your best medium-sized classic but a bit trendy casual handbag

[hatwoman]

I need a new bag. not too summery not too wintery. probably neutral colours that will go with everything. fashionable enough but not one that will look "last year" by 2010. good quality but not stupidly expensive. (I'd consider up to £100 but if it was over £50 it would have to be v. good - I'm not someone remotely interested in spending some of the stupid figures people spend on bags these days). Would like to be able to carry purse, phone, A5 diary, keys, bottle of water, possibly even dds' kagools. prefer shoulder bags. easy access quite important too. possibly soft leather satchel style. any ideas or am I asking the impossible?

Hi Hatwoman - I think I've found your perfect bag (will be disappointed if you don't like it - I got all excited when I saw it!) - TK Maxx website - it's a Lloyd Baker brown leather slouchy hobo bag for only £49.99!!!! A bargain if ever I saw one! Go to the shoulder bags section....(it looks quite big, and def could fit all your stuff in it!).

Hi again Hat - there's another bag thread going on right now, and Noddyholder has just posted a lovely tan one from M&S Autograph for about £89...

I tell you the chewit coloured one i got form Dp for £50 has got yet ANOTHER compliment today
its a corker
dont htink its on the website any more
look at shopstyle.com - they have good ones

hello hat! these are very lovely (& local to me. i have domino in turquoise) & on sale. how is t'north? mimi

Ooohhhh - I just checked out the other Lloyd Baker ones on TK Maxx website and there's an even better one for just £29.99! Brown leather - it's called Stud Crossbody - and looks amazing. If I was going to be buying (yet another) bag, I would get that one. Totally seasonless, neutral, not on trend but looks cool.

God tigerbear I just came across this thread. I have never seen the TK MAxx website before (avoid the shops like the plague - remind me of a jumble sale). Am having palpitations

ooh thanks - got to finish cooking dinner at the moment - will come back and have a look in a bit. (life up north is good thanks HC - very good in fact)

oh oh i was in TX maxx yesterday and looked at two Lloyd Baker bags and they were lovely. not the one you saw, i think, they were purple and dark red, but both £49.99 and very large ( i also carry a lot of junk kids' precious belongings)

I keep thinking about the cross body bag - I WANT IT NOW!!!

I like the mimi ones - bit hard to tell re size and feel etc, and a bit more expensive than I was thinking - but they do have that good quality look to them and the right level of classic feel to make them last. also like the lloyd baker one. I can't find the DP one.

[hc - did you move too? I can't remember. this is pretty much the view from our back door - and I never tire of it. totally love it. and it takes me 2.5 hours to get from our house to St Pancras.

Do you like the Hobo slouchy one or the cross body Lloyd Baker, Hatwoman?

WOW hat, how amazing. no, we didn't move, still in hackney, which we do mostly love. but i am a northerner at heart.

mimi bags are great. i have 3 actually.... gorgeous soft slouchy leather. vibrant colours. the domino one i have is huge actually, a bit big for every day. but jolly good as hand luggage when flying. i am a big fan of tk maxx too (bags generally actually), but you need to go there & have a poke around imo.

Whoever recommended TKMaxx.com - thank you very much. I took delivery of this this morning and I am absolutely made up with it, it is gorgeous!

great! which one did you get?

It doesn't look fab in the picture but the Osprey Hannah is a real classic - very soft leather and roomy - I can vouch for it since I bought this last year when I went into TKMaxx to look at the Radley bags that they had in stock and this Osprey bag was just head and shoulders above in quality . However, since I'm above not at all sentimental about bags, I have ruined its looks since it has endured numerous school runs in blizzards. Instead I bought a more practical Orla Kiely Bag (in the sale) the Spring 09 Pear Print Midi Bag in Blue.

thanks selby, its good to know what names to look out for. will keep my eyes peeled for osprey