GRYSON for TARGET - A PFer's Review
I stopped at a suburban Target on my home this eve & they had the Gryson bags out. I honestly don't think they look as bad as some people have said -- in fact, I think of all the "Designer" bags that Target's had, Gryson is by far the best one yet. There are similarities between Gryson's full line and this one she's done for Target. You can see where she drew her inspiration from (i.e., the Satchel is obviously based on the Olivia & Skye bags)
The "woven leather" ones looked much nicer than I had expected & they're very soft. They only had the satchel in white, but they had the smaller msgr style in white, blue and black. I do see why some people are concerned that the weaving might get caught & come loose -- it's not a really tight weave, there are gaps & spaces. The problem w/the woven satchel is that they don't open very wide to get inside. I unzipped the bag & it barely stretched open -- maybe in time (and w/o tissue paper stuffed inside) it might open wider, but it really seemed like it would be a pain to get in & out of, otherwise I might have bought one. It really is a pretty bag & the details are much nicer than other bags in this price range.
The drawstring bag, which is the one I was really excited about, is much larger than I was expecting -- It's more like a tote than a shoulder bag. I really liked how it carried w/the braided handles & longer shoulder strap. It's a great oversized, slouchy bag. The blue is a really pretty shade -- it's like a smoke/grey blue. Really pretty (I'd love to find an actual designer bag in this color!). Maybe once the bags get marked down (clearanced price) I might buy this bag. I liked it a lot, it's just so darned big!!
The Large Tote (w/transparent front & woven pockets) would make a great diaper bag -- I'm going to see if my daughter might like that one. If you have any need for a tote, this would work great. The pockets on the front are perfect for a cell phone and credit cards & money (you can probably even fit your checkbook in there)
The bag I was most impressed with was the satchel. It is very similar to the Olivia & Skye bags. Of course, you can see the differences, but you can see that those are the bags she drew inspiration for with this design. They only had the black one & I really wanted the blue. I think the blue will be an online exclusive, since the SA looked it up for me and not a single store has it in Blue. But looking back at its pic, I'm not sure I'll like the white patent trim. Altho it's not made of leather, it's actually very soft. What's really impressive about all these bags is the lining -- it's a thicker canvas in a nice cream color -- it reminds me of the yellow-ish/cream colored lining MJ used several yrs ago in his classic collection. The Gryson tissue is another nice touch (altho I'd still rather have a sleeper than Gryson tissue paper!!). I do wonder how the braided handles will hold up. They seem pretty sturdy -- of course, not as strong as the ones on the full line bags, so we'll have to see whether they stretch out or eventually break.
I think I might still order the Blue Satchel online (when its available) and keep either the Black or the Blue -- Since the black one is so similar to my Olivia bag, it'll be a nice "substitute" when I feel like being lazy and don't want to carry one of my nicer bags.
Of course these bags don't compare to Gryson's full line, but I don't think they should. The designs and styles are what makes them "Gryson" and nothing compares to the leather and suede used on the full line bags. But if someone likes the look of Gryson but doesn't have or want to shell out the $500-$1k for a bag, I think these are a nice substitute (they even have the metal hangtag that says Gryson for Target!).
Here are a couple of pics of the Black Satchel and the lining -- plus one showing a comparison between the Olivia and the Target Satchel.
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*Carpe diem!!*
