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Original poster

Designer bags - have they had their day do you think?

48 replies

MrsCampbellBlack · 23/03/2013 07:34

Interesting article here about Mulberry and I agree with it.

I think the pricing has just gone crazy - its not that long ago when a mulberry bag was around the £500 mark and now they're at least £1k which for me is just way too much.

I feel I'm in handbag limbo land now - all the ones I like are £1k plus and I'm just not going to spend that. But equally it feels that £250 is too much on a bag from Whistles etc.

Good job I've got enough bags to keep me going for the next 10 years Wink

OP posts:
Megatron · 23/03/2013 07:43

I just think they cost a ridiculous amount of money. I would never pay more than £200 and for me, that would be a 'good' bag. I know that's cheap by lots of people's standards but I could never justify spending thousands on a handbag. But then I will spend a lot on a good coat and good shoes so I suppose everyone has their 'thing' that they are prepared to spend on.

madammecholet · 23/03/2013 07:44

That's an interesting article. I think £1k is way too much for a bag however I agree I don't want to spend £250 on the high street for something made in Far East and churned out for the masses.. A lot of bags on high street not well made either, I've seen some shockers for £200 recently..

I think some of Anya's are a ridiculous price now too, it's a shame..

Original poster
MrsCampbellBlack · 23/03/2013 07:51

Yes Anya's have gone too £££ and also I must say that I don't actually like any of the current Anya or Mulberry offerings.

Megatron - yes I think a lot of people have their thing - for me its been handbags for a long time but no longer.

OP posts:
LittlePandaBear · 23/03/2013 07:52

If I spent £1000 on a bag, I'd expect it to come with a handsome man to carry it around for me Grin

Original poster
MrsCampbellBlack · 23/03/2013 07:55

Now that would be some marketing ploy.

I know that the super-rich will still buy expensive bags whatever the price but there was a lot of women who would save for one/have one as a gift for a big birthday who I think must now be totally priced out of having one.

OP posts:
TickleMyTitsTillFriday · 23/03/2013 07:58

My handbag is from the south of fFrance. Cost £180 and nobody else here has got one. It's amazing and I love it.

SizzleSazz · 23/03/2013 07:59

I get mine from tk maxx - never over £100

BrandyAlexander · 23/03/2013 08:14

I completely agree with the article. I actually publicly said the same thing in a professional capacity yesterday, as soon as the profit warning was issued yesterday morning and the male commentators were teasing me but its absolutely true.....I think they have lost sight of who their target market is, which is women who save for these bags and for whom the massive price hikes over the last couple of years, makes them largely unaffordable.

ExRatty · 23/03/2013 08:15

if you like it and have the cash buy it.
I find Mulberry dull dull dull

cogitosum · 23/03/2013 08:18

I used to be obsessed with mulberry but now I've gone off it and just
have a plain leather bag from a little boutique in Greece with no obvious make but the leather is beautiful and it's hand made and gorgeous quality. I prefer it to anything designer or high street.

Original poster
MrsCampbellBlack · 23/03/2013 08:19

Novice - I think that I also feel that they're being stupidly greedy and almost laughing at the women buying them in a 'oh lets just add another £250 and see if they'll still buy it - ha ha ha'.

OP posts:
cogitosum · 23/03/2013 08:19

Sorry just realised that made me sound like a pretentious twat Blush
Promise I'm not just love a nice bag Grin

Original poster
MrsCampbellBlack · 23/03/2013 08:21

I think that's it Cogito though - I used to love mulberry and Anya but now I'd rather have something for less money that isn't everywhere.

OP posts:
cogitosum · 23/03/2013 08:25

Exactly. Incessantly it was only ?80 and I actually only paid ?70 by paying cash and accepting a receipt for ?50! Grin

cogitosum · 23/03/2013 08:26

Incessantly? Incidentally!

Pseudonymity · 23/03/2013 08:33

I am not into status symbols but do like bags by proper fashion houses like Philip Lim, Celine etc...can't afford them though! I've been tempted by the Lily but the whole status symbol thing does put me off a bit.

My top tips for bags on a (slightly) lower budget are Furla and Clare Vivier. Cheap as chips is Kate Kanzier.

FrugalFashionista · 23/03/2013 08:33

Designer bags are a huge money-making vehicle for fashion houses, they actually subsidize less profitable product lines. Most of us don't wear designer clothes in our day-to-day life but nearly every woman has a 'good' bag - and to large groups of middle-class buyers it's now a designer bag. Look how popular Mulberry is on MN They are cheap to produce, easy to buy as gifts and sizing is not an issue. And at least 40% of Japanese women now own a Louis Vuitton bag Grin Recommended reading - 'Deluxe - how luxury lost its luster' for a balanced discussion of this theme.

madammecholet · 23/03/2013 08:38

I've started asking where they're made now too.. like food, it's becoming more important to know where my £ is going..

nowaistatall · 23/03/2013 08:41

I was disappointed to find most Mulberry bags are now made in the far east - - I still want a good quality leather bag made in Europe - - -
I agree novice - they have either lost sight of or changed their target market- maybe selling back to China is more their aim now.

madammecholet · 23/03/2013 08:46

Just ordered that book FrugalFashionista - seems like my kind of imminent holiday read!

BrandyAlexander · 23/03/2013 08:51

I think that selling to the Far East is their main aim and the problem is those people want what's fashionable in Europe. It's not an either or game so scaring off your base market (in Europe) won't help you in the Far East. Plus none if their new bags have had that je ne sais quoi factor about them that would make you lust after them season after season where you would feel you must have it. And that's why they can't compete in the £1k bag market.

chanie44 · 23/03/2013 08:53

I can't afford a designer bag nor could I justify spending the equivalent of a mortgage payment on

chanie44 · 23/03/2013 08:59

.... Something that would get battered on the tube.

As another poster said, I will probably treat myself to a posh leather bag when I go on holiday.

bunnymother · 23/03/2013 09:12

I agree with Frugal's point, after also reading How Luxury Lost it's Lustre. Plus, I am Mary, Mary Quite Contrary and don't like anything that is badged and identifiable. Not to mention that I don't want to pay more than I consider to be necessary / beyond what's good value, and the bags are just leather, so not made of expensive materials. Not like diamonds (fans self at mention of jewellery). All of which means that I don't own a designer bag and don't think I will. Unless I can find an Anya Gracie (full size, not the little version) at a very good price.... [heads off to eBay]

charlottery · 23/03/2013 09:15

I completely agree. I bought a mulberry about 4 years ago for around £400. The same type are now around £700. I was thinking of buying a bag for my 40th but I think anything over £500 or so really needs to be incredibly good quality and last a long time and £1k is just way too much to justify. I'm not convinced by £250 for a high street bag either. Not sure where my next bag will come from