Ownership and Alterations

I'd wager that 90% of my fancy-pants designer stuff was bought used or on DEEP discount. Actually, the only fancy-pantsy thing I own that I ponied up full price for was my Alexander McQueen skull scarf, and I bought others on eBay

for far cheaper afterwards. And although I re-sell some items once I feel I've moved beyond them (or admitted to myself that they were mistakes), I'm perfectly comfortable altering just about anything I own without regard to how it will affect resale value. Or perceived value. Or cachet.

Here's a very concrete example:

I bought this Botkier bag on eBay about six months ago. I got a good deal, but it was still relatively spendy. The eBay seller photos made it look dark pink, almost magenta, which was just what I wanted. So imagine my surprise when it arrived at my doorstep looking for all the world like it'd been marinating in Pepto Bismol.

Another feature that had wooed me were those long, dangly zipper pulls which give the impression of fringe without actually being fringe. They had gotten pretty filthy, as raw, exposed leather often does after frequent wear and use.

So what did I do? I went to the craft store, bought a magenta Sharpie, and spent 45 minutes carefully coloring the raw back edges of the zipper pulls. I'm sure that makes some of you want to yank your hair out in large handfuls, but ya know what? Doing so minimized the visible grime, made the overall impression of the bag be that of a slightly darker shade of pink, and made me happy.

The underlying concept is that this object is mine. It belongs to me. I saved up my money for it, and I bought it. I can't return it because it's used, I'd rather salvage it than sell it, and I get to decide how best to make it work for me. Just because I spent more than $20 on it doesn't mean I have to leave it as-is. Just because it's fancy-pantsy doesn't mean it has to remain unaltered. I do trust designers to make good decisions and I generally seek garments and accessories that I feel are just right brand new. But I also feel like anything I buy is fair game for retooling and reconfiguration, should I see a way to make it more useful or versatile. I own my possessions, I won't let them own me. (WendyB is fearless about reconfiguring her clothing and has had many designer items altered to her liking.)