Mulberry bags....thoughts please

[JustAnotherDayWorkingAtHome]

I have been coveting the Loewe Puzzle bag for some time now but I have decided I simply cannot and never will be able to justify the £2,400 price tag.

I have recently been looking at the Mulberry Billie, in chalk, I know it is not similar but it does look like a really nice bag and it is a third of the price tag and is the size and idea of the kind of bag I want.

I can't put my finger on it though but there is something I am just not sure about with Mulberry....will this last the test of time?

Mulberry Billie Small Classic Grain Leather Cross Body Bag, Chalk at John Lewis & Partners

You can pay for authentication on Vinted. The buyer of my Mulberry Rosemary did.

Ah okay, I didn't realise that.

Yes, you can pay for authentication on Vinted, which is why they decline to remove illegal counterfeits now.

Seems like just as good reason as any to buy branded goods.

This is interesting...thanks for sharing.

Cool @Ireolu

@JustAnotherDayWorkingAtHome I still love my Bayswater and Lilly but they were bought long ago, wouldn't buy a Mulberry now, and wouldnt have said they were a substitute for Loewe.

Have you looked at Polene bags? French brand, beatiful quality, affrodable price in comparison. Have much more understated cachet than Mulberry.

Loewe quality is still really good. Chanel quality is questionable, but still, people continue to buy even with the insane price increases. Polene's quality and customer service have very poor reviews. They expanded too quickly, and quality went down.

My last bag purchase was from Guibert. Understated and extremely well made at a reasonable price. Mirta also has excellent handbags from Italy.

With designer brands, you're obviously paying way over what the bag is worth for the "prestige."

Or each to their own.
We all have our thing. I wouldn't spend over 100k on a car. One half that or less will still get me from a to b beyond that I have zero interest.

People spend their money on whatever they want. Hobbies, holidays, branded cars, shoes or cameras or whatever.... even phones. A cheap phone these days will do the job but we choose one with the extra features we don't need but want.

I don't care about impressing anyone else with my choice of what bag I buy. I buy them for me. Just like anyone buys anything... Don't see the point in half the back handed, passive aggressive comments over someone else's choice just because they wouldn't do it. Way more bizarre than someone choosing to spend their OWN money on what ever they want. Not because an unrelated internet random approves of it or not.
But then these luxury threads are always full of people trying to justify why they don't buy such things.. Like those who do care what you do.

I could afford dozens of Mulberry bags.

🙄

Never had a Lowe bag OP. I love the bag you've posted. I've got a Mulberry purse and it's held well. I've had a Marc Jacobs too and even though it's not as high end as some others again the leather tops others.

As someone who loves bags - I have a Balenciaga city bag and a Fendi shearling bag, don't spend that amount of money on something that doesnt fill you with joy. Its second best and you know it- £800 is still a lot of money so if it were me, I'd save up to get the one you really want or I'd check out vestiere collective or luxury closet and get a pre-used one. I once bought a Jimmy Choo bag from vestiere and it was half the price and looked brand new- it was in amazing condition and I used that bag for years and years. If you're going to spend money- at least spend it on something you 100% love.

Or each to their own.
We all have our thing. I wouldn't spend over 100k on a car. One half that or less will still get me from a to b beyond that I have zero interest.

Neither would I.

It was a comparison to compare quality with something where price doesn't always equate to higher quality beyond a certain level.

The point I was making @HemlockSoup was more a philosophical one, not a stealth boast.

It's often the anticipation of owning something (especially if it's a bit out of reach) that's far greater than the actual owning of it. Once something is affordable, without breaking the bank, the attraction can diminish.
Very rich people who can afford anything (and that's not me, by the way) often aren't remotely into status symbols as they don't need to be.
If spending thousands on a bag floats your boat, fair enough.

Very rich people who can afford anything (and that's not me, by the way) often aren't remotely into status symbols as they don't need to be

To be fair, the amount of rich celebs you see holding expensive bags is exactly why the bags get as famous as they do. I have yet to see Victoria Beckham photographed with an old battered Tesco bag for life

Hmm old money/ new money 🤷🏻‍♀️

So you're paying for the "prestige" but want something "understated" hilarious.

No it's all done by the same people. We would get told that the bags coming on the line were for the FE market and given slightly more time to make them, so a lower production target for those bags. More £ and longer tea breaks would have been great though. 😄

Hmm old money/ new money 🤷🏻‍♀️

Yeah, maybe. But that said, when I win the lottery I'm not giving it back because its new lol- money is money and I wouldnt be turning it away 😁

I haven't worked there since 2020 but, yes, I used to. It did lead to 1 memorable occasion where I was approached by a member of staff who clearly though someone wearing an oversized jumper, ripped jeans, Cons and who had wild red hair was up to no good. He did a complete 180 when I said "oh don't mind me, I'm just checking my handiwork". 😂

@PeridotSparkle

Hmm old money/ new money 🤷🏻‍♀️

Princess Diana carried a Lady Dior bag. Lady Amelia Windsor is often seen with branded designer pieces as is Flora Vesterberg.

I don't know why this false rhetoric about the truly wealthy and/or aristocracy not wearing obvious designer persists. It's just not true.

Princess Diana carried a Lady Dior bag.

Quite. Carrying a Dior bag that is named for you is a pretty outstanding status symbol imo.

Just a thought but Alexa Chung presumeably carries her namesake bag too. I don’t think that’s quite the same thing.

Why hilarious? The bags I mentioned that I purchased are well made, but you wouldn't be able to identify them. I didn't call them luxury. If you're paying 10K for a Chanel handbag, you're definitely paying for the heritage and prestige.

There’s that bag maker on YouTube who rips open a lot of designer bags to assess the quality of the leather. Some of them are very poor quality indeed.

@chiwwy Tanner Leatherstein? He's interesting to watch.

@Mercurial123 you are falling for marketing and branding bullshit.

There are so many better uses of your money.

Let people have things that make them happy.