I’ve been a lifelong Mulberry fan, the Bayswater having always held a warm, fuzzy feeling in my heart since my first foreay into fashion. There’s something about the classic-ness of it, combined with an almost vintage edge that makes it so alluring. But just how do I feel about this season’s makeove? In a bid to compete against the latest arrival – the Del Rey – the Bayswater has been dressed up with a cookie cutter edge. Say hello to the Cookie Bayswater.
I like the gold hanging fob, it adds a decadent twist, but do I like the ladylike frilled edge? I’m undecided. For me the Bayswater was feminine and sophisticated enough. Sure it was modelled on a satchel, which is perhaps a masculine item, but there’s always been something elegant and powerful about the design.
The new edging makes me feel like it should be hung on a twee cottage’s wall, alongside china plates with cute kittens printed on, lace tablecloths and china dolls.
And at a price step up from the original oak Bayswater (it retails at £995), I’m just not sure Mulberry have swayed me. I can do girlie, but this season I’ll be doing it with pretty springtime florals and not the Cookie Bayswater.
