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Kate Beavis, a pro-ageing advocate on TikTok, has what many women (and some men) lust over: a stellar handbag collection full of vintage finds, ready for any occasion. <\/p>\n
The 50-year-old, based in Bedfordshire, doesn\u2019t actually know how many bags she owns for certain \u2013 but she hazards a guess it\u2019s upwards of 150. <\/p>\n
When exactly Kate\u2019s stash became a collection is hard to say, too. The collector always been keen on vintage fashion and unique finds, so she\u2019s been buying them since her teens. <\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019ve been wearing vintage and shopping second-hand since the 80s, and I don\u2019t throw much away,\u2019 Kate tells Metro.co.uk.<\/p>\n
\u2018If I\u2019m buying something, I genuinely like it, so while the odd thing will go to a charity shop, most of it I\u2019m keeping and using.<\/p>\n
\u2018Buy less, buy better, and keep hold of it forever.\u2019 That\u2019s Kate\u2019s shopping mantra.<\/p>\n
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\u2018There wasn\u2019t a \u201cI\u2019m going to collect handbags moment \u2013 it just happened\u201d.\u2019<\/p>\n
Historically, Kate had a trunk at the bottom of her bed for her bags. Over the decades, it\u2019s massively outgrown that space and now goes wherever it fits or looks best.<\/p>\n
Since meeting her husband, 17 years ago, she started actively collecting specific coveted items from the 50s and 40s.<\/p>\n
In 2008, she opened a vintage shop (which has since closed) \u2013 a job that went hand-in-hand with her passion for owning vintage bags. <\/p>\n
\u2018At that point I started understanding they had a value,\u2019 Kate says, hence wanting to collect specific high-value designs, such as Enid Collins\u2019 box bags from the 60s.<\/p>\n
Another bag Kate was keen to get her hands on was a popular telephone wire bag, big in the 40s, which is now very rare to find.<\/p>\n
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Kate looks on a variety of sites for goods alongside vintage shops, from eBay and Vestiaire Collective to Etsy.<\/p>\n
\u2018Now I\u2019m buying less. Unless there\u2019s something specific, I\u2019m not buying it, as I have way too many,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n
\u2018The price will determine whether I buy it, as I know the value of these items.<\/p>\n
\u2018If a bag is worth \u00a370, I don\u2019t want to spend that on it \u2013 I\u2019d want to find it for, say, \u00a38.<\/p>\n
\u2018There are a couple of rare finds that are still on my list, and I\u2019m looking for them.\u2019<\/p>\n
One of these is a hard-structured plastic clutch bag that looks like a rolled-up magazine \u2013 there\u2019s plenty of reproductions of them, but not many originals exist and it can be hard to tell them apart. Kate, naturally, is holding out for an original.<\/p>\n
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As for where these bags live, a trunk houses evening and flat bags, the walls have iconic items like windowpane bags [with plastic covers and embroidery] on display, and a cupboard in the spare room has the rest all stacked up.<\/p>\n
\u2018One of my rarest finds is a red clutch bag made with early plastic. Another is a Dorset bag, which on its own isn\u2019t that rare, but the company Dorset merged in the 50s with a company called Rex. Most people have the Dorset Rex version, but I have the earlier Dorset version with the original compact and lipstick in it.<\/p>\n
\u2018That only means something to you if you collect,\u2019 she laughs.<\/p>\n
Another special bag for Kate is the one she wore for her wedding. She bought a wooden box bag specially for the big day, which goes back to the 60s. At the time they were designed to be painted on by the user, and sometimes even built using the loose parts. Kate\u2019s came readymade and painted, with a daisy design.<\/p>\n
Though she hasn\u2019t used it since that day, she\u2019ll treasure it forever.<\/p>\n
Another notable buy is Orla Kiely\u2019s orange Lola face bag \u2013 which Kate calls a \u2018future classic\u2019 \u2013 it\u2019s rare and the value of the style is always going up, with some even selling online for \u00a3600 according to Kate.<\/p>\n
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\u2018I love having something that nobody else has,\u2019 Kate says, when reflecting on her love of vintage items.<\/p>\n
\u2018I don\u2019t conform and I\u2019ve been like since my teens. I was a goth at 14, and in general love anything that feels nostalgic. One of my bags from my teens was from my grandmother, for example.<\/p>\n
\u2018I enjoy being a bit different and being myself. And as for why the collection has become so big, well, I think I have a bit of an addictive personality \u2013 if I like something I really like it.<\/p>\n
\u2018And I still wear things I bought in the 90s. My favourite coat is one I bought in 1999 and I use it every winter, for example.<\/p>\n
\u2018I still get excited by my bag collection \u2013 when I see my bags together, I get reminded of all the ones I love but have neglected.<\/p>\n
\u2018Although honestly, I was quite shocked at how many bags I had when I got them all out for the photographer.\u2019<\/p>\n
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Kate wears and uses her bags, being someone that changes her bag often to match her outfit. <\/p>\n
Although, she prefers to use the more robust ones day to day, such as her second-hand Mulberry bag.<\/p>\n
But, no matter what, it\u2019s always second-hand.<\/p>\n
Vintage is a way of life for Kate, as \u2018everything\u2019 in her house is old and second-hand. It\u2019s important to both her and her husband (who collects vintage tools).<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s not just about monetary value either, as Kate has items purely for sentimental reasons.<\/p>\n
One black beaded bag from the 60s belonged to her mum, and while it\u2019s not worth \u2018a fiver\u2019, Kate wore it on her first date with her husband, so it means something and will always remain in her collection.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, she does sell bags \u2013 though not often. Occasionally, if something isn\u2019t getting use but is high in value, Kate will decide to part ways with a fashion item.<\/p>\n
But ultimately, the 50-year-old is \u2018confident in knowing\u2019 know she likes.<\/p>\n
And what Kate likes, evidently, are iconic vintage bags. And heaps of them.<\/p>\n
The Collectables is a Metro.co.uk original series where we spotlight collectors around the world and take a tour of their impressive collections.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll witness standout pieces, get a glimpse of rare finds, and uncover more about what makes people start collecting in the first place.<\/p>\n