I joined Sal's Challenge in order to more definitively accessorize every single day. I especially wanted to rotate my bag daily to coordinate with the outfit I am wearing. I want to develop wardrobe complements. Seems simple enough when you see it in writing.

This post is somewhat ironic given that just a couple of weeks ago I emphatically stated that I owned sufficient bags to meet my every need https://youlookfab.com/welookf.....-backpacks

But the truth of the matter is that I am only a few days into Sal's challenge and I have already identified several problems.

I own 11 bags. Although I was absolutely certain these bags met my every need, it is now clear that my bag collection is lopsided and full of remnant items that no longer spark joy.

It is only day 4 into the challenge and I already identified the following:

• Two of my 11 bags are Coach briefcases from around the years 1999-2000 in black. Black is no longer a signature accessory color for me. I no longer carry briefcases because my style has changed dramatically over time. The briefcases are small and cannot accommodate a laptop/files. They are heavy. Oh, so heavy. One of them does not even have a shoulder strap forcing me to carry it in my hand. Both of these items were "aspirational." I told myself if I achieved a certain goal in my career I would reward myself with a Coach briefcase. Although I use both of these briefcases once or twice a year, they are not really part of my "working wardrobe."
• Eleven minus 2 equals 9. Of the remaining nine bags, one is an old Coach crossbody bought in 1992 in black. My first Coach purse ever! In fact, this was the first purse that I spent real money on. Even though it is black, I adored this purse at one time. It is being moved out of storage back into my "working wardrobe." It will be part of the July challenge going forward.
• Another BLACK bag is a Rebecca Minkoff backpack. I use this bag for field work. It is perfect. Score 10 out of 10. But I only use it for field work.
• Summary: 11 bags. Four out of the 11 are black which is a color I no longer aspire to wear as an accessory in 2019 especially in the summer months. Three are "special purpose" and not part of my working wardrobe. That leaves 8 bags.
• Two of the remaining eight bags are fuchsia. Fuchsia was my signature color prior to the Great Purge of 2018. I'm sure how it happened, but everything that had been fuchsia got edited out of my wardrobe in 2018 (with the exception of these two bags and four scarfs). I can't explain it but these two bags don't feel right to me today. I know I adored them pre-2018. What happened? Move both of these bags out of storage back into my "working wardrobe."
• Summary: down to eight possible bags. Two of the eight bags are an older signature color that I want to return to wearing. They still have a "dark" feel to them. Is it my imagination? I certainly wore them in the summer months pre-2018.
• Don't I own any lighter colored bags? The only lighter color bags in my entire collection are two pink bags. One pink Rebecca Minkoff clutch and one Rebecca Minkoff backpack. The clutch is beautiful but worse than useless. The backpack is great.
• Summary: still down to eight possible bags. Only two of the eight bags has a light, summery feel. One of the two light, summery bags is useless to me. That leaves me a mere seven bags to experiment with going forward.

So what do I do here?

• Move some bags that had been in storage into my working wardrobe.
• Start teaching myself not just to "own these bags, but to use them." Maybe consider editing the amount of stuff I carry. Perhaps if I carried less stuff around with me I could consider experimenting with new shapes and sizes. The majority of my bags fall into two categories: totes and backpacks. I would love to consider expanding those two categories within the parameters of my real life (i.e., think before you purchase and be realistic).
• Focus on identifying new colors that interest me. A lighter blue bag would be so perfect for my current wardrobe. But the blue has to be the "right" shade. Not too dark. I love the idea of navy, but I already own one navy bag and prefer to use it during the winter months.

I am seeing the same exact thing with my shoe collection. Lots of dark very utilitarian shoes. Utilitarian is another word for boring.

This has been a fascinating exercise. A problem has been identified in a mere four days. Although I had no intention of purging any items in my wardrobe, I can see that possibility might exist at the end of the summer.

LisaP -- In the past we have exchanged comments on the RM backpacks. I wanted to tell you that although the two backpacks I own are exactly the same, there are major differences between the two. It comes down to construction and zipper. The black has a really smooth zipper. It opens easily and it seems to open really wide. It is a pleasure to use. I can easily find whatever it is I am looking for ... despite the fact the bag is black. In contrast, the zipper on the pink is a little hard to use. It is the exact same length, but the bag does not open as "wide." Access is a lot harder. Things get lost. I have to make up my mind to "search" through the contents of the pink to find what I want. It is much less of a pleasure to use. IF I only had the pink, I would probably feel exactly the same way you do about these backpacks.