Virginia Chadwyck-Healey has bags of beauty
Bags – there are thousands to choose from. It’s the one thing every woman always wants, and the one thing every man dreads having to seek out as a gift. Are you looking for a tote, a crossbody, a clutch? Canvas, leather, suede or patent? “Would sir like it monogrammed? Would you like a novelty strap?” Buying a bag is on a par with that wonderful scene from Love Actually with Rowan Atkinson doing the gift-wrapping…
l have found three bags, from three great, independent British brands that will hopefully keep you happy, no matter what your style.
I’m a tote bag fan. I can cram my whole life into a tote, and I instantly appear smart and streamlined. I stumbled upon Hermosa London at a fundraising sale for Smart Works (the charity for which I am an ambassador and which the Duchess of Sussex, its royal patron, featured in
Vogue this week). It was one of a handful of brands that jumped out at me because, well, it was doing something a bit different.
These are bags made of neoprene (yes, wetsuit material). That means my children can get handprints all over the bag and I can then throw it in the washing machine. I’ve fallen for monogramming in a big way and the limited palette of stitching colours makes that a doddle. I have been stopped countless times, (“excuse me, where is your bag from?”) and that always makes one feel a bit special.
The second bag of this edit is by Marloe London. Set up in 2015 by two
tired yet ambitious mothers, this brand sets out to come up with “stylish, sophisticated and practical accessories for parenthood”. Again the collection is condensed: they stick to what they do and they do it well, with customer service to match. This canvas bag with neon monogramming is the Everything Bag. It’s family-size and an ideal gift for someone who just wants to chuck everything in and head off for a weekend. I have two friends, both with children stoically battling leukaemia, who have also been given this as the ultimate hospital bag. A bold, bright, useful distraction on the long road of treatment and endless hospital trips.
Finally, DeMellier London is a bit like walking into a sweetie shop of handbags and wanting all of them at once. Not because of any overt colour palette – this brown suede Athens bag, personalised with a V, is by no means flashy, but this is a brand that will entice you due to its crisp details and excellent craftsmanship, as well as a slick website and attainable prices. All its bags are handmade in Spain, the leather sourced with the utmost quality control. The label has a charity focus as well, whereby for every bag you purchase, DeMellier will fund a set of vaccines and treatments to save the life of a child in need. It has so far funded 45,000 vaccines, and I’ve offered to join the next trip organised by the charity, SOS Children’s Villages.
This kind of giving lies at the heart of so many grassroots brands today. It’s a real approach to balancing the frivolity of fashion retail with grounded, meaningful actions that bring about change. That has to be a balance worth shopping for.