Triumph, Tribulation, and the Bags I Bought

The year I turned 30, I don’t just buy bags. It’s not about luxury for luxury’s sake. It has become an empowering ritual – the justification for every purchase, the tedious bag selection process,  a budget which is respectful of hard-earned money, and the quick trips to shopping meccas for that once in a blue moon level-up buying.

There is a life-equivalent episode behind each of my favorite bags; stories which could make empowered women revel in their autonomy. Here’s a quick view of the stories behind each of those delightful arm candies.

1. XOXO shoulder logo bag in blue and white coated fabric, Nine West Black Patent Bag, Adidas Purple gym bag (with matching pink Everlast boxing gloves) – San Diego CA, January 2008 (few months before I turned 30).

I bought my first set of girly-girl bags. This was the time when I was losing weight from an obese state. I was starting to like dresses and skirts. After all, it’s fun being a girl. Statement: Time for a cool change.

2. Charles and Keith – Vivo City SG, December 2008

A Channel-inspired quilted handbag with brass hardware, a black patent document bag, and a luscious purple top-handled bag in faux crocodile leather – Utilitarian, no-nonsense bags for the working lady in a new office environment. The bags were bought as a reward for that big rebound in my career in the last quarter of 2008. End of the unnecessary drama in the workplace. Work-life balance to be embraced, thereafter.

Statement: Bring it on!

3. LV Speedy 30 Damier Ebene – LV Greenbelt, June 2010

A grown up decision deserved a ‘grown up’ bag. LV’s iconic bag – the Speedy is rightfully matched by its steadfast canvass in a rich shade of brown. The bag itself ages well, and so is the lady.

My statement: The lady has arrived.

4. Prada Nero Tessuto Bow Satchel – Prada Flagship Store, Canton Road HK, Aug 2010 Success is about peak performance and consistency. It’s a statement bag celebrating the ‘can-do’ attitude that fueled my passion in the academe, at work, in sports, reaching out to the community, and just about anything that is fulfilling and enriching.

Statement: ‘I-found-my-center-once-again’ bag.

5. Longchamp Limited Edition Le Pliage and Pochette – Longchamp HK Airport, Sept 2010

My ‘I-can-strike-anywhere essentials’. A concrete re-affirmation: the lady can go places with her zest for life.

6. Baby Groovee – Marc by Marc Jacobs Greenbelt, June 2011

The first baby after 10 months of self-imposed bag ban. The smoke-colored, pebbled cow leather satchel came as a reward for delivering the most taxing phase of an enterprise project. The bag is an edgy utilitarian work wear, a design which could only come out from the fashion house of Marc Jacobs.

Statement: Career women celebrate together with people who partake in the success.