A lightweight bag for elderly mum, maybe similar to Le Pliage

[evilharpy]

My mum is in her 80s and carries her life around in her handbag, and her current faux leather bag weighs a ton. I'd like to get her something lighter and thought of Le Pliage but she would be horrified at the thought of carrying round a £100 odd handbag when she normally spends about £25 (even if someone else had paid for it!), and she will probably wear out the corners within a few months. She also wouldn't use a second hand bag. I did think of Kipling but don't think she would like the look of them.

Is there anywhere I could look for a fairly big, lightweight but strong and quite classic-looking bag for maybe £40?

Lots of places do copies of Le Pliage but I think no bag bears it in terms of functionality and wearability. Treat her and don’t tell her the price!

What I'm wary of is one of her friends telling her the price (because they will!!!) and then she'll decide it's "too good for everyday" and put it in the wardrobe for best, never to be seen again.

Tell her it was brand new with tags off eBay!

Or if you're worried about her finding out, something like this might work, but can't say how long it would last.

Cotton Traders

Does Le Pliage have decent zip pockets? She probably needs at least one, for her purse and keys. I think a nylon bag with plenty of zips and pockets would be best. TK Maxx are brilliant for this (and it's machine washable mum!)

@evilharpy

Kipling are brilliant bags and really lightweight

You can take the monkey off and I have put my bag in the washing machine before.

Look on vinted for a Longchamp or Kipling.

Longchamp the corners do wear quickly.

Cath kidston always have offers on their website.

Ooh she might like this from Cotton Traders, it might be a winner. It's funny she will spend loads on clothes from her local boutique but won't entertain an expensive bag.

@MorrisZapp She doesn't use zip pockets, everything gets thrown into the main bit, so that's not really an issue. Although I hadn't thought of TK Maxx.

@stopringingme I really don't think she would like a Kipling, the style is just not really "her" with or without the monkey. Vinted etc is definitely a no go unless it's new with tags, she's very old school and doesn't do second hand.

Just be aware that cheap copies of Le pliage will wear on the corners faster than the original which are tougher than you would imagine

The thing about Le Pliage is if you don't recognise the brand it just looks like a nylon bag. Someone told me one of mine looked like the sort of bag you used to get free with magazines like In Style.

Don't tell her the price.

Le Pliage doesn't have any internal zips, pockets or sections apart from one small internal pocket just under the handle. There isn't even a phone pocket.

You either have everything in a jumble and you can't find anything or use make up bags or similar to separate out keys, phone, cards. I use the free make up bags that you get from Clinique or Clarins.

I've always found the le pilage cheapass duplicates every bit durable

Where have you bought them from?

Mia Tui? Although they’re the opposite of LP, they have a ton of pockets inside which I love but maybe that’s not important to your mum.

Surely it depends which cheapass duplicates. They are not all the same. There is a reason Le plumage costs a weird amount. It lasts way longer than regular nylon unless you test it terribly. I see lots of women carrying crap copies and they always look dirty and scuffed. Le plumage clean up well.

Pockets definitely not a consideration, she never uses them. I don't have a Mia Tui bag, they are nice but are they lightweight?

Tell her you got it second hand off ebay/vinted…

I have the one that is a similar shape to LP, I think it’s quite light as it’s not real leather but I guess everyone has different views about what’s light! They’ve got some fabric ones now as well I think. Google their website.

This might sound paranoid, but an elderly lady carrying around a more expensive bag is noticeable. Including to arseholes that would see she might have more to steal if she's got that bag.

Stick with M&S or ordering something on Amazon (the descriptions usually include a weight) and she won't stand out or decide it belongs in her wardrobe.

What a depressing thought. Are we all to relegate ourselves to dreary M&S and Boden to avoid being mugged

I think when you're in your thirties, the prospect of getting pushed over or passed by a couple of lads on a moped and your Chloe (or whatever) being nicked along with your phone and sunnies isn't pleasant - but in your 80s, it has considerably more baggage around it - especially if you're blissfully unaware that you're carrying a flashing target on your arm.

I really don't think an 80 year old woman with an £80 Le Pliage is any more of a target than the thousands of women carrying around a similarly priced Radley. They're not exactly Chanel.

It's not up to us to complete that risk assessment, though - it's up to the person who will be carrying the bag. And the OP has said her mother wouldn't be happy if she found out how much a Longchamp would cost; some of that could well be a perception that she would be at increased risk, disguised as 'oh, it's too good, I'll keep it for best'.

Can you Adam and Eve it Mam there was one for sale on vinted!!

(Obviously it wasn't!)