Massaccesi Handbags

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River vachetta is my favorite of all the Massaccesi leathers ever. (although I have admired so many of his) It is just such a gorgeous deep midnight that I have missed it the most, out of all the bags of Marco's I've had and then gifted or sold. I am a sucker for neutrals that are kind of unusual and have a bit of interest to them. I also love the dark taupe vachetta, but I get to see it every day at my workplace because a very sweet lady named Mary is carrying her Angelica in that leather. Black vachetta is also amazing but I have had really good luck recreating what I like about that leather (saturated, blacker than inky black effect with a glow) when painting vintage Chanels black so I don't miss it. But darn it if I can't stop thinking about that river vachetta. There has been no other MM leather that has left that kind of footprint in my memories and I am so excited my Astra satchel will be in that darkest of midnight navy blue colors.
Because.... yes I have more items in very dark navy in my wardrobe than any other! Mostly slacks, and of course dark denim. I have a denim jacket I have been wearing a ton, and lots of (mostly flowy wide leg) dark blue slacks in cupro (vegan silk) material. I counted up the items in my wardrobe yesterday that are dark blue/navy and the items that are black and indeed, I have more dark blue or navy. So I feel confident I need at least one navy purse and do not have one so there you go! Astra satchel to the rescue! Blue is my favorite color, so the light blue color block and lining will just help bring out the blue undertones in the river vachetta and give an overall impression of the Atlantic Ocean against the sky or something like that.
 
I am definitely interested in getting that gorgeous Astra satchel. Out of the three I like its shape and proportions the most, and while I do have a similarly sized satchel handbag, I consider it more of a casual bag because of the print and material. I am thinking about a more 'classic black bag' look for my Astra, with something striking for that color block.

I am trying to decide between Nappa and Pompei leathers, but I do not have a full bag in either leather. Ladies who have both - how would you differentiate between the two? What qualities would you prefer for one over the other?

I have bags is Pompeii and Nappa and they are very different to me. Pompeii will never soften and slouch whereas Nappa definitely will (I have a Sabrina in Nappa and it drapes beautifully). Pompeii is smooth but edgy. Nappa is smooth and ultra-lux.

If you are getting the satchel, I would recommend the Pompeii over the Nappa because its beauty is in its curvaceous yet crisp lines and I would think you would want it to keep that look. I think the Nappa would be great in the Hobo because softening leather will only enhance its hobo-ness and make it more huggable.
 
If you ask about this would you please come back and post his response. If there's additional cost, too?
Please let me know if the D rings can be attached to the sides. That would make a big difference for me.
Here is his reply:

"We can remove half-rings from Astra Satchel handle and we can use side attachments as we do on Astra Crossbody. Cost of that extra is € 25."

I also asked about adding an exterior back pocket and that is also no problem, but I didn't ask the price. It's usually reasonable.

Lastly, I'm an unstructured bag girl most of the time, so I asked about less backing on the satchel. He said: "No problem in using a lighter and more flexible backing, satchel will still have a structured look but much less than regular version. Much will depend on which leather you'll select."

Hope this helps!
I'm seriously considering an Astra Satchel with Fiore leather and a contrasting strip of Verona!
 
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I had a birthday this month. I gave everyone on my staff (4 ladies) a massaccesi. Two Angelicas, a little Athena and an Aura. These ladies have never carried a very nice bag before. The one with the Aura said she looked it up and found out --gasp---that these bags cost $129!! And she was horrified. I smiled, thinking yeah maybe you could get an SLG for that.
What a lovely, generous way to celebrate your birthday. These times call for giving, caring gestures such as yours.
 
I am loving the satchel too and if I end up ordering it, I will ask if the long strap D rings can be attached on the sides instead, like it is on the crossbody. This hopefully would alleviate what you're describing because I do know what you're talking about! Someone else has done this with the Mia I think (maybe @tenKrat?) and another style that I can't remember...
Good idea! I was thinking of this too. Either that, or asking to have a handle added to the crossbody so that it functioned like a mini satchel.
 
I have bags is Pompeii and Nappa and they are very different to me. Pompeii will never soften and slouch whereas Nappa definitely will (I have a Sabrina in Nappa and it drapes beautifully). Pompeii is smooth but edgy. Nappa is smooth and ultra-lux.

If you are getting the satchel, I would recommend the Pompeii over the Nappa because its beauty is in its curvaceous yet crisp lines and I would think you would want it to keep that look. I think the Nappa would be great in the Hobo because softening leather will only enhance its hobo-ness and make it more huggable.

Thank you for the description - this was really helpful! I think I am leaning towards Pompei based on your explanation of the two leathers, but I will keep mulling it over while I discuss with Marco. I think that the color options from Pompei match up better to what I have in mind anyway, but I want to take my time with this decision.

Here is his reply:

"We can remove half-rings from Astra Satchel handle and we can use side attachments as we do on Astra Crossbody. Cost of that extra is € 25."

I also asked about adding an exterior back pocket and that is also no problem, but I didn't ask the price. It's usually reasonable.

Lastly, I'm an unstructured bag girl most of the time, so I asked about less backing on the satchel. He said: "No problem in using a lighter and more flexible backing, satchel will still have a structured look but much less than regular version. Much will depend on which leather you'll select."

Hope this helps!
I'm seriously considering an Astra Satchel with Fiore leather and a contrasting strip of Verona!

The idea is tempting (to add the additional hardware for the crossbody option), but I think for myself I prefer the clean lines of the satchel with the crossbody attachments on the carry handle. I think that from a functionality standpoint having the extra attachments would definitely achieve a better 'ease of use' case, but I love how the bag looks without anything on the sides marring the curves.

I have a smaller bag in a similar silhouette (LV Croisette) and I don't remember having too hard of a time messing with opening the bag / using it, so I think the loss of practicality hopefully won't be an issue!

Of course. it also probably depends on use case, right? I see the satchel as a 'fancier' everyday bag for myself, so I wouldn't be hauling it about (in theory) all day with lots of stuff inside. Carrying less for me helps a lot to make getting in/out less challenging - I think a heavier bag is definitely harder to juggle and manage.
 
I have bags is Pompeii and Nappa and they are very different to me. Pompeii will never soften and slouch whereas Nappa definitely will (I have a Sabrina in Nappa and it drapes beautifully). Pompeii is smooth but edgy. Nappa is smooth and ultra-lux.

If you are getting the satchel, I would recommend the Pompeii over the Nappa because its beauty is in its curvaceous yet crisp lines and I would think you would want it to keep that look. I think the Nappa would be great in the Hobo because softening leather will only enhance its hobo-ness and make it more huggable.

Thank you dignatius!

Also, I was wondering between Nappa or Pompei.
I am a soft leather girl and love Astra Hobo design, so I ordered an Astra Hobo of Nappa Colorbrock version (Brownrose and Dark Taupe, as Marco's suggestion).
 
Here is his reply:

"We can remove half-rings from Astra Satchel handle and we can use side attachments as we do on Astra Crossbody. Cost of that extra is € 25."

I also asked about adding an exterior back pocket and that is also no problem, but I didn't ask the price. It's usually reasonable.

Lastly, I'm an unstructured bag girl most of the time, so I asked about less backing on the satchel. He said: "No problem in using a lighter and more flexible backing, satchel will still have a structured look but much less than regular version. Much will depend on which leather you'll select."

Hope this helps!
I'm seriously considering an Astra Satchel with Fiore leather and a contrasting strip of Verona!
Thank you for posting this!:flowers:
 
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The idea is tempting (to add the additional hardware for the crossbody option), but I think for myself I prefer the clean lines of the satchel with the crossbody attachments on the carry handle. I think that from a functionality standpoint having the extra attachments would definitely achieve a better 'ease of use' case, but I love how the bag looks without anything on the sides marring the curves.

I have a smaller bag in a similar silhouette (LV Croisette) and I don't remember having too hard of a time messing with opening the bag / using it, so I think the loss of practicality hopefully won't be an issue!

Of course. it also probably depends on use case, right? I see the satchel as a 'fancier' everyday bag for myself, so I wouldn't be hauling it about (in theory) all day with lots of stuff inside. Carrying less for me helps a lot to make getting in/out less challenging - I think a heavier bag is definitely harder to juggle and manage.
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Another good point about about the hardware. I don't really care for the way it's attached on the hobo for the satchel. I wonder if it could be done from the inside? I would not want the strap rubbing the flap, though.:-s
 
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I have bags is Pompeii and Nappa and they are very different to me. Pompeii will never soften and slouch whereas Nappa definitely will (I have a Sabrina in Nappa and it drapes beautifully). Pompeii is smooth but edgy. Nappa is smooth and ultra-lux.

If you are getting the satchel, I would recommend the Pompeii over the Nappa because its beauty is in its curvaceous yet crisp lines and I would think you would want it to keep that look. I think the Nappa would be great in the Hobo because softening leather will only enhance its hobo-ness and make it more huggable.

Thanks for this explanation. I was thinking of Nappa because I have a few already in Pompeii. I think I will go with Pompeii because I really like the structured look of the satchel. If the Nappa softens too much it could ruin the look. At least for me.
 
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Another good point about about the hardware. I don't really care for the way it's attached on the hobo for the satchel. I wonder if it could be done from the inside? I would not want the strap rubbing the flap, though.:-s

Looking at the pictures, I don't think it work attached from the inside, since the top of the flap extends all the way to the edge of the satchel body - but maybe you can ask Marco for his opinion? I feel the same way about the strap rubbing the flap though - I definitely would not want to compromise the structure of the bag to add a crossbody strap.
 
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Sorry to double post - I haven't finalized it yet but I am in the last stages of finishing my order for the Astra satchel! I did end up going with Pompei in black, most likely with gold hardware. I am having the most difficult time choosing a lining though?! Do I go with my favorite color (purple) or something that complements the bag more?!
 
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