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