I have a new treat! I’m so particular when it comes to adding items to my wardrobe (which is basically a nice way of saying I rarely buy clothes… but when I do, I invest). Say hello to my new Matt + Nat Parabole saddle handbag.
I’ll be honest, I’ve been coveting Matt + Nat bags for years. My first foray with the brand was way back when I first started writing the blog; I was living in Paris, in a teeny tiny flat and spending all my money on clothes. Investment pieces were slowly revealing their true colours while high street polyester faded and frayed, or shrank horribly to my dismay in the laundrette.
As a new vegetarian, I’d set out to find a high quality vegan alternative and stumbled across a Céline look-alike in the form of The Orwell handbag (the design is no longer being made but you can have a peek at my early review here – ooh the contrast on that photo!). Well, over two years on and that bag is still as black, nimble, and loved as the day I received it in the post.
After Christmas this year I decided it was time to treat myself once more, and took the plunge in the sales (something I rarely do). If I’m honest, I often feel quite disconnected from the fashion world, its most pertinent attempts at interesting me being made by high-street stores. It’s why I took a stance against Black Friday last year; there’s something so impersonal about it all, and there’s always the sombre whispers strung in the fibres of each garment sadly hanging in a uniform manner; the mistreatment of the earth and the people it came in contact with.
So it was quite the leap for me, but I took it and I purchased this colour crush of a handbag. I’ve always had an affinity with brands that are well-designed and well-made, Matt + Nat being one of them. If you didn’t know, the name stands for ‘Material and Natural’ and they focus on the cruelty-free nature of their bags, as well as using recycled materials where possible (their cork line was delightful). That being said, they do still make their bags in China, and it’s been over two years since I wrote the same in my first blog. I’m a little disconnected from how these factories work, but it is nice to read that one of theirs voluntarily meets Social Accountability International’s SA8000 standard.
Having now used it for just over two weeks, I’m happy to say the handbag shapes up pretty well. I’ve minimalised what I carry around with me, my shoulder is lighter, and it adds a welcome pop of colour to my usually monotone outfits. All in all it set me back £67 plus £10 shipping (£10 is a little ridiculous) but I’m sure this bag will also live for years on end, just like it’s older sister in my wardrobe.
