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What Bags Would an Alien Choose? A Capsule Bag Wardrobe

What bag would an alien choose? What I mean is, if I came to earth with a love of fashion (I’m one very stylish alien, me) and yet on my planet we’d never had handbags… what ones would I think the best to go for? Could you imagine the wonder that bags would hold over you if you’d never seen them before?

True, this is a bit far-fetched (and, admittedly, just for a bit of fun), but when sorting out my handbags the other day I realised that I have a lot of bags. Probably not as many as Victoria Beckham, but enough to make me wonder where they were all going to be stored without moving house. I’m not one of those girls that has just a few designer bags and nothing else. I have them in every colour, size and shape imaginable, and they usually came with a low(ish) price tag.

Recently, however, I have been realising that luxury, real leather bags really are the bees knees, and just how hard wearing, utterly stylish and practical they are (they don’t fall over! The colour doesn’t rub away on the corners! The leather smells like perfection, etc.). So in collaboration with Ecco bags from The Shoe Shop, I’ve pretended that I’ve come to earth with no knowledge of beautiful arm candy and been offered the gift of bags – four, to be precise – from their collection. I have to create the perfect “Capsule bag wardrobe” – here are my choices…

The first choice has to be a classic black tote. The Ecco Belaga Handbag ticks all the “modern classic” boxes, and this is just what I meant by a handbag that stands up. If this style looked good in the 1950s and still looks good now, you can’t go wrong – it’s the ultimate ladylike handbag.

Nude handbags are a must as they go with everything – you never have to worry about one not matching your outfit. So I chose a lovely deep nude (is there such a colour?) in a gorgeous slouch shape and simple handle detailing. This is Ecco’s Natal Sacbag Handbag and admittedly they call the colour tan, but I’m happy with deep nude. Big enough for everyday use and carrying all the stuff I need on my trips round the universe.

This, for me, is definitely tan – the Ecco Eyota Shopper is new for AW14 and perfect for matching to other tan accessories (like belts or copper hair, if you have it). Black is often a very hard colour and not always the best choice for warm autumnal colour combinations, so this would see me right from the end of the summer with pretty dresses through to autumn and beyond with all the jewel tones I like to dig out come October.

And finally, a girl needs an evening bag so a clutch is essential for my capsule bag wardrobe: I chose the Ecco Dalaman Clutch Bag in this beautiful brick red (“Piquante” as they call it). I love the fact that it has that strap at the front for you to put your hand through, and a clutch in soft leather – in what is actually a very neutral red – would brighten up any LBD or complement a flowery maxi perfectly.

So that’s my capsule bag wardrobe sorted – I think these four quality, crafted bags would cover me for any occasion and any outfit. What do you think – could you live with just four bags? Do you go for one or two designer, high quality bags or are you like me, someone who buys many cheaper bags… but would love to change?!

Do share in the comments!