what is the most coveted handbag right now?

[toastandmarmiterocks]

My sister is 40 this year and loves handbags. I thought it might be nice to buy her a fancy handbag as a birthday present. I will go in with my sister and my dad and hopefully my brother so looking to spend about £250. What do you reckon? This is after all the fountain of knowledge...!!

I need to stop looking at these threads!! I have just ordered 2 Pippa medium bags - one brown, one black -was a bit worried the small might be too small. I'm not a fan of light coloured bags for myself - I am WAY to clumsy to be trusted with anything light coloured - so no issues with having to wait for the shark one.

Usually I am a mulberry girl and save up birthday and christmas favours but the east west bayswater is my absolute favourite and they only do it in a couple of colours. I have it in black. Would definitely buy another if they did it in a lovely bright colour - have a red patent one that I bought in the sale a few years ago - but lots of mums at school have the dark brown and oak ones so don't want one of those yet.

Not really taken with any of the newer mulberry styles - I think I am the only woman on the planet who fails to see the attraction of the Alexa.

As I said, the medium Pippa IS lovely - hmm, now weakening and thinking perhaps I do need a medium too after all, but in a dark colour, which would be more useful for round-the-year use of that type of bag.

dalek, would be interested to know what you think of the dark colours when they arrive, and which you like best. Am thinking of the brown - but will have to wait till end of month anyway!

I'm not overwhelmed by the Alexa either - prefer my Modalu and the tan bag I have from Comptoir des Cotonniers.

I am looking for a cheaper version of the Smythson Nancy bag. Has anyone spotted one?

polyhymnia - will definitely post my thoughts on darker colours once they arrive. Can' wait

Op, what did u get??

Not seen that Smythson before mumonahottinroof, will keep my eyes peeled on my daily grind of handbag stalking.

dalek & polyhymnia am , but have already bought this months stash!!

toast what did you end up getting?

Oh madamecholet please do ... I am not normally a bag freak but am so madly in love with this one, but the price ...

Some good look alikes out there mumonahottinroof....

good copy at FC

LK Bennet

good copy at asos

debenhams

debenhams

la redoute

JL

asos again

Lulu G

mango

stylebop

Jaegar

FC

micha barton

Wow madamecholet, that is dedication to the cause

Looking through them carefully. Like the LK Bennett one but it's not 100 per cent there ... Oh God, I can't spend £900 on a bag! Have asked my friend in Thailand to try to find a copy. Resist, resist

Modalu emailed me to say that they had run out of the brown - no problems as I managed to get one from John Lewis. It's very nice - conker brown rather than chocolate brown. The leather is soft and looks as if it could scratch quite easily and/or wear at the corners. It does not have studs on the bottom to protect it so will have to be very careful about putting it down. Also it is also heavy before you put anything in it. That said it looks lovely. Will post about the black one when it arrives

Many thanks for the full feedback. Colour sounds excellent. I too noticed it was pretty heavy when I had the now returned shark one - no doubt helps to tone Pippa's arms!

Oh dear, I want all of them. Thank you so much for such fantastic suggestions. We are still mulling over which one to go for. I do like the re-named pippa bag in small but I would absolutely trash it stuffing it in my buggy. I think I am going to have to wait until my children are a bit older before I get myself a fancy piece of arm candy...

I bought the mulberry Mitzy tote last week, it's great. I too am not keen on the alexa and the tillie is odd in that in the top is narrow than the bottom and it limited what you could put in it.

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Hi Ladies - the black one arrived today. Like the brown one the leather is lovely and soft but in black it doesn't look like it will mark. Same as brown, no studs on the bottom and a bit heavy but no more so than a mulberry. I shouldn't keep both but I think I will (tee hee). I was going to get the bayswater in Coral for Christmas but decided it was too frivolous so feel quite virtuous at spending less than half of what it would have cost on 2 lovely bags.

One thing I would point out - it has three zipped compartments plus a zip along the back - it's great for carrying a book and flat things - probably would not hold bulky things, like a spare of shoes for those who wear trainers to walk to work and then slip into something more business like at the office. Just an observation.

Yep would agree with what dalek said about the space element. Struggled to fit my maternity notes in today (tis not quite accommodating enough for A4 folders etc) but the compartments are fab for organising my copious amounts of crap everyday essentials! It is about as heavy as my Mulberries (except the v lightweight Roxanne tote) but the leather is lovely and I highly recommend it!