Meet the love of my life, Saint Laurent Lulu in size small (in size medium here), which I’ve been saving up to get for months! I’ve always wanted to buy a luxury designer bag but could never decide, which one I wanted the most and I’m really happy with my decision. I have to admit YSL bags are my favorite and I’m really hoping to grow my collection later on Since narrowing down to one choice was really hard for me I thought I’d share with you guys some points I took into consideration in case you’re shopping for your first designer bag as well.

1. If you’re planning to buy your first designer bag, don’t give into trends
I have to admit I was drooling over some 2015 Chloé styles (Drew and Faye anyone?), but these bags are so trendy, you’d be sick of them in a couple of months, especially seeing them on every other blogger. It’s not everyday that I’m investing in such an expensive bag, and right now I don’t plan to buy a designer bag every season so I thought I’d rather go for a classic style that’s been around for a while and that I haven’t stopped liking ever since I saw it. This will also serve as a guarantee I won’t stop liking it the next season.

2. Go for daywear versatility
This might seem like an obvious thing to say, but many of my styling clients think that if they pay a fortune for a bag, it better show! This is how they end up with embellished purple satchels that sit in their closets and don’t get almost any wear. I chose Lulu because I knew a small black bag is what I’ll be wearing 50% of the time. My advice is avoid superfluous details and flashy logos, you’ll have a chance to add that bag to your collection later.

3. Save up!
You can totally disagree with me on this, but I believe the more you see your bag on other people, the less you like it. All those Michael Kors and Rebecca Minkoff bags are great and super accessible, but chances are you’ll value yours less everytime you see one like it. If you can, save up more, because unless you live on Upper East Side, luxury bags are not something you see very much of. I own a couple of MK and Marc Jacobs bags myself  and aside from their functionality these bags don’t really excite me the way they did on the first day of purchase. Also, keep in mind that the value of a premium designer bag will only rise over time, which unfortunately won’t happen to MK Jet Sets.

4. Research!
See how your dream bag looks on bloggers (take into account their height to determine if the bag will look the same on you), think if it’s versatile enough to match your typical looks. Read reviews on forums to find out if the bag has significant shortcomings (e.g., loses shape quickly). I bought my bag online and I didn’t have any chance to hold it in my hands before buying it so I made sure I did the best research I could, which totally paid off.