I've already done a Mansur Gavriel Lady Bag Review Part 1 and a Mansur Gavriel Bucket Bags Review, but this is to introduce/review my newest addition, the large veg-tanned Lady Bag. If you read Part 1, you know my main gripe about the smaller calf-leather lady bag was the funky smell. {And an update on that, after a couple weeks it still smells if you put your nose close to it. But at least it doesn't smell up the whole room anymore--yea for the first week it was that bad. I had to "quarantine" my bag in an unused room in my house because the smell was so strong.}
I purchased the large lady bag from The Line, and it was an easy and painless transaction. The bag shipped the next day and I got it 2 days after that (and there was no tax!) so The Line might quite possibly be one of my new favorite online stores.
Without further ado, here's the review:
Pros:
-Smells perfectly fine. No strong smells, and in fact it has a good leather smell.
-The veg-tanned leather works really well for this bag. I would say the veg-tanned leather is way better for the shape of the lady bag than it is for the bucket bags. Since the bucket bags are so round, the stiff leather makes it too bulky. But the lady bag doesn't have any of that bulk. I even prefer the veg-tanned over the calf leather because for the veg-tanned the flap doesn't pucker like it does for the calf leather one {see pic above}.
-Cute contrasting interior. This one is Ballerina on the inside {though you can't really see it when it's closed.}
-The classic style and the ability to securely close the flap.
Cons:
-The size! This bag is so enormous! (I'm 5'4" for reference) It's 16.5 x 6.5 x 12.75 inches and it's just too large for me to carry. Plus I just don't have that many things I need to carry on daily basis.
-I don't think it's The Line (the shop I purchased this from) that did this, but my lovely MG bag came pre-scratched. I don't know how it already got so many scratches, but I've read else where that someone else had this problem. So I'm wondering if it's a problem somewhere along the distribution channel. For over $1000, you'd hope your bag wouldn't have large gouges all over the body.
So the final verdict on Mansur Gavriel Lady bags? Not to sound like Goldilocks here, but I'm still having trouble finding the right one. I think the one that will best suit my needs is the regular size, in veg-tanned leather. Will I be able to get one during this Tuesday's Mansur Gavriel relaunch? I have my fingers crossed!
{Some tips about the relaunch on the Mansur Gavriel website: it's on Tuesday 7/28 at 11AM EST, so that's 8AM for us Californians. And I would say get on the site around 7:45AM, already have the bag you want picked out and just keep clicking refresh from 7:55AM or so. And if you're lucky enough to snag the one that you want, go to checkout asap. You only have 5 minutes to complete the purchase once you get it into your cart. Also, they have a limit of one bag per customer. If you don't get your first choice, you probably won't be able to get your second unless it's a tote or backpack but it doesn't hurt to try. I predict the regular Lady Bags are going to go first followed by the bucket bags. So good luck y'all}
{9.24.15 update: if you're interested, I've decided to sell my MG tote. Details here on how to buy.}