If you were going to get one designer handbag to last for life, which one would it be?

[Linguaphile]

Just that, really! I’m looking for a classic bag and would like something I could keep in the rotation and still look chic using in 15-20 years. Obviously the Chanel 2.55 and the classic Birkin come to mind (though the latter is definitely out of my budget), but what others are there to consider? Bonus points for versatility. Mulberry Bayswater perhaps?

I agree with Floisme, you could get a beautiful bag custom made exactly to your specifications. There are lots of leather craftsmen and saddle makers who do this. I have a beautiful tan leather cross body tote bag made over twenty year ago which still looks like new and I am always getting compliments on.

I also don't like LV branding (I prefer black over brown too), but how about an Epi? Same shapes, different leather.

www.fashionphile.com/p/louis-vuitton-epi-speedy-25-black-588417?gclid=CjwKCAjw-e2EBhAhEiwAJI5jg6hYyQ4NcYRkGIlZCbA7Pkibz2ZYxYumG8E6zaw3-kVdlX7m1wbsFBoCqYsQAvD_BwE

I have a couple of beautiful Smythson bags I've had going on 10 years, but they're a bit fragile. Good if they're not taking a battering though...

I also don't like LV branding (I prefer black over brown too), but how about an Epi? Same shapes, different leather.

www.fashionphile.com/p/louis-vuitton-epi-speedy-25-black-588417?gclid=CjwKCAjw-e2EBhAhEiwAJI5jg6hYyQ4NcYRkGIlZCbA7Pkibz2ZYxYumG8E6zaw3-kVdlX7m1wbsFBoCqYsQAvD_BwE

I have a couple of beautiful Smythson bags I've had going on 10 years, but they're a bit fragile. Good if they're not taking a battering though...

@mrscalypsogrant i hear you 🍷👜

@PresentingPercy I know what you mean, a good brand is a brand that is understood to be a good brand everywhere, not just where it's local. OK bags are a much lower end type of bag than discussed here but they were more popular here than anywhere else.

What do you think of a givenchy antigona. I like it and dont think it would date but it is a bit too plain for my tastes. Yet i want one

Is it that Gucci "ophidia" (?) that comes around every 20 years. I like them in a retro way. I would love to pull out a gucci bag and say "oh this old thing, it was my mother's in 1990" but my mum would wince at m&s handbag prices so that is a fantasy!

This ? It has been in and out a few times so even when it's out it's a retro classic.

or is it?

@SelkieBe I love those bags! Not usually a fan of branding and logos but one day I'm getting a Gucci monogram bag. Saw Britt Eckland with one in a Bond film once and it just looked ace

Yeh i love that was it my grandmas or did i buy it mystery!

My favourite is my old Chanel classic (black), also have a cream and a navy.

Over the years I have had others and sold them on, only ever sold one Chanel as I was tired of it and regret it to this day, it was an old, reliable bag. The classic Chanel bags are elegant and timeless.

I have a Speedy, I use it to store make up, it is cute but ugly and I won't take it out of the house. A small Mulberry, nice bag but nothing special and am trying to get around to selling it. Mulberry are nice bags but don't have the appeal to me of a Chanel or a Versace (my second choice).

I had a Prada bag, it transferred dye to everything I wore, horrible thing. Never again.

@SelkieBe Thank you 👋🏻

@Linguaphile Just be aware that the 2.55 doesn't hold its value as well as the Classic. I'd done my research but Chanel themselves were honest with me about this - there is a far higher demand for the Classic because of the obvious branding, so they are highly unlikely to go down in value & if you did sell in a year or two you'd almost certainly get back more than you paid. The 2.55 loses value as soon as you buy it, a £6000 medium can sell for as little as £3500, even in near new condition. If you waited a few years then it would climb back up though given the constant price rises that Chanel have been going with over the last decade!

If you're not going to sell though it is a great investment for yourself. I agree entirely with what you said about the 2.55 being more understated - I think it's a case of those who know, know. The fact it can be worn cross body was a big factor to me, as was the leather - the aged calfskin is stunning. When I compared the 2.55 & the Classic there was no contest. I had nothing against the Classic - I have a small Classic single flap for evenings - but in terms of understated sophistication the 2.55 stands out. It's the bag Chanel designed for herself & really hasn't changed since the mid-fifties.

Chanel- small version of the 2.55 or Classic.
Hermes Evelyne
and if I was particularly flush, which I'm not, an Hermes Jypsiere

I love both of these now, having a gucci moment.

@SelkieBe the black one is nice the logo one is tacky. Sorry.

Yeh, i would have thought it was tacky a year ago but now im coming around to it. Just this. No other logos.
Right off to bed to dream about bags.

When I started buying handbags around 2007 I bought mulberry. I have a few. When I tried to sell them though a few years later I was offered less than a fifth of my buying price. I was disappointed & decided it was more worthwhile to keep them. I wear mulberry to work mainly now. Leather is nice enough and 12 year old bags are holding up well.

OP, look at the reissue on line/eBay/vestaire. The resale value, if that's important to you, is not as good as the double c clasp. The flashy double Cs do not work for everyone.

LV, Chanel and Hermes will generally sell better than other brands second hand. Chanel flap bags have doubled in price in the last 5 years and the price keeps rising. No bag really shd be considered an investment but if recouping a good amount spent initially, if you decide to sell in the future is important one of these brands is a good way to go.

@SelkieBe
The bag you posted is the Jackie I mentioned earlier. Get to know Gucci bags! The Bamboo is also a classic of theirs. The Jackie is named after Jackie Kennedy/Onassis. It is a 50 year old design. It is a classic. Brown/tan was often the key colour back then. I do not like the fabric for Gucci bags. The black is way better and so is brown/tan.

Wow, thanks @PresentingPercy
I have been on the Gucci website! I'm still on it, one tab is mumsnet one is gucci! one is tesco
There is one Gucci bag that gave me a kind of memory shiver, really reminds me of my late aunt. She was a single lady and would have had money for bags. If I post a bag now can you tell if it would have been available in the 70s and 80s?

I feel like my aunt had this bag.
She must have loved bags because I also remember her using it and then later using it to keep knitting needles and wool in it. It had been relegated!

I cannot post pictures today for some reason

Just typed bamboo in to the gucci website and I wouldn't be a huge fan of that. Looks like a lunch box, I like the handle though, have seen that on other bags and associated the bamboo with gucci, so I knew it was a gucci bag. I'm sure the bag was a nicer shape though.

In love with the Jackie though.

Apparently Jackie held this bag up to shield her face when she was being papped. The bag was called The Constance when it was first issued, and believe it or not, Jackie bought six of them! Wow.

@SelkieBe
Not sure about my accurately dating a bag but you now know the history of this bag!

I do have a Gucci bamboo. It’s a great bag but it’s structured. It’s my taste but not everyone will like them. Mine’s a large black one.

I am one of those unimaginative people who has two Mulberry handbags, an oxblood Bayswater and a black Tessie tote.

The Bayswater is the orginal style with the grained leather, which is lovely, but I think overpriced. The Bayswater definitely isn't cutting edge fashion but I think it is pretty timeless. To be honest, I was having bit of a mad moment when I bought it (work related stress and depression) and don't think I would drop that amount of cash on a bag if I was in my right mind!

But, if I was much wealthier than I actually am and was looking for a forever bag I would look at a Chanel 2.55. My aunt has one and it always looks fabulous (I remember when her house was burgled back in the 70s and she took to carrying all of her jewellery around in it!).

Back to the real world, for me anyway, Mimi Berry do some lovely timeless bags. I have the Badger from a few years ago in tan and I use it every summer, and for holidays (can't remember what they are like though!).

Also, I have just discovered these totes:
theregularworks.com/collections/vege-tan-leather-totes

They are beautiful and timeless. And no bling / ubiquitous logo in sight, and not a silly price either. I love them. I am saving up for a tan one as I type...!

I think a larger bag would balance the bamboo handle much better. Any chance of a picture 😻👜

@SelkieBe
This isn’t mine but it is what I own! I’m not at home at the moment. They don’t increase in price like Chanel and Hermes do though. This bamboo top handle is the large version. Recently they have only sold the small one.

I used to go to lots of craft fairs and it’s certainly possible to get a bag made for you. However the finish is simply not the same as top quality bags. I have a Jimmy Choo with a pale pink suede lining. The Gucci bag has a leather backed mirror and the big tassels. Looking for beautifully lined bags is also part of the luxe look. That’s why I always felt Mulberry were so expensive for a very unrefined finish.