I had a British branded Radley purse for one of my birthdays when I was younger and I can remember how excited I was to get it. My auntie bought it for me with their signature scotty dog as the zip, and since then that's all I think of the when I hear the word Radley. As I've grown up I felt the brand was a bit old fashioned, slightly dated and aimed at an older generation... that was until I went to see the upcoming collection for Radley AW15, it appeared I was very, very wrong.
My favorite bag - Was double sided yet so compact!
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. This was bag heaven! What laid before me was a complete bag overhaul to Radley, instead I was seeing playful and modern bags but with subtle hints of it's branding heritage. I was finding it hard to find something I didn't like. There were plenty of fashionable 'off' tones which was a nice surprise for a Autumn/Winter range, normally you tend to see non stop dark shades in any AW collection, but this wasn't the case for Radley's upcoming range.
Mainly solid color was seen on most bags but some had extra prints to give quirkiness to the collection. I think the best thing I liked was how this range gradually transitions from SS15 to AW15 with the colours used. I also loved the bright leather backpacks - hello stylish cycling into town!
Lots of classic styles seen in the shopper, shoulder and bowling style bags, but of course in true Radley style they had cheeky additions to them. On a number of bags they included a spray bottle zip ring, a paint brush and of course an appearance from the classic little scotty dog!
The whole AW15 collection just oozed creativity! The showroom was kitted out to give off just that vibe with over sized pencils, paint pots and pencil shavings dotted about the place. There was a perfect combination of bold shades to what is best describe as pastels, however they aren't the tones seen in a SS15 collection, they have a slightly darker tint. This made the particular range a perfect companion for a different look and edge for AW15. All of the items spread across the showroom were a mixture of trusty bestselling designs to exciting shapes and creations.
Envelope fronted pockets were seen on some bags which is a nice addition, especially for people who travel a lot like me or need paperwork to hand. The bag above is classic yet modern and to be honest this is the first collection in a long time I've been genuinely surprised by... I wasn't expecting any of it...but I've already noted a few that are on my shopping list.
Thanks to the Radley team for inviting me along.
