By Bag Snob Kelly

August 22, 2011

Take a strong foundation – or at the very least, a classic one: simple foldover messenger style with two buckled straps, a pert top-handle, a roomy, almost unstructured body – and you have a bag you can makeover (and over) with wicked skin and texture combinations, so it doesn’t get tired. Mulberry’s two prominent big bag styles – the ubiquitous “Alexa” ($3,000) and the “Tillie,” ($1,825) a variation with skewed proportions (bigger body, smaller buckle straps) – have been refreshed and revived.

Tiger-print pony-skin and embossed leather suit the “Alexa” well. But it’s the detail of contrast spots peeking out from beneath the front flap that make this pumped-up and youthful. This is just the wild-child metamorphosis the bag needed to keep me from getting sick of seeing it! If the cool girl on the block is carrying this tricked out version of the “Alexa,” then the oversized “Tillie” is great for the glamorous rebel’s chic BFF. Chestnut snake-embossed calfskin is a fine match for metallic bronze trim and gleaming gold hardware. Neutral day bags don’t have to be boring!