Were the trends even trends?
I ranked them by how much you actually cared.
Six weeks of videos gave me a fairly honest measure of which of these directions people responded to. Least to most:
- 5Trend, nobody cared
Croc effect
It's everywhere, so yes, it's a trend. But my "would you pay that much for croc-embossed?" video barely moved. Present on the runway, absent from your comments.
- 4Not a trend
Long & Low
Not a trend. The shape is too established. Nobody talked about the trend at all; it was "I love that bag, who else makes one?"
- 3One bag, not a trend
More Is More
The McQueen De Manta got a bit of chat after the London show. The Fendi Baguette got loads. That's interest in a bag, not a trend.
- 2Nostalgia, maybe
Retro Structure
The one that went viral: half a million of you watched the doctor bag video. I think that was twenty-year nostalgia rather than the shape itself. Whether you'll actually buy one is a different question.
- 1Never went away
Big & Slouchy
The most engagement of all, and a lot of you said big bags never went away. Same. I've always been a big bag person. So don't buy a new one: the archive is full of beautiful big bags.
Being right about the trend doesn't necessarily mean you're right about the buy.
Would I do it again?
Yes. But not the same way.
I want to make the case for buying one new bag first, because it's a real one. One bag you love and carry every day for ten years can be a better use of money than twelve you rotate. Twelve bags is, honestly, a lot of bags. If you reach for the same one every morning, the boutique bag might be the smarter buy for you.
For me, it wasn't. I was testing whether you can buy into a trend second-hand without overpaying, and I couldn't have done that with one new bag. Every bag in this edit has resale value. I'm not calling that an investment: I haven't sold anything, and asking prices aren't sold prices. But with most new bags, the first owner takes the biggest drop.
Here's what I'd change.
Add it up as you go
£104 here and £242 there never felt like £3,695. A running note on my phone would have made me pause once or twice.
Hold it next to what you own
The Miu Miu two-tone was a good bag at a good price. Next to the bigger bags, it looked small. It's still in the spend, because I still spent it.
Shop your own wardrobe first
Five of the sixteen bags cost nothing. I'd look there before I looked anywhere else.
Learn suede and nubuck cleaning first
Unexpectedly, cleaning was the hardest part, and it's the thing I'd approach most differently next time.
Budget 10% on top
Fees, authentication and cleaning. I'd pay for the authentication every time: counterfeits are the reason I started Maison Toro.
Ask me in six months whether this was clever or just a lot of bags. My guess is clever.
I'm keeping all of them, and carrying them. If you want to know how I'm wearing one, or want the research behind a particular bag, message me. More of the full write-ups are coming.