Who doesn’t love handbags? I will admit that I have a slight bag addiction. The only thing preventing me from filling my closets with bags and purses is that the gorgeous, high-quality ones that I want are totally out of my price range…. or so I thought, until I discovered Melie Bianco!

The whole philosophy of Melie Bianco is affordable luxury. They understand that we all want fashionable, well-designed handbags but they are well aware that virtually nobody can afford a bag with a $500 price tag. So Melissa and William, founders of Melie Bianco, set out on a quest to create stylish bags on a budget. Would you say that they’ve achieved their goal by looking at the handbags below, knowing that each and everyone of them is under $150?

As you can see, they offer tons of different styles, from shoulder bags to clutches and hobos. When I first browsed through their collections, that’s one of the first things I noticed. They are not limiting themselves design-wise to just a few types of bags. They offer tons of options to choose from which means everyone is sure to find at least one bag (most likely 10 bags!) that they fall in love with. Similarly, there is no limits to the colors that they offer. Red, orange, blue, purple, neon yellow, tan, black, name your color, they have it! I really like that they offer both bold colors and more neutral ones so you can always find the perfect handbag to match any outfit or occasion. They also offer tablet and smartphone cases and wristlets for glasses, keys or phones.

Another important fact about Melie Bianco’s bags: they are all vegan! Yup, all of them are made of high-quality faux leather (or other non-animal fabrics). Honestly, even with the actual product in my hand, I can hardly believe it’s not real leather. I won’t get into the whole ‘is faux leather greener than real leather’ debate. For me, suffice to say that the bag I received is of such high quality that I’ll be using it for years which means resources weren’t used to create something that will end up in a landfill anytime soon.

Melie Bianco kindly sent me the Alyssa for review. I chose the gorgeous Peacock color but it also comes in Berry, Paprika, Gray, and Black. This bag is generously sized: approximately 15” by 13”. The lining inside is a beautiful gold color with brown polka dots. The metallic accents on the bag are also gold color. It truly looks like a million bucks!

The Alyssa is a shoulder bag but also comes with a detachable strap. I like having both options especially when I have to carry my daughter. I need to have my hands free so the strap comes in handy! I put the strap across my body and carry it like a cross-body bag.

The Alyssa has a magnetic internal snap closure as well as a beautiful golden turn-lock external closure. The bag features 2 small front zipper pockets. They are ideal for keys and cell phone so they are safe but always within easy reach. Inside the bag, there are 2 slots to keep small items and one zipper pocket. The one and only thing I feel is missing with this bag is that there is no middle division. I would have liked the option of separating items: my daughter’s items on one side, my items on the other. It’s not a deal breaker but it would have been nice. Fortunately, the opening is wide and the lining light colored so it’s easy enough to find what I need quickly.

I almost forgot about the best feature of this bag: it is expandable! There is a zipper that goes along the bottom part of the bag that you can unzip to add about 2 inches all around. This is an awesome feature because I can keep the bag smaller if I only carry my things in it but if I need to add a few diapers, wipes, and toys for my daughter, I unzip it to get all the extra space I can get.

As I said before, this bag is quite large. Instead of carrying a handbag and diaper bag, I’ve been able to combine everything that I need into my expanded Alyssa bag! Here’s a picture of it full of all my essentials. I was actually able to fit my wallet, cell phone, keys, tissues, lip gloss, a pen, a reusable shopping bag, 2 cloth diapers (probably the equivalent in size of 4-5 disposable diapers), cloth wipes, a wetbag, a changing pad, a nursing cover, a sippy cup, a small container with crackers, cookies, a change of clothes, a bib, a spoon. Yep, all that fits nicely in my bag! I’m slightly nostalgic of the time when I could leave the house with nothing but my keys and wallet but I’m so happy that to have such a gorgeous bag to carry everything I need.

Please take a moment to head over to Melie Bianco’s website and see for yourself all the great handbags they offer. I promise you won’t regret it! Don’t forget to like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter for the all the latest news, promotions, and giveaways!

Rachel