Please help me decide on a new Mulberry!

pigby

Member
Oct 16, 2008
164
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Hi girls! The time has apparently come for me to choose a third Mulberry (constant eBay checking, itchy trigger fingers, etc) and I thought asking for your advice might help to avert some kind of buying disaster. I don't have the funds to buy bags that don't fulfill a certain function or that I don't use, so I'm trying to make a considered choice, for once :biggrin:

I currently have an Oak Roxy and a Choco Elgin, both of which I love. What I need is a smaller bag that I can use for toting around on long days in the city and can transition well to nights out, which at this point in my life means bar hopping and the occasional nice event rather than the opera. Ideally the bag would also be black or some darker color to diversify my collection and, um, absorb things, but my preference leans toward oak, or at least a color that can go with everything and in all seasons.

That having been said, these are what I've been considering:

1. Choco Rosie. Pros: small, Roxanne DNA, hardy. Cons: while I don't need the cavernous space the Roxanne promises, I'm tall enough that the larger size suits me perfectly. Everyone else looks fab in modeling photos, but I'm afraid I'll look rather like a linebacker with a tiny, adorable Rosie-shaped football. (I'd also secretly like oak, but can't justify both oak Roxy and Rosie, sadly.)

2. Oak (or other...say, blonde? :graucho:) Effie. Pros: smaller, casual, a really stunning alternative to oak. Cons: don't quite know if I can dress it up quite as much as I'd like.

Any opinions on the above would be much appreciated, as would other choices that might suit what I'm looking for. I'm starting to think that if I can't decide it means that I don't really need another bag at all! Perish the thought :nuts:

Many thanks in advance :flowers:
 
Hi pigby, I have owned both an oak rosie and tobacco effie. I am a size 18 and I found the rosie too small on me. I loved her in every other way but my size did not add to her beauty .She has moved to a new home. A bigger bag definitely suits me better. As with everything this is just what I found, and maybe that was just my insecurities about my size!! The effie is a beautiful bag and a pleasure to use. Easy to use. A nice size . I also think she dresses up a going out outfit well!!Good luck with your descision!
 
How tall are you? I'm 5' 7" and the Rosemary looks fine on me (at least I think so!).

I personally don't think Effie can be dressed up, it definitely feels like a casual bag to me.

Do you like handheld bags at all? What about a black Ledbury? Or choc or oak??
 
Pigby have you had any interest at the Mabel at all? I personally like Mabel and I think it looks really good when you're a little bit dressed up. A chic bag for those a bit dressier night time occassions.
 
I would go for a ledbury, an EW Shimmy or a Mabel. Please be careful when you buy on ebay, make sure you get them checked by our experts :heart::heart: on the 'Authenticate This Threads'.
 
What about E/W Bays?? That has enough room for both day and night, and can be both casual and elegant! (and it has an inside pocket that rosie and effie don't have, although they have on the outside...)

I think effie is casual. It's not glam. rosie can be more glam I think. But think a bag in the Bays family is maybe even better for what you need it for. Ledbury is an alternative to the E/W, but is also smaller.

Black Mabel or a E/W Shimmy are also great options.
 
Inem, I totally agree with this.

I saw a girl with a black goatskin mabel and she was dressed up for what looked like cocktails in a bar and it looked phenomenal on her.



Pigby have you had any interest at the Mabel at all? I personally like Mabel and I think it looks really good when you're a little bit dressed up. A chic bag for those a bit dressier night time occassions.
 
Thanks for the tips, everyone! I've got a lot to think about before I take the plunge, which is of course both frustrating and exactly what I need. Your advice is much appreciated :flowers:

Effie is probably out of the picture. Re Rosemary, bag size seems to be so often a personal or even psychological thing-- I think I've just got it in my head that it'll be too small, since I'm so used to Roxy. cmaec, I'm sure you looked lovely with your Rosie even you ended up sending her on; KLP, I'm just about 5'7" as well, so I'm glad you like the size! Rosie is definitely still in the running, as is the Ledbury...

corries2, I hadn't considered the Shimmy at all, but I think it's really beautiful! It's a little luxe for me (my general state of being seems to be "disheveled") but I just showed a photo of it to a good friend of mine who's infinitely more stylish and she's madly in love. :tup:

Inem, bevw56, and maplecottage, I was actually angling for a small Mabel in the summer sale-- except when I woke up determined to purchase I found that the sale was "over" :rolleyes: After weeks of trying to chase it around unsuccessfully (no thanks to Mulberry CS) I think I've decided for the time being that Mabel and I aren't to be. If a really great deal pops up, though, I'm not sure I'd be able to resist.

Thanks for the suggestion of Phoebe, flyvetjo! That's another gorgeous style I haven't really seen before-- the two-tone one in particular is really striking, and it's a shame it's been discontinued.

haribo15, I will be sure to vet potential evilbay purchases carefully! It'd be extra awful to get a fake because international shipping is such a pain.

Lillemy, I think I agree that a bag in the Bays family might be the way to go. I never explored these options because the specter of a regular Oak Bays was always hovering in my distant future, but the Ledbury and E-W Bays are different enough to justify both, someday.

Thank you all again for your suggestions! Now I'm off to do some more research...
 
^^^Have you taken a look at lovehandbags.co.uk. Some beautiful older style bags on there. Not cheap but the bags are genuine- quite a few tpfers have bought from there. She usually has some phoebes and mabels.