Its officially autumn, the summer holidays are a distant memory, so one of the easiest ways to ease myself into the new season and the drop in temperatures is to switch over my wardrobe, pull out my favourite pieces for the new season ahead and figure out any gaps. I am a notorious magpie and loathe buying practical things, however, I’m excellent at telling others what to buy, ha!
A new season doesn’t necessarily mean buying a whole new wardrobe – it’s about identifying any missing staples and new season trend buys that will refresh last year’s favourites. One of the things I always do post-summer, is to buy a new bag. It may not be chilly enough (yet!) to wear a full-on winter coat or chunky knit, but you can inject some newness into your wardrobe with a shiny new handbag.
This year, there are a handful of High Street brands that are really working to fill the gap between High Street and luxury – namely COS and Arket. And as many designers from Chanel to Loewe inch their price points higher and higher, they have left a huge gap (and commercial opportunity) for smaller independent brands who want to create beautifully crafted pieces for the sweet-spot price-point of under £500. French brand Polène was recently referred to as ‘a threat to luxury leather bag makers’ by leather expert Volkan Yilmaz, aka @tanner (if you don’t follow him, go check out his page as its brilliant) for the sheer quality of the leather and the finish of their bags. The style I have chosen to include is called the Tonca and it is my favourite everyday cross-body right now (which is also available in 14 colours might I add). British label Demellier has fast become the go-to label for contemporary handbags that have that feel luxurious and the Tokyo shoulder bag is giving The Row vibes for a quarter of the price tag. Finally Polish label Chylak has been seen on everyone from Adwoah Aboah to Margot Robbie, and again fills the void for attainable, unique and beautifully made handbags – without the 4 digit price tag.
