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Disclaimer: I no longer own this handbag. For my up to date luxury collection, you can click here.
A good few months ago, I was having a particularly stressful exam revision session, and decided I’d have some respite from it all on the Mulberry website… basically asking for trouble. Anyhow, I happened to “accidentally” stumble upon a seasonal sale, and what was in there… the Zipped Bayswater I’d been eyeing up for about a year now, in my FAVOURITE Mulberry colour ever, Dune.
Now I’m still going through my “sensible adult” phase at the moment, so it resulted in an emergency scan of my handbag collection to identify which one could be parted with – I’m on a one in one out policy now – and replaced with shiny new Bayswater. Now I kind of made a very silly none thought out impulse purchase about a year ago… I got swept up in the Instagram craze and purchased one of the Gucci Velvet Marmont handbags… I bought it, I wore it twice, I was petrified of ruining the velvet on it, I got fed up of seeing the gold logo all over Instagram, and very quickly it turned into an antique. A very expensive, very pointless antique – off it went, in order to fund for Mr Bayswater. The good thing about the Marmont, was that it’s still a huge huge it bag, and it sold within 24 hours, for just about the exact same price I paid for it… so all’s well that ends well. Tip for you – if you do buy a designer handbag and feel you may want to sell it (especially if it’s a “trend” piece, and not a classic), keep the packaging – box and carrier bag, it will majorly help the resale. Anyhow, off Gucci went, and the order was placed for the Mulberry.
Dune is a seasonal colour for Mulberry, and I’m not really sure why… my Mulberry Darley is in the exact same shade, and I think it’s the perfect nude colour – it matches my nude Louboutins beautifully, and I can’t for the life of me understand why it isn’t a permanent colour addition, especially as it does pop up every few months on the website. Anyhow, no complaints as it meant it was reduced by about £200 – bloody bonus!
There are three sizes in the Zipped Bayswater range; the original size, simply called the Zipped Bayswater; the Small Zipped Bayswater; and the Mini Zipped Bayswater. The Small, is the one I purchased. However, I wouldn’t describe it as a small handbag at all, it’s actually pretty large. The standard size, for me, is too big – it would be great if you had copious amounts to carry for work, or wanted it as a travel bag, but that’s not really what I was after – and the mini whilst stunning, is too similar to my Givenchy Horizon bag, so would probably have been a bit of an extravagant purchase that I wouldn’t really use too often. The small size however, was perfect. It measures in at a height of 25 cm; a width of 29-38 cm (the sizes can be worn out, or pulled in – I prefer mine out); a depth of 16cm; and a shoulder strap drop of 45 cm. Shoulder straps are a must for me nowadays with any handbags, so further bonus points for this one there. If you have a scroll down, I’ve included each size on the “Shop the Post” feature, and you can actually see how they look on the body, via the links, if you needed to get an idea. Alternatively, just head over to the Mulberry website yourself.
What I’m loving about the newer Mulberry designs, is that the brand seem to be heading towards more structured bags – unless it’s a structured bag these days, I’m not that interested – and this one is a very structured bag, win, win win! It also has a much smaller postman lock on it, compared to other designs; again this is a win for me, as one annoyance I do have with Mulberry, is that the hardware locks get scratched so easily, I always buy protectors for mine, as I hate to see it happen, especially when you’ve spent so much money on something. The leather effect is also pebbled, further adding to the durability of the bag – pebbled leather is much less prone to scratches, and will wear so much better than a smooth leather.
Size wise, I can pretty much fit everything and my kitchen sink in there… it’s huge. It has a very simplistic design inside, and opens up into just one main compartment. There’s the usual zip pocket, and also one of those slip pockets that no one ever uses that is meant for your mobile phone, and that’s pretty much it – simple and super practical. It’s also lined with suede, which I love, as for some reason I just always find it adds a little bit more of a luxurious feel to a handbag design.
I’m really really happy with this one, and have been enjoying it for a good few months now, with no issues at all. It’s a very classic design, but has the new Mulberry branding on it, so will last you as a fashion statement for years to come. The Dune is sold out now, but there are two similar colours available, that I believe are permanent editions – Rosewater, and Blush (seriously gorgeous) – but as usual with Mulberry, if you fancy a change from the norm, there’s quite a few different colour options on there.
Which bags are you loving at the moment? Has the seasonal change got you swapping up your handbag wardrobe, or do you have an all year round staple colour? I’d love to know…
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