Favorites at my house include: Clare V crossbodies for every day, a couple of special formal bags (rarely used), and an assortment of Heather Taylor Home totes for tossing bigger things plus the crossbody into. Oh, and a giant mesh bag from Amazon for beach/pool/kid sports events.
I love a bag. It is my shopping Kryptonite. But I have also realized I consistently use 3 of my bags very regularly. The others used to serve a purpose but don’t anymore. Time to keep the workhorses, let go of the others
I am very practical and pragmatic as a person overall, but I love bags. To me, a luxury bag that I love is like a functional piece of artwork.
With that being said, I do love Rothy’s tote bags as a “not so extra” work or carry-on bag and have found them to be very durable (and machine washable)
I just checked online and it looks like they have slightly changed their design since I purchased in 2021. But 4 years in and many domestic and international schleppings later, mine are holding up.
My problem is with bears. One day, my then girlfriend walked outside and blurted out "hey Cookie Bear!" I fell in love with it. And I feel in love with all things Bear. T-shirts are a weakness. I have too many with bears. There's bears everywhere in the house. But I've reached the point of satiation. (I did buy a vintage soap dish with a Bear the other day.) But there's no brand Bear: no Paddington, no Pooh, no Corduroy. It's like I want to make the bear my own, which I can't do if the bear belongs to a corporation or has its own image. With a brand bear, I feel that people will see me associated with a particular identity, rather than cultivating my own identity with a nondescript Bear.
Like you pointed out, branded goods sometimes come from the same source as its cheaper competition. I buy generic store groceries, shop at Harbor Freight, Ocean State Job Lots, other discount outlets. The utility factor is more important than the image. And I've always been a bit of an individual. Never a part of a close group or cliche. So I've never needed to buy stuff to "fit in". Unless the bears are having a picnic.
I really like the line "people will associate me with a particular identity" - I have this fear too as I get older. Also because we are so polarized in this country that any external brand is no somehow a signal of our value system.
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Favorites at my house include: Clare V crossbodies for every day, a couple of special formal bags (rarely used), and an assortment of Heather Taylor Home totes for tossing bigger things plus the crossbody into. Oh, and a giant mesh bag from Amazon for beach/pool/kid sports events.
I love a bag. It is my shopping Kryptonite. But I have also realized I consistently use 3 of my bags very regularly. The others used to serve a purpose but don’t anymore. Time to keep the workhorses, let go of the others
I am very practical and pragmatic as a person overall, but I love bags. To me, a luxury bag that I love is like a functional piece of artwork.
With that being said, I do love Rothy’s tote bags as a “not so extra” work or carry-on bag and have found them to be very durable (and machine washable)
I’ve been looking at one of those for years (the Rothys). They look indestructible.
I just checked online and it looks like they have slightly changed their design since I purchased in 2021. But 4 years in and many domestic and international schleppings later, mine are holding up.
My problem is with bears. One day, my then girlfriend walked outside and blurted out "hey Cookie Bear!" I fell in love with it. And I feel in love with all things Bear. T-shirts are a weakness. I have too many with bears. There's bears everywhere in the house. But I've reached the point of satiation. (I did buy a vintage soap dish with a Bear the other day.) But there's no brand Bear: no Paddington, no Pooh, no Corduroy. It's like I want to make the bear my own, which I can't do if the bear belongs to a corporation or has its own image. With a brand bear, I feel that people will see me associated with a particular identity, rather than cultivating my own identity with a nondescript Bear.
Like you pointed out, branded goods sometimes come from the same source as its cheaper competition. I buy generic store groceries, shop at Harbor Freight, Ocean State Job Lots, other discount outlets. The utility factor is more important than the image. And I've always been a bit of an individual. Never a part of a close group or cliche. So I've never needed to buy stuff to "fit in". Unless the bears are having a picnic.
I really like the line "people will associate me with a particular identity" - I have this fear too as I get older. Also because we are so polarized in this country that any external brand is no somehow a signal of our value system.