How to research
Finding the bags wasn't the hard part. Working out what they were was.
I started the October Edit researching trends and ended up investigating bags. The biggest change is my order of operations. I used to think: find the trend, search the archive, find the bag. Now it's this:
- SearchStart broad, then make the search worse on purpose.
- IdentifyThe listing won't always tell you. Labels, stamps, runway images.
- VerifyGet it authenticated. "Good condition" is where my questions start.
- Check the marketSold prices, not asking prices. Like-for-like where you can.
- Then decideBuy, negotiate, watch or walk away.
Build each search from three parts
"Gucci 2000s Boston bag" is a good start. But my favourite trick is to search like the seller, not like someone who knows fashion. If a listing already says "RARE Y2K ARCHIVE BOWLING BAG", the seller knows exactly what they've got and has priced it accordingly. I'm looking for the one that just says "old brown leather handbag". Then I do the research myself.
Prada 2000s bowling bagPrada short handle bagGucci archive hoboGucci big brown handbagOne more thing I learned the slow way: a bad listing can be an opportunity, but it's also a warning that you'll be doing more of the research yourself. And the cheapest listing isn't always the cheapest way to end up with the bag in the condition you want. Sometimes a higher price is paying for someone else's cleaning, photography, authentication and returns.
Steal my search lists
These are the actual lists I used, house by house, including the deliberately unglamorous searches. They're starting points for searching, not a list of bags to buy.
Watch how I search
For croc effect
Search each of these with and without a brand name, then check the material in the description:
- mock croc
- croc effect
- croc embossed
- embossed leather