cross-body bag - advice on which would be better quality

[TempersFuggit]

Hi there, I am toying with the idea of a proper grown up handbag. I usually buy from Oliver Bonas, or Zatchel, so not completely au fait with expensive bags, and only really need one to carry my phone, lipstick and keys. I like neat and un-blingy with lovely leather.

I really like this one from APC:
Mini Leather Demi-Lune Bag

and also this one from Mulberry:
Small Darley Satchel

Would both of these be good quality and wear well? Or can you advise if there are other brands I could be looking at that would fit the brief.

Thanks in advance :)

I have the APC bag, same issue as others with getting things in and out, but I love it and use it on nights out. I wouldn't use it day to day. The Mulberry is lovely!

My day to day favourite is a Russell and Bromley Snapshot. But it's black.

I also love the Coach Beat bag and coach camera bags (although might not be selling at the moment) and the some of the Demellier cross bodies.

I have a Demellier mini Venice and really like it. It's small but more capacious than the APC bag and doesn't shred my fingers when I try to get stuff out!

Polene or Aspinal bags are lovely. Both beautifully made and lovely leather. I really like my Aspinal Ella bag at the moment.

Oooh I love the Adolpho Dominguez bag! Thanks for linking op, actually like a lot of their bags on their site.. but I really don't need a bag right now

Mulberry looks nice.
I really like coach bags, stylish and very durable. I also like the ones with a wider crossbody strap as it doesn’t dig into my shoulder as my bag always feels heavy even with just a few items in it (or maybe I am getting too old).

Funny all the comments about the APC demi lune shredding fingers - I sent back the Sezane copy for the same reason.

I will add La Portegna to the list of small but interesting and not stupidly priced handbag companies. I love their Marta bag but wonder if it also suffers from the hungry zip issue. They have a shop on Marylebone High St if you’re nearby OP.

Agree, I love deMellier bags. I also recommend Strathberry and Aspinal, lovely bags and cheaper than Mulberry.

I'd take a closer look at the Strathberry website as the bags in Fenwick are the dressier models - they do have some simpler styles including a crescent shaped one although a plain East West might work for you. I think that the quality of my Strathberrys is as good as my Mulberrys. I've also got some Cambridge Satchel bags - the quality is very good for their price point but not as good as Strathberry.

I have that Mulberry bag in black and I love it. It's understated and classic. I have a couple of osprey bags that I use for gigs and stuff where they might get a bit battered but they're nowhere near as high end looking. I love the oxblood too but was after silver hardware, hence the black.

Another Radley fan here. They really last.

As far as I'm concerned there's only one cross-body bag and that's Mulberry's Antony. I have a large and a small, both in oak. They don't date and they only look better with a bit of age.

The APC looks lovely. I have this one in another colour and love it, the leather quality feels better than my Mulberry bag. https://www.aspinaloflondon.com/products/small-stella-satchel-in-burgundy-pebble?objectID=9892&queryID=f247c838b7801d0575613167ff21ecad

Watching

Conclusion
Thanks so much everyone for commenting on this post. I have made a decision and bought this bag:
Mimi-Berry_Febe
I really like the quality of the leather, and the brass rings securing the handles to the bag. It's not the plum colour I was initially after, but is a nice neutral brown which will hopefully go with everything. I also bought it in the sample sale so it was half price. Thanks for the heads up @Saurus72 and @SilkyEars .

As much as I love the idea of an expensive bag, the reality is that I would feel a bit uncomfortable spending £500 on a handbag. It also means that I might be able to buy an Adolfo Domingues one in the summer 😊

Ah very glad to help Enable. I looked at the sample sale yesterday and there were so many beautiful bags but I really have enough - way more than I need tbh. Agree it very hard to spend £500+ on a bag.