My New Friend

I made a new friend today. Her name is Mitzy and she has gorgeous, soft golden-brown skin and a row of golden studs just below her lips. I've been eyeing her up for a while, actually, but today, I finally gave in and cozied up next to her. Once I had wrapped my arms around her, I knew I wasn't going to be able to let go. I've wanted her since I first saw her sisters last year--they weren't perfect though; one had a body that was too big for my taste and the other's strap was too long. Mitzy is just right, though, and although I had hoped I wouldn't have to pay her pimp quite so much money to release her, in the end, I just gave in.

Yes, Mitzy is a handbag and no, I didn't choose her name; that was Mulberry. It was inevitable that I was going to buy the Medium Mitzy Hobo handbag eventually, although I had decided that I would wait until one of the shops or websites that sells Mulberry were offering at least a 10% discount. The trouble with buying expensive handbags, however, as opposed to new laptops is that when you want a laptop, you can quite easily shop around because the one you want will be widely available. With Mulberry handbags, though, unless you are opting for one of the classic designs, whether the bag of your dreams will even be in stock in the colour of your choice in the shop or on the website with the offer. At the moment, for example, I know of a 10% discount code for My-Wardrobe.com but they only carry my bag in the larger size right now and who knows whether the discount will still work if they ever got the smaller bag back in stock.

Even so, after what had turned out to be quite a cheap shopping trip this afternoon, I cut through John Lewis to get to Marylebone High Street and I saw the bag I wanted on display in the oak colour I liked. I had tried the bag on before in House of Fraser but I was being watched by the sales assistant, which isn't the same. In John Lewis, the bag section was unattended, although the bag I wanted was wired up to the wall. I tried it on and it looked good: it is just the right size (a perfect fit for my laptop), light and gorgeously soft. The handle is a little stiff at the moment but fellow Mitzy fans on the Purse Forum all say it will soften over time.

I took a deep breath and then found a sales assistant. "I want to buy one of the Mulberry bags," I said proudly. I was then a little cheeky as they only had the display bag left and while it appeared to be in perfect condition, I tried one last time to get a discount but to no avail: the supervisor said she had only put the bag out on display an hour earlier. Ah well. It was a little scary paying for the bag as, excluding holidays, it was the most expensive item I've ever bought and the most expensive thing I've ever bought in a shop. I seldom use my credit card any more and for a moment I was worried I had forgotten my pin but it all worked out OK and soon I was leaving the shop with my new friend neatly packed in her dust bag.

Since the end of the summer I've been very good with money, moving as much into my ISA each month as I can, and for the past few months I've left enough money in my current account to be able to cover the cost of the bag in full by the time my credit card bill arrives so there will be no interest to pay. I know I'm repeating myself, but it really is a beautiful bag and I will get many years of use from it--as opposed to a trip to New York that usually only lasts four or five days. This was no impulse purchase either; I've been coveting Mitzy since I first saw this variety in October. < / guilt-ridden self-justification>

The only thing I need to be careful about is the rain as the light, oak colour will show up rain spots quite easily. I have already given the bag a couple of coats of Colonil but for the first few months at least, I'll try to avoid taking her out if it's raining and I know I will be outside for a long time. The forecast for next week doesn't look great, which is a shame because I can't wait to show her off! Of course, now that I've paid full price for her, she will immediately become eligible for discounts at a variety of retail outfits so I'm just going to have to avoid stores and websites that stock her for a few months; as I ought to go on shopping ban for a while now anyway, this shouldn't be too much of a problem.