A truly iconic member of the Mulberry family, the Bayswater is considered by many to be the perfect work bag. Originally coming in two sizes, the larger Bayswater, which is the topic of this post, is strictly a day tote (it's hard to imagine it being used for anything else but work), whereas the smaller version can take you from the office to casual dinner.
Coming in a variety of leather finishes, colours and hardware, the most classic Bayswater comes in oak natural leather with brass hardware. I, however, decided to go for a more vibrant colour: many of us work in a conservative workplace, so our wadrobes are suitably subdued. A bright bag adds a welcome pop of colour to our usual shades of black, grey and navy.
Measurements
The bag measures approximately 35cm wide, 26.5cm tall and 16.5cm deep. The handle drop is approximately 15.5cm, which means that you can snugly carry it on your shoulders if you wish to (and that's how it's always been advertised), but I find that rather uncomfortable. The larger Bayswater, unlike its smaller sister, does not have a shoulder strap.
The Bayswater has a lot of room without looking over-sized. On the other hand, the bag is already quite heavy by itself, and when you can't comfortably carry it on your shoulder, the crooks of your arms get very sore very quickly.
Structure & Appearance
I wouldn't exactly call this a structured bag - the Prada Saffiano Lux tote, for example, is much more boxy - but the Bayswater still has a professional, upright shape that screams 'here for business, not for fun'.
The bag is also very minimally-decorated. The main decorative element is the classic Mulberry turn-lock closure; and there is also a small padlock hidden inside a leather pouch dangling from one of the handles.
There is a lot of room inside the bag, with just one zip pocket and two smaller leather compartments. The zip pocket is perfect for public transport cards and a mobile phone, whereas the smaller pockets are largely ornamental due to the tight stitching.
One interesting feature of the Bayswater is that it has a belt-mechanism on the inside which allows you to expand the top of the bag. The 'default setting' of the bag is a trapezoid shape, but if you loosen the straps you can make the bag rectangular in shape and therefore much bigger.
Of course, the bag won't look as nice fully expanded, but the amount of stuff you could fit in is pretty impressive. You can easily fit:
Opening / Closure
The bag is quite annoying to open and close. The turn-lock isn't the problem; the structure of the bag is. The leather is quite soft, so when you open it, the bag tends to lose shape and flop open - then what do you do with the large piece of leather that is the top of the bag? It's very awkward, especially when you're on the go. You really need both hands to reach for anything inside the bag.
Quality
When I first bought the bag off Mulberry's official website, I had to send it back - the back of the bag had a deep crease. The leather is so soft that if the stitching is just slightly off, the bag slouches and creases. I was surprised that it passed quality control. However, my replacement bag has held up well so far, and the craftsmanship (when properly done) is beautiful. One year on, it still looks brand new - but I have to admit I haven't been a heavy user of this bag. I just don't reach for it as much as I thought I would.
Price
As far as luxury bags go, the Bayswater is quite reasonably priced: it's about 2/3 of the price of comparable bags from brands such as Celine, Yves Saint Laurent and Prada. This by no means take away from the fact that it is still an expensive purchase.
Versatility
You can't really use this bag for anything other than work. The shape and size are too professional to be leisure-friendly; the leather too delicate to be travel-friendly.
Verdict
Yes, the Mulberry Bayswater is a beautiful bag. Yes, it is iconic. However, it's just not as practical as it's tooted to be.
Note
Recently, the Bayswater has received a revamp: the New Bayswater looks a lot like the Celine Trapeze. Here's my issue with the revamp: in a world where there's already a Celine Trapeze, why would I settle for something like a Celine Trapeze?
Coming in a variety of leather finishes, colours and hardware, the most classic Bayswater comes in oak natural leather with brass hardware. I, however, decided to go for a more vibrant colour: many of us work in a conservative workplace, so our wadrobes are suitably subdued. A bright bag adds a welcome pop of colour to our usual shades of black, grey and navy.
 |
| Mulberry Bayswater in green natural leather, with gold hardware |
Measurements
The bag measures approximately 35cm wide, 26.5cm tall and 16.5cm deep. The handle drop is approximately 15.5cm, which means that you can snugly carry it on your shoulders if you wish to (and that's how it's always been advertised), but I find that rather uncomfortable. The larger Bayswater, unlike its smaller sister, does not have a shoulder strap.
The Bayswater has a lot of room without looking over-sized. On the other hand, the bag is already quite heavy by itself, and when you can't comfortably carry it on your shoulder, the crooks of your arms get very sore very quickly.
Structure & Appearance
I wouldn't exactly call this a structured bag - the Prada Saffiano Lux tote, for example, is much more boxy - but the Bayswater still has a professional, upright shape that screams 'here for business, not for fun'.
The bag is also very minimally-decorated. The main decorative element is the classic Mulberry turn-lock closure; and there is also a small padlock hidden inside a leather pouch dangling from one of the handles.
There is a lot of room inside the bag, with just one zip pocket and two smaller leather compartments. The zip pocket is perfect for public transport cards and a mobile phone, whereas the smaller pockets are largely ornamental due to the tight stitching.
One interesting feature of the Bayswater is that it has a belt-mechanism on the inside which allows you to expand the top of the bag. The 'default setting' of the bag is a trapezoid shape, but if you loosen the straps you can make the bag rectangular in shape and therefore much bigger.
Of course, the bag won't look as nice fully expanded, but the amount of stuff you could fit in is pretty impressive. You can easily fit:
- a 13 inch laptop
- A4 notebook / documents
- an umbrella
- a continental-style wallet
- a key pouch
- a make-up bag
- a bottle of water
and still have room for a bit more.
 |
Opening / Closure
The bag is quite annoying to open and close. The turn-lock isn't the problem; the structure of the bag is. The leather is quite soft, so when you open it, the bag tends to lose shape and flop open - then what do you do with the large piece of leather that is the top of the bag? It's very awkward, especially when you're on the go. You really need both hands to reach for anything inside the bag.
Quality
When I first bought the bag off Mulberry's official website, I had to send it back - the back of the bag had a deep crease. The leather is so soft that if the stitching is just slightly off, the bag slouches and creases. I was surprised that it passed quality control. However, my replacement bag has held up well so far, and the craftsmanship (when properly done) is beautiful. One year on, it still looks brand new - but I have to admit I haven't been a heavy user of this bag. I just don't reach for it as much as I thought I would.
Price
As far as luxury bags go, the Bayswater is quite reasonably priced: it's about 2/3 of the price of comparable bags from brands such as Celine, Yves Saint Laurent and Prada. This by no means take away from the fact that it is still an expensive purchase.
Versatility
You can't really use this bag for anything other than work. The shape and size are too professional to be leisure-friendly; the leather too delicate to be travel-friendly.
Verdict
Yes, the Mulberry Bayswater is a beautiful bag. Yes, it is iconic. However, it's just not as practical as it's tooted to be.
Note
Recently, the Bayswater has received a revamp: the New Bayswater looks a lot like the Celine Trapeze. Here's my issue with the revamp: in a world where there's already a Celine Trapeze, why would I settle for something like a Celine Trapeze?
Comments
Post a Comment