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Anyone else find River island handbags a bit tacky ?

36 replies

ashbashclash · 10/11/2020 09:10

Don't get me wrong years and years ago I loved them but now I just find them so tacky.
They would be so much better without name badge stuck to them.
Is this just me?
Does anyone like them ?

OP posts:
Bumblebee1980a · 10/11/2020 09:14

Can't stand them x

Spied · 10/11/2020 09:16

I see the tacky factor too.
The shopping bags are the school bag of choice around here amongst the mean girl posse.

QuentinQuarantino · 10/11/2020 09:16

Awful. Gaudy and cheap.

I can't bear any handbags that have in your face logos/branding though, even the £££ ones. Am constantly looking for the perfect black leather slouchy bag with minimal silver hardware and no logos. Not easy!

Mrsjayy · 10/11/2020 09:19

I don't think River Island was ever subtle. and "classy" their. Bags and purses are supposed to be in your face

Greenvalleysightseeker · 10/11/2020 09:24

I had a couple of beautiful leather handbags from there in the past, no nasty logos etc, but I wouldnt even bother looking now. I know it would be gaudy plastic rubbish made to last a season at best, much like the shoes and clothes.

funkylittleboatrace · 10/11/2020 10:04

They use to do great big bags now everything is a bit extra...

Savourysenorita · 10/11/2020 10:08

RI has descended into 'Essex chav'

helloxhristmas · 10/11/2020 10:09

Awful. Tween DTs absolutley love them.

When I was at school even a RI carrier bag was something of a status symbol.

Mrsjayy · 10/11/2020 10:16

@helloxhristmashen 1 of my Dds were in secondary it was a Jane Norman carrier bag that was a weird phase.

helloxhristmas · 10/11/2020 14:42

Oh Jane Norman, forgot about that! Definitely a thing:)

Othering · 10/11/2020 14:53

@QuentinQuarantino

Awful. Gaudy and cheap.

I can't bear any handbags that have in your face logos/branding though, even the £££ ones. Am constantly looking for the perfect black leather slouchy bag with minimal silver hardware and no logos. Not easy!

Mint velvet.
whyareyoulying · 10/11/2020 14:56

Tacky and cheap looking, although I'm not a fan of their clothes either.

MrsDoctorDear · 10/11/2020 14:57

Paul's Boutique bags when mine was a tween.

IncludeWomenInTheSequel · 10/11/2020 14:59

Isn't their target market teenage girls? Not sure classy is really what they're going for.

Mrsjayy · 10/11/2020 15:06

Oh Jane Norman, forgot about that! Definitely a thing

Apparently Debenhams kept them hidden so teen girls couldn't steal themShock. I remember seeing girls with pauls boutique but I don't think mine had them.

ForeverRedSkinhead · 10/11/2020 15:08

I think they try to emulate high end styles , which ultimately makes them look like knock offs.

goose1964 · 10/11/2020 15:20

Some I like, for instance the black bucket bag but I don't like the Gucci style ones.

Mochudubh · 10/11/2020 15:29

Went on the website and thought "What's everyone on about? Those are all perfectly unobjectionable plain bags" Then I realised I was looking at the manbags. Grin

God, the women's ones are hideous, remind me of the Louis Vuitton thread from a few weeks ago. No wonder I've barely been in there since it was Chelsea Girl.

ashbashclash · 10/11/2020 15:47

Did anyone have a warehouse bowler bag style one in 2002/2003? They will all the rage when I was at college

OP posts:
ForeverRedSkinhead · 10/11/2020 15:50

@ashbashclash I did! A purple one.

Pumpertrumper · 10/11/2020 16:00

I remember girls at school and the Jane Norman bags. They were like gold dust and would literally get stolen from the locker rooms during PE!

Teachers never did anything as ‘it was just a carrier bag’.

It didn’t help that the shops were so stingy about handing them out. I went several times with friends of mine who bought mid priced but small items, think like £15 shirts (that was loads 12 years ago) and the shop assistants would put them in a small bag and refuse to give one of the big pink ones.

I was once with a girl who was refused the bigger bag and demanded to return the item on the spot for her money back. It worked though as the shop assistant did give her the bigger bag just to avoid doing the refund. I always thought it was cheeky, if a customer is spending £15+ (was quite a lot 12 years ago) just give them a large bag FFS.

I hated Jane Norman, it was trashy and poor quality.

TokyoSushi · 10/11/2020 16:02

RI is tacky. Long gone are the days when they had those fabulous carrier bags!

Iminaglasscaseofemotion · 10/11/2020 16:06

Same as you, I used to like them. Haven't bought anything but jeans from RI for a long time. Its not the same anymore and a lot of the stuff is just weird, or maybe I'm just getting too old for it, but I'm only 30!

islockdownoveryet · 10/11/2020 16:12

I've a couple of lovely RI purses really big to fit everything in but the thing is I rarely use these days because I use my apple watch for purchases.
I've enjoyed reading about other posters with the carrier bags with me it was Benetton (mid 90s) when I was a teen . Every girl at my school had a Benetton bag they were these big duffle type drawstring bags and you used the carrier bag for PE very cool Grin.

ShirleyPhallus · 10/11/2020 16:12

[quote ForeverRedSkinhead]@ashbashclash I did! A purple one.[/quote]
I had a purple one too Grin

RI is really tacky now, even the clothes are covered in diamanté and weird little bits of metal

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