On the Hunt for Vintage Chanel

So I have been gone for a while, but graduate school has overtaken my life. Most recently I have been on the hunt for a great vintage Chanel bag. I get the whole "you get what you pay for" mantra, but I cannot see myself shelling over $2500 plus for pre-owned Chanel (at this point in my life). So at this point I have decided after my last successful venture on eBay with the Alma I am going to adventure into the land of Chanel.

After doing some research on several purse blogs I have found that many people have had great success with Chanel resellers on eBay. Also while most of the bags are in need of significant spa treatment you are still looking at pretty steep discounts. Lastly, I have been stalking Chanel bags for years. How they look, how they feel, and not that I am an expert, but I know the basic components of a legitimate Chanel bag.

After scouring eBay I have found that you can get any of the colored double flap's for a decent price. By decent I mean depending on size anywhere between $800-$1400. Granted the bags are in need of about $300.00 worth of work, but again these are still steep discounts. I have found that most of the bags are in need of a general deep clean i.e. stitch reinforcement, re-dye, sometimes even hardware replacement. Do your homework and check around. You will find that sites like LuxeDH, Fashionphile and Bag Borrow or Steal rarely go below $2000.00 for a classic black lamb skin Chanel double flap. For the other colors and fabrics you may luck up and find them priced anywhere between $1100.00-$1800.00, but do not be fooled into thinking they will not need work as well.

Now the white whale of vintage Chanel buying is obviously the black double flap. It is the ultimate classic and every bid I have been on has been serious. Don't even bother bidding until the last five seconds. The good news is if you have $1200-$1400 you can get one in pretty good shape. If you are willing to get the repairs done I have seen some as cheap as $800.00 buy it now and bids end at $710.00. My first Chanel must be black. I have loosened up my idea on what size because of the difficulty obtaining one period and decided I will be content to have it in any size. Currently, I have an offer in on a Chanel Flap mini with gold hardware. The seller is taking forever to respond, but hopefully I get some good movement on the price as the bag is in definite need of spa treatment. Overall if you are willing to wait it out you can find some good deals on eBay. For added security always have your bags authenticated by an independent vendor. Spend a few extra bucks and by a few extra I literally mean about $7-$10 and get that added piece of mind with your purchase. Remember in the quest for Chanel this is a marathon not a sprint!

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Bag Authentication

Due to some slight technical difficulties I had to delay my most recent post. My online school, kids, and life in general has me exhausted. BUT, I am back and now we can talk about my most recent purchase.

My most recent purchase was a used Louis Vuitton Alma Gm in the amarante color. The bag online is quite lovely, but I did not realize how BAD the quality of LV bags has gotten! There was a time when they used genuine brass, the stitching, the overall quality was much better. You could spend $2700 and know your were getting a quality product. 

Now let me also say, this was an Ebay purchase so I suppose you truly can't attest to how any person cares for their bags. I would expect a bag purchased in 2011 would be in pretty decent shape in 2013.  That was not the case. Here are my gripes with the Ebay seller and the Alma itself:

-Seller sent the bag with a gummy substance on the base and near the handle.Ok, the yuck factor of that alone is enough to make a grown man cringe so needless to say  I was not pleased, but I cannot blame LV for that.

-How the hell do you send the bag with the wrong size dust bag? Yea I seem nit picky, but if you say "comes with dust bag" you should make it clear if it Comes with "original" dust bag. For handbag buyers it makes a difference.

Heres where I start blaming LV.....

-Gold plated hardware......really how dare you? How cheap!

-The straps of the bag were beginning to fray Had the bag not been authenticated I would have been sure it was a fake. I despise handbags With strap issues. Had it not been for Carol, the authenticator, I'd almost be positive it was a  Fraud.

Overall the bag was in ok condition, but the seller drug it through the mud, (probably literally), and should have said that. Missing stitching, the wrong dust bag....that heifer tried my life.

With all that being said I still got a bag that usually sells pre owned from anywhere between $1550-$2200 so for $1350 so I still made out like a bandit, but it came at a cost.

 

                                  

Here's a pic of my new baby. Hope you enjoyed!

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Consultation Showdown

After much thought and consideration I have chosen Dr. Lo for my breast augmentation. He has the same  credentials as the other doctors, but he is at least 2,000 dollars cheaper. A friend knows two people who have had work done by him and they were very pleased with the results. I have a feeling Dr. Lo will give me the look I am going for ie mom in clothes/sexpot when naked. So basically I am very excited. This decision is really getting me amped up to find a job so I can get this work done!

In the interim I think I am going to give my room a mini makeover. Get rid of the jail cell grey on my walls but a few new furniture pieces ya know redo my life as a new woman. There is a store called SteinMart. Surprisingly I found some very nice pieces. The pieces were the same quality as Homegoods, but slightly cheaper.

O btw starting tomorrow I will officially start posting pictures with my ideas. This is my promise to myself. Until tomorrow. 

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Transitions

What is your vice when you go through a transition? My vice is shopping. Needless to say this summer has created MANY frivolous purchases. I love love love bags. Second to my children that is the true love of my life. For the past few weeks I have been eyeing a Louis Vuitton Alma GM. I would like the amarente, but I have been toying with brighter colors in an effort to spice up my bland wardrobe.

This will be my fourth designer bag this year. The combined retail value of all these bags combined is well over 5000. Why would one need so many bags??? Let's just say I had myself a Blu Cantrell moment. In addition, all the bags were pre-loved costing a fraction of the price. I have been toying with this blog site because I'd like to start adding pictures to my pieces. This site is as bland as my wardrobe!

I like using sites like Ebay, Yoogi's Closet, Fashionphile, and BBOS Private Sale to find the best deals on designer handbags. The key is knowing what you want before you go to buy. Try using a site like Pinterest to compile your dream items, that way you stay focused. 

Tomorrow is my last boob consult (yea we still on that)!

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Fighting

Do you ever just get tired of fighting with people? I feel that I have so many great relationships in my life then just a few that are so-so to say the least. What is weird about it is that I feel like most of my bad relationship are with the opposite sex. I don't get how two people who seemingly care for one another can fight so bitterly. 

I cannot keep a decent relationship with any type of male outside my father for more than a month. As I get older more and more I am beginning to believe it is me. I simply have no tolerance for what I perceive as weakness in males. I was raised by a strong father. He showed very little emotion and even when he was "happy" for us it was always tag lined with a "you could have done x,y,z better".

From him I learned to protect my heart with poison laced arrows and a Teflon vest. There is no man that can ever get into my heart or head as much as he thinks he can. But I digress this is not open mic.  I just finished my last day of a very rigorous summer and decided I'm done fighting with myself and other people.

You think you can tell some people everything, but in actuality you can't tell anyone most things. People that you think have your back do not. In this world you are your only protector. I figured that out these past few years. Going through what I been through would make anyone live a little different, love a little harder (yourself of course). Anyways, I'm cheers myself to letting a little more roll off my back and not letting those that wish me ill make me ill.

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Daydreaming

I had the weirdest dream! I had the flattest stomach and the perkyest boobs. Needless to say I woke up looked down and thought what the hell happened. Now that the decision has been made I am really hustling to get my finances in order so I get can this done. 

The husband is still not totally thrilled with my decision, but for him it won't be reality until the day of surgery. My mind and heart are ready though. I'm not even scared. I have planned outfits beach trips all in my head of course. 

The good news is until my money is right I can spend my time ranting about other things.

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How many consults is too many???

Well over the past few weeks I have visited two cosmetic surgeons. One man and one woman. The woman doc seemed very conservative concerned that I did my "homework" as you call it. She really would not even discuss what I call the fun stuff ie size. She seemed very nice extremely knowledgable. The man doctor was very knowledgable as well. Answered all my questions, discussed sizes and everything!  He made me feel like I'd leave the operating room looking like a video vixen! Now to decide  which doctor.....ironically enough I am leaning more toward the woman doctor. She was closer to my home and her conservative calm demeanor was very comforting almost motherly. The next step will be deciding my financing and picking a date! I am sooooo excited!!!

Ideally I really would want to pick a date after I land a job. Yes I know I am doing things in a very ratchet way, but in my defense I start interviewing with school in a few weeks. So TECHNICALLY it makes sense to do the surgery prior to starting work. So I can save my vacation days for something that counts!

Til another day (.)(.)