The Cambridge Satchel Company: The Classic

For those of us who adore pieces that can be used to brighten up any ensemble with the use of a clever colour blocking satchel, look no further than the classic coloured range from none other than the Cambridge Satchel Company. The Classic satchels from the British company which first started in 2008 by Julie Deane and her mother Freda Thomasare probably what they had in mind when they began. The satchels had been intended to be used by school children but had greater acclaim and favour with fashion bloggers. Brightly coloured and mismatching satchels with outfits using traditional shades of black and white instantly add pop and increase a person's notoriety. They come in a range of sizes starting at just ten inches and the greatest sizes reaching fifteen inches as well as colour combinations. From The Classic there are shades of black, brown, purple, yellow, red pink, green and navy.

My favourites from this collection include bright and bold fire engine red, poisonous looking purple that would be favoured by any respectable Disney villain and vintage (brown) which looks so cute when teamed up with a leather belt and a vintage dress. I find that as long as you wear your bag with confidence and a smile it doesn't matter whether it matches your outfit or not, it's all about looking like a lot of fun as well as charming with schoolyard style.

The pattern of the dress shown which incorporates random splotches of colour here and there as well as the bright red cardigan would traditionally be more suited towards a red satchel but I quite like the look of the purple bag. It adds colour to the outfit and creates an interesting contrast. I try to mix things up by wearing clashing patterns together but am often hampered by my mother and her taste in clothing. Her impeding on my sense of individuality when I am now at the age of eighteen and entering university is sure to get on my nerves far too much one day.

I was recently inspired by this photograph to finally pluck up the courage and by myself a Deadly Ponies Mr Lure hand bag charm which imitates a fox tail but is in fact made of wool. At first I was inclined to get the black fluffy charm as it would match many more bags in my arsenal but at the last minute bought the bright blue variation in a shade named 'Peacock'. I'm not sure whether it was my order alone, but that shade is now sold out. However, it means I wouldn't be buying a bright orange satchel anytime soon. Under no circumstances will bright blue and orange meet together and look charming.

 

The matching shoes and deep red satchel worn with knee high socks and an overall dress is definitely taking inspiration from the school days of old, but I can't help but feel that maybe lipstick in that same red colour would have rounded off the look a little better and made the overall effect more mature rather than overly playful. The clips on the side of the hair and braids on either side are a bit much, especially when sporting a look of short and cut locks.

 

That is one happy customer surrounded by what appears to be her adopted children made entirely of the Cambridge Satchel Company bags in a range of shades and sizes. While having just one satchel can work well considering their bright nature and the charming way they add colour to an ensemble, for some people, one is not enough and with limited editions collections and colours as well as collaboration pieces with Asos, one can not be too stingy when ordering satchels. If you'd like to think otherwise, perhaps she owns just one and the rest are presents for friends and family.

 

I love the street stalker style photographs of shoppers and their satchels. The tassel loafers, cinched waist of the dress, Peter Pan collar and satchel are channeling the vintage look successfully. My only criticism lies in her wooden doll pose as well as the shape of her sunglasses, but aside from the nit-picking everything about this photograph as well as the mood it evokes is perfection.

The Cambridge Satchel Company: The Designer

I really can't get enough of the Cambridge Satchel Company's bags and The Designer which features two shades of contrasting leather is no exception to my enthusiasm. It's a little more swish and slick but still features the classic design as well as traditional colours you would expect to see from the British brand. It all started in 2008 when the Cambridge Satchel Company was founded by Julie Deane and her mother Freda Thomasand in the space of three short years the label has already established itself as a brand synonymous with high quality leather goods. Aimed at school children but finding greater favour and reputation with fashion bloggers, The Designer is another brilliant variation for those seeking to channel school boy/ school girl charm.

The Designer radiates the best of vintage style in new condition with fantastic colours and leather material combinations. Although the tan leather and tartan insert satchel aren't explicitly part of The Designer collection and are instead a collaboration with online shop Asos, I thought it appropriate to include it and clump them together since this particular bag seems to have a particularly strong sense of school style about it. Worn with a sweet vintage blouse and your choice of knickerbockers or a skirt and tights combination all you would be missing is a boater hat to complete the look. Unfortunately I can't find this bag available to buy online anywhere, but there is a rather fetching leopard print pocket and black combination available on the Asos X Cambridge Satchel Company website.

I already had a small admiration for the fluorescent green satchel, but the contrast of navy straps as well as the pocket detail for name slip seems to be even better. It sort of tones down the bombastic nature and eye-catching primary colour used for the design of the bag and makes it seem a little more sensible and more suited towards school endeavours.

Something more up my alley is this predominantly black satchel and red straps and finer details- I say this after reorganising my wardrobe and realising I have many black and red jumpers but don't really ever lust after or wear any other shades of jumpers. Of course since the Summer season has just started in my neck of the woods I won't get to see a lot of them for a while but well, when Winter does come back I'm sure this will make a slick addition to any ensemble, particularly when wearing a red American Apparel cape and tights.

The multi-coloured coat is brightened up by the use of this sensational yellow coloured satchel. I like the use of black/ grey woollen hat, sunglasses, skirt and sandals which subverts themselves to the fur coat and satchel- it leaves them being the centre of attention. The pose in front of the vibrant red display window seems fitting and appropriate. I wish I could go around town and dress in a similar manner, posing for street style photographs or just for snaps to be featured on my own blog. Too bad I don't know anyone with similar aspirations towards becoming a fashion blogger, but maybe I'll meet and talk with other people through my links with Secret Hipster.

What do I see there being shy and hiding within the back row of these lovely The Designer satchels made by none other than the wonderful Cambridge Satchel Company? Could it be a predominantly purple satchel with lovely contrasting yellow straps? Why on Earth can I not find anything like this on the Internet in all my searching for images of the bag? It would fit perfectly around with the local football club; their colours are the exact same shades of purple and yellow. Alas, I'm not dating a footballer and it's a little too late to tag along to those sorts of games.

Another sensational colour combination that is equally elusive is this velvet and patent leather beast! There are so many lovely satchels that have been discontinued as well as others being made as Limited Edition stock which I am clamoring to get my filthy mitts on. I'm just a poor girl, nobody loves me; I'm just a poor girl from a poor family spare me my life of this monstrosity. The monstrosity of not being able to get all the lovely bags and things my heart desires that is.

I'm sure the future holds many shiny, bright, exciting and youthful possibilities for the Cambridge Satchel Company and I look forward to lusting after many of their new and exciting collaborations, designs as well as other products such as their storage trunks and school badges. Maybe even in the not-too-distant future I will even own my own satchel from the British company but knowing my penny-pinching ways I will most likely be searching high and low for discount bargains on the Internet as my source. I hope I've given you all something to think about and something to aspire towards owning.

The Cambridge Satchel Company: The Metallic

In addition to the fun fluorescent satchels from the Cambridge Satchel company, another series of new and exciting satchels were released only a few weeks ago. That was the limited edition range known as 'The Metallic' satchels which come in your choice of either gold or silver. I'm not sure as to whether there were other colours as well as gold and silver; if so they've already been sold out. The annoying thing is that I can't even see what items have been sold out and what was previously available. Most of it is left to guess work- when online shops provide some sort of sold archive I'm usually consoled with the
knowledge of past products that were popular with the masses. Searching around Google Images has also yielded a metallic wine and copper colour but I'm not too sure if these are official Cambridge Satchel Company satchels or if they are imitations and knock-offs.

My mother would love the colour of this lovely satchel- once she got over it's metallic finish. I would love to know whether the Cambridge Satchel Company actually manufactured this satchel. I could really get into colour blocking and wild different colours while sporting this around town. It's not often you see leather in such a metallic finish due to it's sensitive foil-like material a lot of care and gentle love is required for these bags but for the dramatic look it enables you to achieve I would say it is far worth the cost as well as care. This satchel would look spectacular against a vintage black dress.

 

Looking for something to add that special sparkle to your outfit? A festive take on The Classic, The Metallic is available in two new fabulous colours with all the original features of The Classic satchel.

 

Due to the nature of the manufacturing process, please note that this range of satchels may have slight line markings on the foils, this is a delicate leather and so should be treated with due care.

Available in  either 11", 13"or 14"

Worn with a simple denim dress, this copper coloured metallic satchels seems to brighten up the entire photograph and is the centre of attention. Worn with what seems to be a versatile outfit they seem to instantly inject colour and glamor into any outfit. For those of us who love to be in the lime light buying a metallic Cambridge Satchel Company satchel would suit you perfectly- but be warned, you must be quick to get your hands on these limited edition leather bags.

The Cambridge Satchel Company: The Fluoro

The classic satchel with a contemporary twist. This bag offers a front buckle fastening, an adjustable shoulder strap and front pocket.

While scouring a local Australian store's website, Dotti for bags I stumbled across something that looked a lot like the Cambridge Satchel Company's Fluoro bag in hot pink. While of course it's not the same and not at the same standard as the English brand's bags it did feel nice to splash out on something girly and feminine- it certainly caught my mother off guard when I bought it. As a small child I never did play with dolls a lot and was happier helping my father in the garden and around the shed messing around with motorbikes and such. For a while I thought I was reverting back towards things I had missed in my development but I think I just generally admire the shape and structure of these satchels. Before I enter my first year of university I do hope I can have a nice bag to hold either books or a laptop- although books and old-fashioned note taking seems to be more suited to my price range at this point in time.

The simple use of a brightly coloured and fluorescent satchel to this ensemble is the essence of what I believe to be colour blocking- for a girl brought up in Melbourne and very much used to wearing black in particular the concept seems quite foreign to me but the way it brightens up an ensemble is really fantastic. It's a fun way to instantly spark colour into your outfit and I find that a fun bag can often be a great conversation starter too. The amount of compliments and questions I get on a backpack in a turtle's shell is insane- these satchels are just a little more slick and adult but The Fluoro edition to the range coming in green, pink, yellow and orange is a lighter and more playful take on the traditional satchel.

The use of this kitsch table cloth really brings out the sick-bright-fluorescent shade of green. I mean sick in the nicest way, it actually reminds me a bit of the Frankenstein monster for some reason, but I guess I always pictured him being that colour. When I bought my hot pink satchel which took inspiration from the Cambridge Satchel Company I had no choice in colour, it was hot pink or nothing. I would have much preferred sporting a fluorescent green satchel over a pink one but I've made my bed and not it's time to lie in it. My satchel only fits the bare necessities so maybe I will buy a proper Cambridge Satchel in some of their largest sizes, 14 inches or 15 inches.

The Cambridge Satchel company pride themselves on producing high quality leather goods, as well as satchels in an array of colours there's also school badges and trunks. I love the reminiscence and their mission being the revival of old school charm bags. It's not always easy to find vintage gold and with the new materials as well as bright colours and variations of colours- the English company make it easy for the fashion hungry masses. The company was founded in 2008 by Julie Deane and her mother Freda Thomas and is still going strong and has collaborated with popular online brand Asos. Originally the satchels were aimed at school children but became increasingly popular as a fashion item and became, according to The Guardian, "a cult among twenty-something fashion bloggers".

Traditional leather satchels and music cases, made in England - 100% leather. A timeless classic with the added twist of now being offered in a range of colours. Come and see!

A close second to the fluorescent green satchel is the bright orange; I love the combination of the bright orange and the black fluffy fox tail lure. Deadly Ponies make some fantastic furry key chains and the combination of the two seems like a match made in heaven. I just might get both if I'm not too careful, but I have had my eye on the Deadly Ponies accessory for a while now and they are rather hard to get a hold of. All colours of the furry accessory have sold out on the official Deadly Ponies website but I am resourceful and crafty enough to find other ways of finding the fluffy treasure. It adds a lot of character to the Cambridge Satchel.