<h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.505455; margin-top: 24pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 6pt;">Purses are more than the sum of their stitching and cloth: they are a form of language. When we get dressed, we ask something of the world. All purses speak. They say “desire me”, or “ignore me”, or “endow my words with greater seriousness than you would were I not using this luxury designer purse”. </h1><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;">Perhaps the best purses are the ones that give you courage. Bill Cunningham famously said: ‘Fashion is the armour to survive the reality of everyday life.’

<p dir="ltr" style="border-color: var(--border); border-image-source: none; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.505455;"><span style="border-color: var(--border); border-image-source: none; 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;">When choosing a purse I like to consider each purse’s retail demand and resale liquidity. When a bag is easy to buy and easy to sell, you’re protected on both ends and that’s the whole point having a luxury purse as an asset.&nbsp; You get to enjoy the purse until you either want or need to sell it for money.<p dir="ltr" style="border-color: var(--border); border-image-source: none; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.505455;"><span style="border-color: var(--border); border-image-source: none; 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;">In my experience, men tend to put their money into stocks, real estate, etc; those kind of assets, while women are more often willing to spend their money on handbags, shoes, and makeup as an investment into themselves.<p dir="ltr" style="border-color: var(--border); border-image-source: none; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.505455;"><span style="border-color: var(--border); border-image-source: none; 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;">Investing in yourself means spending your time, energy, and money to grow your skills, health, and happiness.<span style="border-color: var(--border); border-image-source: none; 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;">That’s why women shouldn’t be afraid to “treat” themselves to these luxury goods.&nbsp; Life is already hard as it is, but when you find the right purse that reflects you as a person, it gives you that spark of “joy” that makes life worth living.

<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;"> </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.

Lady Astrid reflects on purses as language, armor, joy and assets, and why the right bag can become part of how a woman invests in herself.

Blog posts for the tag "Fashion and Identity"

Articles tagged with "Fashion and Identity"

An Ode To Purses