When it comes to spending money on items in my wardrobe, handbags are the one item that I’m willing to splurge on. I don’t consider mine to be a vast collection, but it’s a healthy one that I’ve built gradually over the years. If chosen well, designer handbags have the ability to retain their value over time particularly if you show them some love and take good care of them. That being said, handbags tend to fall under the radar when it comes to needing some TLC. They’re unassumingly durable so it’s hard to imagine that they need any sort of maintenance. Be that as it may, a little of love goes a long way, so I’m sharing with you my tips to take care of your handbags so they last.
The beginning of each year is always abuzz with excitement, and I’m definitely feeling it this year thanks to the annus horribilis that was 2020. Turning over a leaf in a new year is always a great way to set goals for the year ahead - whether they be financial, career or style focused. I’ve given consideration to all of these, and in this post, I’m going to share with you my style goals for the year. Before setting any style goals, I always have my financial goals set for the year - it’s something my husband and I square away at the start of every year. With dependants and more responsibilities in the mix, I can confidently say that I know where all our money is going which helps us inch closer to realising our goals, and most importantly - provides clarity as to how much I can spend on clothing for the year!
I’ve bought and sold my fair share of designer handbags over the years. In most cases, I settled for prices much lower than what I paid and there were only a handful of situations where I was lucky enough to break even, or come close to it. (I’ve yet to experience a windfall or an ‘investment’ in the true sense of the word!) Bag buying is a costly exercise, especially if you’re prone to changing your mind or you’re easily swayed by trends. Throughout the buying and selling process, I’ve gained insight into what my bag style is and what I truly value.
Out of all the people I need to buy gifts for this year, I get the most joy buying presents for the kids! I still get excited walking into toy stores and now that I can walk through a toy store equipped with the buying power that I longed for as a kid, it's like I'm fulfilling my own childhood fantasies! Another plus to gift giving to our kids is that we tend to benefit from the presents we give to them... particularly in the games department!
In my second post of my gift guide series, I've curated gifts for the special women in your life. I find some of the best gifts I've received are either sentimental gifts or luxury items that I normally wouldn't buy myself. This gift guide is heavily inspired by items that I already own or that I'll be gifting to loved ones. And given the shocker of a year we've had, you'll find recurring themes of self-care and luxury in this gift guide. I realise a lot of you might be finding yourselves spending Christmas in partial lockdown or away from loved ones this year due to travel restrictions (we certainly are), so we could all do with an extra bit of spoiling this year.
Finding the perfect gift for the men in your life isn't the easiest of tasks. I don't know about you but I've always found it to be tricky! Thankfully, I do a lot of the heavy lifting in this guide, so you don't have to. Before settling for a traditional gift (ie. ties & socks), I'm here to take you outside the box because really, there should be no holding back with the year given the year that we've had! I've curated this list of gifts for men to suit a range of budgets and personalities.