Okay, so I’ve been messing around with this new handbag I got. You know how some bags just look better when they have that soft, kinda collapsed look? That ‘slouch’. Well, mine was stiff as a board right out of the box. Didn’t like that much.
Getting Started
First thing I did was just try using it daily. Figured loading it up with my usual junk – wallet, keys, phone, a small makeup bag, sometimes even a water bottle – would naturally break it in. Carried it around for about a week like that.
Did it work? Sort of. It got a little less rigid, but it wasn’t really ‘slouching’. Just looked kinda… full and slightly stressed.
Trying Different Things
So, next step, I thought maybe it needed more weight, consistently. When I wasn’t using it, I decided to stuff it.
- Tried some old soft t-shirts first. Packed ’em in tight. Left it like that overnight on a chair.
- Then I tried a heavier approach. Found a couple of old paperback books, stuffed those inside along with the t-shirts. Wanted to give it some weight pulling down.
Checked it the next morning. It definitely had more shape, but still sprung back quite a bit when I took the stuffing out. Not the relaxed look I was going for. It felt like I was just stretching it, not making it softer.
Manual Effort
Alright, plan C. Maybe the leather itself just needed some working. I spent probably a good 20 minutes just sitting with the bag, kinda massaging the leather? Like, rolling the sides and the bottom between my hands. Trying to soften it up manually. Focused on the areas where I wanted it to fold or crease naturally.
This felt more promising. I could feel the leather getting a bit more pliable where I was working it. It wasn’t a dramatic change, but it felt like progress.
The Hanging Method
Then I had another idea. What if I hung it up with some weight inside? Let gravity do the work. I put a medium-sized water bottle and a couple of those paperbacks back inside – enough to give it heft but not strain the straps too much. Then I hung the bag by its handles on a sturdy hook inside my closet.
Left it there for like, two whole days. Only took it down when I needed to go out.
Current Status
And you know what? That seemed to do the trick best so far. When I set it down now, the base and sides have a much softer fold. It’s not perfectly slouched like some bags you see, but it’s way better than when I started. It looks more relaxed, more ‘mine’.
It still needs more regular use, I think. Leather just takes time. But yeah, the combination of manually working the leather and then hanging it with some weight seemed to be the most effective thing I tried. Still a work in progress, but definitely getting that slouch I wanted.
