A lot of people believe in love at first sight—a pretty silly concept except when it comes to bags (and shoes). Okay, puppies, too.
Earlier this year I stumbled on a beautiful olive green bucket bag. It was so beautiful that I convinced my mom she needed it. I didn’t need it, of course, because I had purchased a nice hobo at the beginning of last summer (to replace a bag that I was finally relinquishing). So mom bought the bag, but my obsession didn’t end. If I couldn’t afford that one right now, maybe I should look elsewhere for a cheap, cute, fashionable bucket bag. It was at Barney’s where I saw the perfect bucket bag . . . a Balenciaga (something I may never be able to afford).
Leave it to my mom to come up with the idea for a bag swap. I don’t know if she was just getting tired of all the texts and links from me—not that she doesn’t have her own addiction when it comes to bags—but the idea quickly grew on me. She said she wasn’t using her bucket bag enough because she thought it was too youthful for her and I wasn’t using my hobo bag enough because I thought it was a little too adult for me, despite its stylish zipper detail.
This got me thinking about a recent conversation with a friend re: our never-ending search for the perfect bag. Are we ever truly satisfied enough with every bag we have to the extent that we say “Do I really need anymore bags?” Did I inherit this obsession from my mother, who owns one of the world’s MOST perfect bags (a coveted Birkin), which she got as a gift and she rarely uses, and still is in need of other bags?
I can think of so many occasions in my life where I had to either buy or borrow the perfect bag to match an outfit (weddings, proms, graduations, any event that has an invitation even if it’s via Facebook). As I read what I’m writing, I recognize how superficial this question is, but I also think about how, for a woman, the right bag is important. Think of all the things we have to put in there: cell phones, wallets, tampons, lipstick. Articles about celebrities are often filled with details about what they carry in their bags because it is really telling of a person – how high or low-maintenance they are, what’s important or unimportant to them. Then there’s the hassle of switching between bags! That’s where those smaller bags and pouches I can easily transfer from bag to bag come in handy. Doesn’t everyone do this?
Bags are so much more complicated than our boyfriends and husbands think they are. They’re about style, but they’re also about what we can take along with us in our everyday lives, and we want them to last a long time. They’re investments. They’re timeless. I joke with my mom about my “vintage” Prada—vintage because it was a hand-me-down from her (a present for her 50th birthday from my uncle). This one bag was perfect for her for a while, but no longer fits the mold. It sure as hell fits my mold (and I feel less bad about beating it up, since it’s already been broken in). While it was almost her trash, it became truly my treasure.
That’s another thing about bags – sometimes we need to see them through another’s eyes to truly appreciate them. Maybe in the end, we are always searching because we still haven’t found what’s perfect for us. We may think it’s ours but then we see it on someone else and realize they were meant to have it. How many girls can say they will one day own a Birkin?*
*Disclaimer: This is not meant to be a morbid thought because I know that my mom will want to see me with her Birkin one day—especially when she’s a little older and wanting to carry a lighter bag. If that’s the next bag I’m going to get from her, I don’t mind waiting awhile, because it WILL be perfect.
