The Recessionista Reviews Mulberry for Target

I’ve had my Mulberry moment at Target tonight and it was fleeting. My local Target finally put the new bags out, and I have to agree with my fellow bloggers, Fashion Trend Guide and Target-Addict that this collection is not a must have. The Target bags are  replicas of Mulberry’s luxury handbag designs, but they don’t look as beautiful as the originals.  Of course, they are not priced at over $1,000 US either.  And that’s the trade off.  This is Mulberry for Target, not the original Mulberry.  I have no words for the Cerise Leopard print pleather bag.  I don’t know who thought this incarnation of Mulberry up and I don’t know who would want to carry this bag either. In my opinion, it’s tacky.  There’s a reason it’s the only bag of the collection still left on Target.com, and that eBay buyers are not bidding on this.  Like many fashionistas on a budget, I was really excited about the announcement of this collection.  That’s because I love the original Mulberry brand and their gorgeous bags. But the Target line is a mere imitation that doesn’t really come close.  It’s very different than the Target collection with Anya Hindmarch.  The Anya Hindmarch bags for Target looked good, even executed in PVC (Polyvinyl chloride.) 

Anya Hindmarch sold her Target bags in her London shop and on her UK website. I haven’t seen anything from Mulberry to indicate that they will sell these bags in the UK. That’s too bad.  I hate to see my UK readers buying the bags at inflated prices on eBay.

Overall, I think the messenger bags and cross-over body bags look better than the satchels and handbags in the Target for Muberry collection.   The Bayswater imitation bags, and the quilted bags fall short of stylish.   They are Mulberry wannabes. Below are pictures of the bags I think are the best looking ones in the collection: the Mulberry for Target Crossbody Bag in Black and the Mulberry for Target Pebble Large Tote.

I purchased the cross body bag in black, because I like the style and the price was minimal.  I’m still debating whether I will keep it.  I may have bought it only because I couldn’t resist a Mulberry design for $30.00 US!   And that is the lure of all these Target collections.  Are you tempted to buy because they really look great, or because we’re all  in love with the idea of luxury for less?  It’s a question I’m still trying to answer.