Velvet grey handbag by Mandoline

Grey corduroy handbag with a glitter flap pocket

Wide cords run from top to bottom of the bag, giving the grey a matt, slightly dusty look that shifts towards blue in daylight. The flap pocket on the front is the piece that does the talking: the flap itself is dark grey faux leather cut to a point, and the panel around it is finished in a fine anthracite glitter finish. The flap is the one part of the bag that answers the light; the cord soaks it up. The brand's own aisle brings together more corduroy shapes, from belt bags to top-handle styles if you want to compare before deciding.

Hooks, eyelets and an engraved M

The metalwork repays a closer look. Both short handles clip on through eyelets with swivel hooks in an aged pewter tone, quieter than chrome and closer to the grey of the cloth. The zip along the top runs on a pull stamped with a small M. Turn the bag round and nothing shines at all: one horizontal zip crosses the back, its pull extended by an engraved metal tag.

Measurements, fabric and fittings

Carried short or worn across the body

The thin strap unclips in the same way as the handles, so the bag moves between a hand-held shape and a cross-body one without any fuss. The sides are gathered, which keeps the silhouette soft instead of squared off, and that sits more easily under a coat than under a tailored jacket.

Where a blue-grey sits in a winter wardrobe

Daylight and lamplight do not treat this bag the same way. Outdoors the blue in the grey comes forward and the glitter stays discreet; indoors, under a warm bulb, the front panel is the first thing anyone sees. That is worth knowing if the same bag goes from the office to dinner. The fabric pulls in the same direction, since the corduroy pile reads warm where a smooth synthetic reads cold.

Brushing corduroy the right way

A clothes brush does most of the work here, used dry and always along the cords rather than across them. If the bag has been out in the rain, let it dry away from a radiator before brushing, and store it standing so that the cords hold their relief. If a firmer outline would suit you better, the handbag aisle runs from rigid frames to slouchy buckets.