Handbags. A woman’s necessity, a man’s bewilderment. We covet them, parade them and invest a small fortune in them. In their lifetime, the average woman will spend over £4000 on handbags. It seems we are a nation in love with the bag. Who could forget the madness surrounding Mulberry’s Lana Del Rey bag?
If you ask me, a handbag of quality is an essential item every woman should own. Whilst a Mulberry handbag may be every girl’s dream, personally speaking, it’s unlikely that I’ll ever own one in my lifetime. However, I’ve always insisted on buying bags made from leather. Until now.
If you’re a reader of Polkadot Pink , you’ll know from my outfit posts that I absolutely adore the Cambridge Satchel Company. For me, their classic satchels are a style that never goes out of fashion. The fact that I can buy them in any colour and size of my choice is a big winner.
However, spending £100 upwards on a handbag is no longer a luxury I can afford. Especially when I already own two satchels. For some time, I’ve wanted a red handbag to wear with monochrome. On my last visit to Primark in Liverpool, I spied this red handbag for the price of £5. Yes, £5. Breaking all my handbag rules, I bought it. My logic? At that price, who cares if it lasts a month or so?
Wrong! Heading into Manchester one Sunday, a few weeks ago, I decided to debut the bag. It was a mild day with peeks of sunshine, however I was longing to be back in my autumn clothes so the trusty Topshop Kristen jeans made a reappearance. Jeans that I’ve worn and washed countless times.
Disaster. Before I knew it, my lovely new red bag was covered in ink from my jeans. Ink that I couldn’t remove. Within hours the bag was ruined. It had never happened with my satchels before, so why now?
On the surface, it seemed to be a great bargain. However, it was uncomfortable to wear (the strap was just too long and non-adjustable) and I couldn’t overlook the smell of plastic it seemed to exude! For £5, I’m not going to cry into my coffee and rich tea biscuits but the old saying, buy cheap buy twice has certainly proved its worth.
What are your handbag rules?
Do you believe in expensive or budget handbags?
Would you ever splurge on a Mulberry?
As always, much love,
Donna x