Scaramanga Loves Bloggers: Tigerlilly Quinn

Here at Scaramanga, we send out hundreds of leather satchels and travel bags every week, so it's always nice to see where they end up and how they're worn. We decided to get together with some of our favourite bloggers for a new series, where they give us a sneak peek into their style and show us their favourite way to accessorise with a Scaramanga satchel. First up, Fritha from the lovely Tigerlilly Quinn blog. Writer and illustrator Fritha lives in Bristol with her family and two cats, and divides her time between caring for her son Wilf, running the successful online shop Tigerlilly Quinn and working on her popular blog. We caught up with her for a quick chat about satchels, style and a long-term love of all things vintage. Hi Fritha, we love your style - how would you describe the way you dress? I've always been a fan of vintage clothing, particularly things from the 1950s and 60s. I live in dresses, and actually only own one pair of jeans (which are actually a recent purchase!), which is probably why I love everything from the mid-century period. I'd say my style is quite feminine; I wear a lot of tea dresses with cardigans, and adore bright colours and floral patterns. How would you say your style has changed since becoming a Mum? To be honest, I don't think it's changed much at all; I still wear the same styles as before - the only difference was that after Wilf was born all dresses and tops needed to be breastfeeding friendly! If anything, I'd say I've embraced fashion a bit more since becoming a Mum; previously, I worked full time in an office which meant quite a lot of pretty boring black and grey combinations. How important is ethical manufacturing to you when looking for clothing and accessories? Shopping ethically is incredibly important to me; I try my hardest to buy fairly traded products, although a lot of my clothing is vintage so I can't be sure how they were produced. If I buy new clothing, I try to buy from companies such as People Tree - it's worth paying more as the quality is so much better, you can really tell the difference. We love vintage and retro items here at Scaramanga too - what is it that attracts you to this particular style? I love that vintage clothing and accessories already have their own story - I often wonder who owned them before, and what their life was like. It's also a great testament to the quality of the items, as they've last for over fifty years! Which satchel did you pick and why? I needed a bag big enough for my work life and my Mum life - basically, something that was sturdy but not too cumbersome. The large wide leather satchel just seemed like the perfect option! Were there any features of the satchel that you particularly liked? I really liked how simple the design was; a front pocket, a large inside space and an internal pocket, but still roomy enough for my needs. I've bought bags before that have had so many compartments, I've put things in there and forgotten them - once I found a month old banana. Not nice! Did you manage to fit in everything that you needed? Yes, perfectly. I kept toddler snacks in the front pocket, so they were easily accessible, and the main compartment was ideal for my work essentials; my DSLR camera, notebook and laptop all fit in quite easily - perfect if I'm off to a meeting or spending my day working from a cafe. The inside pocket I used to hold a spare nappy, wipes, my keys and my wallet - perfect! Thanks to Fritha for taking part in our Bloggers series - you can see more pictures over on her lovely blog.