Lover of Splendid

Alexa Mulberry-Challis (her official full name) has been in my family now for five months. Everyday, she just grows more and more amazing. But despite her no longer being the newborn she once was, people still comment on her. And as lovely as it was at first, now, I’m getting annoyed. Yes, she is the most beautiful bag you’ve ever seen; yes, she is a lot smaller than you’d think; No, it isn’t a fake; you get the idea. But the one question I find MOST annoying is about her cost. Do I ask you how much you spent on your jeans/shoes/haircut/monthly shopping bill? I think the answer is a non. I for one, admit, I do comment when I see someone carrying an Alexa but that’s because we’re part of a club and it’s our right, as a fully paid, card carrying member, to comment and draw comparisons. But to ask someone how much they paid for her, is a social guffaw. So in case you ever see me and Alexa strolling around Camden, read this before you start asking me about her: She is the smaller of the 2 bags because the larger one is criminally expensive. She was bought after a trip to New York in which I rejected countless Marc Jacobs bags as my hard earned saved pennies refused to be spent on an MJ but wanted to go to the people of Mulberry. She was bought duty free, so I saved a fair amount. I chose the brown leopard print as I heart leopard print, simple as. Yes, I do worry about using her everyday but I think I’m letting her fulfill her lifelong ambitions of BEING A BAG. OKAY??

Everyone seems super excited about the opening of the UK’s first Forever 21 boutique in Birmingham. I, too, shared their excitement when I popped to New York in January for a little, shall we say, rendezvous. Everyone who was anyone waxed lyrical to me about how fantabulous Forever 21 is. “Isn’t just an American Primark?” I asked, naively. “Far from it”, replied one ‘friend’. “It’s amazing, I bought 10 dresses in there!” said another. Whether I completely bypassed the ‘cool’ section I don’t know, but in a word, it was on a par with C&A. The world can never have enough cheap clothes shops, for sure, but what really did it for me was the similarities between its stock and that of every other discounted clothes store. I’d been led to believe it would be different but they were lies, I tell you, LIES! Tacky coloured leggings jostled for space amongst over-embellished sweatshirts and sequin-tastic skirts. Admittedly, it never advertised itself as Gucci on a budget but come on peeps. The accessories section was brilliant, I’ll give it that - think Urban Outfitters jewellery with a hint of Topshop about it i.e A magpies treasure. All I’m trying to say is, don’t get TOO excited about it. If you like Primark, you’ll like Forever 21. But even Primark has lost its shiny edge and I suspect this will do the same. If it doesn’t, I’ll be on the first train to Birmingham ready to shop!