Cross body / small bag - help me not look like my mother

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So I’ve had a lovely taupe small cross body bag for years (very similar to a Chloe bag). Suddenly I believe it’s very frumpy looking. I was at a festival last year and I think people were sniggering at it.

what’s a more up to date version of the cross body bag - style wise ones ?

Does anyone with big boobs have either the Cos or Uniqlo one? Not sure if it would be flattering!

I think they look ridiculous. If I were going to snigger at anyone's bag (which I wouldn't) it'd be that style.

I love a cross body bag, so not giving mine up anytime soon. Not sure I could make the Uniqlo one work with the some of clothes I wear, relaxed fit, blazers, trenches bat wing sleeve?
Surely nobody would laugh at your choice of bag. Especially not young people as lots of the ones I I know love a vintage buy from a charity shop, so with that in mind, pretty much anything goes in terms of fashion!

I can't imagine any young people I know sniggering at someone's bag!!!

I will be wearing a leather cross-body bag forever (and, gasp, I have a taupe one) and I don't give a ff what anyone thinks.

I’m older than you and have 2 vintage Pravda cross body bags that my DDs are always hinting they want me to give them . Stop being so ageist - I’d rather be stylish than fashionable if that makes sense. I also have one of those Uniqlo bags for travelling - I didn’t know I was too old to have one.

Prada not Pravda!

I like the M&S one you posted.
my 25 year old DD has just had a similar bag from Pom Pom where you get a matching leather strap plus she has had 2 fabric straps. pompomlondon.com

Just change the strap? That can really update a bag

Big boobs with the Uniqlo here. Tbh I sling it round the back unless I'm in a dodgy area but I wear the strap longer than the kids do so if it's at the front it hangs below my gargantuan boobs.

The M&S camera bag you posted is a bit cheap looking in real life, also camera bags have been around a while so aren’t the most on trend.

I don't like that 'on the side of the tummy' look at all. Don't think it's for me.

I'm miles behind trends as I'm only just thinking about getting a camera bag with a long woven strap. I saw a few nice ones yesterday in Oliver Bonas and the pompom ones keep coming up on my Facebook.

I probably should know exactly what a sling bag is...

Could someone post a link please ?

The Uniqlo bag mentioned upthread is a sling bag.

Doh! Thank you.

I think the cross body bags at the start of this thread look like a bum bag of the 80s with a long strap, but I'm old, so probably really trendy now

I've got a plain (as in not patterned)) camera bag woven strap to match my camera bags, it's so comfortable to wear and also an easier wear than the patterned ones. I use it on my phone bag too.

@Bagatella

Here's a review of my small one.

packhacker.com/travel-gear/tomtoc/urban-sling-bag/

There is also a nice one from Roka that I like the look of.
rokalondon.com/collections/willesden/products/willesden-b-sustainable-crossbody-smoke-nylon

I like them because they're like back packs that sit on your back out of the way but you don't have to take them off to access your stuff.

Theres one strap goes over my left shoulder down to my right side, the pack sits on my back, when i want to access it, just pull it around to the front, get my bits, then sling it back to my back. I can wear a coat over a the small one if there's a worry of snatchy bastards.
I can also just hang it from my right shoulder, the bag sits nicely upright on my back.

I'm a big fan of the hybrid nature of them.

What is your budget OP?

The thing about the Cos / Uniqlo bag is that they’ve been cool for a while, so they’ll be out of fashion very soon. Better to get something classic <channels my mother>

I bet they weren’t laughing at your bag and it’s sad that you have to be so disrespectful to your mother and so ageist too.

the sling bags are passé now fwiw and that just shows you should get whatever bag you want as style is about being confident about how you look not what’s in fashion.

@OnTheThames but the Uniqlo one is only £15 so it doesn't matter if it goes out of style soon (I’m aware that this is a terrible fast fashion philosophy, btw; I’ve just bought the Uniqlo one and will wear it forever, even if it becomes monstrously uncool!).

Hey OP, so I am 47 & I wouldn’t be caught dead in any of the bags suggested because they are not me. I love crossbody bags but I am very much a shoes/bags & scarves kind of girl. My latest is a Jacquemus which my girls would have tomorrow if I let them. Sharing is not caring! 😂 Find your style not what others are wearing. I don’t follow what is in trend just what I like & I have started buying vintage. It hasn’t let me down so far & it’s a compliment when your kids are wanting to wear your wardrobe. Wear what makes you feel good forget about everyone else! You only live once OP so go out there & be adventurous

£15 I bought a bag like that on a market stall for £5.99 a few years ago when my back was really bad. I think they were known as holster bags then. Similar engineering to bum bags but bigger and more shaped and can be worn in different ways. As well as being blissfully comfortable, it has several zipped off sections - more than that Uniqlo one I bet - so very practical. It was an old lady, who ran the market stall, who recommended them to me, so your mum may know all about them op, if she's still speaking to you.

I bought a lovely one from Oliver Bonas recently (you can’t buy different straps ) to change up the look

@24KaratCucumber

I just ordered the Roka Willesden , I'd been idly searching for a new backpack style (I usually buy Kipling but they've been a bit meh -samey / ugly colours/ugly prints )
I had a browse through the Roka site some really nice , useful looking bags .

I'll come back when it arrves