If I don't like MK, Mulberry or Marc Jacobs which...

[bagbagbag]

other handbags should I avoid? I'm looking for an everyday black bag, preferably crossbody. I would like something understated, rather than look at me designer.
Have a budget of around £600 but could spend more but would rather keep under £1000.
I don't want to buy something and it becomes the new 'mulberry' or even worse Michael Kors.
Love bottega venetta understated elegance but SIL has lots and don't want to copy!

Help from experienced bag ladies please.
Thank you

[bagbagbag]

That's why I can't find them.
I find Alexandra Wang bags really heavy, it's all the studs.

thanks for finding the Tissa bags, I can see how they are similar to BV but I'm not keen on them. Sort of thing the MIL brings back from her cruises. 😬

[bagbagbag]

Thanks Marsha, may go on a jaunt to Mount St next week.

[botemp]

Sort of thing the MIL brings back from her cruises - best description ever

Yes, the AW bags weigh a tonne, strangely look huge on and the ones with chains continually tangle up. They used to be made in China too so never really got the excitement about them.

On the emerging designer front, Yvonne Kone from Denmark (you can buy directly from her site) has some nice things but is more casual and laid back in aesthetic in nice thick leathers (the shoes are fab too). Building Block from the US has a very minimal aesthetic that I like too but they're hard to source, a few shops in the UK have them but a very small selection and they usually sell out quick. Philip Bree (Pb0110) from Germany does some beautiful bags with a very pared-back sharp aesthetic with just the right detail to make them interesting. Manu Atelier from Turkey (only like the Prism mini from them tbh) have some gorgeous leather that is pretty much indestructible.

Also, APC do some really nice bags now and then.

[Larastheme]

Celine box or trotteur for cross body option, I have both and they are so elegant and understated, expectionally well made,

The trotteur comes in two sizes, I have the small, can't fit lots of things,and I have to use a smaller compact wallet for it,
The classic box is bigger and I can fit loads, without it looking bulky,

I'd stay away from saint laurent,as they keep changing head desginer every few years,and naturally their aesthetic and direction toward designing their products gets a complete remodelling, balenciaga is guilty of that too,

[challengedvertically]

Longchamp do a lovely leather range, not in-your-face designer, in different sizes and colours, and the option to personalise if that's your thing. Well within your budget too, and the one I have comes with a strap to wear across the body.

[Rednailsandnaeknickers]

Marking as I'm interested in similar style/price of bags, so thanks for all the tips.
I do like Coach that I see in my local John Lewis but feel the need to venture out into new territory this year!

[bagbagbag]

botemp you are a font of knowledge.💼👜👛👝🎒
Looking at all your suggestions. Have come across PB and APC before but not heard of the others.

lara will be paying a visit to Celine but would struggle to purchase black. I think I'd have to indulge in a coloured bag.

Thank you challange. Longchamp was my go to many moons ago.

[MrsMarigold]

Mimi Berry beautiful without bling branding and British, what's there not to like?

[MinesaPinot]

Kate Spade are my go to at the moment. Really nice quality and classic provided you step away from the "quirky" styles. Bought a lovely taupe crossbody bag in their sale this week. Really nice leather and good size. Love it.

Interesting you mention Marc Jacobs. I bought a pre-owned MJ quilted bag from Naughtipidgins before Christmas and it's lovely quality and a good size for work. Totally agree about Michael Kors and, particularly, Mulberry. Saw a girl buying a red Bayswater in Peter Jones this week. I wasn't particularly close to her, but even from where I was and without my glasses! I could see that the leather looked thin and not a patch on mine which I've had for about 7 years.

Good luck with your search - don't forget to let us know what you end up with!

[Itrynotto]

Mimi berry. All designed and made in factories in the uk. Lovely leather bags.

[bagbagbag]

Mimi berry bags bring me no joy. They are just so sensible (no offence meant, I'm hardly rock and roll myself). They are the Hermione Granger of bags. So right, but slightly annoying.

[MarshaBrady]

Brilliant! Be great to hear what you go for.

Good point on Saint Laurent changing direction, I liked Slimane

[Larastheme]

I liked him too marsha, I liked that he incorporated some of his menswear tailoring into womenswear, didn't like what he was doing leather good wise, he copied the birkin ,celine trio, and so forth,

I like the look of chloe drew bag but I always fear the chain would get all tangled, or worse my hair gets caught in it

[bagbagbag]

Was going to go for a Phillip Lim but then saw it was manufactured in China. Bit disappointing for nearly £800.

[bagbagbag]

Maybe that's why I can afford it!

[W8woman]

Smythson have some great designs in lovely leathers and with very understated branding. Unfortunately the quality is a bit hit and miss these days. I may have been unlucky, and I've not actually given their customer service department a workout to be fair. Worth looking at though, as they are the right price without the naff associations of a more well known designer brand.

For real stealth wealth, design your own and have Pickett make it for you. Remarkably affordable and totally British.

[SurferRona]

Try Matt Fothergill- trained sadler, previously made bags for Liberty and Nicole Farhi. Great leather, lined products too (pigskin) so they feel very finished. A few corkers on the website. Great engineered fixtures and fittings if you are slightly geeky.

[botemp]

China . They used to be made in France, that's really disappointing.

[OCSockOrphanage]

Village England? Maje? There's another Spanish brand, apart from Tissa Fontaneda, that I can't remember. A shop near me used to stock them but I saw them first in France. Furla? For pre-loved, Lambertson Truex were lovely but stopped production when the designers were bought out to become Tiffany's leather goods team.

[MrsSchadenfreude]

Delvaux. Or Coach.

[bagbagbag]

Haven't looked at Smythson for a long time W8 so great reminder. I love the dove grey bags. Oh, design my own bag. Interesting thought; but what is the point of stealth wealth if nobody realises 😁. It's like suffering in silence and nobody noticing; another pet hate of mine.

[Dailymaildailyfail]

Coach, Kate Spade,Aspinal, Smythson

[Foodie89]

Celine or givenchy X

[UncomfortableBadger]

I'd do Aspinal or Smythson personally

Actually, I'd look at getting either monogrammed in some way also - deters thieves!

[W8woman]

what is the point of stealth wealth if nobody realises

Beautiful materials made into beautiful and useful items with care and pride and attention to detail give me a huge amount of pleasure. They are an inspiration and a joy forever.

'It' bags are a sort of tribal marking. Goyard or Celine may mean you fit in with the cool girls this year, but you won't fit in next year when the cool girls you admire have moved on to something else.

Bags that are very heavily marketed and branded -Chanel, LV, YSL are a crude sign language for communicating "I am rich", but in my experience, people who really are rich are much less eager to announce it. Obvious status symbols show IMO insecurity about your taste and social status, and that lack of confidence isn't something I personally find attractive.