--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I started collecting couture when I was…" description: "\"I started collecting couture when I was about 10 or 11 years old, and the very first piece I bought was a Balenciaga suit from 1962.\" — Hamish Bowles" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fd/hamish-bowles-15686_about_i-started-collecting-couture-when-i-was_68769.png" --- # I started collecting couture when I was about 10 or 11… ![“I started collecting couture when I was about 10 or 11 years old, and the very first piece I bought was a Balenciaga suit from 1962.” quote by Hamish Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fd/hamish-bowles-15686_about_i-started-collecting-couture-when-i-was_68769.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fd/hamish-bowles-15686_about_i-started-collecting-couture-when-i-was_68769.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fd/hamish-bowles-15686_about_i-started-collecting-couture-when-i-was_68769.png) > “I started collecting couture when I was about 10 or 11 years old, and the very first piece I bought was a Balenciaga suit from 1962.” [Hamish Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamish-bowles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A personal anecdote illustrating early passion for high fashion, highlighting the formative impact of acquiring iconic designer pieces at a young age. **In simple terms:** Early love for couture shaped identity. Key Takeaway Childhood exposure to luxury can define lifelong aesthetic. Themes fashion history personal development luxury branding cultural memory identity formation Mood nostalgic inspired reflective Type personal anecdote fashion memoir When to use this quote - building a personal wardrobe - inspiring fashion students - curating vintage collections - discussing fashion evolution - marketing luxury heritage Key Concepts designer heritage collector mindset yultural capital Practical Applications - educational content on fashion history - brand storytelling for heritage labels Questions to Reflect On - How does early exposure to iconic design influence personal style? - What role does nostalgia play in valuing vintage fashion? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Balenciaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balenciaga-270414/) [Balenciaga Suit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balenciaga-suit-908230/) [Bought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bought/) [Bought Balenciaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bought-balenciaga-908229/) [Collecting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collecting/) [Collecting Couture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collecting-couture-908227/) [Couture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couture/) [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [First](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old/) [Piece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piece/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started/) [Started Collecting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started-collecting-908228/) [Suit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suit/) [Suits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suits/) [Very](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/very/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [Working for incredible talents like Balenciaga and Antonio Castillo, I learned about the immense skill and creativity involved in couture work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-de-la-renta/working-for-incredible-talents-like-balenciaga-and-antonio-castillo-i/) [Oscar de la Renta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-de-la-renta/) > [I started collecting art... simply because I wanted pictures to hang on the wall. I noticed what a difference a picture could make to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-audain/i-started-collecting-art-simply-because-i-wanted-pictures-to-hang-on/) [Michael Audain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-audain/) > [My favorite sneakers, growing up, were always the Air Force 1 and the Air Max line. I started collecting when I was 13 or 14 years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-boateng/my-favorite-sneakers-growing-up-were-always-the-air-force-1-and-the/) [Jerome Boateng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-boateng/) > [I started collecting crickets to study them. Now I expect they will be my companions for many years to come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-hubbell/i-started-collecting-crickets-to-study-them-now-i-expect-they-will-be/) [Sue Hubbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-hubbell/) > [In my early teens, I started collecting soundtrack albums.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-desplat/in-my-early-teens-i-started-collecting-soundtrack-albums/) [Alexandre Desplat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-desplat/) > [I spent two years living in London - I'd have stayed for ever if I could have got a work visa. It was there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-starlight/i-spent-two-years-living-in-london-i-d-have-stayed-for-ever-if-i/) [Lady Starlight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-starlight/) > [I am the pinball geek of the band, probably of the nation of Canada. I've been a pinball fan my whole life. I started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-robertson/i-am-the-pinball-geek-of-the-band-probably-of-the-nation-of-canada-i/) [Ed Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-robertson/) > [The first thing I started collecting was stamps. Until I started discovering girls. That was the end of stamps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/the-first-thing-i-started-collecting-was-stamps-until-i-started/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) > [I started collecting my artist friends, artists like myself who nobody had yet noticed. In everything, all I am collecting, so to speak, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/i-started-collecting-my-artist-friends-artists-like-myself-who-nobody/) [Georg Baselitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-baselitz/) > [In the late '70s, I had a band - the David Johansen band, for lack of a better name - and I started collecting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/in-the-late-70s-i-had-a-band-the-david-johansen-band-for-lack-of-a/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [I started collecting baseball cards and basketball cards when I was younger. I have a CD collection that turned into a DVD collection, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marques-houston/i-started-collecting-baseball-cards-and-basketball-cards-when-i-was/) [Marques Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marques-houston/) > [Balenciaga taught me everything I know. He taught me to care for the details, that it was not necessary to sew on a button…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-de-givenchy/balenciaga-taught-me-everything-i-know-he-taught-me-to-care-for-the/) [Hubert de Givenchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-de-givenchy/) > [In a Balenciaga you were the only woman in the room - no other woman existed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-vreeland/in-a-balenciaga-you-were-the-only-woman-in-the-room-no-other-woman/) [Diana Vreeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-vreeland/) > [I'm so drawn to Demna and Balenciaga because there's a sense of humor and it's subversive, but it also can make fun of fashion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-sennott/i-m-so-drawn-to-demna-and-balenciaga-because-there-s-a-sense-of-humor/) [Rachel Sennott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-sennott/) > [There's Balenciaga, and the good Lord.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-de-givenchy/there-s-balenciaga-and-the-good-lord/) [Hubert de Givenchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-de-givenchy/) ## More by Hamish Bowles > [I have a confession to make. 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