I was recently at a gathering where several local bloggers commented on my gorgeous Michael Kors clutch, wondering where I got it (We’re a small city. Most people would have seen it in a store if it had been in a store here). I’m always happy to tell people about renting and was greeted with the uniform reaction “Oh my goodness, what if you wreck it??” I’m going to be honest, I’m kind of clumsy. If someone it going to need extra napkins, it’ll be me. So really this reaction wasn’t completely strange.
Most fashionistas love the idea of renting a designer handbag... so why don’t more people rent? The general consensus among the fashion conscious ladies I’ve spoken to is that we’re terrified of ruining an expensive bag and having to pay for it. What if you put a pen in it and it leaks? What if you put it down for a second on the table and someone spills red wine? What if??
When my first Bling Borrowers bag arrived I took one look at the papers accompanying it and promptly put it back in its lovely cloth dust cover. I was out for brunch the next day when a friend came running up to see it (having seem my excitement on facebook and twitter when it arrived). Only thing was, I’d left it at home. I’d been scared to take it out. I’d been scared to leave it anywhere in case one of the cats damaged it. I think I put it back in the box and hid it in a closet.
Obviously it didn’t stay in the closet. I have numerous photos (link to my blog http://littlewaterlily.blogspot.com/2011/08/good-bye-my-friend.html ) to prove the versatility of that bag. I realized that I don’t destroy my own handbags on a regular basis. I haven’t had a pen explode in a purse... well ever. I may not carry many pens in my rental, just in case. I don’t throw a chocolate bar in there (probably for the best that I don’t have one on hand) and I keep an eye on people drinking wine nearby, but otherwise, the price of the bag is not going to suddenly cause calamity to befall it.
Once I got my head around the fact that I’m capable of taking care of a handbag (the parents of the children I’ve taught over the years are probably relieved to hear I can manage inanimate objects) I started enjoying having a rental. It’s a little like playing dress up as a child. Every time you carry it you feel you’re trying out a slightly different role.
by: Leigh-Ellen Thomas
Leigh-Ellen Thomas lives, loves and shops on the East Coast of Canada with her husband, golden retriever and the cat who rules them all. For more fashion, travel and pet peeves visit her blog at http://littlewaterlily.blogspot.com/
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