There is something about watching the sunset at the beach that just hits different. You can see all the colors and stages from every possible angle. There are no obstructions. So, on a recent trip to SoCal, we stopped at Seal Beach to watch the sunset as well as check out the Strawberry Moon.
I wish I had my real camera with me. These photos were taken with my iPhone and do not do the sunset, nor the Strawberry Moon, justice. They were both beautiful and the colors were outstanding.
The older I get, I realize how beautiful nature is, and sometimes I feel like I have missed out during my lifetime at just stopping and admiring it. My life has always been full speed ahead and stopping to “smell the flowers,” as the saying goes, is really something I wish I had listened to early on. I am thankful for my daughter who loves the beach and watching the sunset. She has pulled me away from work and made me appreciate the beauty around us.
Slowing down and watching the sunset is something I need to do more of. It is something we all need to do more of. What do you feel like you need to do more of in your life?
Have you noticed a backlash on social media as well as the streets against spending a ton of money on a so-called luxury handbag? The current trend is to steer clear of logo embellished handbags, as well as handbag styles which are over-saturated. There are some handbags out there which are too recognizable and have been over produced lately. Those seeking luxury handbags have started to steer towards high quality and thoughtful handbag brands and styles. Gone are the days of the so-called “status” bag, which right now, looks tacky. The chic handbag look is high quality, quiet branding, and feeling like you scored a beautiful investment bag that didn’t break the bank.
While we have been talking about the anonymous handbag here at Bay Area Fashionista over the past several seasons, there is more to this discussion than just a mere street style trend. It goes deeper than a trend. The anonymous handbag is intertwined with what consumers deem to be luxurious in both perception and reality.
There are so many brands in the world which have superior advertising and marketing strategies. They have made us believe through imagery, celebrity and tastemaker endorsements, lifestyle images, and more that luxury is something which can be bought. I assure you; luxury cannot be bought.
Let’s take designer handbags for instance, since “handbags” is a favorite topic of mine. Many “IT” bags can be thousands of dollars while many mid-market brand handbags are in the hundreds. Is there a difference in quality? Well, funny you ask. . .
If you asked me fifteen to twenty years ago if price equaled quality I would have jumped up and said yes! Now, so-called luxury items from designer brands have increased production and cut costs resulting in lower quality products at higher prices. I don’t want to name names, but I will say there is a designer I used to purchase bags from multiple times per year about twenty years ago. Once their bags hit $3000 I stopped buying them. It seemed like I had enough bags and knowing the same bag had been under $2000 just a few years prior to the price hikes, I couldn’t justify the new, higher prices. I dodged a bullet there! That same designer brand now charges $6000-$10,000 for the same bag I purchased for under $2000 fifteen to twenty years ago. In addition, the quality has gone down and my bags are better made than the new ones.
Now, in the past few years, I have found mid-market brands are making better quality bags than so-called “IT” designer brands. Coach, for example, is still killing it with high quality bags. I have also fallen in love with Toteme, Mansur Gavriel, Mulberry, and more. In fact, Mulberry is higher quality than any other designer bag I have experience with.
There are designer bags priced in the high thousands, as well as in the five figures, which don’t hold a candle to Mulberry’s quality. I found Mulberry bags to be the ultimate investment and they offer a feeling of luxury no other designer offers me. Love that!
Here are a few of my favorite high-quality handbags which won’t break the bank:
I have always looked at purchases as investments, not status symbols. Finding better quality at lower prices is the most luxurious thing for my bank account, and me! What do you think about price and luxury? Do they go hand in hand or are they two separate entities?
What is being sustainable when it comes to fashion? It is a popular buzzword we hear often when people talk about manufacturing, farming, energy production, etc. While it has a lot to do with the production of goods and services, it is also related to how we, as consumers, actually consume.
Think about things you have purchased in the past, which ended up hanging in your closet unworn. Have you ever pulled something from the back of your closet only to find the tags still hanging on it? Yeah, we have all been there. There is no shame in making a mistake with a purchase, we are human, and have items in our closets we only wear once, if at all. This can be helped.
Back in the 1990s I used to buy something because I loved it, but I didn’t really think about where and when I would wear that item. So, you know the story. Said item would hang, unworn, in my closet. I had to put a stop to my habit. I worked really hard to not only think about where and when I would wear something before buying it, but how long would that item last? Was it good quality? Would it last past one season? Was the style timeless? If it was overly trendy, I would put it back on the shelf. I found myself saving a lot of money, and I created a much smaller wardrobe which was more sustainable over time. That is the ultimate goal.
When internet shopping entered the chat, I was thrilled! It really is an easy way to curb spending and really think about something before purchasing it. I always put something I want in my shopping cart and then walk away from my computer. If I still want it the next day, and can justify the purchase, then great! If not, I delete it. I have found nine times out of ten, I delete what was sitting in my cart. Love that! In the 1990s, those items would have come home with me, and very rarely would they have been returned.
In addition to being careful when shopping, a sustainable closet also contains clothing and accessories which can be used over and over again. It is important to buy things which transcend trends and can be re-integrated into one’s wardrobe every season. This is why it is important to shop your closet every season before buying new items. You might find the color of the year or the perfect top from two years ago to update your jeans.
Of course, not everything we buy will be a timeless hit! Sometimes an item seems like it will integrate perfectly into our wardrobes, and other times it’s a bomb. This is when we need to sell or donate the items so that they can have a new life and make another Fashionista happy. Unless an item is heavily damaged and beyond repair, it should not be thrown in the garbage. We don’t need to fill our landfills with our old clothing and accessories. If it can be worn again, it should go to new a home, if it can be upcycled, it should go to someone who upcycles and creates new items. This is being sustainable in reference to our wardrobes.
I am going to start an exercise in being sustainable here on the blog. If I am a consumer for anything, it is handbags! I am quick to admit, I own too many. My justification is that I have two daughters and my handbags will go to them when they are older. That being said, I do sell the bags I no longer wear, so they do find a new home and life after me.
For this exercise in being sustainable, I am going to change how I post about my handbag capsule. Instead of featuring my newest bags in a seasonal capsule, I am going to start featuring my bags on rotation each month and include one from the archives. Instead of a five-year-old handbag sitting in my closet, I am going to pull out an unused bag and put it into rotation each month to show how investments are supposed to be used! haha I need to use my investments! I challenge you to do the same. Pull out a different bag each month and integrate it into your wardrobe each month. Let’s work on being more sustainable together.
Thanks for stopping by, and when we all shop for fall, take inventory of your closet first, then make a list, and lastly, shop for what you need. We can all build a timeless and sustainable wardrobe together.
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