This^ Usually we notice things that others would never see.
Have I ever told (surely I have) my Hopi tribe story? We know many native Americans are known for amazing weaving and bead work. Well, the Hopi's purposely weave in odd color beads (say, a red in a row of ivory, etc.), because they think only the creator is perfect, and humans are not, thus nothing made by our hands can be made "perfectly," so they put in the things some might see as "flaws" but which they see as how the world should be. I like to think of this analogy in my life, and wish I did more often, as we are only mortal humans, and we truly do not have a "right" to perfection, as this is out of our hands. I do like to think of things such as you describe as giving material possessions "character." They are just part of the stories we weave when we have and use things.
I think this is a good lesson to you to take your things out and use them more often as well, when you get them. I'm a good one to talk this year with all of my moves and things packed, but once I'm settled I'm not going to pack things up again (ever!!!!!!!!!!!!). I hate the idea of my lovely things all boxed up.
I know I may be in for a surprise or two, but I'm most worried about the exotics. I think the rest will be just fine. They do sit boxed up in stores for a while. At least I have them all (I think) safely inside out of the heat.
So think of your bag as another one of those things that life throws to us when we least expect it, and it's for us to find a way to incorporate them into our life and our hearts, just in a different way than we had planned. I know I'm doing a whole lot of things quite not as planned, but in the end things will be better. The same should work out with your bag. One side is just smiling at you sideways, and the stitching is a reminder that we are not perfect, and while we strive to do our best, we can never achieve perfection. That is for other beings.
Please do enjoy your lovely bag.