I recently went to Chicago for the first time for a work trip. I realized the day before that the trip that my hotel was an hour drive from the airport and that if I just went about five mins off the highway I could walk along Michigan Ave; Chicago’s 5th Avenue equivalent. Within just a few blocks you find some of the biggest names in fashion: Christian Dior, Ferragamo, Dolce & Gabbana, Louboutin, Louis Vuitton, and….Chanel. I decided to make the pit stop and do what I had been telling myself I would do 9 years ago and buy myself a high-end designer bag .
When I was in college and working towards my degree, I told myself I would treat myself to a designer bag when I got my first ‘big girl job’ after graduating. Well, I got the job just a month after graduating and in the 9 years between then and now something has always made me hesitate in actually treating myself. Drew and I have worked for everything we have ourselves and together. We paid for our own wedding, our house, cars, and everything else in life. I always let those things paired up with the feeling of needing to save or be ready in case something happens steer me away from spending unnecessarily on an expensive bag.
But this week, I stepped into the Chanel boutique and told myself that if I saw something I wanted that I would buy it for myself. I walked around the first floor of the boutique for a few minutes just soaking in the gorgeous things in all of the displays. Chanel is a brand and designer that I have long-admired for the classic style the house is known for. While I could have just let the admiration end there and walked on to the next store, I asked to see one of the smaller bags with silver hardware (I love the look of the gold but am a silver jewelry/hardware lady personally). I held the bag for just a few minutes admiring it and asked the gauche question of how much. The number was one I knew in my very type-A, organized brain that I would spend if I went to Dior for their book tote but that this was it. This sweet, simple black quilted leather bag with its demure CC logo and chain strap was the one.
While the wonderful saleswoman wrapped up my purchase, I sat soaking in the beautiful things around me and where I was. It isn’t lost on me that the experience of walking into a Chanel boutique and buying something (anything!) is not something everyone can or would want to do. The fact that I have put in so much work in my life to get to a point where I could feel comfortable taking that goal and actually doing it hit me sitting there. I let myself get choked up for a quick moment and then refocused as the saleswoman brought me the classic black and white logo shopping bag.
I’ve ever treated myself like this and could not be more happy that I did. Days later I’m sitting waiting for my flight home and looking over at this gorgeous bag next to me as a symbol of my hard work, my drive, and my accomplishments.
