A handbag listing will tell you the colour and the number of compartments, and stay quiet about the thing that decides whether you still like the bag in a year: what it is made of. Here is how to read the materials, and what each one is honest about.
Leather
Real leather softens as it is used, develops a surface of its own and can be repaired. It is the heaviest of the options and the most expensive, and it needs a little care — it dries out if it is left in the sun and it marks if it gets properly wet.
A word on wording. "Genuine leather" means real leather, though not the best grade of it. "PU leather", "faux leather" and "leatherette" are not leather at all; they are coated fabric. Neither is a bad buy, but you should know which one you are paying for.
Rexine and PU
Rexine is a coated fabric made to look like leather. It is lighter and cheaper, it comes in colours leather cannot hold, and it wipes clean with a damp cloth.
The honest limitation is the coating. Over a few years, a PU surface will eventually crack or peel at the corners and along the handle, where it flexes most. Treat it as a bag for a season or three rather than for a decade, and it is excellent value.
Canvas and fabric
Light, washable, casual and the cheapest to replace. Good for daily carrying and for anything that will be stuffed full. It marks more easily than a coated surface and it offers no protection from rain.
What to look at besides the material
The handle join
This is where almost every bag fails. Look for stitching that goes through a reinforced patch, or rivets. A handle attached with glue or a single line of stitching is the one that comes away.
The zip
A metal zip outlasts a plastic one, and a zip with a wide tape either side is stronger than a narrow one. If the bag has a magnetic snap instead, check it in the photographs — a thin snap on a heavy bag works loose.
The lining
A lined bag keeps its shape and protects what is inside from the raw edges of the outer material. An unlined bag is lighter and cheaper, and will wear from the inside out.
The base
Metal feet on the base keep it off wet floors and out of the dirt. Not essential, but it is a sign the bag was designed rather than simply assembled.
Wallets
The same materials apply, with one addition worth knowing: a wallet lives in a pocket under pressure and against body warmth, which is harder on it than a handbag's life. Leather handles that better than coated fabric does, which is why leather wallets stay common even at low prices.
Count the card slots against what you actually carry. A wallet that is too large gets uncomfortable; one that is too small gets overstuffed and splits at the fold.
Care, briefly
- Wipe rexine and PU with a damp cloth, never a solvent.
- Keep leather out of direct sun and away from heat.
- Stuff a bag loosely with paper when you store it, so the sides do not collapse.
- Store it in a cotton cover, not a plastic bag, which traps moisture.
Questions before you order
If you want to know what a particular bag actually feels like in the hand, or how heavy it is, message us on WhatsApp at 0345 6650894 and we will tell you plainly.
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