Mulberry bags are renowned for their quality and distinctly British style. Mulberry is a designer brand with a designer price tag… and now a reader named Kate has challenged us to find her a large Mulberry handbag for under £100.

A shot from an August 2009 Mulberry fashion show in Copenhagen

Eek! This could be a tricky one! In fact, it might be downright impossible, but hopefully that’s not the case. We’re so determined to deliver on Kate’s challenge that the three of us – StylishMoola, CannyMoola and yours truly – are taking it upon ourselves to turn London upside down until we find that handbag… or something even better, of course.

I’m kicking things off with a look at what’s sitting on Mulberry’s shelves — this is our starting point, bearing in mind that £100 is the price to beat.

On the starting line

This season Mulberry is stocking the gorgeous Mabel series, including the Mabel hobo, yours for £595. Handbag fetishists can also gorge themselves on the stunning purple Daria hobo at £650 and the Bayswater shoulder bag in oak natural leather at £550. Far pricier, but so perfectly beautiful, is the Abigail East West Shopper in chocolate suede croc print at £895. Clearly, the bar is high — in terms of craftsmanship, style and price.

Setting out the rules

For this challenge, we’re going to include good-quality vintage handbags. This means we can open our search up to secondhand shops and the odd lucky charity shop. We’ll take this challenge in turns over the coming weeks, hopefully finishing our search with the handbag Kate is looking for, as well as a few other finds.

On your marks… get set… GO!