Artisan is a rustic, very British looking bar in the trendy Spinningfields area of Manchester, so it was the perfect fit for showcasing MyBag’s sophisticated range of handbags. With a glass of prossecco and a mini pizza canape or two, it was a perfect cosy, rustic setting for looking over handbags of a similar calibre. Think: British, sophisticated and classic.

MyBag stock handbags from medium to large designer brands and the largest collection on how for their Autumn Winter 2015 preview was by The Cambridge Satchel Company. Funnily enough, this brand is the one that encompasses all of the above venue elements so well. I love that they’re in independent company that started off as a pipedream and are now one of the most known British handbag brands in the world. The satchels are timeless and unisex, and would make the perfect gift for almost anyone to store their everyday bits and bobs, work pieces and even laptops.

Another brand I really enjoyed seeing on display was Aspinal of London, which is also British (duh!) but at a more premium price point. Again, their designs are just so classic – although they are expensive, you could buy one at pretty much any point in time and they wouldn’t age or go out of fashion. I’ve never owned one myself, but I could see one being on my Wishlist in the very near future…

As well as handbags, MyBag also stock designer accessories – from the affordable to the very special – and brought some of these treats along for us to see, too. As well as designer jewellery lines, sunglasses are another big seller for MyBag. I mean, who can resist a pair of Ray Bans? I definitely have my eyes on the round pair. Although not quite sure I could pull off all the accessories on show.. .Note the Ralf Lauren bobble rider’s hat? Not quite for me! So fash-unn, darling!

Instead, I fell for a couple of purple numbers. An unusual handbag colour, I admit, but the deep maroon-purple shades seem to be a theme for next Autumn Winter and the warm tones make a lovely alternative to the usual tan or black handbag. My top picks were the above numbers by Karl Lagerfield and Lulu Guinness. Unfortunately for my purse these are at the higher price point of MyBag online’s offering, but as Claire (lovely fellow blogger, also host of the evening) told me, MyBag are gradually becoming more and more higher end, and so my choices may be a reflection of his. Gotta love a designer handbag!

Thank you MyBag for hosting such a lovely, relaxed evening – chats, snacks, champagne and handbags (ruined my alliteration there!). What more can a gal ask for?