On bags and happiness

"Luxury bags make your life more pleasant, make you dream, give you confidence, and show your neighbours you are doing well."

Karl Lagerfeld

Uhm… How should I put it in one sentence?

A luxury bag is never a ticket to happiness.

It can make you feel happy temporarily because it’s a beautiful object that you just acquired, but it doesn’t guarantee the happiness most people are after.

Take me, for example. I would lie if I said I didn’t like a good old luxury bag. I really do like them. Those special bags, each with its own story, are made to perfection, often by hand, unique in appearance and a pleasure to touch, hold and use. They last forever without losing their appeal, getting better with age and reducing the cost per wear to an amount that doesn’t require Valium in order to be processed effectively.

I got mine because I am minimalistic in my desires and don’t like to waste cash, so I’d rather have one great bag than a few alternatives. My collection, limited to 5 or so pieces bought over the years, goes with everything I wear and is suitable for every occasion. Does it make me feel truly happy? Do I feel different by walking around with a Fendi? No. And I’d rather people didn’t know that my bag is a special one either.

I felt happy when I got each of them because I liked the way they looked and I thought they made a perfect finishing touch for my outfits. Most of them were actually a present, so the true happiness moment wasn’t about a bag itself, but rather having somebody in my life who loves me.

Luxury bags are beautiful, but they don’t give you happiness or make you dream. They are what they are. BAGS. There are many other things in life that are worth dreaming about.

Photo source: Amica October 2010