ZARA Everyday Shopper bag review

On my lunch break yesterday a friend convinced me to go shopping. Normally we grab a sandwich and work through lunch, but as it was a Friday and half of our team were on holiday we decided to ditch our computers for a couple of hours. So we ventured out in the pouring rain, and wandered down to Oxford Street, which is about 10 minutes from my office.

I am a self proclaimed shopaholic so need no excuse to buy something. I'd already spent £30 on the way out of the building because we stopped in at the Book Man travelling book shop which was set up in our office for the day! So going to Oxford Street is always quite dangerous for me. And sure enough when I got back to my desk my purse was a lot lighter!

Our first stop was to Zara. This is quite possibly my favourite UK high street store. Their clothes are stunning, and their accessories are always so elegant. I have a particular passion for their bags. It's about the only high street store I'll buy bags from now because they are, for the most part, beautiful, functional and well-made. 

The bag I've been using is the ZARA black bowling bag with white handles and mustard yellow suede panels. I've had it a couple of months, and much as I love it, I really have been craving a nice shoulder bag because my Mango one broke over the summer. Stepping into ZARA I saw a plethora of suitable options, so was like a kid in a candy store!

But I digress...

After much debate I purchased the Everyday Shopper in burgundy. I looked for some reviews about it online but couldn't find any, so thought I would write my own! 



The Style
I love the style of this bag. It's really big, with open sides, but can be transformed into a slouchy bucket bag by fastening the clips on the sides. 

The handles are extremely thin, and remind me of the Louis Vuitton Neverfull. They are great for carrying on your shoulder but if the bag is heavy I think they would be too thin for carrying in the crook of your arm (although I imagine I will still carry the bag this way occasionally). One thing I would say is that the handles are not overly long so you may have to wedge the bag onto your shoulder if you have a heavy coat on. I have no trouble wearing this bag with my leather jacket though. 


The main closure to the bag is a centre popper so it's not overly secure, unless you also fasten the sides. If you're worried about safety then this probably isn't the best option for you. I don't mind the way this bag closes too much, but will obviously try to be more vigilant when out and about. I definitely won't be using it if I know I'm going out after work either. 


Bag Organisation
I love, love, love pockets in bags and this one has a decent amount. At the back of the bag (internally) there are two flush open pockets; one on top of the other. The first one is fairly deep, and I keep my Clinique travel mirror, which is the width of my palm, and a lip balm in there. The second one is deeper and I use that to store my Oyster Card, iPod Nano, headphones and iPhone. 

The final pocket on the bag is safety pouch. It's in the same fabric as the bag, has a zip fastening and is attached to a ring on the side by a long strap, identical to the handles, so you can pull it out to access your things easily. It's not a massive pouch, and my purse doesn't fit in it unfortunately (I have a wide, bulky purse), but it would be perfect for a small purse and phone, or even as a make-up bag if you don't carry too much. I'm currently using mine for my keys and a pen as they're the items I can never find in my bag! I'm going on holiday in a week, and will be using this bag as my hand luggage, so whilst I'm away the pouch will be used to hold my passport and boarding pass etc. 


The Colour
The burgundy shade of this bag is really rich so perfect for Autumn. I was unsure whether to go for this colour or play it safe with black, but the more I look at it, the happier I am with my decision. Thinking about my wardrobe this bag goes with the majority of my outfits, and I'm quite open to a bit of clashing anyway!!


The Fabric
The exterior fabric of the bag is faux marbled leather. It's obviously not soft like real leather, but it doesn't feel horrible to the touch. I personally don't think you would mistake this for leather in the way you would some other faux bags, but it doesn't look cheap and nasty, which is always the risk for me. The bag also comes in black and camel but I think the fabric is more suited to this colour. Obviously that's very subjective though. 

The interior of the bag is the basic black woven material that comes in most ZARA bags. It does the job. Not much else I can say about that! 

The bag is finished with gold hard wear, which is lovely. The gold side clasp, popper and zip give the bag a bit of character.


The Cost
The best bit about this bag? It was a complete steal at £19.99!! For the size, style and quality I think this is an absolute bargain, and will probably buy the other colours too.  


Pros
For me, cost, size and style are the biggest pros. It's roomy enough to be an everyday bag, but still looks great. It will also double up as hand luggage or an overnight bag for me. 
The fact that the sides can brought in to make it smaller is perfect for when you need a smaller bag that still holds all of your stuff. 


Cons
The quality isn't as good as with more expensive ZARA bags. The finish could be better, for example there are dangling threads at the top, and the rubber edging on the pouch is a bit sloppy. But overall it's more than acceptable, and I don't think anyone would notice. I'm going to tidy the loose threads up myself and then not even I will notice. 

The pouch could be a little bigger. I would love for it to be big enough to hold my iPad, wallet and phone, as it would make my life a little easier. It would also be great if the pouch was detachable...but I guess that would defeat the object of having it!

My final criticism is that the bag has no firm base, so things get jumbled up quite a bit. However, that's easily sorted with a quick browse on eBay for a base insert. 


In summary...
Overall I love this bag and will get a lot of use out of it. Yes there are a couple of niggling things but to be honest, as it was only £19.99 I'm definitely not complaining. If you're in need of a cheap, stylish everyday bag, you could do a lot worse than a trip to ZARA. 

Where do you buy your bags from? What do you think of this one? Let me know in the comments. 

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