handbag help please....

[SimplyTes]

All my handbags are falling apart......I have a budget of £200 (most I have ever spent on bag is £40!)

I need a bag that will grow old gracefully with me, can be used every day, has pockets and is practical but is still beautiful and v soft!!

Friend had mulberry bag that I covet but cost her over £700 two years ago !! I have looked on ebay for mulberry bags and they too are over my budget.

I have looked on-line at LK Bennet, Russell and Bromley, Selfridges but no joy.

Any suggestions? Cheers v v much

I, along with others off a thread on here, have just bought this:

here

here is thread..

Get yourself to a Mulberry Outlet OP - preferably Shepton Mallet in Somerset. I have counselled this numerous times on MN - they have loads of stock under £200.

My best buy was a (black!!) Bayswater for £190 a couple of years ago. When you consider they are - what £500+ ? - I thought it was a pretty good buy. Nothing discernably wrong with it and not a special training piece - it had the metal feel and key fob etc.

If all your bags are falling apart I would buy several at 50 pounds rather than one at 200.

For every day all the time I guess you want neutral colors?
pocket inside or outside?
What about
soft

classic

sporty

pockets

grownup

I am looking too, in the same position, but mine have to fit snack bottles and nappies

Mulberry can take a battering daily use and still look good BTW :)

Thank you Madamme C that is truly lovely.

Mrs Sean Bean I live in Sussex but will endeavour to find a Mulberry outlet store, deep down I think my heart lies in Mulberry

SchrodingersCatFliesToOz some fab suggestions...........liked the grown up one. Good luck with your search

TskTsk SimplyTes - 'twould be worth the drive :)
However, I think there's an outlet @ Bicester too - (not as good as Shepton mallet IMO though).

I heard Kate Middleton has been to Bicester so what's good enough for future queenie is good enough for me

I will endeavour to persuade DH this is essential travel for the future success of our relationship. Plus he loves retail therapy more than me so hopefully shouldn't be too hard!

I think Mulberry are overpriced and fairly boring but....
the shop in Shepton Mallet is excellent and I have spent about 1k on Mulberry from there over the years

weekend in Bath as a suggestion and then the lovely trip to the Mulberry factory shop

you can phone the outlets, if you have a particular style in mind, and they will post out to you for about £8

bicester - 01869 322882
shepton mallet - 01749 340583

other outlets are in York & Cheshire oaks

Rannaldini like your thinking with a weekend in Bath or..........

depending on DH verdict (I am getting a little impatient and takes an age to organise IL's into having DS) I may well phone Bicester and ask to post.

Thanks again......still thinking about "The Lucia"..........

I love Mimco. The leather is very soft and they're not bags you see everyday.