Considering we carry most of our lives in our bags, they can become as personal as our toothbrushes. I’ve heard some women describe their C-sections as feeling like the doctor was “rummaging around in their handbag. ”
Yep. For real. Even if you’re not about to have a baby, you still don’t want someone all up in your space. Our bags are our home from home, our secret sanctuary, comfort blanket and saviours all rolled up in whatever wrapping suits your fashion personality, whether that’s sleek and chic, sports luxe or haute bohemian. Or whatever look you fancy wearing that day.
The lure of a Mulberry handbag is legendary. Having been the brand responsible for the creation of such icons as the Alexa, the Bayswater and the Roxanne – the holy trinity which basically ruled the era of It bags in the mid-Naughties – Mulberry’s current creative director and Celine and Vuitton alum, Johnny Coca, has now welcomed the Hampstead into Mulberry’s must-carry family. And it’s set to become as essential as its ancestors.
Don’t pretend you don’t get it, bags are more than just something to carry your keys in. And as we fit in more and more elements to our days, they need to reflect this in their design. The Hampstead’s practical bucket shape is the ultimate bag for the girl on the run. Not in a Bonnie Clyde kinda way, more a ‘I’ve got three meetings before my lunchtime mani, need to shop for a date night dress and the tube is down’ manner. Sounds familiar?
Soft and tactile and made from slouchy leather, you can carry the Hampstead from the top-handle like a tote or add on the detachable cross-body strap and wear it like a stylish satchel, leaving you hands-free to do the important stuff. Like grab another Christmas canapé. Or cocktail.
There are two sizes – you can choose classic (£995) or small, depending on how many Secret Santa gifts you need to lug to the office – the colours that are part of the Spring collection have just dropped in store and are all good enough to eat… There is hibiscus red, sorbet pink and light antique blue as well as classic burgundy, black, white and tan and seasonal updates with a studded version or a snake style. But the genius of the Hampstead lies in the collection of seven embellished straps that allow you to customise your bag in a way that is totally personal to you and your style.
Named after the bohemian area of North London that’s famed for it’s open-air swimming ponds (which have been graced by Kendall Jenner) and inspired by 1960’s Britain’s optimistic and joyful outlook, it seems right to echo the Hampstead’s mod mood with the rest of your outfit. Short, swinging A line skirts, cute polo-necks and tunic dresses and suitably on-trend this season and classically cool. Just like your new favourite bag. But don’t call it an It bag. It’s an icon in the making, ok?
