Mitzy's New Friend

I'm always attracted to handbags in bright pinks, turquoises and purples but because I often wear clothes in some or all of these colours, they aren't very practical. Although I love my turquoise Oliver Bonas handbag and my pink Anthropologie bag, most days I use either Mitzy or her smart Fossil cousin. But in winter, I pretty much live in my tan knee-high boots and since I also got a leather jacket in a similar colour, I have been in need of a new handbag in a neutral, non-brown colour.

A walk through Selfridges after Christmas introduced me to Marc by Marc Jacobs' Petal to the Metal Satchel in a gorgeous slate grey colour and as Harrods were offering a 10% discount to reward card-holders recently, I went ahead and purchased. It's the perfect size for me (big enough for my iPad, wallet, gloves, water, Moleskine, a book and more) and comes with handles that are long enough for me to wear it on my shoulder, as well as a detachable cross-body strap (I don't wear cross-body bags very often but it's nice to have the option). There are also plenty of pockets, including two zipped ones on the front and one in the flap, and enough internal pouches to keep all of my kit organized. I really like the gold bird sparrow hardware on the front, which is small enough not to be too blingy. Compared with Mitzy, the handles feel a little flimsy but Petal is really comfortable to carry and I can't wait to take her for a spin.

Marc by Marc Jacobs' Petal to the Metal Satchel in shadow

I love my Mulberry bags but I was never really taken with the ubiquitous and often copied Alexa and haven't been keen on any of the styles or colours since then (apart from the wildly impractical hot fuchsia Bayswater). This is my first MBMJ bag and, in fact, my first MBMJ purchase. I don't know whether Petal will be quite as resilient as Mitzy but I'll do my best to take care of her.