Bag Lady

Most of those close to me know me as a bag lady in the sense that I keep all plastic bags/shopping bags until I can re-use them. I literally have bags and bags full of smaller bags taking up prime space in my closets and cabinets. What can I say? I hate waste.

But purses, on the other hand, I've never used much. I enjoy being a hands-free person. And when ever I do carry a purse, I fill it with make-up, notebooks, tampons, and inevitably, rocks. (You'll find rocks in most of my jacket pockets as I love to collect them). Rocks are heavy. Purses are heavy. Carrying nothing is so much easier.

Despite this, I've amassed some real designer treasures over the last year, items I've lusted for since I first saw them many, many years ago, and the most I've ever spent on a single item is CA$315. Most of these things don't get used because again, I hate carrying things, but I love them all the same.

Proenza Schouler PS1 Large in white

This bag retails for US$2,150 (CA$2,935). I bought it for CA$315 (including shipping) off Kijiji from a woman in Montreal. It was incredibly dirty which is why it was so low. I'm not ready a fan of the large - I've always wanted the medium - but you can't be picky when you're bargain hunting for luxury goods.

Pen mark on the front flap is all me.

Very dirty back. This was how it looked when it arrived, which didn't bother me because wearing jeans with white leather will invariably turn the back blue anyways.

I've since dyed it black and plan on selling it on eBay. This photo shows the bag after the first coat. And trust me, there will be several more before this guy's ready for sale. I might be frugal but I'm a perfectionist.

Balenciaga Classic City in Oxblood

This bag retails for US$1,835. I got it for CA$290.67 off eBay from a seasoned seller in Japan. Free shipping. No customs. Also a bit of wear to the bag but I use my things hard anyways so even had it been brand new, I would've destroyed it within its first week. 

Mine. Condition's not too bad, only thing is the messenger strap is broken and unusable.

Alexander Wang Marion crossbody w/ rose gold hardware

This bag retails for US$675 and I got it for CA$199.24 off eBay, including shipping and customs. The bag went for so low because it's lost a lot of its initial structure and the hardware is quite scuffed.

Mine. Leaves a lot to the imagination, huh?

It's these folds on the sides that are the problem. They stick out like two giant ears. I've been thinking about taking it to a leather smith and getting them to grommet the folds and attach something that will keep the leather in tact (as you'd see in the top of a bucket bag), but I haven't.

Stuffed with newspaper. 

I kinda see a resemblance?

How it's supposed to look when on...

And how it actually looks hanging. Mine looks like it ate the other one and is now bloated from all that leather and metal.

Alexander Wang Fumo wristlet w/ rose gold hardware

This wristlet retails for US$225 and I got it for CA$120 off eBay, including shipping. Now wristlets, I use. Easier to carry and less amenable to stuffing. I like the Fumo because it has zippers and compartments and interior pockets galore.

But only 50% off, you say? How extravagant of you, J? 

Original photo from eBay.

So cute.

Photo makes it look slightly dirty but it's in pristine condition

Probably the best condition leather good I've gotten off eBay.

And this next item I've bought but haven't received yet:

Alexander Wang Isis clutch

This bag retails for US$1,050 (CA$1,391) and I got it for a whopping CA$170 off eBay including shipping. I've always liked this bag but thought it was rather pricey for a clutch. 

Original eBay photo. Condition pending!

As you may have learned, I'm quite a fan of Alexander Wang. And I think that's the main takeaway here. That and I'm more than comfortable sacrificing condition for cost. 

-J

Balenciaga City

I'm currently doing a post on re-dying a Proenza Schouler PS1 bag, so in the interim, I thought I'd post my new designer score.

I have a knack for snagging $3,000 bags for $300 (Canadian prices, obviously). I don't mind a bit of wear on a purse. I use things hard, so 5 years with someone who cares for their handbags is equivalent to 5 months with me anyways.

Yesterday was my birthday and about a week ago I came across this Balenciaga City bag in Bordeaux with a very low starting big. It was around 11:30pm, there was about 14 minutes left on the auction, and without even looking into it, I bid and won. Talk about an impulse purchase.

Around midnight, I started to worry that the bag was a fake. So I spent the better portion of 2 hours investigating its authenticity and I came to the conclusion that it was indeed authentic. The seller was a trusted source. Phew. And when it arrived, I was even more certain about its authenticity. It was clearly listed at such a cheap price because of its less than stellar condition.

Fine by me! It has a great patina.

And so I anointed this bag as a birthday present to myself! And I love it. The size suits me more and I love the oxblood color. I originally wanted the City with giant studs in black but that will have to wait.

-J

Proenza Schouler PS1

The IT bag. The bag of all bags. The Holy Gr-bag. You get the idea.

I've wanted this bag for years. It was one of the first things I ever pinned on Pinterest (it was ivory, too). The thing is, I’m not a pursegirl. 

For two reasons:

1. If I have money to spend, I’m buying shoes. And this baby costs US$2,150.

2. I don’t carry anything with me. Even though I have an LV Insolite wallet, gifted to me from my mother 6 years ago, I use the free little plastic card holder that my car insurance company provided me with for putting my vehicle registration and insurance information in.

I have three cards: license, credit card, debit card. I was a couple coins short of pulling a Nick Miller on New Girl and just keeping everything in a Ziploc bag. But these three cards are the only things I carry with me when I leave the house. Car keys go on a carabiner attached to my belt loop. I hate being tied down by bags and baggage. I didn't even have a phone until a few months ago, and it fits in my other pocket. Spending a lot of money on a purse was just never practical for me.

So, a large PS1 is even less practical. Ideally, I would want the medium on account of me just not having very much stuff, and I do prefer dark colors like black, but this one came along at a STEAL (I'm talking 90% off retail price) and I’ve only ever wanted two bags, the PS1 and the Balenciaga City.

And let me tell you, I do love it.

I got this last Wednesday and I've been using it everyday. In the above photo, the bag looks like the lazy fat slob brother of the one up top, but the bag's pretty full; I've got a notebook, my WALLET (I've brought out the LV again), tape measure, my glasses case, vice grip, shelf brackets, spool of string, box of safety pins, roll of ribbon, roll of pricing stickers, scissors, flash light, and miscellaneous stationary that an antiques vendor would need. It's been pretty handy.

- J

Easter Weekend Antiquing

SATURDAY

Memory Lane Antiques on Hyde Park will always be a special place to me because it was my first. A friend of mine in high school knew I had a penchant for costume jewelry, and at the time, she was the only one of us who had free reign of her parents' car (an 80s Oldsmobile station wagon with wood panelling, no less). She was always thrifting, always exploring, always showing up with jewelry and clothes that were better than ours.

Shortly before prom, she decided to share her secret with me, so she took me to a nondescript flat boxy white building that was unbeknownst to me, right around the corner from the house we had just moved into two months prior. The area was still in the nascent stages of development so the place stood out. The building was snow white and tiled like an igloo and it shared real estate with a patio furniture store and a fitness center; on the other side of the fence was a ramshackle Thrifty car rental/used car dealership; and it's parking lot was potholed and mostly gravel.

We sauntered in and proceeded to fog up glass display cases and fumble with old necklace stands. She walked away with a cherry red 3-strand tiered necklace and I with a new obsession.

To celebrate my new business dealings with them, I'll post the things I coveted and bought (both for me and for my booth) when I was there this past Saturday.

Loved these lynx and arctic fox skulls $68/head.

Old antique hooked rugs. I adored how colorful and muted they were at the same time $36

Always on the hunt for turquoise and sterling rings $35

A counterfeit Balenciaga City bag in seafoam green for $89. Such a big disappointment. One quick Google search and all the indicators of a fake bag unveiled themselves to me. There are so many of these on Ebay too, caveat emptor!

A very decently priced vintage mail sorter w/ free delivery in London. $225

And then there's the things I took away with me:

Old toolbox for $8 and one of the rugs for $18. It was half the price of the other one because the edges were frayed.

I went with this turquoise and sterling ring for $40. The woman at the store thought it was overpriced for the size (and she gave me a store discount because she felt bad for me) but the geometric style is more me and it's very rare finding rings that fit my (hairy) baby fingers. My middle finger is a 5 1/4 and I'd have to guess this ring is a 5 1/2 because once I got home and I wasn't all hot and sweaty from walking around, it no longer fit. I'll have to get it resized. 

SUNDAY

Today I also picked up this cute little turquoise dresser off Kijiji that I'll be putting up in my booth (#B12! May 1!) sometime soon.

It needs a bit of love but I think it'll look great after I clean it up a bit.

MONDAY

Today was chaos wrapped in a bow. I had too much caffeine the night before and was up until 7am, rolling around in bed, watching the darkness slowly dissipate. I finally fell asleep and was woken up by Blixa at 8:10. 

My Easter Monday haul:

Kijiji

Guy #1

Oscar de la Renta stainless steel jewelry tray with Lucite tortoiseshell handles and chromed caps. This will be going in the booth. It's listed on Ebay here and here, for US$69.99 and US$128, respectively. The tray has "Intrusion" stamped on the bottom so it must've been used as a perfume tray, especially since the bottle also has tortoiseshell on it.

Guy #2

Three small industrial metal boxes for $10 were brimming with nails, hooks, screws, and metal bits and bobs. I might keep the boxes, I might sell them. Either way, I needed hangers and S-hooks.

Talize

Talize had a storewide 50% sale today and it was hectic. I didn't stay long, there were way too many people. 

6 copper and brass teacups. No saucers, unfortunately.

Value Village

Value was probably my biggest success because not only did I have a 30% off coupon, but the cashier didn't ring in two of my items. Major score.

2 wool throw blankets on the left, one untagged, one tagged "Handwoven Cottage Craft Tweeds: Made in Canada New Brunswick." 2 scarves on the right; the top on a silk floral Liz Claiborne and the one on the bottom, a Lyle & Scott lambswool. 

This is the one she forgot to ring in, probably because I had so much wool.

A vintage roll top bread box that is still in really good condition. These sell incredibly well on Etsy and it's currently listed on Ebay here and here, for US$55 and US$79, respectively.

And the last thing she forgot to ring in, a classic Coach wristlet. I'll be listing this on Ebay in the beginning of April.

And that, my friends, is the end of a Christian holiday I do not celebrate. But, I do love the tasty chocolates it inspired, so I hope everyone had a Happy Mini Egg weekend!

- J