The bags I carry my life around in

my bag collection

This bag was bought in a sizable green leather gold chain bag as I was so fed up with taking a backpack to university, the same one I took into my GCSE exams when I was 16. I wanted something more reflective of my maturity and age, plus the course being a professional law; I wanted to dress the part, at least somewhat. This bag has come in handy, and I have used it to communicate in London. It fits my water bottle, essentials bag, iPad and lunch. The only issue is it does not close. It is like a tote bag with a tiny pocket; other than that, it is a very open-space bag, but it does the job well and has not broken under the weight of everything I put into it.

The Uniqlo crossbody round bag is my Mary Poppins bag, perfect for a city trip. It's no wonder everyone has one. It is perfect for a day trip on your essentials bag on a flight or travel day. I have used mine to store my phone, passport, and purse while travelling to easily reach them instead of taking my backpack off. It also fits all I need, including snacks and my chilis water bottle. Though Uniqlo is the most well-known, coming in different colours, fabrics and forms, many other brands have also jumped on the hype with these bags. They are the modern mum bum bag. I can say I was embarrassed with my mum's bum bag as a child, but I have my own stylish, sleek, girly pop version myself. You can wear that advantage strap in so many ways. These bags are a staple for your European summer tour or when you go to the shops. They go with so many outfits. Though I got the cream as it went with all my clothes, I did get very stained. Do not worry. I brought out my trusty pink stuff, and that went away. So, if you are looking for a simple, chic, but practical, this is the one for you.

Grey Italian leather camera bag- This bag was bought in Florence, Italy, from a street vendor. It originally had a matching strap; however, I got this new orange-striped one from Waddesdon Manor Christmas Market. The strap's larger area meant it would not dig in. This was my go-to bag for many years, even wearing it to the club and being taken the mick off for having such a bag in a club. If I have one, it will be a bag handed down to my daughter because it is genuine Italian leather and was bought on one of my favourite childhood holidays.

Matisse tote bag- It seems everyone uses a tote bag for any occasion, university bag or shopping; this one is safer and sturdy, made for the purpose people use it for. A zip means your items within are more secure and less likely to get water damage from the rain. It also has small zip pockets for all those personal hygiene or medical items. It is large and spacious, and the straps are more of a padded material than your essential tote. The range of artistic work you can find on Etsy can become overwhelming. However, I would recommend choosing one that matches the colours you would find in your wardrobe at a glance.

Black leather backpack, this was a gift from my uncle and aunt, and I took it to work with me every shift at Costa Coffee to the point when it slept like gone off milk and the aroma of coffee. Though I do not use it anymore as it's not my style, the metalwork is silver, and I am a gold metal girl; it is still in my collection for a rainy day.

Woven mint bag—This was a comeback to the shop purchase. I saw this in Primark and liked it but could not justify it (that's handbags for you). Still, I decided to buy it. It, however, is more of an accessory than a bag, as with the size of phones today. The closing style of being an open outward configuration is not practical for storing everything you need, so this is a perfect outfit for dinner, not a day in the city.

Cream and light blue Coach. This was my first designer big girl bag. I had the classic Cath Kidston bag from Bicester Village as a child, but this was the first one I bought with my first full-time pay cheque from Boots when I was 19. I met a university friend at the Bicester Village outlet, searching for a handy bag, and I had to remember this bag and a Tory Burch bag. After so much back and forth, I went with the coach bag, which I loved. It came in its duffle bag, which is put back in after every use. I believe I bought this for around 119 pounds. It is a camera-style bag similar to the infamous Gucci bag, perfect for all occasions. I chose this light blue as I have a lot of blue in my wardrobe, so it would match everything and still be different to a plain black bag.

Black crocodile-style bag with a wave. This was one of my recent purchases, and I caved in and got a black handbag. But I did not want it to be too basic, so I chose this one after wanting the emerald colour, but it was sold out. I loved the waved edging to it. It is chic but also practical. You can fit an umbrella in there, which is helpful in the English weather

The small black shoulder bag was bought after a year of my friends taking the piss of me going clubbing with a cross-body bag, and I finally got the classic clubbing girl bag. Unlike my friend, I do not have a collection; I have one, and it does the job I need it to do. Store all those clubbing essentials; some are affordable and go with any look I could ever have.

The crocodile mint green mini backpack bag is beautiful; unfortunately, I have rarely used it, maybe as it is a backpack style, so it is not safe from pickpockets or as accessible as a cross-body bag. This Ted Baker bag was a pain to buy as I could not use my student discount code even after talking to the support team. I would not recommend buying a Ted Baker bag because they are in remission and closing all their stores. I bought this bag when I saw someone using it when I worked at boots, but the bag always seemed to get lost at the back of the drawer and forgotten, and therefore, I should try to use it more. I liked it as it was a backpack, which, while practical, looked expensive and chic, and it looked like it could make an outfit, not ruin one. The colour, though, WOW. I do love my mint bag. As you can tell, it was also a muted matte grey-green. It wasn't bright but a subtle colour that was perfect and unique.

I believe the Brown and gold clasp side large bag was another present from ASOS; however, it barely used clear there's a pattern. I believe when purchasing this bag, I thought it was also compatible with a backpack fit, which I was not, and this side pouch was and still is not in fashion; however, I now use this bag to store other bags. And bags that do not have a snap or zippers and instead have clasps like this one deserve to die. They are not easily accessible on the move and enrage me so much and are not designed well like the Hermes Clashs when it takes you a good few minutes to open it.

Green leather cross bag: This was a Zara Christmas purchase, and it came again in its bag, which I loved and made me feel all expensive and fancy. However, after a while, the leather on the edging areas started to peel off, and it did not look as lovely. The design was elegant and beautiful, with its bold colour taking centre stage. Still, with that, it was hard to match outfits with it and to be honest, I forgot I even had it till I took these photos, which happened with a lot of these bags, but this has reminded me that I have this bag and hopefully I will start using it more often now knowing it is there.

A large brown cross-body bag with a gold chain. It's an ancient purchase again, not a reach too much as it no longer goes with my outfits and is definitely out of fashion now. However, it is a timeless bag that will come in and out of fashion throughout the years. It is the perfect bag to return when shoulder bags go out of style or when one matures and needs a bag that looks good and holds an in.