Bag Review: Burberry Bloomsbury Tote - Too Big To Handle

 

Christopher Bailey sent down one of his best collections for Burberry till date for the Fall. Hand painted clothes and accessories were the style du jour for the fall at Burberry. Who wouldn't want a revamped Burberry trench coat, a sheep skin jacket, or gorgeous ankle boots with hand painted motifs on them. Bailey has certainly revived the brand that was on the brink of being written off as old and boring. I mean lets face it, eventually one will get bored of seeing the checks. I like how Bailey has mixed the old with the new.

Now when it comes to Burberry hand bags, I've still got my reservations. The Bloomsbury is the brand's newest bag for the fall and has already been said to be the IT / MUST HAVE bag for the season. I beg to differ.

The bags are really beautiful to look and are crafted out of a combination of some interesting materials like wool, cashmere and leather or jute, viscose linen and so on and feature unique artwork (done by hand) on each bag. Agreed these are all very special qualities and will definitely make the person carrying it feel special. But have you seen the size of the tote? I can make do with the medium sized tote and find the hand painted ones really nice but the large one is about 16.9 inches in height! I mean I have enough trouble with the size of my Givenchy Antigona, the Bloomsbury is another level of big. Not to mention structured. So you've got this giant, structured tote, now what? Apart from the artwork, in terms of functionality its saving grace is the optional shoulder strap which might make it easier to lug around. Also, I'm not really caring for the whole tapestry/blanket theme. Furthermore, I'm not feeling very inspired with the shape either. It reminds me terribly of the Louis Vuitton Alma, just a more elongated version of it.

Louis Vuitton Alma

The artsy Bloomsbury bags start at USD 3,195 on their website. A little pricey for a shape that isn't that appealing. Truth be told, if I really wanted to spend that much on a bag that reminds me of tapestry, I might as well go to Jaipur and buy a Persian inspired rug that is handmade in Kashmir. With respect to the painted totes, I can instead buy myself MF Husain serigraphs for that much money too. Sometimes, artistic handbags just don't work. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem in spending that kind of money a on a bag, but just not this one. Click here to check out the bags.

Images via: Burberry & Louis Vuitton