Your ideal handbag

[treedimensional]

If you could design the one perfect everyday handbag, what would it be?

What style?

What material?

How big?

What color?

What kind of hardware?

One strap? Two straps? How long?

What kind of closure?

How about pockets? Exterior?

What features would you make sure it had?

Any ornamentation?

[treedimensional]

My ideal bag would be very large (at least 18" x 10", made of leather, and dark red. Must have a lining, polyester or nylon is fine.
It would be a shoulder bag, worn just under my arm (straps not low enough to use as a cross body). Definitely two straps, so I can drop one strap while the other strap is still on my shoulder, and let the bag fall open to reach in and find things easily.
It has to be wider at the top than it is at the bottom, so I can easily see everything at once, and I don't have to struggle with my laptop, or binders of documents. It must be wider than it is tall for the same reason.
I must have at least one exterior pocket for my phone and my boarding pass (I fly a lot and that makes it SO much easier).
I like it to strike a tricky balance between casual and business. I want a "do-all" bag.
It should have enough structure to (at least somewhat) hold its shape when I set it down, but it should not be hard or rigid (this is tough to find). And it should have feet on the bottom.
I like a zipper closure best, but a strong magnet is acceptible if if meets other criteria.
I like brass / golden hardware, and I like a large ring or buckle of some sort, to clip my keys to the outside of the bag. I like hardware, but not too much hardware. A tassle zipper pull is nice as well.
Oh, and it sould be affordable, like under $300. I'm so over designer stuff that is no better and costs two or three times as much.

As you might guess, eing this picky, it is really hard for me to find a bag. There is always something I have to compromise on.

[frannyr]

My favorite bags are Burberry. I still love the classic check but the solid leathers make me swoon too.

What style? one with handles - like a mini-mini tote
What material? leather
How big? Not big. I am a small-medium bag girl (I'm short so big bags like luggage)
What color? not any one in particular - red, black, tan
What kind of hardware? I am a fan of shiny gold
One strap? Two straps? How long? maybe none if it has the handles
What kind of closure? zipper only. Magnetic closures have de-magnetized my cards!
How about pockets? Exterior? one is okay but not necessary. Depends on the style
What features would you make sure it had? Inside pockets for cell phone
Any ornamentation? NMS

[treedimensional]

LOL, not as many strong opinions on handbags as I would have thought! I was just talking with my MIL about bags this past week and she seemed just as picky as me, so I was wondering how other women felt about it.