Always By Your Side: The Party Season Bags That Stay Until Last Orders
Party season asks a lot of a bag. It needs to hold your phone, your cards, your keys and a lipstick. It needs to survive the coat pile, the crowded bar and the dance floor. And it needs to look as good at midnight as it did when you left the house.
That's the idea behind Always By Your Side, our party season campaign launching 12th October. Three bags, each made to see you through the night, from first drink to last. Here's how to choose yours.
What makes a good party season bag?
Before you pick a colour, think about the night ahead. A good evening bag gets four things right.
Size. Big enough for the essentials, small enough that you forget it's there. Phone, cards, keys, lipstick and not much else.
A secure closure. A magnetic clasp, twist lock or flap keeps everything where it should be, even when the bag is swinging on a dance floor.
Strap options. Crossbody leaves your hands free for a drink and a sparkler. A clutch looks sharper at a sit-down dinner. The best party bags let you switch.
A finish that catches the light. Metallic leather, patent and textured hair-on leather all come into their own under party lighting.
The Munro: your forever plus-one
If you only buy one bag this party season, make it the Munro. It's the bag that changes with the plan.
The Munro comes with two detachable straps: a leather shoulder strap and a longer gold chain for wearing crossbody. Take both off and it becomes a clutch. So it goes on your shoulder for after-work drinks, across your body for the dance floor and into your hand for dinner, all in one night.
It's made in Italy from pebble grain leather or suede, with a magnetic clasp, a full lining and an internal pocket. The slim shape (21.5cm wide, 11cm high) holds your purse, keys, phone and a few cosmetics without ever looking bulky.
For party season, the gold and silver Munro are the obvious picks. Gold reads warm and festive. Silver looks cool and crisp against black. Prefer colour over shine? The scarlet leather is made for Christmas, the pink suede is bright and bold, and the teal suede brings rich colour to a winter outfit. And the black Munro goes with everything you own.
The Maisie Mini in gold and silver: never lets you down
The Maisie Mini is the smallest bag in the Maisie family, and this season it comes in gold and silver leather.
It's made in Italy with our signature gold twist lock clasp, so it closes securely and opens with one hand. The adjustable strap goes from shoulder length to crossbody, which makes it a good choice for nights when you'll be on your feet.
At 20cm wide, 13cm high and 8cm deep, it has a little more depth than you'd expect. There's room for your phone, purse, keys and cosmetics, with space left for a compact or a spare pair of earrings.
Wear the gold Maisie Mini with black, burgundy or deep green. Wear the silver with navy, grey or a sequin dress that already does the talking.
The Tilly: by your side, first drink to last
The Tilly is our structured flap bag, with a clean shape, a gold clasp on the front flap and a smooth leather strap. It comes in more finishes than any of our party season styles, so there's a Tilly for every kind of outfit.
Crinkle patent leather in black or chocolate has a high shine that catches every light in the room. It wipes clean too, which helps when someone spills a drink.
Hair-on leather brings texture. Choose dark leopard or zebra for a print that works as the centrepiece of an outfit, or burgundy and sand for something softer.
The Tilly measures 19cm wide and 12.9cm high, with an internal zipped pocket for your cards and keys. The strap adjusts from a 30cm to a 61cm drop, so you can wear it close under the arm or longer on the shoulder.
To have and to hold: which bag for which occasion?
The office Christmas party. The Munro. Wear it on the shoulder at your desk, then switch to the chain when the music starts.
Weddings and black tie. The Munro as a clutch in gold or silver, or the Maisie Mini on its shortest strap.
Christmas dinner out. The Tilly in crinkle patent. Structured enough for a restaurant table, shiny enough for the occasion.
New Year's Eve. Anything worn crossbody. You want both hands free at midnight. The Maisie Mini in gold or the Munro on its chain.
A night out dancing. The Munro or the Maisie Mini across the body. Secure, hands-free and small enough to forget about.
Looking after your party season bag
A good bag should last well beyond one season. Wipe crinkle patent with a soft, dry cloth. Brush suede gently with a suede brush and keep it out of the rain. Store every bag in its dust bag between nights out, stuffed lightly so it keeps its shape.
Always by your side
Party season moves fast. Plans change, dinners run late and one drink turns into several. Your bag should keep up with all of it. The Munro, the Maisie Mini and the Tilly are made to do exactly that.
