You all were too sweet with your comments about my after retirement wardrobe blog post.
I'll be taking more selfies and sharing my outfits with you.
You also can continue to pray for me.
This is a tough season not because I'm retiring but for other circumstances.
I share things on my blog not to air dirty laundry. I always hope that something I go through can be a help to someone else.
Make sense?
Going gray is happening.
The Silver Sister club is in my future.
If it looks terrible, I can always re-color.
If you have been around a while, you may remember that I love handbags.
A few I've picked up retail. The rest were eBay or thrift store finds.
The red bag is vintage Coach. It is a classic hippie style from the 70s.
I think it is called the Studio.?. I could be wrong about this.
Notice that it doesn't have the signature toggle closure. I like that about it.
It's a super cute pop of color.
The next bag is my Speedy 25 in Damier Azur by Louis Vuitton.
This one came from the boutique after a long year of saving my pennies.
The strap didn't come with it. The strap turns it into a hands free shoulder bag.
The Speedy is iconic and this pattern makes it fun for summer.
My Michael Kors flip flops were a DSW find.
The Gucci mini crossbody bag has been in my collection for years. It was an eBay find.
It needed a good cleaning and a repair but it still has some life left in it.
Gucci is a classic brand that is popular again.
The next bag is the classic Petite Noe from Louis Vuitton.
The Noe was created in 1936 to carry Champagne bottles.
I've never carried Champagne or wine in mine and I've hit a new low if that ever happens.
The bottom had a terrible stain that lightened considerably after a good scrubbing.
The Chanel look-a-like shoes came from Nordstrom Rack.
This bag also comes in different types of materials.
This black Epi leather bag is about 30 years old and came from a Japanese seller.
It is in incredible condition for its age.
Polishing the grommets and a good cleaning was all that was required with this one.
The drawstring bucket bag is a classic style and its back in vogue again.
This bag is heavy which is the only draw back in my opinion.
This little green number is the Louis Vuitton Vernis Lexington Pochette.
Vernis is their patent leather line.
These are super affordable on eBay because some of the lighter colors have faded or discolored over time. This bag was originally blue but it has faded to this light green.
You all know how much I love green.
The final bag needs no introduction.
It is my very vintage Chanel flap.
I found this bag on eBay. It's from a Japanese seller and it is 30 years old.
The inside was trashed so I relined it with some red calico.
The original lining is still under the calico. At some point this should go to Chanel for a proper overhaul but that would be pricey.
I'm not going to lie, there were some butterflies when I went to pick this up at the post office.
Was it real?
eBay has buyer protection if it wasn't real.
As soon as I touched the lambskin and looked at the hardware I could tell that it was authentic.
Whew.
I only use this for special occasions but it is a darling.
It had been on my bucket list for decades.
If you are thinking about adding to your collection of handbags and would like some tips for shopping the pre-loved or second hand market this post might be helpful.
Keep in mind that I'm not afraid of doing some rehab in order to get the lowest price.
If that is not your thing, your price point will be higher or just buy new.
I do realize when I've done all the rehab that I can do and that it's time to call in the professionals.
I broke the zipper tab on my vintage Speedy 25. Since it had to be sent off to California for repair, I decided to have them replace all the leather on the bag. The handles, piping, tabs and chaps. It will be gone for 6 weeks but when it returns it will look like a brand new bag.
I won't discuss numbers. You can Google that.
This is a classic Speedy made in 1996.
Since I'm quitting my job, now is the time to get this done.
It should be back to me right around the end of school so I'll post pictures when it comes in.
Thanks for letting me divert my attention from all things decor and DIY.
We have had our first laundry day with our new washer and dryer.
I'll be back to post some thoughts about these machines.
Have a wonderful day!
Katie
P.S. Come back tomorrow for Monday Social.
