The £35 'it' Bag

I have a confession, I'm Mikhila and I'm (mildly) addicted to designer handbags. My income does not afford me this habit but it's always there, bubbling under the surface and I've become a bit of an accessory snob. It's very much a 'once you pop' situation and I have spent (wasted) more money than I care to add up on expensive items that did not bring me joy. I'd been circling back to this bag since the summer and I decided to bite the bullet and try something more affordable. I loved the colour, the style, everything about it and it was only 35 quid.. but my bag snobbery was on high alert and in my mind £35 = horrible quality that would look and feel cheap.Now I can't honestly tell you that this bag feels like leather or that the details (the slightly creased tassel, the thin lining, the weak magnetic closure) are comparable with something more high end but I can tell you that I absolutely love it. As someone who tends to carry something pricier I was genuinely excited to share the cost of this when friends showed an interest and I've seriously never had so many questions about any bag I've carried. It's so funky, it's a little designer inspired without being a complete rip off, the colour is perfect for this season, the chain is substantial without adding too much weight. It's pretty much perfect. My only gripe is that if you carry too much/fill it with heavy stuff the bag will open as you walk. The chain is attached to the top rather than the body of the bag and so all of the stress is on the magnetic closure which isn't really strong enough. Because of that, although it will fit my laptop/ipad etc I can't really carry them because I'd have to hold the bag shut constantly. That is literally the only irritating factor though and as a daily carry it's just perfect.This 'experiment' could have gone totally the other way and cemented my snobbery even further but Skinnydip have opened up a whole world of highstreet possibilities! I can't wait to try more and maybe the knock on effect will be that I'll finally do that grown up thing and save some money. There are a couple of other colour options (there's an all 'suede' coral that it so pretty - plus faux suede is usually way nicer than faux leather) available in this style but I'd love to hear your recommendations for good quality, low cost bags! I think Mango is next on my list cause I've seen a couple I like the look of online.. and obviously Zara is a fan favourite but where do you shop?Unfortunately this particular colour is now out of stock (though you never know when things might come back so always worth an ASOS stalk - plus, eBay) but here are the other colours on the Skinnydip site