I've been eyeing the Bedford Large Bowling Satchel in black and want to get some feed back. Does the bag hold up well and age well? Do you find the pebbled leather to be durable? Here are a few pictures below.
I have this bag in the medium size and I love it. It always looks polished and goes well with so many different outfits. The pebbled leather is super soft, yet durable. Plus, I really like the "leather smell"... I know, I'm weird!
Since this material is softer than a lot of the other MK leathers, I try to take really good care of it, especially keeping it clean overall and stuffed when not in use so that the shape of the bag holds well. My cousin has the same bag, but hers isn't holding up as nicely as mine because she's not as meticulous about storage as I am. She kept hers unstuffed for a while and now it has a horizontal crease down the middle of the bag. The fact that bags made of the pebbled leather seem to slouch more than most of the others is one of the biggest reasons why I went with a medium size Bedford rather than a large. The medium holds a ridiculous amount of stuff, but is still small enough to keep from slouching too much for my liking.
Either way, I say go for it! The Bedford has such different lines from the rest of the more popular MK's, so you'll have some variety in your collection.
I noticed that it is pretty slouchy, especially if it's not filled to compacity. The large was a little too large for me so I will definitely be on the lookout for a medium. The large I found was at TJ maxx for an incredible deal so maybe I will luck up on a medium soon.