hi elaine! i'm not sure if you've made a decision yet, but i'd love to throw in my 2 cents
i say...BALENCIAGA ALL THE WAY!! i'm a little biased, of course, because a balenciaga city will be my next purchase. i know nothing about the mid afternoon...have you ever considered a city? they can be hand held or carried on the shoulder, and they hold a lot (by my standards anyway)! the city is about 10"h x 15"w x 3.5"d.
as far as the color goes, bal has a ton of delicious reds! they are to die for!! obviously, since bal discontinues their colors after every season, you'd have to look to ebay to find the past reds (rouge vif and rouge theatre are my favorites!) sometimes there is old stock left over, so if you find a past red you love, then call around and see if anyone has it in stock. also, aloha rag carries bbags and they are wonderful to work with! to find out what they have in stock, email
love@aloharag.com.
bal is releasing a red called "rouge" (aka "tomato") for the fall season. you might want to check into that as well! i think all 3 types of hardware are available (regular, giant gold, as well as the new and fabulous giant silver).
okay, well...i hope you made it through my ramblings!!
