MULBERRY: 40TH BIRTHDAY BOOK

Beloved British brand Mulberry is celebrating that much-bemoaned milestone feared by glamorous middle-aged women everywhere... it's 40th birthday y'all! 

Once heralded by many as the signal to start bulk-buying anti wrinkle cream direct from the wholesalers, give up on mini skirts and consider a steamy affair with a much younger man, nowadays the fashion glamazon's 40th is a much classier affair altogether. 40 is the NEW new 25, darling, and you've never looked better.

To mark the seminal occasion, Mulberry is launching its 40th Anniversary Book tomorrow, with a small but perfectly formed party taking place in (amongst others) the Glasgow Ingram Street store, offering a glass of fizz and goody bags for guests who pop in - head along from 2 pm bloggies!

Pretty, huh?

The 480-page coffee table book is  bound in linen and boasts an embossed front cover and two silk book markers.

It tells the story, through gorgeous candid and behind-the-scenes photographs, of the brands development since its conception in 1971 by Roger Saul.

But my favourites are WITHOUT A DOUBT the drool-worthy factory shots of the bags. Something about sumptuous swathes of supple leather and tools, oh god the tools... What's with that? Sends me into bag-lust overload every time. *AHEM*

So much craftsmanship and trade skill goes into the creation of a Mulberry bag - part of the reason I think it gets away with playing itself up as a heritage brand when in reality it's only 40 years old. Despite it's relative youth, the incredibly high quality and finish of their bags in particular means Mulberry are more than able to compete with other British institutions like Burberry and Barbour etc.

I was in the Mulberry shop last Monday and whilst waiting on Carrie (acting fashion editor at the Sunday Herald) to pick a few bags for an upcoming shoot, I found myself wandering round the store picking them all up and stroking them like a total bag pervert. Creep! Anyway, I literally fell in love with my next future big bag purchase:

Oh, hello, Bayswater in black silky snake print. Probably take me about a year to save for at the rate I blow cash, but trust me it will be WELL WORTH IT. I could hardly part with it when it was time to leave, and I even dreamed about it last night... Obsessed much? Yup! Classic style with an edgy twist. Perfect!

Anyhoo, head down if you can to the Ingram St shop from 2pm. I'll be there with bells on!