Mulberry’s Spring 2014 Handbags are Streamlined and Refined

For the past couple of years, Mulberry has had a very specific target demographic: young, hip fashion girls, especially of a particularly British variety. That image has expanded the brand by leaps and bounds, but there are only so many of those girls, and they can only buy so many handbags. It was only natural that Mulberry would evolve into something more refined, and that’s exactly the track Emma Hill has put the brand on for Mulberry Spring 2014, her last outing as Mulberry’s creating director.

Perhaps most notable is the absence of Mulberry’s signature turnlock hardware on many of the designs. Instead, the new Mulberry Kensal Bags have been outfitted with a traditional briefcase pushlock closure, echoing the bags’ more streamlined, slightly rigid lines. The bag will come in two sizes, both of which are convertible between a clutch and a shoulder bag. (On the runway, they were shown simply as clutches.) The Kensal, like the new shoulder bag based on the Mulberry Willow Tote’s zip-off clutch pocket, will be double-faced; both sides of the bag will have independent closures, leading to separate compartments. That sort of construction always makes me worried that hardware will catch on delicate knits, but I suppose those are simply the risks we take. Check out all the bags from Mulberry’s runway show below or shop the brand’s current collection via Net-a-Porter.

[Images via Vogue.com]