Anatomy of a Splurge, Real-Time Edition

The step-by-step thought process behind a recent Big Buy.

One of my first newsletters to gain traction highlighted a process I referred to as the Anatomy of a Splurge. This was basically a detailed look at how I justify big purchases, evaluating everything from practicality to timelessness to “It” factor. Readers reached out to say they found the device helpful when evaluating purchases of their own, which made me ridiculously happy.

This month — after a year ISO the perfect white handbag — I found what I felt was a bag worth buying. Still, I had to give it a proper AOAS review before committing, and I thought it might be fun to give you a look at that process.

It can be tempting to buy every pretty new thing on the market when the weather gets warm and we start to reevaluate our summer wardrobes, so this strategy is helpful to ensure the things we buy are truly worth it.

Below, all the deets on my new Bottega bag, and everything I considered before making it mine.

The Tokyo, courtesy of Bottega Veneta.