How is everyone doing? Checking in on those participating in No Buy January. I really need to stay away from malls in general because I went into Coach to check out some bags in person and ended up adding a bunch of things to my wish list. 😅 I'm never going to learn, am I? If you haven't seen Coach's Western Tabby, it has some of the nicest leather I've ever seen on a Coach bag. And I also found out that Coach uses some high quality zippers! I am shocked and super impressed. With that, we have today's post - my top 5 most used bags in 2024. The photo above should give a hint! I do have a Wear Tracker app on my phone. Every time I use a bag, I log it into the app. It's really easy to set up and use and it's very interesting to see which bags I gravitate towards and which ones get barely used. My handbag collection is quite large. I'm not sure if I have ever shared the number with you guys, but it's around 50 give or take. I'm somewhat embarrassed by the number of bags I have, because who needs 50 bags? That said, I have been collecting for nearly 22 years. I do re-home bags quite frequently so my collection is always changing. Just to share a little bit more background, I have to go to the office 4 days a week, which means a few of my most used bags are my "work bags". Let's do this!
I also posted a video on my YouTube channel showing the bags up close along with some commentary. I even go into cost per wear and if that's something you might be interested in, check it out.
My top 4th and 5th most used bags are tied at 16 times each. I used my Balenciaga Work mainly when I needed a large bag to carry a bunch of things to the office and I wanted to keep it as lightweight as possible. This bag is also pretty old and the leather is super wrinkly, but that's part of the charm! For nearly 20 years old, it's in very good shape.
I bought The Row Slouchy Banana bag back in September. This is the large size and I'm surprised that I already used it 16 times. I love the leather and how comfortable it is to carry as a crossbody bag. I already know this bag will likely make it into 2025 most carried list, unless of course something new and better comes along, but I highly doubt it. This bag is perfection.
Coming in at number 3 - The Row Margaux. I literally stalked this bag everyday for a month hoping to snag one from their website. My efforts paid off with this gorgeous Margaux 12 in New Burgundy. I used this bag 18 times since I got it. This is another bag I used for the office on days when I didn't have to carry too much. The leather on this bag is to die for! I can't wait to see how this bag looks in a few years. This is one of those bags that will look better with wear.
Number 2 goes to Lululemon's Mini Tote! I used this bag 20 times this year. I love this bag and used it during the summer months. It literally goes with anything and can be used as a top handle or crossbody. It's a great little bag and Mojave Tan is such a pretty neutral. Highly recommend getting one of these totes. Mine still looks like new.
My number 1 bag of 2024 goes to Louis Vuitton Keepall 25 in denim. I used this bag a whopping 61 times! Which is a lot considering how many bags I have. This was my everyday bag for three seasons. The denim makes this a very casual bag and I paired it with my hoodies and joggers. It's also very lightweight and the guitar strap is the best strap in my opinion. It's removable and I ended up using it on a lot of my other bags. Another advantage of denim, you don't have to worry about rain. Of course you don't want to be stuck in a downpour, but a drizzle? No problem.
Since my top 4th and 5th were tied, I do have two runner up bags that should get a mention. I used my Coach Empire 40 and my Louis Vuitton Speedy 25 also in denim, 12 times each.
What can I say, I do love my Speedy bags. I don't know when it started but lately I'm really digging denim bags. They're just so lightweight, and easy to wear. I like to carry this bag with the Louis Vuitton guitar strap.
And last but not least, Coach really hit it out of the ballpark this year with their Empire 40. Coach always makes high quality bags for the price point and I am super impressed with the Empire 40 so far. It's also another work horse that carries a lot but is also soft and squishy but structured at the same time. I don't think I have a bag like this one in my collection. Plus the Merlot color is perfect for fall. I do think this bag will look better with wear. Can't wait to see how this one looks in a few years. That said, I have a great video comparing this bag with The Row Margaux.
What do you think of my top most used bags? I am planning on another post showing what I wear with my bags, but it's really mainly hoodies and jeans/joggers and some sweaters. Someone mentioned they wanted to see my outfits with the bags. If you're still interested, it's in the works.
That's it for me today. Hope you all have a fantastic Monday!
I'd be interested in seeing some outfit posts with your bags - maybe work vs play looks with the same bag?
ReplyDeleteThat's a good idea to do a wear log with your bags. It helps you decide which ones are absolute keepers vs which ones could be rehomed. I should do that with my shoes and jackets.....I have an embarrassingly large collection of both.
Hi Lola! That's a good idea too. I'll consider that!
DeleteYou can totally do it for shoes and jackets. The app I use has categories. You can upload a photo of the item and add the price if you know it. It's called WearTracker app.
I have a lot of purses too, but most of mine are Coach and Kate Spade. I have a few Mulberry purses, one LV, a PS1 bag, and now my Loewe puzzle bag. I love purses too!
ReplyDeleteHi Julie! Ohhh I used to have a couple of Mulberry bags. They have amazing leather. I do have a decent number of Coach bags in my collection. The Rogues used to be my favorites. I still have two in my collection. I don't use them as much as I used to. I love the Puzzle bag! It's been on my radar for years now. Maybe one day!
DeleteI’m such a sucker for keeping stats, but never thought about tracking my purchases, seems interesting. Watching the cost per wear go down must be oddly satisfying and justifies everything!
ReplyDeleteHi AC! It is satisfying to watch, but it also makes me cringe at my more expensive items. LOL.
DeleteI feel you on going to the mall. At least, it's just your wish list that grew! My daughter was heading back to college and needed to get a few things, so I took her to the mall and a few other shops over the weekend..... I broke my no buy already! I didn't check back to your blog yesterday out of shame, lol! I decided to hit reset and start fresh this week. No more mall visits for me.
ReplyDeleteHi! But you have share what you broke your ban for! So far I haven't broke mine, but my wish list is growing by the day lol. Just stay strong for the rest of the month!
DeleteA pair of purple Allbirds (old stock, on sale at least) and Lulu's passionate color took me down-- Hotty Hots, scuba pullover and sweetheart bra. I've been looking for that exact shade of pink from Lulu for years. I couldn't resist. I'm sure a lot of it will go on sale though, so I have a few pieces on my wishlist now. And since I got a few pieces in it, I'm feeling almost no FOMO for the wishlist pieces, which could mean that I don't really want them. We'll see if I still want/have to have more items in that color once we get to February. I've really been good since that little spree though!
DeleteAhh I love purple so I get it! BTW if you haven't already used my code PETITEIMPACT for 15% off, it is a one time use per account but it should work at checkout when you're in stores too. Just give them the code and they enter it in.
DeleteAh, Passionate it too much for me but it is a very eye catching color. Maybe the one item will get it out of your system. Only 21 more days to go? We can do this!