As the Santa of our family, I picked up a gift for myself as well. As usual, I used dear husband’s credit card to pay for it, pretending that it is a gift from him. He is more than happy to form the illusion that he’s done with gifting.
One of the items on my shopping list for 2014 was a crossbody bag that is small, casual chic, good quality, and can hold enough things for a mom of two. Since I started my luxuriously frugal journey to Financial Independence two years ago, the default criterion for all my bag purchases is that the item should be classic, i.e, it should not go out of style in 10+ years. This requirement motivates me to stay away from IT bags and focus on bag designs/brands that have been there for more than 20+ years. After some intensive search, the winner goes to:
(Mulberry Lily Bag in Oak Natural Leather. image source: http://www.mulberry.com/)
The Lily bag is one of Mulberry’s most classic designs. I like its simplicity, effortless chic, and versatility. It can be worn crossbody (single strap), under the arm (double strap), as a clutch, or simply hanging from the shoulder (single strap). It goes with both casual or semi-formal attire.
(Picture sources: 1. i.dailymail.co.uk 2. www.redcarpet-fashionawards.com 3. wendyslookbook.com)
Mulberry leather is pretty durable. I have had a Mulberry Bayswater bag for two years and used it on most of my working days. The bag still looks new. On our trip to Puerto Rico last year, a friend took a medium lily with her. She carried the beauty along for mountain hiking, beach walking and boat riding. The bag performed beautifully. She has had the bag for 4+ years and it is in an excellent condition.
Thanks to its simple design, Lily also holds a ton as a small bag. I can easily fit a 6.1 inch cellphone, a pair of sunglasses (or a small DC instead), a small fold-able wallet, and a small pouch of cosmetics (an eyebrow pencil, a lipstick, a mascara, and a concealer). It is not hard to squeeze in a small bag of goldfish crackers to feed my four year old and a pack of rounded bubble gum to keep my seven year old interested in coming to shop with me. 🙂
So here it comes, the perfect crossbody bag that is small, classic, good quality and holds a lot. After making the decision on the bag, the next step is to buy it at the best price possible. The bag rarely goes on sale, especially for classic colors like black and oak. Knowing that Mulberry runs semi-annual sales in June and December, I have been diligently checking the sale status on Mulberry.com since Nov 30th. The bag was not included for the June sale or maybe I missed it as I was travelling internationally at that time. Fortunately, I found this bag included for the December sale and bought it right away. A day later, the bag is out of stock and now is selling at full price everywhere. 🙂
The Santa of our house is very pleased and delivered many presents to her loved ones!