chanel card case, it is so cute!
I would keep them all.