Bag upgrade - useful holiday handbag and Bayswater tote

[Tablecat7]

I'm over 40 and realised I've never owned a bag I really love... I'm very happy with my home, and now feel id like to be satisfied with my wardrobe and am starting with bags...

I'm thinking about getting a Mulberry Bags water Tote in Oak. Could you use it for the school run? Trip into town? I have a laptop which I commute into London with so would probably take my backpack for that.

And what bags for holidays? I'm going to New York and doing Disney next year.

Do you need a bag that big for the school run or a trip into town if you’re not using it for work?

I don’t own any Mulberry bags but I have heard the quality has gone down over the years.

What size bag would you need on holiday? How old are your DC?

Also what’s your overall style, what brands do you like and wear?

Just a thought but for travel a zip is preferable for security, it is also as someone mentioned, large. Branded bags may be a statement but realistically one bag won’t suit all occasions, for the school run I favoured cross body as you are juggling kids, their luggage etc

I have Bayswaters and they are fantastic for carrying the kitchen sink and look lovely and are life proof. Periodically I realise how much crap im carrying and swap to a Gucci Marmot or Chanel but always get fed up of not having rhe kitchen sink and revert back. A Black Bayswater is never going to not get used and I strongly recommend a firm bottom like the Bayswater rather than a saggy Alexa. To be honest, Aspinal totes are more practical and easier to carry, the smaller one has a strap, but they just dont feel the same. Also with Mulberry, you can get them overhauled relatively cheaply by sending to the workshop in Shepton Mallet. I would look at the Mulberry preloved bags on their own website so you know its genuine and as new condition but also check out Aspinal if you like that style. I am using a Burberry horseshoe at the moment which I love so much but I seem to need a bag for life with it to carry my purse, keys and injection around so it is the least practical grand I have ever spent 😀

Thanks for all the replies. DC is now 12, so he can carry his own stuff. I like to carry a drink bottle, book etc when I'm out and about - so have a bit of room.

For holiday bag - it just needs to fit phone and wallet.

Id say my overall style is fairly classic/ understated. I'm quite busty, so wear a lot of shirts with shorts and a belt at the moment, dresses and boots in the winter. I like to keep things feminine/ classic

I have a Mulberry Bayswater tote and really like it. It has lasted and lasted. Don't buy one from an outlet (they are different quality, I think - I know this is the case for other brands). And the color you suggest is classic.
My other Mulberry bags made from the pebble leather still look lovely after years of rough treatment. My work bag is a Mulberry Bayswater too. It still looks perfect after four years of loading it up with laptop and tons of other stuff, plus shoving it under aircraft seats, bus seats.
It is a classic.

I have two Manu Atelier Cambon 35 bags which are similar to the Bayswater but a bit different, I chose them over the Bayswater because of what I’d heard about the Mulberry quality in recent years. Also I remember when Bayswaters were £495 so the current prices put me off 😅

I still think though either bag is excessively large for a book and a bottle. The Balenciaga Rodeo bag is lovely and comes in lots of different sizes but far more expensive.

What’s your budget for the holiday bag?

Thanks for the replies - I'll go into Mulberry this week to try in person.

In terms of a second holiday bag: I'm happy to spend between £200 -£800 on it

For the holiday bag, what about a Sezane straw bag? Or, what about the classic JCrew Montauk tote? (or something like it, as I know JCrew is a US brand). This kind of tote is absolutely a summer classic for a reason. www.jcrew.com/p/womens/categories/accessories/bags/montauk/1998-montauk-small-tote/CU561?color_name=natural-navy&N=ONE%20SIZE&noPopUp=true&pdp=full&srcCode=Paid_Search%7CShopping_NonBrand%7CGoogle%7CPMG%5EG%5E99108081749_23846705440___c_pla_online__9007908&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=paid_search&utm_content=shopping_ads&utm_campaign=JCrew_Shopping_PLA_US_All_X_PMax_X_Google_LowPriority&utm_term=&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23836863813&gbraid=0AAAAADqAteDw2_msu7YIDI01RjBsOjp_B&gclid=CjwKCAjwhZDUBhBGEiwAbi5bjppb--EKuBRyrjRxeT1MSuVGljlK6QEdb-wJonn76llbLNnrDeW3lBoCMDgQAvD_BwE#no_universal_links#no_universal_links