This blog post uses affiliate links.
Read the disclaimer about affiliate links & PR products here.
I’ve made it no secret that I’m a bit of a Philo-era Celine diehard and have been lucky enough to amass my fair share of black Celine bags over the years. The decision to purchase a luxury bag isn’t one that I take lightly nor is the decision to part ways with a bag. Given we’re on our last day of #SecondhandSeptember, I thought I’d let you in on the approach that I take when I ultimately decide to part ways with one of my luxury bags, as I’ve recently bid farewell to my Celine Luggage Tote that served me for well over five years.
Celine Luggage Tote (shop preloved here) styled with H&M Coat (sold out, similar here and here), Uniqlo skirt (sold out, similar here and here), Everlane knit and Tony Bianco mules (sold out, similar here, shop the real deal here)
Aside from the Luggage Tote, I’m fortunate enough to have four other Celine bags, all of which are classics but to varying degrees. My first was the Cabas Tote, followed by the Trio, then the Belt Bag and my Sangle Bag that I purchased only a few weeks ago. In deciding to add the Sangle Bag to my collection, I knew that I didn’t want to have five black Celine bags. To me, it felt a little excessive given my lifestyle.
L: Oroton dress (sold out); R: Karen Millen dress (review here)
In the first few years with my Luggage Tote, it was my everyday work bag. I took it with me to important meetings, filled it with post-its notes and highlighters for long days in court and used it on the weekends. Aside from the fact that it’s an iconic Philo design, the leather is robust and hardwearing and it fit all my daily essentials. It was a very functional bag.
So you can imagine my reluctance to part ways with the bag as my Celine collection gradually grew. Daily use of the bag started to wane as it ended up being superseded by my Belt Bag and my Tory Burch Perry Tote as a laptop became one of the key things I needed to take back and forth with me.
Deciding whether to keep vs sell
Before making the decision to keep vs sell, I pose a few questions to myself:
- Do I have other bags in my collection that are of a similar aesthetic and perform a similar function?
- Have I reached for the bag in the last 12 months?
- Do I love the bag enough to keep it even though I won’t use it often?
- Do I have enough room to keep the bag even though it won’t be used often?
In the case of my Celine Luggage:
- Do I have other bags in my collection that are of a similar aesthetic and perform a similar function? (Well that’s a solid yes!)
- Have I reached for the bag in the last 12 months? (Sadly, no.)
- Do I love the bag enough to keep it even though I won’t use it often? (I do love the bag but I don’t love it enough to hang on to it for occasional use.)
- Do I have enough room to keep the bag even though it won’t be used often? (Not really 😔)
And that’s that really. With those answers, it was apparent to me that it was time to bid farewell to the bag. It worked out to be a bag swap in the end as I dropped the Luggage Tote to consign on the same day that I purchased my #secondhandbutgrand Sangle Bag – it was meant to be!
Have you said farewell to a beloved luxury bag? If so, what ultimately informed your decision? I’d love to know what you factor in when deciding whether to keep vs sell.
Thanks again for stopping by!
P.S. My guide to buying pre-loved designer bags and the designer purchases that didn’t work for me.
