Bag help please! A strathberry or a demellier?

[ShadesOfPemberley]

Hi everyone, I am very fortunate to have up to £500 to spend on a new bag for my 50th birthday. I really really love chocolate brown suede and I’m in luck because there are a lot around at the moment! I need a big bag and I love tote styles, but it’s hard finding one that is the perfect balance of not too structured and not too squishy. It has to be somewhere in between! (Picky? Me?)

i have done some (very…) extensive research and narrowed it down to these two

www.strathberry.com/products/melody-tote-chocolate-suede

https://demellierlondon.com/products/the-tokyo-tote-mocha-suede-smooth?variant=44344463196334&currency=GBP&utm_content=brandedsearch&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=UK_PMax_Brand&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=19740919562&gbraid=0AAAAADdBSAf0dhjPCnUKSNj2CXVKGK7Ox&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIh63BoobojwMV54lQBh3DRg-oEAQYAiABEgL_DvD_BwE

i do also like the demellier New York (large size) in choc suede but worried it might be a bit of an awkward shape. Also might be too much on the structured side.

i don’t have a bag from either brand so also looking for advice on quality!

I am a real ‘handbag person’, I love and take care of my bags and get daily delight from using them, hence I am taking a long time and way too much brain space to make the decision. Help me!

I was planning to get a strathberry but I thought the leather felt quite thin when I tried it in the shop, it's a shame as the designs are lovely

Ah thanks so much, I am hoping to get to the store this week so will look out for that issue… I don’t mind thin leather to an extent as it makes the weight of the bag a bit less but there is definitely a balance to be had! Don’t want a pricey bag to feel flimsy…

Quite a bit below your budget, but I've purchased this chocolate brown leather tote from Next. It looks great and I've been stopped a couple of times now and asked where it's from. There are plenty of pockets so that I can find things easily.

https://app.next.co.uk/style/su374768/e53919#e53919

Edited to add I realise you wanted advice on specific brands - this one might be more within other people's budget

Oh keepincool that really is lovely… but unavailable already it seems!! Clearly everyone who asked you where it was from ran off and bought it immediately!! 🤣

Returning with another bag for advice, unhelpfully not chocolate brown or suede (!!) but my back-up choice of black leather 🤣

https://uk.flattered.com/products/lola-tote-leather-black
Ive seen Flattered recommended on here before so wanted to ask if anyone has a bag from here and if so how they compare to eg Strathberry for quality. I love Scandinavian brands and style in general and have been interested in Flattered bags for a while (but not been able to splurge on one!)

Of the two I think the Demellier tote looks better and more hard wearing. I have a Demellier camera bag that I use for errands so I’m not precious with it and it’s still in great condition.

I also have a Strathberry Mosaic and the leather is gorgeous - so nice and thick. I saw it now comes in a chocolate brown and suede - https://www.strathberry.com/products/mosaic-bag-dark-chocolate-suede-leather

Thanks AmpleLilac I ageee the strathberry doesn’t look as hard wearing. I do love the mosaic bag too, was having a little lust after that one recently ❤️ but I think regrettably is a bit small for what I’m after. I will have a look at it when I go to the physical store this week

@ShadesOfPemberley all beautiful bags but the Flattered bag looks as though it can’t be worn over shoulder ?

You’re quite right and I think I probably can’t add that one into the mix for reasons of practicality. Much as I like that one!

@ShadesOfPemberley its a difficult choice, there will be that little something to sway you when you see them in RL. I ❤️ the hardware on the Strathberry. Happy Birthday 🎂

Flattered also have a beautiful chocolate brown suede bag

It is gorgeous - I have something very similar that I use more as a weekend bag. I never think to shop at next but will have a look now.

OP strathberry bags are beautifully made but I feel demellier has the edge here.

I prefer the Demellier too.

I’m also a fan of the Demellier tote bags that We Are Twinset carry almost daily on their Instagram page.

I'd pick the Demellier all day long, it's beautiful. The Strathberry is nice but the Demellier is nicer, and I've never heard anything negative about the quality or longevity.

Would the Strathberry Kite be an alternative option? I prefer that one to the two linked, and currently in the BF sale.

https://www.strathberry.com/products/kite-hobo-maxi-chocolate-suede

https://www.marcjacobs.com/gb-en/2F5HSC009H01.html?dwvar_2F5HSC009H01_color=206&xse_prod_code=2F5HSC009H01-206&xse=b9e93db8-31b8-4e12-8980-2f922249e641

I can’t help as I haven’t had a bag from either of those makes but I have seen this one which is a brown suede tote which I looked at in Selfridges and it was beautiful, not too slouchy and not too structured.
i wanted something smaller so I bought the one below from Aspinal which also makes beautiful quality bags.

https://www.aspinaloflondon.com/products/hudson-crescent-in-chocolate-suede?objectID=14836&queryID=d849147a97b13133c83a8367be16e8b7