£100 budget for 1st handbag

[Slightlydustcovered]

I'm buying someone their first handbag. Her style is very paired back lots of blue, black jeans and plain t-shirts. Needs to fit wallet, phone, water bottle and have space for a small snack box.

I'm honestly a bit overwhelmed if you had £100 for a handbag what would you choose?

Popular Who with? The horse & hound set.

I'd look at Vinted for Kate Spade or similar.

My sister late 20s.

She’s never had a handbag before??

Thanks I will look at all the options, we have always been a rucksack family but her new job means she needs something smarter, acidemia based. She has requested a surprise for her birthday in October! Sorry for the slow reply I have been trying to juggle kids and work shifts.

Nope she hasn't, she's always used rucksacks. I mean I'm alot older and only own 1 battered leather bag of no brand.

Does she have to carry heavy things?

If so look at a smart backpack because a shoulder bag is a recipe for neck and back problems.

I suspect, if neither of you buys bags often you may have lost track of how much they cost?

And given your sister is a proper grown up and not a teen, she may want something relatively sophisticated. I wonder if you might spread the cost of her gift between other members of your family so you can spend a little more?

This is what £150 gets you at Zara - which is no one’s idea of expensive:

https://www.zara.com/uk/en/leather-maxi-bucket-bag-p16044310.html

And even a nice artisan bag in canvas or leather would be well over £200. Example:

https://kingsleywalters.com/collections/women-leather-bags

(BTW, @Slightlydustcovered - you may want to persuade your predictive text to include pared back in its repertoire.)

https://www.vinted.co.uk/items/3964228973-cambridge-satchel-backpack

https://www.vinted.co.uk/items/4398840059-cambridge-satchel-company-rucksack

https://www.vinted.co.uk/items/4950439689-back-pack-cambridge

would she like any of these?

They're very in with all the stylish young students where I live.

You can see how subjective and personal taste in handbags is!
Most of these seem to be larger than the original request requirements. Also, some more than £100..

Did you wake up on the cunty side of the bed this morning?

My dd has a sling bag, like this. She's 21 and just takes her phone, water bottle, epipen and a tin of Vaseline.

I think if your sister doesn't usually carry a handbag she might prefer something small.

Fat Face is good for handbags, especially if she isn't a handbag person. They do some nice leather ones too. I'd get her somethings practical but understated.

https://www.fatface.com/accessories-home/womens-accessories/bags-purses#pagination=true

I have a love/hate relationship with handbags, I love them but hate having one and often just take my phone and keys.

Never understood the love for Le Pilage they seem very 00s to me.

I thought it was a very polite spelling correction actually.

I think the TKMaxx suggestion is really good as they have such a wide selection and in all colours. I know she wants a surprise but would she go on a browse with you so you can at least see her style and what she likes?
If she has always done a rucksack, might she like a smart backpack style. This wouldn't be out of place in academia. I think £100 is definitely an OK budget with a bit of window shopping and using Vinted if you fall in love with an expensive one

Was just about to post this. Lots of Marc Jacobs totes, and for cheaper versions Ted Baker totes in 14 yr old dd friend group. The small TB totes are very popular. None of them would be seen dead with a Pliage or something from Kipling. I'm presuming she's a young teen as it's her first bag, would really help to know her age.

Update: sorry have just seen she's 20 and a student. Dr Martens do really nice leather rucksacks but think they may be a bit more than £100. Could you go out with her and have a look round together for something? Make a day of it. Bags are such a personal thing.

She's not a young teen, she's in her late 20s.

Really like the Zara bucket bag linked to above by HoxtHun

Hilarious. Take an upper end supermarket bag for life that normally retails for around £5-10, write Marc Jacobs tote bag on the side and charge £200 for it.

A fool and their money......

Well that's fashion for you. It's fun and frivolous and costs money. Sometimes a few pounds, sometimes thousands. We could all wander round in the same pair of Asda leggings and no brand trainers wielding an aldi bag for life and save our money but we don't because a lot of people enjoy fashion/beauty/style/cultivating a look. It makes us feel good. I don't own that particular MJ one (neither does teen dd, she wanted a cheaper TB one) but I don't judge anyone that does. It was an observation of what a lot of younger girls carry that might have helped the OP.

If she's a ruck sack person then anything in your face or too fashionable will probably not be her style. You could look at leather rucksacks or even a plain leather tote.

https://www.pureluxuries.com/collections/womens-backpacks.

I have a large leather tote that I use for work, no in your face logos, no distinctive patterns. Just a plain brown tote that fits my lunch, water bottle, several cans of coke and my purse and sunglasses in. I have a separate tan leather laptop bag though so if I'm going somewhere other than the office I just use that (and leave the cans of coke and lunch).

As an aside I hate Marc Jacob bags I think they're tacky, in fact anything with a brand or logo so obviously on it(LV, Ted Baker etc) is tacky. I like Ted Baker but you have to spend more money to buy the non-tacky bags and purses.

Another vote for longchamp. My teens love them.

Nah, cunty