**RANT** Be Who You Are & Buy What You Like

As promised in my post about my Poshmark buys, here is my rant about "designer"/luxury goods...

I would change "life" to "fashion"

After I bought those Coach bags from Poshmark sellers, I was telling a neighbor about the site and how I love what I got there. I told her what I paid for the bags and she was so excited to take a look at the Poshmark site that we pulled it up right then and there. She went absolutely gaga over the Brahmin bags she has a liking for. Of course, she joined the site and will probably go broke when she sees that there are a lot of the Frye bags she also loves. Poshmark ought to be paying me for promoting the site!

A couple of days later, that neighbor came over to show me some of the stuff she has "hearted" and while we were looking, she asked to see the 2 bags I had been raving about. Her reaction to this absolute awesomeness -

My laptop fits beautifully in  the work bag

- was... bewilderment.

Basically, she was seeing all the other Coach bags listed on Poshmark and wondered why I chose such plain-looking ones. To be honest, when I see bags like this:

Or this:

- I'm not that impressed. And this next one is just... as Amy once sang: No, no, no.

But, seriously, to each his own. I can see how any of those bags could be attractive to someone. They aren't ugly, but just so loudly branded. You would surely get noticed for carrying it.

And maybe that is why a lot of people get those types of very visibly branded bags: they want or need someone to know they can afford a Coach - or Louis Vuitton or whatever else. And that's fine, I guess. We live in a society where we seem more concerned with appearing happy instead of just being happy. And I prefer not to be a walking, talking, unpaid billboard. Especially for something so pricey that I have to wait until it hits a flea market before I can (maybe) afford it.

Maybe I am just in one of my moods? I am so tired of people doing things and having things and wanting things for... not themselves?

Anyway, I explained to my neighbor why I'm so pleased with my "new bags". For one thing, I love carrying a purse that makes me feel like me: simply but well put together and okay with being simply and well put together. I'm not a dressy type of gal like I was in my youth. I like to be clean and comfortable. And I need a bag that lets me carry quite a bit of stuff in an organized way. I once spent half an hour panicking that I had lost my apartment key when it had just fallen to the bottom of my bag.

One of the reasons Coach bags are - or used to be - so desired is that they are so sturdy and well crafted. (My mother had a couple of really good purses back in the day that lasted for years and years until they got stolen lost when movers packed up our house once.)

I'm pretty sure that my neighbor loves her Brahmin bags because they are so well-made (they really are too - just not my style of a purse). I can tell that she loves the one she carries all the time. And I mean all the time.  I told her all this and she agreed. She said that she feels "matched" well to the bag. It's a beautiful bag that can be handed down a couple of generations. She still didn't seem to love my new bags but that's okay, she doesn't have to because I do.

We all probably have at least that one purse we love but that is tattered and falling apart (and guys probably have that special wallet). I have/had at least 3 well-loved purses in the past several years. Not all of them are well-made either. Along with a really cute cloth mini-bag, this is what I have been carrying for most of the past 3 years:

About $12 at Target (??) a few years back

I love that purse but, as you can see, it's warped on the bottom of one side. Nothing I did would smooth that out. I tried loading it with heavy stuff, hanging from a rail, and blowing a warm dryer over it. Still warped. The cloth mini-bag I had was a freebie included with some purchase I made about 5 years ago. It was small but hung nicely off the arm and I could stuff a lot of things in it. Unfortunately, the handle came loose from one side.

For years, I've had a Coach-not-Coach (aka "Foach") large style tote that is made of such quality leather and so durable that it still looks great after about 25 years. The leather is wearing well just the way leather is supposed to - getting darker and softer in some places but not falling apart. The one thing that gives it away as not authentic is the non-Coach type hardware. A dear friend gave it to me and I use it as a carry-on/carry-around when I am visiting family. Every now and then, I pull it out and rub it down with some conditioner. I love it.

I pulled out the phone-calc and did the math on the age of my leather Foach - I got it in 1991 so that makes it almost 30 years old! Wow. I don't think that even the people at Coach would be hating me for this bag. INXS was playing Wembley in '91 and I was 102 pounds and strutting around in 4-inch heels like nobody's business. Talk about time flying...

Anyway.

The Coach that belonged to Mike is a coated-canvas-type material that I don't want to wear out or stain. Leather is easier to maintain and lasts longer. Also, the branding on Mike's Coach is quite visible - though not loudly so because the material is a sort of black and monochrome. Did I get that right???

Makes me think of her.

There are a couple of other brands I would love to own a bag from. So far, they are out of my reach even on Poshmark. But I am throwing out hints so hard that I am leaving marks on my family! The main brand I want a bag from is Liebeskind Berlin. The cowskin leather ones are soft that they feel like they're made of clouds and unicorn fur.  I am also keeping my eye out for something by Wilsons Leather. That or Frye's. I have heard great things about both.

For now, though, I am extremely happy with my 2 bags. As with the Foach tote, I am treating them with conditioner and making sure to massage the handles when I carry them. I love it when leather gets that beautiful used look.

By the way, for anyone wondering about the history of Coach, there's an article that goes so deep in that it's going to take me years to read it all. Here is the link.

To sum up, I don't want to tell anyone what to do, but I sure hope that the next time you go shopping, you buy things that make you happy and feel pretty. Look at me, I'm over here quarantined and happy to be looking at these purses when no one else can see them!

Well, now that I got that rant out of my system, I feel better. I am going to go and work on my budget now. I will have to be creative next month since I used birthday money for fun instead of being responsible.

Peace
--Free

**UPDATE** Uh Oh. I Found Poshmark...

Scroll to the bottom for the update/photos

Oh my good mercy, me oh my. I finally decided to check out Poshmark to see if it is a good place to get discounted clothes, towels, and household goods.

I am going to have to get a block button for that website. There is some of everything there. As my boyfriend-in-my-head, Katt Williams says: "Ever-ree thing? Ever-ree thing!"

The first thing I went looking for was bathroom stuff. I am seriously in need of some more towels. I have the same 2 cheap 6-piece sets from Walmart. When my family came to visit, I quickly ordered some slightly more decent bath ones from Amazon and I put out the best of my hand towels for them. The last time I did laundry, I was distracted and added a double amount of bleach. My "best" towels are now very fragile. So...

Shopping Poshmark is a little like shopping one of those huge open-air marketplaces you see in some larger cities. You have to be watchful of the sellers and their items. You have to not get overwhelmed at the choices. And you have to know that if you like an item but want to keep looking elsewhere, you might miss out all the way around.

My best friend, one of my brothers, and a niece skipped picking out birthday gifts and sent cash instead. Talk about always being the right size and color. Honey chile. I used most of the money to pay extra on bills but kept out $50 to get a couple of things from Poshmark:

how stinking cute is this bag???

for my laptop when traveling or
going to the library

Now that I see the process, I am going to be keeping my eye open for towels, some decor, and some yearly gifting ideas.

Of course, because I am mean, I had to tell my SILs and the nieces about the site. One of my nieces started checking it out as I was texting her and she would have cursed me out but she had to go watch for a price drop!

I am done for the moment, but I am keeping my eye out for this style of boot. I had a pair of Lavender Label Vera Wang nubuck leather boots in dark grey that looked almost exactly like this. I got them at Burlington for $70 back 2013 or so by putting them on layaway. Some evil-hearted person broke into my car and stole them not long before I left for good. Those boots were not just gorgeous but they were comfortable and I could walk in them on snow and ice. That's kind of important because I have horrible balance issues. If anyone finds something like this for sale somewhere, let me know.

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Now there is one thing I am still trying to figure out. It puzzles me stupidly. Why do some people put an outrageously high price on an affordable item? I saw a Glossier You perfume solid priced at $1000. What???? I have posted a comment asking why and am awaiting an answer.

Anyway, I just thought I would share the love (or misery, depending on your budget) and tell you about this amazing online flea market kind of heaven. However, please do use common sense and be careful with your money and information. Read all the rules and check out what other users have to say about it. Not my responsibility if you get ripped off or go broke, my friend.

And, seriously, people, I need you to keep an eye out for those boots before winter gets here!

Peace
--Free


Here are the purses/totes I got.

I am kind of mad now that I got the Enzo bag. I got these two for just a little more than what the one Enzo cost and I like these so much better. Maybe I will try to sell the Enzo on Poshmark???

I was able to fit so much stuff in this bag that when I start emptying it, I look like I'm performing a magic trick. Such a beautiful and sturdy bag! And I really don't like the loud branding on "designer" bags so I love how discreetly Coach marked this one. (I have started writing a post about this very idea.)

Look at how nicely this workbag holds everything I need for a trip to the library. Sometimes, I will go over to my family's for a couple of days and this is perfect for packing up my laptop and writing notes. You know, for when my brain lets me write anything coherent!

And, uh, can someone tell my bougie behind what this little tag on the side of the workbag is for???

I only just recently learned what a "purse twilly" is and that Amazon sells them. Damn you, Bezos!
I am pretty sure that this kind of bag would not look great with a twill.  Oh well.

Don't forget to watch for the upcoming post on my thoughts about "designer" or luxury items.