My Kensington Collection

*contains affiliate links & gifted products

Good Morning,

While considering new content ideas during this lockdown period, I thought sharing my full Kensington bag collection might be of interest as there are some stories behind some of my bags. Firstly, Kurt Geiger is a brand I’ve loved and spent a lot of money on long before I started my blog. I wear a lot of their shoes day to day and for work as I find them extremely comfortable and durable. I also find most of their designs to be classic and therefore stand the test of time and out live trends or seasonal constraints.

Original Kensington Mini

In 2017, Kurt Geiger launched the ‘Kensington‘ handbag collection with the signature eagle emblem. I was intrigued from the outset and hoped the quality of the bags would meet the same standard as their shoe collections. In November 2017, while in the airport departure lounge heading to Paris to celebrate my birthday, my friends gave me my first Kensington which was the original design mini. I was over the moon and couldn’t wait to style it up. The mini Kensington is the kind of bag I wear day to day. If I’m popping to the supermarket or the post office or nipping in to Zara, it’s the kind of bag I reach for time and time again. It’s big enough to carry the essentials but small enough to ensure you only carry the essentials and not your entire life. The original mini can be identified by the diamond quilting on the top flap with chevron quilting on the bottom. As you’ll see from further on in the post, the design has now changed. While it has some wrinkles (as do I) from the amount of wear it’s had, I still love this bag and I’m delighted to own one of the first Kensington designs.

Red Medium Kensington

While enjoying a birthday breakfast in a typical Parisian cafe on the same trip to Paris as mentioned above, I ordered my second Kensington which was the beautiful fire engine red medium sized bag with the blue scarf/toile. There was an offer or discount code which encouraged me into buying at that particular time and it was slightly stressful as the Wi-Fi or data roaming signal wasn’t great but I persevered and managed to place the order. I actually ordered two bags, the second being a grey fabric medium sized Kensington however I was only allowing myself to keep one. I’m still surprised I chose red over grey as I’m not generally that bold with my colour palette however I’m glad I did as I still reach for this bag regularly. The buttery smooth leather paired with the gunmetal grey hardware is a great contrast and I love the scarf/toile. I wish Kurt Geiger did a collection of toile’s as I’d definitely buy a variety to change up my bags now and then. I love that the medium bags have two compartments, it really helps to organise things inside as otherwise it might be difficult to easily reach what you’re looking for especially if it’s small like a lip gloss or something. My friend ended up buying the grey fabric Kensington from me instead of returning it and it’s nice to know it went to a good home.

Blue Velvet Kensington 

This is another surprise decision I made as I’ve never been a fan of velvet however I chose to get this bag as I’m a huge fan of blue. I also loved that it had the white toile with beading detail. The crisp white against the blue works so well and cuts through the texture of the bag. This has been one of my most commented on bags and I still get questions about where its from when I wear it. It’s such a beautiful shade of blue and it’s easy to style. While the leather bags are extremely durable, I’d say this is the most hard wearing of my Kensington’s as the velvet is super thick and it doesn’t crease or stain easily. Aside from a limited edition mentioned further on in this post, I don’t think there have been any other velvet Kensington’s to date so I’m happy to own this one and it stands out in my collection.

Pink Kensington

Before my trip to Paris in September 2018, I purchased the pink Kensington. This is by far my most commented on Kensington. People still stop me in the street asking where it’s from and that’s happened here in Glasgow but also in Edinburgh and Paris. It’s a beautiful bright shade of pink and the gold hardware really complements the tone. It has the contrasting quilting and dotted stitching. I’d say I wear it most in Spring/Summer but I’ve also styled it in Winter and it works just as well especially with neutral tones. The smooth leather also works really well against textured materials like tweed or shearling. It really helps it stand out and catch your eye.

Mini Tweed Kensington

In November 2018 I picked up this mini red and navy Tweed Kensington. I’m pretty sure I got it on Black Friday so saved a little bit of money and I loved that it came in a gift box as well as with the usual dust bag. As mentioned recently, I’m obsessed with tweed and I love how this bag looks however I’ll be completely honest and say that this is my least worn Kensington. I don’t know exactly why that is, I just don’t seem to reach for it anywhere near as much I do with my other minis. There’s been a few times I’ve been clearing out and considered selling it but I haven’t yet gone as far as listing it anywhere. The material is really thick and hardwearing and maybe if the colours were different or if it was a monochrome tweed I’d find it easier to style.

Patent Kensington (gifted)

When I was approached to collaborate with Kurt Geiger in February 2019 I was overjoyed. My blog has always been a hobby and as a result I’ve been fortunate enough to be selective with the brands I’ve worked with. Having creative control over my content is something I take seriously and being able to create content for them whilst remaining true to myself and my audience was a real achievement. In my first collaboration I was gifted this beautiful patent Kensington which I can honestly say is one of my all time favourites. The patent finish gives a real luxurious feel while also being perfect for rainy days and winter weather. The inside of the top flap has the infamous rainbow design which is a nice touch and makes it different from the rest of my Kensington’s. I wear this bag all the time and all year round. It’s a great travel bag too, it fits my camera, extra lens along with passport/documentation and other essentials and it can be carried by hand, worn cross body or over the shoulder which is handy for travelling.

Mini Embellished Kensington (gifted)

My second collaboration with Kurt Geiger came early in March 2019 and I chose two bags from a Lookbook. The first was this gorgeous mini embellished Kensington which I picked specifically as it was different to all the others I owned up until that point but also because I knew I’d get lots of wear out of it. The extremely pale shade of pink is STUNNING and the embellishments are not too overwhelming. The consistent rectangular quilting was also different to my other Kensington’s at the time. I’ve mainly used this bag as a clutch but I’ve also worn day to day as a crossbody. It’s perfect for events or occasions and I wore it in November 2019 for my friends daughters Christening. I also often take it on holiday as it’s ideal for evenings and hardly takes up any space in a suitcase. At first I was cautious when wearing it as I was worried it would get dirty or stain easily but it honestly still looks like new.

Mini Kensington X (gifted)

This little Kensington X was part of the same collaboration mentioned above. At the time I didn’t have a small black bag with gold hardware, everything I had was silver hardware and while I prefer silver, it’s good to have options especially if the hardware on boots or other others items is gold. It’s got the contrasting quilting with the rectangular on the flap and the chevron on the base which I love. It’s a great size and shape and is easy to style up or down.

Pale Pink Medium Kensington

In April 2019 while recovering from surgery, I treated myself to this perfect pastel pink Kensington from Selfridges. You might not be aware but Kurt Geiger sell on Selfridges and often have limited pieces which are exclusive to Selfridges. One example is the green velvet Kensington with gold stars which I spotted and immediately sent to my friend as it was 100% suited to her style and taste. Another example is this pale pink edition which you couldn’t get anywhere else, not even direct from Kurt Geiger. This is definitely my most elegant Kensington. While it’s the same size and shape as others, there’s something about the combination of the tone and hardware that makes it more sophisticated. The soft and smooth leather works really well and the tone is very easy to style making it one of my most worn Kensington’s.

Kensington Eye (gifted)

This was another collaboration where I chose the Kensington Eye bag. I was prepared to buy this bag myself so to receive it in exchange for content creation was great. It arrived just in time for my trip to Paris in September 2019 and it was perfect for the occasion. The first thing that drew me to this bag was the white stitching which really grabs your attention against the smooth black quilted leather. The gold studs across the bag is also different from any of my other black Kensington’s. The thick strap with the eye detail is very unique and adds character. It can also be removed if you want to style more formally. My favourite part about this bag though is the inside lining. It’s a colourful animal print design which stretches from the inside flap to the compartments and along the underside of the thick strap. It really stands out and I love it!

Baby Blue Kensington

The latest addition to my Kensington collection and already a firm favourite.  Blue is a colour I’m continually drawn to and when I spotted this in the new in section, I couldn’t resist. I had a look at it in store before ordering online as I wanted to get a proper look at the colour. I wasn’t sure if it would be as bright as it appeared online but I was pleasantly surprised to find it is. I’d say it’s slightly more difficult to style than my velvet Kensington due to the tone however I managed to get some wear out of it before lockdown began and I’m sure I’ll be able to style it plenty of different ways through Summer.

---

There you have it, my full Kensington bag collection. Which one is your favourite?

xo!