counterintuitive

I'm all for being sensible about shopping, but I admit, sometimes I buy things that don't make sense. Here's a story about one of them.

I'd always wanted a Mulberry Bayswater ever since I saw one - I like the classic but unfussy shape. Against the backdrop of crazy It Bags taking over the world, it was unpretentious, but still luxurious.

A few years ago, my mum and I decided to buy one for my older sister, in classic tan leather. I thought perhaps it was high time I invested in one, and perhaps I could buy one in something classic too.

Instead, in the boutique, my gaze lit upon one in mirrored bronze leather, all polished and gleaming, like an artifact rescued from some dusty ruin.. I'm not one for glitz and shine, and yet I couldn't take my eyes off it.

The rational, investment-minded person would have bought one in a classic neutral colour - which is precisely what we bought for my sister - but after thinking it over a day or two, I bought the bronze.

There have been times when I have thought - why didn't I buy something in tan leather? It would have been so me, so right, so versatile, so perfect with everything I have.

But sometimes you want things that go against the grain of sensible, and while I never thought I would spend a significant sum of money on insensible things, there I was, with what is easily the shiniest bag on the street.

I've stopped using over the past 3, 4 months, mainly because work is more casual these days, and also because it's not the best option for days where I go for yoga before I head to work. But I missed it today and decided I needed to bring it out again.



It looks quite awful in this picture - it is such a bitch to photograph - and the actual colour is as seen in the first picture; darker and not quite so orange. You'll simply have to trust me when I say that in spite of how it seems to go against my penchant for low-key, simple things, it actually feels perfectly becoming and natural when I use it. Some things can't be explained.