Louis Vuitton will always have a special place in my heart as a fashion and handbag lover.
Louis Vuitton was my first real introduction into the luxury space–from the first luxury store that Ive visited way back as a teen in Seattle who couldn’t afford any of the pretty things in there, to the fresh college grad who just discovered pre love luxury items and purchased her first Speedy, to the established grown woman I am now who still gets excited to see what designs will come out next; Louis Vuitton has been a present force in my fashion journey
Because of this, they are by far the most represent luxury brand in my closet. And since I have already done a Chanel handbag collection on this blog, I figured that now might be a good time to do a Louis Vuitton collection for you all.
If you wish to see the all the bags that tI have in my collection in a video, I will have that linked down below.
Much like what I did with my Chanel post, for this Louis Vuitton collection blog, I will be answering the questions that I receive about my collection as well as showing off some closet eye candy for you all.
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Table of Content
Watch the video!
Why do you buy pre-loved so much?
There are several reasons as to why I buy pre-loved items a lot more frequently than I do new.
This top reason I suppose is that many Louis Vuitton items deprecate over time.
While I would still consider most Louis Vuitton items to be an asset that could easily be sold, I’m likely not going to make back everything that I spent if I bought the item new.
By buying pre-loved at a discount, I have a built in deflation cushion. Essentially, since I bought at the deflated price, ideally the items value won’t depressant much further cutting the amount of money lost.
But the other primary reason as to why I buy pre loved is because I enjoy a lot of the older piece.
If you haven’t noticed, a lot of my collection is made up of unique colors and vintage pieces you just don’t see as often any more.
I love the idea of having something that people just don’t see as often and it makes a wonderful conversation starter.
Shop Pre-Loved Styles on Fashionphile here
How do you store and care for your Louis Vuitton collection?
For me, caring for my luxury goods is one of the most important parts of ownership. These items are expensive after all and I want them to last me years.
So to ensure that they are well taken care of, I follow a few basic steps:
- 1) I store my bags facing away from direct sunlight and out in the open so that the leather and canvas can breath.
- 2) I store my bags with silica gel packets (you can save these from your purchases) to help absorb and moister that might be trapped in the bag
- 3) I stuff my bags with air paper (again, I save these from other packages that arrive) so that they can keep their shop, but still have enough air circulation
- 4) I use water wipes to clean my bags after I’m done using them–you’d be surprised at just how much grim get on your bag from just a day out in the town
- 5) I condition the leather at least 2 a year, some times for for bag that need more TLC
- 6)I Use a bag organizer, like this one here, on almost ever bag I have. This helps to protect the inside as well as helps the bag keep its shape.
Leather or coated canvas?
This is a hard question because there are advantages to both!
Coated canvas is so interesting to me because it’s the historical textile for the House and it has so much ingenuity behind it.
Seriously– my husband is a chemical engineer and we see posting for chemist and material scientists for the brand a lot. They are ALWAYS developing and perfecting their canvas.
Coated canvas is a very practical textile at that as well in that it’s pretty weather resistant which is something to consider living in the Pacific Northwest.
On the other hand, their treated leather options are pretty robust as well and come in so many beautiful colors–and we all know that I’m a sucker for that.
And while the leather options may be more prone to warping issues over time, they certainly feel way more luxurious.
Leather bags also stand a better change at being repaired by the brand too as they won’t touch canvas that has been torn but they can repair some leather.
This is a hard call for me, but at this moment, I’m leaning more towards leather over canvas as they are doing some beautiful work and color with the leather right now and because its a bit easier to repair.
Monogram or Damier?
Another hard question because I feel like this mostly depends on my mood!
Although its not classic, the monogram print is certain synonymous with the brand and well loved by fans of the House.
and something about that deep brown and yellow just works so damn well with most outfits too. this print can really be casual or classy just depending on what your looking for.
But the monograph print is one that you do see everywhere, so sometimes pieces with the monogram print on it feel lackluster to me,
In contrast, I don’t see either of the damier prints as much but they are equally as classic to the brand as the monogram prints are.
With damier ebene actually being the first print Louis Vuitton carried, it clearly earns it spot in any LV lover’s collection.
And something about those chocolatey squares is just so dreamy to me!
While damier azur is a much newer print compared to the other two, it’s still just so beautiful and I think the prefect spring and summer time print.
All that say, I think if I had to choose one, I would choose damier only because I tend to like bags that don’t have logos blasted on them.
But some bags just look WAY better in monogram, so this was tough!
Shop with Japanese resellers on eBay here
Your experience with Japanese resellers?
I know that some people are scare of Japanese resellers and that is completely understandable!
There really is a lot to consider when making purchase, especially if its coming from over seas.
The most reassuring thing for me is that Japan has strict counterfeit laws and requires special licenses to sell pre-loved luxury items. Being caught selling counterfeits can cause your whole business to be shut down.
So while this doesn’t make buying pre-loved items from Japan fool proof, it does decrease your odds of getting scammed.
Here are a few more steps you can take to protect yourself:
- 1) Be sure that you are shopping with a known Japanese reseller. Look up the company you are buying from.
- 2) Check to make sure they have a return policy and know what that return policy is. In my experience, many of the Japanese resellers will have decent return policies if the item isn’t as described.
- 3) For added protection, purchase with a credit card that offers fraud protection on purchases, with PayPal (who also offers fraud protection on purchases) or order though markets that will offer fraud protection as well.
- 4) Get a 3rd party authentication. Even if your trust your reseller, counterfeits can fall through the cracks and you want to know pretty soon after you receive the bag if its real of not so you can take appropriate action.
Why do you prefer the classic styles so much?
I love to watch the trends and see how circular fashion is over time.
However, I don’t want to feel like my wardrobe is chasing these trends. Honestly that just feels like too much effort to try and be on top of all of the amazing trends that are coming out, especially since trends are changing at rapid fire pace thanks to socail media.
Classic styles however are always relevant. Whether it be my Speedy from 1984, 2005, or 2023, no one will think the bag is out of place or style.
An Alma with its iconic dome shape will always look stylish. A Noe will always be in season.
in a world where trends are always changing, classic pieces mean less work to stay relevant, and I love that.
Will you continue to buy Louis Vuitton with the current price increases?
I’m certain that I will continue to look at more vintage pieces as I always do lol.
But I don’t want to write off buying new in stores just yet.
I’ve been traveling a lot lately and have feel in love with Louis Vuitton’s travel books! so I certainly will continue popping into the stores.
I also really want a Speedy 25 ( I can’t believe that I don’t have one yet!) and I’m weighing my options on if I want that new or pre loved.
And so many of the new prints have been temping me!! They have really been smashing it with the designs.
So who knows if I can stay strong lol. But at the moment, now that I have my new Croisette, there aren’t any other bags (besides the Speedy 25 that I can wait on) that are calling to me strong enough to want to fork over that kind of money new.
Final Thoughts
I adore Louis Vuitton as a brand.
I feel like they have done a great job in recent years revitalizing their imagine while still remaining true to who they are as a company.
I think the history and timelessness of Louis Vuitton plays a huge roll in why so many of us luxury lovers gravitate to this brand and why they have been able to survive and even thrive through economic downturns.
For me personally. I feel like Louis Vuitton has managed to strike that balance between classic and unique and that is perfectly reflected in my collection.
I love that my collection is so full of color and pastels and yet still feels very wearable for me. The bags are fun yet utility was kept in mind making them functional.
While to do take issues with some of the politics of Louis Vuitton ( and I do call them out on it), they are a classic brand that has learned to adapt to the times and created beautiful pieces that reflect the vibrant and classic styles of their clientele.
If you enjoyed reading about some of the thought I have about my collection and about the brand, then you might enjoy watching the video where you can see my collection up close!
Are you a Louis Vuitton collector yourself? I would love to hear what your favorite pieces are down below! Don’t forget to connect with me over on Instagram and Threads and catch up with us over on Youtube!
Love,
Monnii
