Massaccesi Handbags

[porpentine]

Your post inspired me to use my Little Valerie today. I actually forgot I have this. Little Valerie deserves more attention!
View attachment 5299550

I love this soooo much. I saw the photos of this on the FB group too. I'm actually ordering a contrasting colour little Valerie which I placed before I saw your pictures! hope it looks as great as yours! May I ask what colour is the hardware on this piece? and what 'feet' did you use? they dont look like the standard square feet!

 

[Kimbashop]

I'm just ordering a little Valerie and I'm really interested to hear your comment about the closure system with the two clips being a bit fussy? Please tell me more! Is it because the bag is unfilled that there is nothing to press against when closing? Do you find it easy when the bag is filled up? thank you

YES -- exactly what you said. The less filled it is, the harder it can be to clip it because the leather bends inward as you are trying to fasten it. If it is full, then this isn't really a problem and the bag is much easier to use. Also, this is a good reason to get structured leather, or ensure with Marco that you are getting stiff backing for less structure leather.

Another Valerie owner! What did you order?

 

[Cleda]

I love this soooo much. I saw the photos of this on the FB group too. I'm actually ordering a contrasting colour little Valerie which I placed before I saw your pictures! hope it looks as great as yours! May I ask what colour is the hardware on this piece? and what 'feet' did you use? they dont look like the standard square feet!

Wonderful choice! Little Valerie is a joy to use. I love opening and closing it, it makes a very satisfying 'click'. The top handle is perfect too, sometimes I bring it out without the strap, just holding it in my hand.

Mine has dark gunmetal hardware and I didn't specify any change to the feet, so it might be the default for Little Valerie. The regular square feet would look too big on the small base.



Dark gunmetal might not be the best choice for Valerie. The top layer of the hardware will peel off slightly. You can see the lighter colour showing at the sides of the clip in my picture, that's where it rubs against the horizontal metal bar when opening and closing. I read about it before ordering but still went with dark gunmetal because I wanted the hardware to blend in with the brown straps.

 

[porpentine]

YES -- exactly what you said. The less filled it is, the harder it can be to clip it because the leather bends inward as you are trying to fasten it. If it is full, then this isn't really a problem and the bag is much easier to use. Also, this is a good reason to get structured leather, or ensure with Marco that you are getting stiff backing for less structure leather.

Another Valerie owner! What did you order?

thank you for this info! I love the little Valerie, a really underrated model, I think. I'm going with tan Handmade Vacchetta body, and navy Handmade Vacchetta trim. I have actually ordered my Valerie with some modifications which I made before the posts about this! What I asked for is:
* not too stiff, slightly slouchy (hmm)
* concealed magnetic closures instead of the push down clips.
* buckles concealing the magnetic closures - making it look like they are buckled.

I'm really hoping that the magnetic closures will make it easy to close, even when the bag is empty, and especially because I have asked for it to be not fully stiff. It will be interesting to see how this comes out!

 

[porpentine]

Wonderful choice! Little Valerie is a joy to use. I love opening and closing it, it makes a very satisfying 'click'. The top handle is perfect too, sometimes I bring it out without the strap, just holding it in my hand.

Mine has dark gunmetal hardware and I didn't specify any change to the feet, so it might be the default for Little Valerie. The regular square feet would look too big on the small base.

View attachment 5301346

Dark gunmetal might not be the best choice for Valerie. The top layer of the hardware will peel off slightly. You can see the lighter colour showing at the sides of the clip in my picture, that's where it rubs against the horizontal metal bar when opening and closing. I read about it before ordering but still went with dark gunmetal because I wanted the hardware to blend in with the brown straps.

View attachment 5301347

Thank you for sharing. I actually LOVE the way your hardware has worn though a little. Is that leather the Sorrento goat? so jealous, I missed out on it.

 

[Devyn Danielle]

thank you for this info! I love the little Valerie, a really underrated model, I think. I'm going with tan Handmade Vacchetta body, and navy Handmade Vacchetta trim. I have actually ordered my Valerie with some modifications which I made before the posts about this! What I asked for is:
* not too stiff, slightly slouchy (hmm)
* concealed magnetic closures instead of the push down clips.
* buckles concealing the magnetic closures - making it look like they are buckled.

I'm really hoping that the magnetic closures will make it easy to close, even when the bag is empty, and especially because I have asked for it to be not fully stiff. It will be interesting to see how this comes out!

Looking forward to seeing your bag. I love the idea of magnetic closures.

 

[dramaprincess713]

thank you for this info! I love the little Valerie, a really underrated model, I think. I'm going with tan Handmade Vacchetta body, and navy Handmade Vacchetta trim. I have actually ordered my Valerie with some modifications which I made before the posts about this! What I asked for is:
* not too stiff, slightly slouchy (hmm)
* concealed magnetic closures instead of the push down clips.
* buckles concealing the magnetic closures - making it look like they are buckled.

I'm really hoping that the magnetic closures will make it easy to close, even when the bag is empty, and especially because I have asked for it to be not fully stiff. It will be interesting to see how this comes out!

I hate to potentially overstep, but if it's not too late, might I suggest you go with regular magnetic closures instead of hidden ones? Or, to ask Marco about the strength of concealed magnetic closures? I got a concealed magnetic closure for my Victoria. Marco had warned me that a concealed magnetic closure wouldn't be as strong as a regular one, but I went with it anyway because I thought that if I wanted to use the bag with the flap tucked away, I didn't want the magnetic closure to be visible. Turns out, I basically never want to use the bag with the flap tucked away and because the concealed magnetic closure isn't as strong, it often flaps open on its own if the bag has stuff in it towards the top. It can be quite annoying, and it the one thing I don't love about the bag. Of course though, it's my "fault" - I should have listened to Marco! It's minor in the long run - I absolutely love the bag overall, but if I could do it again or if I ever get another Victoria, I will be keeping the regular magnetic closure. I realize there are a lot of things that can impact the strength of a magnetic closure, and I imagine it varies depending on style and leather, so it may be just fine on your Little Valerie, but I wanted to bring it up just as a point of consideration.

 

[afroken]

I hate to potentially overstep, but if it's not too late, might I suggest you go with regular magnetic closures instead of hidden ones? Or, to ask Marco about the strength of concealed magnetic closures? I got a concealed magnetic closure for my Victoria. Marco had warned me that a concealed magnetic closure wouldn't be as strong as a regular one, but I went with it anyway because I thought that if I wanted to use the bag with the flap tucked away, I didn't want the magnetic closure to be visible. Turns out, I basically never want to use the bag with the flap tucked away and because the concealed magnetic closure isn't as strong, it often flaps open on its own if the bag has stuff in it towards the top. It can be quite annoying, and it the one thing I don't love about the bag. Of course though, it's my "fault" - I should have listened to Marco! It's minor in the long run - I absolutely love the bag overall, but if I could do it again or if I ever get another Victoria, I will be keeping the regular magnetic closure. I realize there are a lot of things that can impact the strength of a magnetic closure, and I imagine it varies depending on style and leather, so it may be just fine on your Little Valerie, but I wanted to bring it up just as a point of consideration.

Completely agree. I also have a bag with hidden magnetic closure (Calista Midi) and it won’t stay closed. If given the chance again I wouldn’t have chosen that type of closure.

 

[porpentine]

Completely agree. I also have a bag with hidden magnetic closure (Calista Midi) and it won’t stay closed. If given the chance again I wouldn’t have chosen that type of closure.

I hate to potentially overstep, but if it's not too late, might I suggest you go with regular magnetic closures instead of hidden ones? Or, to ask Marco about the strength of concealed magnetic closures? I got a concealed magnetic closure for my Victoria. Marco had warned me that a concealed magnetic closure wouldn't be as strong as a regular one, but I went with it anyway because I thought that if I wanted to use the bag with the flap tucked away, I didn't want the magnetic closure to be visible. Turns out, I basically never want to use the bag with the flap tucked away and because the concealed magnetic closure isn't as strong, it often flaps open on its own if the bag has stuff in it towards the top. It can be quite annoying, and it the one thing I don't love about the bag. Of course though, it's my "fault" - I should have listened to Marco! It's minor in the long run - I absolutely love the bag overall, but if I could do it again or if I ever get another Victoria, I will be keeping the regular magnetic closure. I realize there are a lot of things that can impact the strength of a magnetic closure, and I imagine it varies depending on style and leather, so it may be just fine on your Little Valerie, but I wanted to bring it up just as a point of consideration.

OK thank you both for this! I will definitely ask if it is not too late to change this!!

 

[Kimbashop]

Wonderful choice! Little Valerie is a joy to use. I love opening and closing it, it makes a very satisfying 'click'. The top handle is perfect too, sometimes I bring it out without the strap, just holding it in my hand.

Mine has dark gunmetal hardware and I didn't specify any change to the feet, so it might be the default for Little Valerie. The regular square feet would look too big on the small base.

View attachment 5301346

Dark gunmetal might not be the best choice for Valerie. The top layer of the hardware will peel off slightly. You can see the lighter colour showing at the sides of the clip in my picture, that's where it rubs against the horizontal metal bar when opening and closing. I read about it before ordering but still went with dark gunmetal because I wanted the hardware to blend in with the brown straps.

View attachment 5301347

Interesting -- mine has little square feet.

 

[Kimbashop]

thank you for this info! I love the little Valerie, a really underrated model, I think. I'm going with tan Handmade Vacchetta body, and navy Handmade Vacchetta trim. I have actually ordered my Valerie with some modifications which I made before the posts about this! What I asked for is:
* not too stiff, slightly slouchy (hmm)
* concealed magnetic closures instead of the push down clips.
* buckles concealing the magnetic closures - making it look like they are buckled.

I'm really hoping that the magnetic closures will make it easy to close, even when the bag is empty, and especially because I have asked for it to be not fully stiff. It will be interesting to see how this comes out!

Your bag sounds lovely. I can't wait to see how your modifications work. And the vacchetta combination will make for a very classic (and classy) bag.

 

[Cleda]

Thank you for sharing. I actually LOVE the way your hardware has worn though a little. Is that leather the Sorrento goat? so jealous, I missed out on it.

It's in dark amethyst Verona. I'm also sad to have missed out on Sorrento goat, it looks really lovely.

Regarding the closure, when I first read your post about concealed magnetic closures, I assume it's just concealed when bag is closed. But the magnets are in direct contact with each other. In that case, it should be fine. Concealed magnets that may be a little weak I imagine would be those behind a layer of leather.

Personally, I like the clean look of the front and would want to be sure that any changes will not create a bulky look or trailing flaps under the magnet closure that may lift up over time. Again, this is just my personal preference. It's worth checking with Marco on specific understanding about how a magnet closure will function and affect the appearance. Might help to even send him some images of closure styles that you have in mind.

E.g. What came to my mind when I think about concealed magnetic closure.


E.g. Trailing strap that tends to lift over time. I dislike this on most satchel style bags, yet I like the overall satchel look. So I was very happy when I discovered the Valerie style which has a clean and neat look.

Interesting -- mine has little square feet.

Interesting indeed! I wonder why it changed. Mine was ordered Nov 2019. Is your square feet the same size as the ones on each side of the top handle?

 

[porpentine]

It's in dark amethyst Verona. I'm also sad to have missed out on Sorrento goat, it looks really lovely.

Regarding the closure, when I first read your post about concealed magnetic closures, I assume it's just concealed when bag is closed. But the magnets are in direct contact with each other. In that case, it should be fine. Concealed magnets that may be a little weak I imagine would be those behind a layer of leather.

Personally, I like the clean look of the front and would want to be sure that any changes will not create a bulky look or trailing flaps under the magnet closure that may lift up over time. Again, this is just my personal preference. It's worth checking with Marco on specific understanding about how a magnet closure will function and affect the appearance. Might help to even send him some images of closure styles that you have in mind.

E.g. What came to my mind when I think about concealed magnetic closure.
View attachment 5301658 View attachment 5301659

E.g. Trailing strap that tends to lift over time. I dislike this on most satchel style bags, yet I like the overall satchel look. So I was very happy when I discovered the Valerie style which has a clean and neat look.
View attachment 5301665



Interesting indeed! I wonder why it changed. Mine was ordered Nov 2019. Is your square feet the same size as the ones on each side of the top handle?

Thank you for this! Yes, that's the sort of closure I had in mind, I emailed Marco to clarify this, I hope he sees my message. I actually don't mind slightly longer trailing straps, I think. I'm willing to take the risk at least!

 

[porpentine]

sorry to make another post, but can anyone tell me about how they got Marco to emboss their personal monogram? @SouthernPurseGal would love to hear about how you did that, and anyone else whose got one! Thank you!

 

[Kimbashop]

It's in dark amethyst Verona. I'm also sad to have missed out on Sorrento goat, it looks really lovely.

Regarding the closure, when I first read your post about concealed magnetic closures, I assume it's just concealed when bag is closed. But the magnets are in direct contact with each other. In that case, it should be fine. Concealed magnets that may be a little weak I imagine would be those behind a layer of leather.

Personally, I like the clean look of the front and would want to be sure that any changes will not create a bulky look or trailing flaps under the magnet closure that may lift up over time. Again, this is just my personal preference. It's worth checking with Marco on specific understanding about how a magnet closure will function and affect the appearance. Might help to even send him some images of closure styles that you have in mind.

E.g. What came to my mind when I think about concealed magnetic closure.
View attachment 5301658 View attachment 5301659

E.g. Trailing strap that tends to lift over time. I dislike this on most satchel style bags, yet I like the overall satchel look. So I was very happy when I discovered the Valerie style which has a clean and neat look.
View attachment 5301665



Interesting indeed! I wonder why it changed. Mine was ordered Nov 2019. Is your square feet the same size as the ones on each side of the top handle?

Agree with you about the neat look of the Valerie. I have a PS1 tiny and the trailing straps drive me nuts. Love the bag except for that part of it.

I agree with you about the satisfying click!

The square feet are tiny, much smaller than the squares at the top of the bag and only slightly bigger than the circular metal details: