What the shelf holds: the Shirley work tote and the Camilla shoulder bag for the everyday; the Woman in White convertible tote and the Scarlet Letter tote for the day carried whole; the Women in Love saddle bag, worn crossbody, and the A Bend in the River backpack for the commute; the Sound of the Mountain briefcase, the Vendetta attaché case and the Orlando laptop bag for the file; and, smaller, the Excellent Women continental wallet, the Riddle of the Sands glasses case and the Madame Bovary jewelry roll.
The Shirley work tote takes its name from Charlotte Brontë's Shirley, published 1849 — the book that turned Shirley from a man's name into a woman's. The Camilla shoulder bag is named for Frances Burney's Camilla, published 1796 by subscription; among the thousand-odd subscribers printed at the front was one “Miss J. Austen, Steventon” — the first time Jane Austen's name appeared in print. The rest of the shelf keeps that company.
A few of these — the briefcases — are a single design carried by men and women alike; we don't cut a separate women's version, because the proportions already work. Each product page gives the exact measurements, so the fit is yours to judge.
The everyday choice is usually between the Shirley and the Camilla, and it comes down to how much of the day you carry at once. We argue it in The Shirley, or the Camilla?
Barrister & Bespoke Curated Collection — hand-selected from Time Resistance, for its craftsmanship and fit within our world. Curated pieces carry their maker's own identity rather than ours; our house collection, designed and branded exclusively for Barrister & Bespoke, is marked separately throughout the shop.