<div><span style="font-family: var(--default-font-family,ui-sans-serif,system-ui,sans-serif,&quot;Apple Color Emoji&quot;,&quot;Segoe UI Emoji&quot;,&quot;Segoe UI Symbol&quot;,&quot;Noto Color Emoji&quot;); font-size: var(--text-sm);">White LV Steamer Himalayan croc purse with gold accents, my first “treat yo self” bag.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Being a modern minority woman can be challenging. You’re constantly preoccupied with yourself, others, your family, friends, coworkers, your country, the environment, politics, the economy, and more.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>You wonder, “If my 10-year-old self could see me now, what would she think? Would she be proud of me? Disappointed? Unimpressed? Disgusted?” &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Sometimes, you spend your entire life trying to meet others’ expectations, forgetting who you are and what truly makes you happy.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Self-care, self-love, and self-respect aren’t selfish or dirty terms. To take care of others, you must first be able to care for yourself.&nbsp;</div>

Front view of Lady Astrid's white and taupe Louis Vuitton Steamer handbag with crocodile-patterned leather, gold-tone padlock, rolled handles, and matching luggage tag.

<div style="border-color: var(--border); border-image-source: none;">That’s why I treated myself to this bag. Not because I accomplished anything extraordinary, but simply because I exist and do a damn good job at it.&nbsp;</div><div style="border-color: var(--border); border-image-source: none;"><br style="border-color: var(--border); border-image-source: none;"></div><div style="border-color: var(--border); border-image-source: none;">I make no apologies for my shine and fabulosity.&nbsp;</div><div style="border-color: var(--border); border-image-source: none;"><br style="border-color: var(--border); border-image-source: none;"></div><div style="border-color: var(--border); border-image-source: none;">XO 💋&nbsp;</div><div style="border-color: var(--border); border-image-source: none;">Lady Astrid&nbsp;</div>

<div style="border-color: var(--border); border-image-source: none;"><br></div><div style="border-color: var(--border); border-image-source: none;"><br></div><div><em style="font-size: 16px; border: revert; color-scheme: revert; math-depth: revert; ruby-position: revert; writing-mode: revert; display: revert; font-family: Assistant, &quot;Assistant Fallback&quot;; font-feature-settings: revert; font-kerning: revert; font-optical-sizing: revert; font-palette: revert; font-size-adjust: revert; font-synthesis-small-caps: revert; font-synthesis-style: revert; font-synthesis-weight: revert; font-variant-alternates: revert; font-variant-east-asian: revert; font-variant-ligatures: revert; font-variant-numeric: revert; font-variant-position: revert; font-variation-settings: revert; font-width: revert; text-orientation: revert; text-rendering: revert; zoom: revert; -webkit-font-smoothing: revert; -webkit-locale: revert; -webkit-text-zoom: revert; text-autospace: revert; background-image: revert; background-position: revert; background-size: revert; background-repeat: revert; background-attachment: revert; background-origin: revert; background-clip: revert; mask: revert; accent-color: revert; place-content: revert; place-items: revert; place-self: revert; alignment-baseline: revert; anchor-name: revert; anchor-scope: revert; animation-composition: revert; animation: revert; appearance: revert; aspect-ratio: revert; backdrop-filter: revert; backface-visibility: revert; background-blend-mode: revert; baseline-shift: revert; border-collapse: revert; box-shadow: revert; break-after: revert; break-before: revert; break-inside: revert; buffered-rendering: revert; caption-side: revert; caret-color: rgb(55, 65, 81); clear: revert; clip: revert; clip-path: revert; clip-rule: revert; color: rgb(55, 65, 81); color-interpolation: revert; color-interpolation-filters: revert; column-count: revert; column-fill: revert; gap: revert; column-rule-color: revert; column-rule-style: revert; column-rule-width: revert; column-span: revert; column-width: revert; contain: revert; container-name: revert; container-type: revert; content: revert; content-visibility: revert; counter-increment: revert; counter-reset: revert; counter-set: revert; cursor: revert; cx: revert; cy: revert; dominant-baseline: revert; dynamic-range-limit: revert; empty-cells: revert; field-sizing: revert; fill: revert; fill-opacity: revert; fill-rule: revert; filter: revert; flex: revert; flex-flow: revert; flood-color: revert; flood-opacity: revert; flow-tolerance: revert; glyph-orientation-horizontal: revert; glyph-orientation-vertical: revert; grid: revert; grid-column-end: revert; grid-column-start: revert; grid-row-end: revert; grid-row-start: revert; hanging-punctuation: revert; hyphenate-character: revert; hyphens: revert; image-orientation: revert; image-rendering: revert; isolation: revert; lighting-color: revert; line-break: revert; line-height: revert; list-style: revert; margin-trim: revert; marker: revert; mask-composite: revert; mask-mode: revert; mask-type: revert; math-shift: revert; math-style: revert; mix-blend-mode: revert; object-fit: revert; object-position: revert; offset-anchor: revert; offset-distance: revert; offset-path: revert; offset-position: revert; offset-rotate: revert; opacity: revert; order: revert; outline: revert; outline-offset: revert; overflow-wrap: revert; page: revert; paint-order: revert; perspective: revert; perspective-origin: revert; pointer-events: revert; position: revert; position-anchor: revert; position-area: revert; position-try: revert; position-visibility: revert; print-color-adjust: revert; quotes: revert; r: revert; resize: revert; rotate: revert; ruby-align: revert; ruby-overhang: revert; rx: revert; ry: revert; scale: revert; scroll-behavior: revert; scroll-snap-align: revert; scroll-snap-stop: revert; scroll-snap-type: revert; scroll-timeline: revert; scrollbar-gutter: revert; scrollbar-width: revert; shape-image-threshold: revert; shape-margin: revert; shape-outside: revert; shape-rendering: revert; speak-as: revert; stop-color: revert; stop-opacity: revert; stroke: revert; stroke-color: revert; stroke-dasharray: revert; stroke-dashoffset: revert; stroke-linecap: revert; stroke-linejoin: revert; stroke-miterlimit: revert; stroke-opacity: revert; stroke-width: revert; tab-size: revert; table-layout: revert; text-align-last: revert; text-anchor: revert; text-box: revert; text-combine-upright: revert; text-decoration-skip-ink: revert; text-emphasis-color: revert; text-emphasis-position: revert; text-emphasis-style: revert; text-overflow: revert; text-shadow: revert; text-underline-offset: revert; text-underline-position: revert; text-wrap-style: revert; timeline-scope: revert; touch-action: revert; transform: revert; transform-box: revert; transform-origin: revert; transform-style: revert; transition: revert; translate: revert; vector-effect: revert; vertical-align: revert; view-timeline: revert; view-transition-class: revert; view-transition-name: revert; visibility: revert; will-change: revert; word-break: revert; x: revert; y: revert; z-index: revert; -apple-pay-button-style: revert; -apple-pay-button-type: revert; -webkit-backdrop-filter: revert; -webkit-background-clip: revert; -webkit-background-origin: revert; border-spacing: revert; -webkit-box-align: revert; -webkit-box-decoration-break: revert; -webkit-box-direction: revert; -webkit-box-flex: revert; -webkit-box-flex-group: revert; -webkit-box-lines: revert; -webkit-box-ordinal-group: revert; -webkit-box-orient: revert; -webkit-box-pack: revert; -webkit-box-reflect: revert; -webkit-box-shadow: revert; -webkit-column-axis: revert; -webkit-column-progression: revert; -webkit-cursor-visibility: revert; -webkit-hyphenate-limit-after: revert; -webkit-hyphenate-limit-before: revert; -webkit-hyphenate-limit-lines: revert; -webkit-initial-letter: revert; -webkit-line-align: revert; -webkit-line-box-contain: revert; -webkit-line-clamp: revert; -webkit-line-grid: revert; -webkit-line-snap: revert; mask-size: revert; -webkit-mask: revert; -webkit-mask-composite: revert; -webkit-mask-source-type: revert; -webkit-nbsp-mode: revert; -webkit-rtl-ordering: revert; -webkit-ruby-position: revert; -webkit-text-combine: revert; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: revert; -webkit-text-fill-color: revert; -webkit-text-security: revert; -webkit-text-stroke-color: revert; -webkit-user-drag: revert; -webkit-user-modify: revert; -webkit-user-select: revert; border-radius: revert; inset: revert; contain-intrinsic-size: revert; height: revert; margin: revert; max-height: revert; max-width: revert; min-height: revert; min-width: revert; overflow: revert; overscroll-behavior: revert; padding: revert; scroll-margin: revert; scroll-padding: revert; width: revert; block-size: revert; border-block: revert; border-end-end-radius: revert; border-end-start-radius: revert; border-inline: revert; border-start-end-radius: revert; border-start-start-radius: revert; contain-intrinsic-block-size: revert; contain-intrinsic-inline-size: revert; inline-size: revert; inset-block: revert; inset-inline: revert; margin-block: revert; margin-inline: revert; max-block-size: revert; max-inline-size: revert; min-block-size: revert; min-inline-size: revert; overflow-block: revert; overflow-inline: revert; overscroll-behavior-block: revert; overscroll-behavior-inline: revert; padding-block: revert; padding-inline: revert; scroll-margin-block: revert; scroll-margin-inline: revert; scroll-padding-block: revert; scroll-padding-inline: revert;">Lady Astrid is an independent contributing writer to RETRO//VRS. The views and opinions expressed in Notes From a Founding Collector are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of RETRO//VRS</em><br></div>

Lady Astrid reflects on her first “treat yo self” luxury handbag and why self-love, self-respect, and celebrating yourself need no special occasion.

My First "Treat Yo Self" Bag

<span id="docs-internal-guid-cd9f722d-7fff-c02f-3df6-67c186f706c8" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.505455; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I grew up in a moderately conservative upper-middle-class family by today’s standards. I have always had access to the amount of money needed to buy luxury goods even as a teenager in the ’90s, but I never did because my parents were hardworking immigrants who ingrained in me the value of money. Money was always in short supply for my parents growing up, and so my parents worked hard to provide a better life for me and my brothers by taking that out of the equation for us.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.505455; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I didn’t buy my first designer bag until college, and even then, I felt guilty spending my parents’ hard-earned money on a “splurge” for myself. It was a simple black nylon Prada purse that all the “cool” girls at my university were using for clubbing or going out with friends. I specifically remember wanting it in black so that it would match a lot of the clothes I already had.</span></p></span>

Prada Re-Edition 2000 nylon bag, inspired by the archival style that became Lady Astrid’s first designer purse.

<span id="docs-internal-guid-430963ee-7fff-4c77-074c-c18be7509721" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.505455; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wearing that bag made me feel more confident when I was out and about in my 20s. I even left the Prada authenticity card in my purse to prove it was authentic if anyone ever questioned its authenticity (spoiler: no one ever did).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.505455; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If that bag could talk, the stories it would tell.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.505455; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I wore it out so much that eventually the strap broke, and I stopped using it. At the time, I didn’t know if it could be repaired because I had no clue who to contact to even get something like that done. Could you look up “purse repair” in the yellow pages back then in our more analog days?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="border-color: var(--border); border-image-source: none; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 8pt; caret-color: oklch(0.145 0 0); color: oklch(0.145 0 0); line-height: 1.505455;"><span style="border-color: var(--border); border-image-source: none; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So for years, it sat in the back of my closet in my childhood bedroom at my parents’ house. The next time I saw it was when I was cleaning out my room right before I finished school and got married at age 27. The minute I saw it, it brought a wide smile to my face. I could still remember all the good times and adventures I had with that purse in my early 20s.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.505455; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="border-color: var(--border); border-image-source: none; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 8pt; caret-color: oklch(0.145 0 0); color: oklch(0.145 0 0); line-height: 1.505455;"><span style="border-color: var(--border); border-image-source: none; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I never did get that Prada purse fixed, and it’s still probably in my childhood bedroom closet.</span></p></span>

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.505455; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Last year I came across Prada's Re-Edition 2000 version of it, and when I saw it, I knew I had to get one for old times’ sake. That bag is low maintenance, water-resistant, and easy to carry when going out for errands or on a date night with my husband. It’s a very practical utilitarian purse that was well designed and constructed.</span><br></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.505455; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To me, it screamed “quiet luxury” because it didn’t have brand logos. The purse was basic, black, and had a small metallic triangle on the front of the purse with the name of the brand.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.505455; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That’s when it dawned on me. True luxury doesn’t need to scream to be noticed; it’s more akin to a whisper. Luxury is buying what makes you happy and what you will actually use in your daily life, irrespective of the hype, the brand, or the latest trend.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.505455; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p data-pm-slice="1 1 []" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">XO 💋<br>Lady Astrid</p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-size: medium; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-size: medium; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: Poppins;"><i>Lady Astrid is an independent contributing writer to RETRO//VRS. The views and opinions expressed in Notes From a Founding Collector are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of RETRO//VRS.</i></span><span style="font-family: Poppins;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

Lady Astrid reflects on her first designer purse, a black Prada nylon bag, and how it shaped her understanding of luxury, quality and personal style.

Blog posts for the tag "Designer Handbags"

Articles tagged with "Designer Handbags"

My First "Treat Yo Self" Bag

My First Designer Purse