My Mulberry Collection - March 2018 Update

So I filmed this a few days ago and thought I accidentally deleted the footage - and then it pops back up!

In re. to the bag "cull: I have made up my mind on some of these, so watch this space for an update.

Nothing Weepy About Willow

It's taken a looong time for me to even consider this Mulberry. I never looked at the Willow and thought "ooooh" or "wanna have". It might be because I'm not big on totes. Or because the Willow can look a bit too cutesy - especially in pastel colours or pink. I finally took the plunge with this Small Willow in a navy shrunken calf and not only do I think it looks lovely...

...it also works pretty well as a small tote!

Bayswater Variety

"Just one of any style" I said. "No point in having multiple colours in the same design" I continued.

4 Bayswaters later...

Why? How?And which one is my favourite? Want to find out?

...and which one is your favourite?

Something Old, Something New

You might have seen one of my Mulberry Roxanne reviews. And maybe also my Roxette unboxing  - though I just realised, I haven't done a proper review yet, so need to do that asap! Anyway, back to the here and now: the Roxette is often described as the modern take on the Roxanne, so I thought I'd do a quick comparison video.

I need to state here that I am comparing the Small Roxette with the Roxanne, so you could argue that I should compare the Roxanne with the Regular Roxette but I don't have one of those and the Rosemary is a fair bit smaller that the Small Roxette.

Fancy having a look? Measurements for your info at the bottom!

Which one is your favourite?

Roxanne measures ca width 34 cm, depth 18 cm, height 19 cm. Handledrop is ca 22cm.

Roxette measures ca width 30 cm, depth 14 cm, height 21 cm. Handledrop is ca 10cm - but you do get a long adjustable strap.

My Mulberry Collection November 2017

Ok, so I was rabbiting on about how I haven't been around much recently - at least on my blog. So here is a look right inside my wardrobe, at least into the section that holds my handbags. 

Well, those are just a few of them - want to see all of them? Here you go!

Paint It Blue

I'm a sucker for the Mulberry postman's lock. Especially in brass. And Mulberry oak. Oh, give me an Oak Bayswater and I'm happy. 

This Mulberry Jagger Pouch is about as far as you could get from any of the above: blue polished buffalo leather, silver coloured hardware, no typical distinctive Mulberry features. And yet, I rather like it!

So it's a cute little pouchy bag - but what can I fit in?!

Vintage Bucket

I have a bit of a soft spot for vintage Mulberry, especially their Congo leather. Nothing ages as nicely as this - it turns beautifully glossy and multitonal over years of use. I've had a few small satchels in this finish before but never before one of these bucket bags.

Want to see more? Have a look what I can fit in!

Mulberry Muse

This Mulberry Edie is a bit of a deja-vu bag if you've seen my review of the Postman's Lock Satchel. Well, it is pretty much the same bag, just done in a different leather and with the more quirky guitar style strap - which I actually prefer. 

 

Size wise it's very similar to an Alexa - but see for yourself!

Roxanne Gone Green

Just when you thought a bag wouldn't have any other variations - along comes another one.

Take the Roxanne: she comes in mini (Blenheim), not quite as mini (Rosemary) and huge (Romilly). Then there is the tote in a couple of sizes. And the more recently created Roxette has undoubtedly been inspired by the Roxanne. I thought that was it. And then I came across this beauty in the most gorgeous shade of green.

May I introduce: the Roxanne Satchel. Much more lightweight than the classic Roxanne, due to the choice of leather, and with a long strap, she might be much more practical as an everyday lug around bag. Check out what I fit in!

How to Spot a Fake

So, over the past couple of years I have told you how to minimise the risk of buying a fake Mulberry and where to go to have it authenticated. What I haven't shown you is some of the detail that can give away a fake bag straight away. I obviously don't have an endless supply of fakes but I do have this Mulberry Oversized Alexa, so have a look at my video and pics and take note of the signs that give away a bag as fake! (By the way, it's not this one - different bag!)

And as promised - some pictures to accompany the video! 

The fake is the 'watermelon' colour, the black is my genuine one.

The most obvious first: the Imprint on the oval and the fob with the tree. 

 

See how the genuine Mulberry's font is a sans serif, i.e. without little lines at the end of each letter? All straight lines. It is also neatly printed and not smudged (if a bit worn on my battered Lexie).

The stitching is neat and even - though I have seen genuine bags with messier stitching!

The metal fob, which is hanging off the oval is neatly imprinted. Now, I can never remember how many leaves are in which position but the genuine tree has sharply printed leaves.

The fake bag's Mulberry imprint font is more 'frilly' looking, the letters emulate more of a serif font, i.e. little lines at the ends of the letters. It is also badly printed and not very straight.

The stitching is fairly even but has a weird kink on the left hand side.

The leaves of the tree on the metal fob are rounder and not as sharp.

Back of the fob and serial number

The font on the back of the fob is likewise a sans serif, straight numbers, neatly lasered (or etched?) on.

  The font of the numbers on the fake bag is much more frilly. Whilst some vintage bags have numbers that are actually imprinted into fonts rather than etched or lasered, I have only ever seen straight, non serif fonts.

Now, the made in label isn't as obvious.

Above the genuine...

...the fake below.

I don't have a 'Made in England' label from an Alexa on file but this is from another genuine bag and if you compare the 'g' in England, you can see how the genuine one looks more old fashioned - funnily enough a bit more frilly than the fake font. They just can't get it right, can they. ;) 

 The genuine magnetic closure...

is raised and has a distinct ridge.

 The fake bag's magnetic closure is fairly flat and has no ridge.

Closure straps

The genuine bag has straight screws on the back of the metal tabs at the end of the straps. The tree imprint is even and neat and the metal totally flat around it.

 The screws on the fake bag have Phillips heads (i.e. like a cross). The tree imprint looks fairly neat but the metal is depressed around the tree as well.

And Something else I noticed:

 See how there is only stitching to what you see above and below the tree rivet (this is to the left and right of the top handle).

The fake bag has stitching top and bottom and left and right. This isn't present on the genuine bag at all.

There are actually another few differences but these are the most obvious ones. Hopefully you will find them useful, but do bear in mind that every model can have its own markers. The new generation of Mulberry (under Coca's design) has changed significantly and many of said characteristics have disappeared altogether. Nothing beats spending £5 and getting it authenticated by professionals! And even somebody who has handled lots of bags (ahm, me), isn't safe: I would have sworn this was the real deal!

Pretty Pastel Purse

Maybe you saw me unboxing a this Mulberry purse last week alongside a Small Bayswater Satchel and a bracelet and fancied having a closer look?

Not just a lovely colour but lots of space inside - check it out!

Mulberry Does Summer

I'll dive right in: this gorgeous colour 'Aqua' from Mulberry is the perfect summer hue!

 I can just see this little Bayswater Satchel working with so many summer outfits - can't you?

Alas not mine, I was allowed to make quick video before packing these goodies up to go to their new home. Take a peek!

Buckle Down

I had actually quite happily settled into my Mulberry Roxanne recently and, though fairly heavy, found her pretty easy to get on with for my daily work needs. She's spacious, boxy, fitted my Bayswater Samorga, has 2 front pockets that allow me to easily access train ticket and work pass. And she's a fair bit vintage, so I don't feel like I have to be too precious about her.

But I am having one of those "I need to be good and get rid of a bag or two" phases and that means either justifying me owning a bag - or selling it on. My Small Bayswater Buckle had been sitting in wardrobe for a few weeks so I thought she'd better earn her keep. 

So changeover it was: Unpack Roxanne and pack up the little Buckle. Have a look what she can hold and how she compares to my regular Bayswater and my Ledbury!

 

Love at Second Sight

Sometimes you need a couple of tries to fall in love...

My last Mulberry Roxanne had been sitting in my wardrobe for way too long, I just found her way too heavy and unpractical. I ended up selling her. And then I kinda missed her - so bought a new one. Only this time I soon after bought a long strap that allowed me to carry her on the shoulder or even cross body. And suddenly everything that seemed fiddly and unpractical before, worked really well: the closure, the two front pockets, the size. Even the weight didn't bother me that much anymore, as the strap is wide and comfortable.

So a couple of weeks ago, I packed her up as my daily work bag - and I've been using her ever since. Have a look what fits in!

Shrunken Workhorse

"That's a big box!" Sound familiar? That's how I regularly greet our postman or the comment I get from Mr. G or little M when rocking up with the last Post Office collection. Usually the box is massive but holds, predictably, a not too tiny bag. Like a Bayswater. Or the rather large Rodtnes bag - which I did return, as it was simply too big. 

And then I receive a padded envelope, probably about A4 size. Quite heavy though. And something rattles..? It couldn't be..?! Yep. The point I was trying to make (besides that fact that somebody sent me a Mulberry bag in a padded envelope!) is that this Mulberry Brooke was rather smaller than I expected. Did you realise it was closer to 'dinky handbag size' than to 'regular satchel size'?

Well, it was. Curious what I could fit in?

PS: Tell me; are my titles getting too tedious? Brooke is an international animal welfare charity helping improve the lives of working horses, donkeys and mules. I almost called this post "Shetland Pony" - but that might have been one step too far..?

Little Mushroom

There are always those bags where I don't get what the fuss is about. Like the Mulberry Willow. I don't know why but it just never appealed to me. 

On a different note: I always kinda liked Metallic Mushroom leather but have never been as enthused about it as some of my friends. On closer inspection though, it is rather lovely.

I also always kinda liked the Mini Bayswater Buckle but never really tried it out. Until recently when I picked up one of these little gems at Cheshire Oaks.

Prior to sending her off to her new owner, I did a brief unboxing and review. Have a look!

Mini Mulberry Battle

People always ask me if I really have such a vast handbag collection. Actually, I don't. Yes, I am lucky enough to have a fair few but I don't have as many as I have reviewed. If you compare my various group shots through the years, you can see that some models have come and gone.

Spot the difference: My collection through the years...

  
...though my green Mini Alexa does pop out. :)
 

Most of the bags that have passed through my wardrobe simply did so because they didn't work for me. Sometimes that thought process takes quite some time: moving on a bag you long coveted can be hard at times. Even if your head tells you "you never use it" your heart screams "but it's soooo pwetty!" But sometimes the moving on happens pretty quickly. Like with this Mini Taylor.

I had been looking for one for quite a while as I liked the way it looked. But I only used it one more time after doing this video and just didn't get on with it. Have a look - maybe it would be the perfect little bag for you?

 
And moving it on felt really easy. Sometimes knowing what works and what doesn't is all it takes...

Little Tardis Bag

I have a thing for Tardis like bags. Not necessarily big ones - rather small ones that hold more than you'd think. Like the Fossil Sydney Satchel. Or Mulberry's Mini Cara. 

I also like bags that you can carry cross body. You have your hands free to dig for your train ticket/phone/purse and it avoids bag straps constantly sliding off your shoulder.

This little Mulberry number might tick both boxes: it's compact and it comes with a long adjustable strap. Apparently it is called Double Pocket Drawstring and somewhat reminiscent of the Tilly Drawstring, don't you think?

Anyway, it is really a rather small bag - but does fit a fair bit. Have a look!

Not So Conventional Classic

I actually rarely go for the "conventional handbag style". What I mean with that is the type of bag I remember my mum buying years ago: with one handle that goes over the shoulder. No long strap - nevermind crossbody. I also don't remember seeing much that had one or two short handles to carry in the crook of the arm or by hand. Anyway, my mum now has some lovely handbags. But yes: that one strap, carry over the shoulder model never appealed to me. But then I found this little Mulberry Elly and thought it was rather lovely. With that drawstring closure, she is, of course, a bit more quirky than her zipped up cousins...

And though it's quite small - and nicely compact - it can hold all your essentials!

Everyday Satchel

Yes, I know. When it comes to handbags, I am a bit of a one trick pony. Apart from the odd dabble with other brands, be it highstreet or slightly higher end, my day to day bags tend to be Mulberrys. That's partially because I just love Mulberry but also because I have not found any other model that worked really well as an everyday lug-my-stuff-to-work-bag. 

Well, after a recommendation by a lovely lady who follows me on YouTube, I picked up this Fossil Sydney Satchel.
      Actually, "picked up" is way too simple an explanation. Try "hunted one down online in Germany, luckily a city nearby my parent's place, located said seller and handed over cash at his bachelor pad to obtain".

Aaaanyway, I have since then been using it off an on and whilst it doesn't make my heart jump as my Mulberrys do, I genuinely like it and - more importantly - it really works for me.