Good quality crossbody bag up to £800.00

[gentlydirk]

Hello

It's a handbag thread! My favourite crossbody bag has finally worked itself to the ground and I'm looking for a replacement one if anyone has any recommendations!

What I'm replacing is a medium sized square brown leather bag which had two internal pockets, a small pocket on the outside and on the back an extra pocket that zipped open all the way and had space for cards, pens and bits of paper. I've never really seen anything that has matched, I have no idea of the brand it was brought in a vintage shop in my mid 20's (quite some years ago)! It was fairly small but seemed to fit everything inside it and more! What I'm describing is probably looking a camera bag with extra compartments.

It was one of my favourite things so am willing to spend up to £800.00 to replace it as it's going to be used quite a bit. I would prefer brown or oxblood but am open to some nice others like burnt orange etc, the only ones I can't have are navy or black as that's my main clothing palette!

Thank you!

That's brilliant. Great to hear a proper review. I love the croc effect, colour wise I'm not sure (I nearly always buy black) but there are so many to choose from so I'll have to give it some proper study before making up my mind!

Great choice, OP!

I will @StephenDedalus I’m quite excited! It’s actually burgundy on closer inspection but I’m happy with that. For anyone interested it’s this one uk.polene-paris.com/products/numero-sept-bordeaux-graine

Lovely - under budget too! (You should have got two just to piss off the handbag police)

Never heard of Poland before today, the number 10 looks just what I’m after but no pics of compartments or zipped bits, anyone know what they are like inside.

for those on a lesser budget Osprey are fantastic quality, there’s an outlet in York so I bet there is in other outlet centres. Also in TK Maxx the choice of cross body bags is great, and in the bigger stores they often have the really premium brands at around 300 that would have been at least double.

Good choice OP! I have never heard of Polene before but went to investigate and they are lovely. The quality looks great, I'm quite impressed that they even say what type of thread they use

Very nice OP, I've never heard of Polene or Honey and Toast brands before. I'd buy from both in future.
Good thread apart from the interlopers.

I'm currently lusting after the APC Grace bag

www.selfridges.com/GB/en/cat/apc-grace-brand-foiled-small-leather-cross-body-bag_R04085322/#colour=VINO

I also don't understand the hate and the vitriol and the 'throwing shade' on somebody that wants to spend 800 pounds on a handbag. Personally, I wouldn't do that. I'd probably be happy with one for 40 or 50 pounds. But people spend 4000 to 5000 pounds on a holiday when they could get one much cheaper, they'll spend 20,000 pounds on a car where they could probably a decent one for 6000 or 7000 pounds, and some people buy a house for maybe 250,000 pounds for a four bedroom when they only need the three bed that they could get for 70,000 pounds less.

If people have got the money and want to spend more, and they want to spend 800 pounds on a handbag, it's nobody else's business.

Me and my DH aren't massive earners tbf ... Think 45,000 pounds between us. (I'm part time.) And I would never spend that much on a handbag. Probably would only spend about 500 pounds each on a holiday. Like a coach trip. We are comfortable tbf, but very frugal.

One of my DC, however, has a YouTube channel that's got around 45,000 subscribers. And over the past year and a half they have spent approximately 2500 pounds on equipment to do the 'youtube content. 'They also spent £300 on one gift for us for our 30th wedding anniversary.

I was also fawning over something on this quirky bohemian market in London summer 2021, but it was actually 75 pounds. It was just a lovely quirky ornament. There's no way that I would have spent that. And while my back was turned, my DC actually bought it for me. Just gave it to me purely 'because I wanted it...' 75 pounds to them is like me spending 15 to 20 pounds. As a few posters have said, it's all relative and 800 pounds isn't a lot for some people.

I know it's really horrible to not have a lot of money. Like I say, we're not massively loaded and we had a good 15 to 20 years of being not too well off - indeed on the bones of our arse sometimes. (When we had the kids at home, and still had a mortgage.) But it's no good hating on people who've got money just because you haven't got it - or other people haven't got it.

If anybody's got the money to spend 800 pounds on a handbag, then I'm glad for them as long as they're not spending the children's money or the bills money, which in most cases they're probably not.

Hope you find your handbag @gentlydirk

@TheMatriarchy that's gorgeous. I do love a cross body. My favourite one is this (purchased before LV prices went mental).

uk.louisvuitton.com/eng-gb/products/pochette-metis-monogram-nvprod1770372v/M44875

I am going to maybe get three@Floofydawg ! I work adjacent to and sometimes in quite high level STEM and the comments that I have got from a certain subset of men who think nothing of spending 5 figures on a some custom remote control robot make you quite zen to it all.

Good on ya OP! I've had similar comments from male colleagues on my designer handbag habit. It has absolutely nothing to do with them and yet they feel the need to pass comment. Then they drive off in their brand new BMW 7 series feeling like they've put the world to rights 🙄

Marking place as this is exactly what I’m after!

Which one which one which one?!

(Not being sarcastic, I absolutely love seeing women enjoy their money!)

It is my life's ambition to own a Chanel handbag. Does that make me shallow?

Chanel boy bag, medium in the limited ‘so black’.

Polene is a great choice OP I’ve been looking at their bags too

This thread is lovely - but I definitely definitely do not need another cross body bag…. I could do with a work back I can carry on my shoulder that’s not as heavy as the Bayswater and has a bit more organisation than just a big empty space like the longchamp one (and I don’t want a whole bag organiser insert, just a bit of structure/pockets for small things)

Many thanks to @gentlydirk for the thread and to @topofbighill for your link to The Leather Satchel company.

Not a crossbody but I’ve been after a simple leather clutch for ages and their elongated envelope is just perfect. Even happier that it’s a company local to me. Really enjoying looking at all the other suggestions too

So ignoring the haters on this thread who hopefully have slunk back under whatever stone they crawled out from, I have to say the Polene that you chose OP looks lovely. I hope you'll post photos when it arrives!

Coincidentally we were at the Royal Opera House last night and the lady in front of me had a lovely bag which I was admiring. I've just looked on the Polene website at the OP's bag and seen that the bag from last night is on there - it's the Number One! Does anyone know if Polene have sales? I love the Number One in the dark green.

Oh dear, have now see the Polene Umi which I love. Must. Not. Buy.

Good grief. Extraordinary 🤣🤣

How exciting! Loving all these bag links!! Quite tempting x

That's a beautiful bag

@YYetAnotherBeckyMumsnet I can assure you I have no desire to derail a thread. Just to make a comment, with no malice or envy, about spending £800 on a bag.

Thank you for expressing my thoughts so well.