Purchasing your first designer bag is a big step. Jaz Reyes shares a few tips on where to start.
Buying your first designer bag is definitely an investment. Stefano Gabbana even said, “You don’t change your style by changing your bag. You change it with your clothes.” Supermodel Cara Delevingne supports this statement when she was asked about her preference on designer bags. The former Victoria Secret model said, “Once I find a bag that I love, I always wear it. I just don’t change my bags. I literally find one and stay with it.”
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That’s why it’s so important to take some time in deciding which designer bag you should invest in first. From all of the brands available, you could easily get lost in the mix! For this reason, we need to be able to navigate through the many brands and find the bag that would make our hearts sing. To make things easier, we spoke to social media’s resident fashion girl, Jaz Reyes, for some tips on purchasing your first designer bag. Here’s what she has to say.
To find the perfect first designer bag, you need to check these things:
Timelessness
You need to find something that can stand the test of time, and key bags from each fashion house have one. Chanel has the Flap, Dior has the Lady, Fendi has the Peekaboo, and Hermès has the Birkin. Search the houses and list down all the timeless classic bags that are worth investing in.
“The first (designer bag) purchase that I got for myself was a Chanel Diana Flap. Best decision ever, and probably the most-used bag I have. Not only is the storage great, it has 24k hardware. Plus, the price for one in the exact same specs is 1,000% higher than the price I got it for,” shares Jaz.
Lifestyle
Pick a bag that fits your lifestyle. Are you someone that isn’t finicky with bags? Do you want to baby the bag? How many things do you really need to carry with you? If you don’t want to keep the bag in storage, pick something that has a textured leather and is water resistant. You must also decide on the size of the bag. The bigger the bag, the more prone it is to scuffing and stretching.
Jaz adds to this tip by saying, “I suggest you try out the Prada Saffiano or the Chanel Caviar—both in black! Avoiding smooth leather as your first lux bag is good [so that] you can really enjoy your new baby in a carefree manner!”
Pre-loved or not?
“I am all for pre-loved items, especially with Chanel, because the construction and materials were made much better back then,” says Jaz. The only question needed to be answered is how to confirm authenticity. There are a couple of simple ways to do it yourself: you can check out the stitch count per quilt, sticker serial number, quality, construction, and much more.
There are also authenticators online that you can pay a service for. Aside from this, you can check it out on Purseforum. You can authenticate your purchases with them for free, but you’d have to wait a little longer to get feedback from an expert.
“Getting it from the store would also be pretty awesome. It would be more expensive, but it’ll save you the stress of the process of pre-loved,” shares Jaz.
Lastly, we’ve added a bonus question that could really help you decide whether or not that designer bag is for you. The question is, “Does your heart beat for it?”
After you have done your research, you can answer this question and confirm your decision. If your heart truly beats for it after so many days of thinking, as well as the effort of saving up, then go for it!
