Summer Shopper

I set myself a challenge a few weeks ago to find a summer handbag to brighten up my otherwise neutral collection and found one I'm more than happy to carry on my shoulder!
This beauty from shoe retailer Aldo ticks numerous trend boxes, including coralicious colour blocking, metallic detail and geometric shapes. And best of all - it's 100% vegan.

I couldn't help but stop when I spotted this bag in the shop window. The bright pop of colour is perfect for summer, but not overpoweringly so. The blend of coral and neutral nude and brown, finished with gold detailing, allows you to have fun with colour whilst remaining sophisticated and chic.
The shopper is also a great size. And to get technical, I'm really impressed with the length of the handles. They are long enough that you can wear the bag on your shoulder, but not too long that you can also carry the bag hanging from your elbow or down by your side.
I cannot understand how women get by with small handbags though. I absolutely have to have everything on me at all times, to account for any eventuality - umbrella and sunglasses, three different lip balms and glosses, nail varnishes in case of a chip, to name a few... This bag is by no means small, but it could be a little bigger. The rectangular shape means that it's rather thin and everything must fit snugly together. Perhaps the one change I would make would be to make it a little wider.

The pocket situation is just as you'd expect from a good bag. There is a zip pocket for your valuables and then two open side pockets which I love to store my phone and keys in for easy access. The phone-sized pocket is too small for modern phones though, especially if you carry yours in a case. There is also a hidden pocket under the coral front which is quite cool. I personally don't use it though as I fear I'm going to crease the front every time I lift it and anything other than a credit card would surely strain the pocket too?

After falling in love with the appearance of this bag, discovering that it was 100% synthetic polyurethane with a cotton and polyester lining was the icing on the cake (as however beautiful a bag is, I refuse to buy anything made of leather or any other skin). I'm also not sure that anybody would even notice that it wasn't leather. I've gotten compliments from this bag from fashion-worshippers who would turn their noses up at me if they knew the extent of my distaste for leathers and beauty heroes tested on animals.

I can't say I've ever really shopped at Aldo before and was prepared to walk straight passed had I not seen this babe in the window. Having ventured inside though, I will definitely be back sometime soon!
It was £50 which I think is reasonable given the quality and lastability. I think it will transcend trends and is an absolute bargain considering the most lusted-after bags will set you back a few grand.

Maybe carrying this bright bag through the clouds and mist will encourage summer to actually turn up....