A girl's needs.

What's in my bag?

headphones | iPhone | iPod | tissues | perfume | powder | carmex | concealer | birthday cheque from granny | wallet | pencil | pen | diary | lollipop | hairband & grips | hairbrush | sunglasses | hayfever tablets | mints | eyedrops | sanitiser | housekeys | carkeys | deodorant

It seemed like high time I did that old blogger staple, what's in my bag? But really, this post is not about the contents, but about the bag itself. You see, I’ve been complaining for ages and ages now about finding the perfect bag. I could almost SEE it – big, slouchy, chocolate brown and leather. Perfect for work, weekends, days out. Spacious enough for notebooks and paperwork, so I could easily throw them in there for meetings and work visits. Oh, and large enough for my camera, of course.

I was struggling so much to find something I loved that I nearly settled. I even bought a few niceish, cheap, non-leather bags from various high street shops. Still not quite right - and they all fell apart pretty pronto. I considered this, from Topshop, but £40 for a non-leather bag seemed a bit much, especially when I wasn’t mad on the colour, so I hesitated.

Now, perhaps knowing my pathalogical love of shopping, no one told me about the street markets in Florence. They’re huge, and varied, and started about 2 minutes walk from the front door of our hotel. And then I remembered that if there’s one thing the Italians are known for – besides the food and drink – it’s leather.

The markets are full of lots of things – clothes, scarves, masks, jewellery, shoes, but as soon as I saw all the bags on offer, it occurred to me that I might actually find something that ticked at least some of my boxes. I managed to annoy a few stallholders by convincing them they had a sale and then wandering away at the last minute, but I’m glad I held off, because then I found it. Well, almost it. It was tan, which gave me pause – I don’t really like tan leather. But it was big, and slouchy, and lovely.

And then, Sha pulled out another bag from behind it – identical, but chocolate brown. It was PERFECT. I managed to haggle 10 euros off the cost, and then it was mine. For about the same cost as the Topshop bag I mentioned above.

This bag is PERFECT. The leather is buttery soft, and actually warms to the touch. Ah - sorry if you aren’t a leather fan, but I adore it – especially how it looks even better as it ages. It’s big, but not TOO big. Loads of compartments. A nice little pocket on the front for my keys. Two sets of straps which can comfortably be worn at the same time. It’s gorgeous.

I’m having serious thoughts about planning a weekend jaunt to Florence with an empty suitcase, just to hit up those markets again. Christmas shopping holiday in November, anyone? I need more bags. For, um, gifts. Obviously.