Daphne Deckers is back up and running. I met her somewhere between a Boulevard performance (we say ‘bar duty’), presenting the VROUW award, and submitting her children's book. On her arm, the Falabella Bag by Stella McCartney.

Why was this bag allowed to come along today?

I think the color matches beautifully with the Isabel Marant dress I'm wearing, and I'm in love with the model and the gunmetal handle. But the bag is also very soft in fabric, and I really appreciate that Stella McCartney stays so true to her principles and doesn't use any animal products in her collections.

Something tells me this isn't the only bag you have in your closet. Is it intensely rude to ask about the number of pieces?

Oh, this is a tricky question, haha! I think I have about fifteen of them, and I love them all. My very first designer bag was a Dior saddlebag: the Gaucho in brown leather, and it just keeps getting prettier. I also have a taupe Hermès Birkin that I'm in love with, and a black 2.55 from Chanel with a black metal handle. My bags never go out the door to the thrift store, and they certainly don't sit in a corner because they might be ‘last season’. I don't care about that. The bags also have emotional value for me because I still remember exactly when and why I bought or received them.

You have a thing for shoes; is there also such a lovely addiction when it comes to bags?

I can really enjoy a nice pair of heels, but I have to be honest that designer shoes often don't fit well at all. The heels from ZARA, on the other hand – I literally walk away with those! And it doesn't break the bank either. But bags... they really do something to me. The ones I love the most are on my mantel in my office. I find them beautiful just to look at! My first, self-earned Chanel was delightful; including the box and ribbons and the fabric dust bag and the camellias. But Bastiaan van Schaik once told me: ‘A bag – no matter how beautiful – is not a museum piece. You have to use it; come on, take it to the hockey field, take it to Albert Heijn. Such a bag must live, and not just see the light of day on Sundays and holidays.’ And that's true. Although I secretly still often have that Dutch feeling of: ‘Oh dear – should I put my Birkin on the ground here, or eh... should I just keep it on my lap?‘

Just like me, you have a warm spot for CHANEL bags. Do you treat yourself to a nice bag on special occasions, or do they just come to you?

I indeed have all sorts of beautiful things from Chanel; from totes to mini-bags, and most of them I received from Richard. For my birthday, Christmas, or Valentine's Day. Really super sweet. We also go to Paris together for a week every year for Roland Garros. Then we rent those city bikes, and I plan it just so that we ’take a breather‘ right in front of a Chanel store, haha...

But some bags also have a different ‘origin story’. When Alexander McQueen – whose designs I loved to wear – committed suicide, I was so devastated that I immediately bought the royal blue Blue Faithful bag from him online. That doesn't make any sense, of course, but it felt like a kind of tribute to me. I still love looking at it; it's a beautiful bag in the shape of a motorcycle jacket. And years ago, when I did research for a column about the ridiculous amount of plastic bags in circulation, I bought the I’m not a plastic bag– canvas shopper from Anya Hindmarch. Also a classic in its kind. And I have the Daphne-clutch from Jimmy Choo. I couldn't let that one go either?

What does a bag do for a woman?

I don't know what it does for other women, but I get happy from a beautiful bag. It's that simple. With a Birkin, you also get a ‘raincoat’ for your bag, and it can go to the ‘spa' for free every now and then where they polish it up completely. That doesn't make any sense at all, but I think it's a nice story. A good bag can complete your outfit, and you always have something in your hands. But I do think you should choose one that suits you, and not one that just happens to be the it-bag of the moment. Such a very large bag, where it looks like you're carrying a camping tent – sorry, that doesn't look good. Or such a transparent bag, where you can see all your belongings. Well, it can be fashion, but that wouldn't work for me, haha!

Is your sixteen-year-old daughter Emma already eyeing a piece?

She thinks she's too young for an expensive bag, and she's absolutely right. Students have their own school bag brands that are totally trendy, but they're not very expensive. That seems completely normal to me, because they get thrown around and dragged on the ground. Still, you see more and more expensive designer bags popping up among young people. I find it quite bizarre to pull out your lunch from a Louis Vuitton in high school. As parents, you really haven't understood it completely.

If a woman could only have one bag, which would it be?

Pfff, that's difficult. Look, a Chanel 2.55 or a Hermès Birkin are real classics and retain their value; they are almost as expensive second-hand as new. And you will surely make your daughter happy with it later. But if I could only choose one, I would stay practical. It has to fit something; especially if you're a working mother. An iPad, an agenda, paperwork, phone, keys, a makeup bag – I need to be able to fit it all. I have two Gucci totes: one in gray wool with leather, and a summery variant of braided raffia with leather, and everything fits in there. So I think I would go for a sturdy but still elegant tote , I think. And definitely don't take a fake! There are plenty of beautiful, affordable bags for sale; I also have nice models from ZARA, for example.

If the contents of the bag represent your state of being, what does this say about you?

Well, you see it: my ‘state of being’ is that I want to cram as much as possible into one life. I carry half my household with me. Better to be shy than to be shy, I always think. Biosilk to tame frizzy hair, a summery blush, lip gloss, and of course the best cinnamon candies ever: those from Starbucks. But also a graveyard of pens at the bottom, old drink tokens from the Boekenbal, money for the parking meter. And an iPad and a notepad for book ideas, fun quotes, or inspirations. A super good eye cream from Radical skincare, a Pomellato mini-perfume that I got from Emma for Mother's Day; a keychain with lucky symbols from Alec. Always have toothpicks with me, just like my own green tea, and unfortunately now also indispensable: my reading glasses.

Is there a bag that can make you wake up restlessly at night?

Well, no, haha! I do dream of a YSL Muse bag or a Fendi baguette, but I'm not in a hurry. It's much more fun if there's something left to wish for. Often I also want to have achieved something first – for example, that I've submitted a new manuscript for a book – before I reward myself with a new bag. It's not fun to just buy, buy, buy. I want to look forward to something first, and often stand in front of the window, and then think: one day the day will come... Then the feeling of happiness is much greater.

Which one is the most precious to you?

I once saw a photo of an ivory-colored Chanel bag that Karl Lagerfeld had drawn all sorts of scratches, camellias, and other doodles on with a blue ballpoint pen. I thought it was so amazing! That has become a bit of a project, because the thing was made in a very small edition and was nowhere to be found. Richard worked on it for a long time, but unfortunately. When we were on vacation in America, he also called the Chanel stores there without me knowing, and guess what? Found it. Then we ’just happened‘ to drive by, and he had a surprise for me. Unbelievable, right? By the way, Richard doesn't understand my fascination with bags at all. But he finds it organized, he says, ’otherwise I have to keep coming up with something new.‘ You won't hear me complain, haha!

Already an heir for your collection in mind?

Although Emma isn't interested in it now, she understands very well that I will pass on my beloved collection to her. Or we will use them together later. Because as Bastiaan already said: a beautiful bag must live!