In praise of Emma Hill

Emma Hill, at right, with me, at Mulberry Manhattan, Fashion's Night Out

As neither Mulberry nor Emma Hill have released statements yet, it may be too soon to wail in despair that the beachy-haired Brit is stepping down as creative director at the witty, sturdy British accessories label.

But with reports flooding in from Grazia and WWD claiming just that - that Hill is parting ways with Mulberry after six years at its helm - I can only conclude that this bodes well for my wallet but not my heart.

You see, I love Hill's vision at Mulberry. I have nine Mulberry handbags created under her tenure; I adore every single one. I tried to adore the thicker leathers of the older styles hunted down on eBay - the kinds of bags created under the reign of Stuart Ververs, but it was never love. Mulberry, specifically Emma Hill's Mulberry, has exerted a powerful grip over my imagination for some time now. It's very hard to articulate exactly why my small Bayswater satchel in flame makes me tingle with excitement and why I stroke the leather like a cherished pet. I can't say why it is Hill's latest blockbuster, the Willow with detachable clutch, especially in emerald, turns my dials up to 11. Oh, Emma! From small ocean blue Mabel in lightweight antiqued leather to the deep green little Poppy snapped up at David Jones with my stimulus money to the glossy ink patent leather Bayswater clutch with secret pocket for a paperback novel for the train ride home to the huge and strangely faded purple Bayswater that has seen me through many a fashion week, I can't imagine another label that has provided more delight.

What else? I just love the celebrity snaps of Hill at Mulberry's Coachella pool parties: Hill with Emma Watson, a lanky Nina Dobrev on Ian Smoulder's arm. I love how she hangs out with Kate Moss. I love her runway shows and the oversized gnomes and English country gardens, the melted ice creams, the precious doggies in rain macs. I love that she is a critical and commercial success (maybe less so in recent years; this could be linked to the unabashed price rises at Mulberry, *cough cough*).

Not everyone will miss her as I do. Die-hard Mulberry fans at the Purse Forum have given her mixed reviews - some reject the way her Mulberries seem to cater to celebrities, but even those who don't rate her highly have conceded to the fact she overhauled the label into something greatly covetable. I agree: pre-Emma Mulberries are a little stale, a little musty. Emma's Mulberries were forever young. They had a lot of zing, a lot of verve, a lot of joie de vivre. 

A place for Hill, according to speculation anyway, is Coach. I can't really see myself losing my head over a Coach bag, but you never know. Emma Hill, I swear, is a magician.