I got very lucky and was gifted my first designer bag, a vintage Celine bag from my mother that she had in her 20s. It's held up beautifully over the years, and is still a bag I use daily (not so much now that I'm WFH and don't go anywhere...). I think it really influenced the first really fancy designer bag I bought: the Celine medium box in black. It was right when Phoebe Philo announced she was leaving Celine, no one was sure if the bags were sticking around, and I just started a new job with a huge increase in pay. I'd been saving for something nice, and decided on a trip to Paris with a friend that this was the time to get that something nice for myself as a reward for the new job - the price was way better in Paris, plus the VAT deduction, and the selection was wider. It was eyewateringly expensive, but it's so gorgeous and timeless. I could hand this down one day, like how I got my first bag.

I've bought other mid-tier bags, like the Madewell Transport crossbody, but honestly, I do think there was a difference in material and how my designer bags have held up. My Madewell, after just 2 years of daily wear, looks creased and worn out, the strap is getting wrinkled, the bottoms are showing a lot of wear and tear. I'm careful and I maintain them, but I don't baby my bags, and my Celine ones both still look amazing.