So, there was this period, a good few years back, when I got really, and I mean really, into the whole high-end handbag scene. And right up there on my radar was Nancy Gonzalez. Those colors, man, the bright, vibrant crocodile and exotic skins. I’d see them in magazines, on those fancy websites, and I was hooked.
My “research phase,” if you want to call it that, was pretty intense. I wasn’t just casually browsing. I was actively learning. I’d spend hours, literally hours, looking at pictures, trying to understand the different styles, the types of skins they used – you know, Caiman crocodile, ostrich, python. I remember thinking how each bag seemed like a piece of art. The craftsmanship looked incredible, at least from what I could tell online and in the glossy pages.
Then came the “how do I even get one?” part. This wasn’t like picking up a bag at your local department store, not for the really special pieces anyway, or at least that’s how it felt. I started checking prices, and whoa, that was an eye-opener. So, I started this little mental fund, thinking, “Okay, if I save this much, maybe by next year…” It became a bit of a goal, you know? Something to aim for.
I even started following some fashion bloggers who supposedly owned them. I’d analyze their pictures, how they styled the bags. It was all part of my “due diligence,” I told myself. I wanted the perfect one. A specific color, a specific style. I had it all pictured in my head.
Then, the actual “hunt” began. I remember visiting a high-end department store on a trip to a big city. I knew they stocked Nancy Gonzalez. My heart was actually thumping a bit. I’d built it up so much in my mind. I went to the handbag section, all polished and quiet. And there they were. Behind glass, of course.
I asked to see one. A beautiful green crocodile clutch. The sales assistant, very polite, very professional, laid it on a velvet cloth. And I looked at it. I mean, I really looked at it. It was… nice. Definitely well-made. The color was rich. But something felt… off. Not with the bag itself, it was exactly as advertised. It was more with me.
All that build-up, all those hours of research, the saving, the dreaming. And then I held it. And it was just… a bag. A very expensive, very exotic-skinned bag, sure. But the magic I’d conjured up around it just wasn’t there in that moment. I suddenly thought about all the things that money could do, other experiences I could have. It was a weird feeling.
I thanked the assistant, said I needed to think about it, and walked out. I didn’t buy it. I never did end up buying a Nancy Gonzalez bag. My “practice” with them, my whole journey, ended right there, in that quiet, plush section of the department store. It wasn’t a dramatic moment, no big revelation about the ethics of exotic skins right then and there (though that did come later as I thought more about it), it was just a personal feeling. Like reaching the top of a small hill and realizing the view wasn’t what you expected, or maybe you weren’t even climbing the right hill for yourself.
Sometimes I see them now, online or in a store window, and I remember that feeling. It’s funny how you can build something up so much in your head. My whole “Nancy Gonzalez handbag practice” turned out to be more about the chase and the idea than the actual thing. And you know what? That was a pretty good lesson in itself. Made me think a lot about what I truly value.
So, what did I learn from all this?
- Desire can be a powerful driver: It got me researching and saving.
- The “idea” can be more potent than reality: My mental image was so grand.
- Hands-on experience (or almost-experience) is key: Seeing and almost touching it changed everything.
- It’s okay to change your mind: Walking away was the right call for me, despite all the prior “investment” of time and desire.
It’s a bit like that job I almost took once. Looked amazing on paper, everyone said it was the dream. Went for the final interview, saw the office, met the team, and just got this gut feeling it wasn’t for me. Sometimes you just know, even if you can’t fully explain why. And you gotta trust that feeling. My Nancy Gonzalez experience was kinda like that, but with a handbag.
