In my family I am the shoes girl and my sister is the bags girl. I do have a selection of bags to choose from, but I have always gone for functional and even utilitarian over pretty and girly. This Kipling Alvar Shoulder Bag seemed the ideal choice when Bagable asked me to choose something to review.
The bag is great and it suits me well. It’s much bigger than I’d imagined (the Bagable website says “deceptively spacious”, which is spot on); big enough to take my iPad, wallet, glasses and sunglasses, notebook, phone, everything else I need, and more. It has several pockets so you can separate things and find them easily, all with zip fastenings to keep your belongings safe. Inside one of the two large main pockets is an “organization panel” for your phone, pens and other bits and pieces from rattling around inside the bag, and I love the inclusion of a key ring cord – no more rooting around my bag for ages trying to find my car keys in the rain!
I love the way it looks too. It is a fairly flat bag that sits nicely when I wear it across my body, not too bulky. The zips are chunky, with easy to grab (branded) toggles to make opening and closing them simple. The strap is wide and therefore comfortable, and it is easily adjustable (up to 123cm) to get it to the length you want it. I chose this dark brown one as I thought it would go with everything, and I’m really glad I did, the nylon material looks good in this colour! I’m told I can put it in the washing machine if it gets mucky, which is a definite bonus.
But what about the monkey? When the bag arrived I asked twitter if I was supposed to leave him on and was told absolutely yes. I’m just not sure about walking around with a toy monkey on my bag, but he’s still there swinging about and I guess he is quite cute! Apparently, a friend told me, they all have different names – mine is called Bryan – so say hello Bryan!
This is a functional cross-body bag that is ideal for taking to work (it’s not too casual looking) as well as for days out. I am very impressed with the quality and design, and would be tempted to choose Kipling again the next time I’m looking for a useful every day bag.
The Kipling Alvar Shoulder Bag is available from Bagable from £38.50 (depending on your colour choice).