"The trick of wearing mink is to look as though you were wearing a cloth coat. The trick of wearing a cloth coat is to look as though you are wearing mink.” -Pierre Balmain

I have an affinity for vintage bags. Today, I got three vintage bags, one of which I didn't yet photograph. Above are my two vintage Dooney & Bourke All Weather Leather bags and a new Balmain bag I got...

I stumbled upon the vintage Balmain today completely by accident. I saw it poking out from a bunch of crappy bags and thought it had nice workmanship, so out of pure curiosity, I grabbed it to take a closer look. When I saw that it was a vintage Pierre Balmain bag, I was surprised. I really liked it, so I purchased it. It was only $20! I haven't done much research about it yet, but from what I gather it is from the "Les fleurs de mon Jardin" collection. It was in great condition and it is very clearly a very well-made bag.

The print on it didn't photograph well in my bad lighting, so I'll take some photos of it in daylight tomorrow.

 

The inside has many useful compartments. I have Chanel Graphite on my nails, if anyone is curious. :)

All of the zippers say Balmain. Here is a shot of it with flash:

Then I purchased my second Dooney & Bourke vintage All Weather Leather bag. I love this line and I love these bags! This one has cute tassel details and very useful compartments.

 

The inside had some marks from the black leather but that's nothing that can't be cleaned up :)

Here are my two new babies together! Aren't they cute? Vintage bags are so lovely. They are very well-made and they have such cute designs. :)

Here are my two Dooneys:

(Without flash)

(With flash)

I love vintage bags. I think that it's so fascinating that these bags have lived through more than I have, and it's like owning a piece of history. I love history and I love fashion, so owning fashion history is pretty cool. All of these bags were ridiculously cheap, too - the Dooney & Bourke bags were $9 each and the Balmain was $20. They are more expensive if you try to buy them online (especially the vintage Dooney & Bourkes; I've seen them being sold in stores and consignment boutiques (even if they were in horrible shape) for $100-$300), so I just stick to finding them at thrift stores. I love the designs of the All Weather Leather bags, and I love my new Pierre Balmain bag (which is in immaculate condition). Plus, they can all be worn cross-body or on the shoulder, which is so comfortable. 

I've definitely had a great and lucky week for bags - first the Coach bag for my mom, then the Valentino for me, and now the Pierre Balmain and Dooney & Bourke bags! :)