Make Your Handbags Last a Lifetime!

As many of you know, I am a handbag FANATIC.  I love handbags and collect them.  Many of the handbags I own are timeless luxury pieces that will last a lifetime if well cared for.  When I buy a handbag I think of a few things:

1. What is going to be the purpose of this handbag?  In other words, am I buying this handbag for day-to-day use or am I buying it for when I go out on a Saturday night?  I may buy a clutch for Saturday date night or a large hobo for the day!
2. Is this bag practical?  Are there enough inside pockets?  What material is it?  Suede is not the most practical, so I recently chose a leather bag which was more expensive simply because of the practicality of the material.
3. Resale Value (in the event I want to resell the bag on Ebay or through Craig’s List at a later time)

I think of other things also, like what color I’m looking for, etc. 

Here are some great tips on taking great care of your handbags!!

• If purchasing a suede handbag, use suede spray to help protect it.
• Save all original tags, care cards, authenticity cards and the store receipt.  For the future, it will help authenticate your bag should you want to sell it or have it appraised. (see photo of the bag size to buy)
• Don’t throw away the original stuffing.  Some companies put their logo on the tissue paper that they use to stuff the bags.  When reselling your handbag, this will increase the value
• Store your handbag in the dustbag (some call it a sleeper bag) in which is came
• When storing your handbag, make sure to always stuff it.  It will help to keep the shape of the bag over time and stop if from getting crushed by other things in your closet.
• When purchasing a handbag, always ask for a box.  Storing your handbag in a box will help protect it.  Having the original box will also help with resale value.  If you choose to pass the handbag to your children or a give one of your vintage bags as a gift, it is nice to be able to give it in a box.  (Make sure to save all of the original ribbons that the box was tied with, if there were any.)
• Ask for an extra dust/sleeper bag.  I don’t do this but I’ve seen some women actually line their bags with the dust bag while in use.  I’m told it helps protect the inside of the handbag from those pesky pen and make-up marks.  You can also use a larger sized cosmetic bag to do the same thing.
• When going out to dinner make sure to never put your handbag on the floor.  The bottoms of handbags are known to have a lot of germs on them!!!  Buy one of these nifty table hooks from Purse Jewelry to help protect your bag from dirt and grime.  You can choose from a variety that fit your personaltiy.  It can also help protect from theft since the bag is hanging off of the table.  http://www.pursejewelry.com/shoppursehangers.html
• If the company from which you got your bag offers a care service, use it!!  For example, Hermes will repair any damage on all bags free of charge for the entire life of the bag.  They will restore, clean and/or polish your bag for a small fee.  When having your handbag repaired or cleaned, it is always best to bring it to the company’s boutique.  You should take a Chanel bag to a local Chanel boutique or a Louis Vuitton bag to the Louis Vuitton boutique.  Basically, I advise this because they know best how their own bags should be cleaned or repaired.  Save all records of repair or cleaning (I put mine in the ZipLock bag where I store the tags, receipts, etc)
• Store your handbags at room temperature or cooler (this is especially true for leather, suede and exotic skins)
• Make sure that the bag you choose to wear on a particular day is acceptable based on the weather outside.  Never wear suede or exotic skins (crocodile, ostrich, alligator) when it’s raining, even if you’ve treated it.  When purchasing any handbag, Hermes provides a “raincoat” for your handbag just in case you get caught in the rain!  (I never use mine.  I just don’t wear bags that can’t get wet when it’s raining or snowing.)
• Don’t overstuff your handbag when in use.  This could wear out the handbag fast or put pressure on the seams or hardware
• If your handbag doesn't come with dustbags, think about storing them on hooks, like this one from Simply Sarah: http://store.simplysarahshaw.com/handbaghangers.html

Whether you purchase luxury styles from Hermes and Chanel or you purchase bags from Target and Walmart, if you treat them right then they will last a lifetime!  Love the bags you buy and care for them properly, and you can be sure that your handbags will last forever!!!!