‘It’ bags to buy now and enjoy forever – from £35 to £2,500

It’s been 20 years since Mulberry introduced its aspirational Bayswater to the world, but do today’s handbags match up? Laura Craik scours the stores

There are many ways to mark the passage of time. Grey hairs. The cost of a pint of milk. Your doctor looking like he’s only recently started shaving. And if you are a fashion lover, the 20th anniversary of the Mulberry Bayswater. Can it really be true that one of the most aspirational and best-loved bags of the 2000s is already two decades old? Way to make us feel ancient.

It’s hard to overstate the Bayswater’s impact when it was launched in 2003. Aspirational and affordable (at £495, it was steep but not silly money), it was a perfect marriage of form and function that shared the same sleek, elegant lines as a Hermès Birkin at a fraction of the price. It was also proudly designed and manufactured in Britain, and toted by a slew of fashionable Brits – Kate Moss, Alexa Chung, Sienna Miller – whose patronage made fans covet it all the more. During the 2000s, it was the ultimate first pay cheque purchase. Landmark birthday? A Bayswater would be top of your wish list. New job? A Bayswater would have you looking the part.

That the Bayswater became so popular without the amplification of social media is some feat. Pre-Instagram and TikTok, the only way to get your bag seen was by putting it on the right people. Mulberry was one of the first luxury brands to recognise the potential in partnering an “It” bag with an “It” girl – influencer marketing at its finest, years before the phrase came to exist. But it was the quality that really cemented its status. Bayswaters are built to last. Thirty-five pairs of hands are involved in its craftsmanship, which still takes place in Somerset.

Twenty years later, the Bayswater remains a Mulberry bestseller. But the retail landscape has changed exponentially since its launch. Thanks to regular price hikes, which seem to revolve around thinking of a number then doubling it, most designer bags are now so prohibitively expensive as to only be affordable by the 0.1 per cent. While Bayswater prices now start at £1,195, a comparably-sized bag by Gucci, Valentino or Louis Vuitton costs around £3,000, while Prada, Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta’s cost upwards of

Mad about the bag: (from left) Lily Allen, Kim Murray and Kate Moss were all early Bayswater adopters

£3,500. A recent 16 per cent price hike at Chanel, meanwhile, has seen its classic quilt soar to £8,530.

What are women looking for in a handbag in 2023? Certainly not bankruptcy. We want practicality, longevity, good value and good looks. We want a workhorse that looks like a thoroughbred. We also want space. Despite a recent trend towards smaller bags, most women would admit they need a bag that can hold more than an iPhone. Big bags might have been lambasted on Succession recently (“What’s even in there? Shoes for the subway?”), but spare shoes are precisely why capacious bags are needed. Ideally with a side pocket for the kitchen sink.

Modern lives are complicated. Women have more demands on their time than ever. Whether you’re time-poor, cash-strapped or simply in the market for some new arm candy, here are the best investments at every price point.