A LETTER FROM A READER

I am 67, and three women asked about my bag at a family birthday lunch

A small story about finding a handbag that feels right for ordinary days and special lunches.

I almost did not post this. I am 67, and I have never considered myself the sort of woman who tells strangers about her handbag. But a family birthday lunch in Fremantle changed that. Three women asked about the caramel bag I had brought along. One of them asked before the tea had arrived. I found myself explaining where it came from three times, and eventually thought I might as well write it down.

You see, the bag was not a grand present, and I had not gone looking for an expensive designer name. I simply wanted something that could go from the shops to a pleasant lunch without making me feel either overdone or underdressed. I have spent an absurd number of years carrying bags that were nearly right.

There is something rather nice about finding a handbag you do not have to think about every time you leave the house.

How I ended up looking for another bag

My old handbag had reached the stage where finding my glasses involved removing half its contents. There was always a folded receipt, a loose tissue and at least one pen I did not remember buying. I was forever standing by the checkout with my purse somewhere at the bottom, apologising to the person behind me. It was not a tragedy. It was simply a nuisance that I had tolerated for far too long.

What I wanted was modest enough: an attractive shape, an interior that made sense, and a finish that suited a normal day. I did not want anything too shiny. Nor did I want something covered in buckles and decorations. I like simple things more as I get older, perhaps because I have learned how much effort complicated things require.

The bag is called the Tamar

I found the Tamar Vintage Bag at Perth Boutique. The listing described an understated, vintage-inspired design with a supple feel. It is made from vegan leather, rather than animal leather. That distinction matters if you are choosing materials carefully. The colour choices were caramel, black, green and cream, and I kept returning to the caramel because it looked warm without being loud.

The shape was what made me stop scrolling. Some bags look as if you need an entirely new wardrobe to justify carrying them. The Tamar struck me as the opposite. It seemed like the kind of bag you could put on the hall chair and reach for without wondering whether it matched every last thing.

What happened at the birthday lunch

I carried it to a family birthday lunch in Fremantle. It was the usual sort of afternoon: people arriving at different times, somebody searching for reading glasses to examine the menu, and a lively discussion about who had forgotten to tell whom that dessert was included. Before we had even ordered our tea, my cousin wanted to know where the bag was from.

Then another woman at our table asked to look at it. She liked the colour. My friend Jean, who has known me for thirty years and is not given to unnecessary praise, looked across the table and said, 'Well, Maggie, you have finally found a bag that goes with something.' I have decided to take that as a compliment.

The third question came when we were getting ready to leave. I wrote Perth Boutique and the name Tamar on a scrap of paper for her. It made me smile that three people had noticed something I bought simply to make ordinary life a little easier.

A bag that feels right at a birthday lunch and on an ordinary Monday morning is a rather useful thing.

Three things I appreciate about it

The understated look. The vintage-inspired styling does not feel tied to a particular trend. It suits the clothes I already own rather than demanding new ones.

An interior intended for essentials. The product description emphasises an organised interior, which appealed to me after years of searching for keys and glasses at the bottom of other bags.

A comfortable everyday carry. It is designed for regular use and for taking along to occasions. I wanted a bag I could pick up for a parcel collection, a coffee or a family lunch.

I should be fair about what I mean by comfortable. I am not claiming it can magically hold everything or that every woman's experience will be the same. I mean that a handbag ought to make sense in ordinary circumstances: something that fits into the day rather than becoming the day's main concern.

About the colour choices

Caramel was my choice, mostly because I have always liked warm brown shades against cream, navy and green. But I can see why somebody else would choose black as the useful all-rounder. Green might appeal to a woman who prefers a little colour without bright prints, while cream has a lighter look for spring. The best choice is the one that works with what you already wear.

That is another thing I have learned. A handbag can be lovely in isolation and still be wrong for your wardrobe. I prefer the quiet sort of lovely. If I can carry it more than once a week, then I have made a more sensible purchase.

What the listing says about the price

When I checked, the Tamar was listed at A$65.99, with a displayed comparison price of A$199.00. Those are the prices shown on the product listing, not a promise that they will stay unchanged. The collection page is the best place to see what is available now.

The listing also displays 4.2 stars from 500 reviews. I prefer to report that figure as it is rather than repeat an imaginary customer quote. Different people want different things from a handbag, and a rating never tells the whole story. It is worth looking at the photographs, the listed material and the colour choices before making up your own mind.

What I would tell a friend

I would say not to buy a bag just because somebody on the internet likes it, even somebody of 67 who has had plenty of practice choosing the wrong ones. Look at what you normally carry. Think about what you wear most days. If you like a calm, vintage-inspired shape and prefer vegan leather, then the Tamar might suit you as it suited the idea I had in mind.

And if you are the sort of woman who can never find her keys at the till, perhaps a little more order in your everyday handbag would be welcome. I know it would have saved me a good many small embarrassments over the years.

The nicest part of my birthday lunch was seeing the family. The second nicest was knowing I had finally carried a handbag nobody felt the need to offer to replace. Jean's remark will keep me amused for a while yet.

Choose the things that make everyday life a little easier, and do not apologise for liking them to look nice as well.

Maggie Whitefield