Madewell bags? Share here!

Hello everyone! I just ordered the Madewell Mini Transport Crossbody in English Saddle! I can't wait to receive it!

Who else has a Madewell bag? I'd love to see pics! :smile:

I bought their transport tote at Madewell last year and I returned it right away. The leather felt really cheap and the handles are flimsy. And when I read the reviews on Nordstrom, lots of people mentioned that the handles are really thin like it's going to snap if the bag is too full. For $100 I expected better quality from this company.

I hope you like your bag, though! I do occasionally go into Madewell to look at the bags and the leather smells nice. I want their drawstring bags but not for the current price they're charging for it. Enjoy your tote!
 
I just got my madewell mini transport tote. I returned a mbmj too hot to handle top handle and the leather on that one felt amazing, soft and buttery, smelled like leather. I bought this online and picked up in store, it feels fake. It feels like faux leather and is super thin. Online it says it's made of vegan tanned leather. It was $140. Same as the mbmj. It's my first madewell purchase. It's a cute bag but I'm wondering if it's worth the price. Anyone have this bag or can tell me more about it ? Thanks

20170628_162858%7E3.jpeg
 
Hello everyone! I just ordered the Madewell Mini Transport Crossbody in English Saddle! I can't wait to receive it!

Who else has a Madewell bag? I'd love to see pics! :smile:

I bought their transport tote at Madewell last year and I returned it right away. The leather felt really cheap and the handles are flimsy. And when I read the reviews on Nordstrom, lots of people mentioned that the handles are really thin like it's going to snap if the bag is too full. For $100 I expected better quality from this company.

I hope you like your bag, though! I do occasionally go into Madewell to look at the bags and the leather smells nice. I want their drawstring bags but not for the current price they're charging for it. Enjoy your tote!
I'm pretty upset. I purchased a MBMJ small top handle tote for $139 and returned it. The bag was great and the leather was buttery. High quality bag but I didn't like the front flap closure. I had a madewell store close to me so without looking in person I returned my mbmj and got the Madewell min transport tote...



The leather is completely different than the mbmj. It doesn't smell like leather , doesn't feel like leather , it is cheap feeling and thin. It was on sale for 129 too (140 with tax). Online it says it's made of real leather not faux leather. It's a cute bag and I love the simplicity of it just not for $140. Should I keep it ? I'm not sure if the aesthetics are worth it

20170628_162626%7E2.jpeg
 
The leather is completely different than the mbmj. It doesn't smell like leather , doesn't feel like leather , it is cheap feeling and thin. It was on sale for 129 too (140 with tax). Online it says it's made of real leather not faux leather. It's a cute bag and I love the simplicity of it just not for $140. Should I keep it ? I'm not sure if the aesthetics are worth it

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For the quality it's not worth it at all. It is like you said, very cheap feeling and thin. $140 is still too high for the horrendous quality. You can find better bags for that kind of money. I say return it and find something better. Have you tried Etsy? I remember a seller called Hustle and Hide made a bag similar to that one and their leathers are to die for. Very soft, thick, and sturdy.

Here is their ren tote which looks similar to your Madewell bag:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/525687335/the-ren-tote-horween-leather-co-essex

It costs a quite bit more than the Madewell but you will get a beautiful quality bag, so it makes up for the price. The leather here is called Horween and it's beautiful, rich, buttery soft, sturdy leather. The bag is also customizable too so if you need anything added or removed (or if you want a different type of leather such as their signature kodiak leather), just let the seller know. They can even make their bag the same size as the Madewell, too! The seller's name is Teddi and she is super sweet so don't be afraid to ask.

Hope you will find your perfect bag soon!
 

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I looked at this bag on the Madewell site. It said it was made of vegetable tanned leather, which is the dying process. It stated that it used genuine leather.
Leather can come in different grades so this may be maid with a lower grade leather.
 
I bought their transport tote at Madewell last year and I returned it right away. The leather felt really cheap and the handles are flimsy. And when I read the reviews on Nordstrom, lots of people mentioned that the handles are really thin like it's going to snap if the bag is too full. For $100 I expected better quality from this company.

I hope you like your bag, though! I do occasionally go into Madewell to look at the bags and the leather smells nice. I want their drawstring bags but not for the current price they're charging for it. Enjoy your tote!
My friend wears hers everyday and she is a teacher and carries a ton. Hers still looks great no issues whatsoever .
 
I looked at this bag on the Madewell site. It said it was made of vegetable tanned leather, which is the dying process. It stated that it used genuine leather.
Leather can come in different grades so this may be maid with a lower grade leather.
. I picked mine in person. I don't think I would buy any vegtanned bag online because you can't hide flaws with this process very well.
 
I ordered a Madewell bag a couple of years ago and it barely made it out of the box because of the poor quality. It just looked very cheap to me all around so it immediately went back. There are tons of good choices out there for quality leather totes, even a vintage Coach tote is preferable to me over a Madewell tote.
 
For the quality it's not worth it at all. It is like you said, very cheap feeling and thin. $140 is still too high for the horrendous quality. You can find better bags for that kind of money. I say return it and find something better. Have you tried Etsy? I remember a seller called Hustle and Hide made a bag similar to that one and their leathers are to die for. Very soft, thick, and sturdy.

Here is their ren tote which looks similar to your Madewell bag:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/525687335/the-ren-tote-horween-leather-co-essex

It costs a quite bit more than the Madewell but you will get a beautiful quality bag, so it makes up for the price. The leather here is called Horween and it's beautiful, rich, buttery soft, sturdy leather. The bag is also customizable too so if you need anything added or removed (or if you want a different type of leather such as their signature kodiak leather), just let the seller know. They can even make their bag the same size as the Madewell, too! The seller's name is Teddi and she is super sweet so don't be afraid to ask.

Hope you will find your perfect bag soon!

Thank you! That bag does look so gorgeous! I'm on somewhat of a budget right now which is why I thought the Madewell would work :le sigh:

I looked at this bag on the Madewell site. It said it was made of vegetable tanned leather, which is the dying process. It stated that it used genuine leather.
Leather can come in different grades so this may be maid with a lower grade leather.

This could be true as well. Hadn't thought of that.

I have the hole punch transport tote and it's great quality! It's held up quite well though scratches easily. I use it as a work bag so that doesn't bother me though.

https://www.madewell.com/p/madewell_category/bags/totes/the-holepunch-transport-tote/a5921

Looks lovely!

I don't use it because I don't carry much but when I bought it I looked at everyone they had and bought the best Hide.

I ordered a Madewell bag a couple of years ago and it barely made it out of the box because of the poor quality. It just looked very cheap to me all around so it immediately went back. There are tons of good choices out there for quality leather totes, even a vintage Coach tote is preferable to me over a Madewell tote.

Also true..I would have preferred not to pay $140 for this bag





Ladies, if anyone was curious I did major digging on the brand. Apparently they don't use a topcoat to their leather products (meaning easy to stain) in order to keep the leather as natural as possible and to allow it to patina. I also read that they use the vegetable tanning method because its eco friendly and is supposedly more durable? I'm just summarizing this from what I remember reading so if there's any corrections to be made - please re post and edit! Not sure why it's so freaking lightweight and thin though.

How to take care & soften the leather:
https://blog.madewell.com/2016/01/22/how-to-care-for-a-leather-bag-5-tips-2/
 
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