David Jones Frilly Black Handbag

A black bucket bag with a ruffled top handle

The shape does the talking here: sides that rise to a point, a top that dips in the middle, a base that stays wide and flat. What you notice first is the handle, gathered into soft folds from end to end so that it never reads as a plain strap. Against all that black, the finish stays matte and grained, with no shine to it. More single-handle, zip-front shapes sit in the same section.

Rose gold clips and side rings

Two metal clips fasten the handle to the body, in a rose gold tone that warms the black up without shouting about it. Two rings in the same tone are set on the sides.

A zip cutting across the front

The front panel is not flat. A zip crosses it on the diagonal, picked out by a clean line of stitching, and the pull carries two tapered tails that swing as you walk.

Wearing a 31x24 cm bag day to day

31x24 cm is the point where a bag stops being small without turning into luggage: room enough for a full day out, still narrow enough to keep close in a crowd. The handle arches high enough to slip over a forearm when your hands are busy. For other shapes, from totes and backpacks to crossbody styles, the wider bag section covers the rest.

The bag at a glance

Looking after a matte grained finish

A dry cloth run over the grain lifts everyday dust, and that is most of the work done. For a mark that holds on, barely dampen the cloth, then let the bag dry in open air, well away from a radiator. The rose gold clips ask for nothing more than a light rub, and household cleaners are best kept away from them, since they can dull metal trims.