What are the "cons" of popular bags?

[Cathindy]

Specific:
• Chanel’s double flap design is hellish. It’s fussy and makes the bag heavy. Every other bag on the planet is fine without DFs so if Chanels “need” them as many claim<laughs in sturdy single flap>, it’s a design flaw.
• Fendi by the way strap catches my hair every time I wear it.
• Fendi by the way’s corners get saggy and look tired quickly
• Chanel boy bag and Givenchy Antigona wear and “use” in too boxy a fashion.

General:
• Leather lining often makes bags too heavy
• Black hardware is gorgeous but will wear over time. If nothing else the black zipper will turn because of the constant rubbing / use
• An It bag can easily look “dated” which is frustrating if you spend good money to enjoy a trend.
• It bags - like many beautiful designer shoes - are more often designed for looks rather than function.
• Totes targeted to women have skinny “shoulder eating” straps and rarely have the key features (internal organization, space for full sized laptops, or top closure) to be truly functional for work. Designers seem to think women have no needs but to carry a flower bouquet and crusty baguette in a no crime, no weather city and design for that bizarre fantasy.

You totally nailed the Tote bag one I have a designer tote bag for work and indeed have an organizer in it because there are no options for laptop (and accessoire) storage, but the organizer also takes a lot of space and makes the bag even heavier. So, really annoying. I caught myself looking at non designer workbags again because I miss al the smart little pockets.

 

[papertiger]

The original Moynat trunk has a similar curved shape on the bottom. Somehow I think that might be the reason why the LV ones got more popular....

Thank you, I'm sure that the was the one I was thinking of, I think I must have seen it in miniature when they did the personalisation. event.

I think the LV ones became popular because their use of bonded canvas meant they could be made flatter to stack more easily.

 

[A bottle of Red]

Specific:
• Chanel’s double flap design is hellish. It’s fussy and makes the bag heavy. Every other bag on the planet is fine without DFs so if Chanels “need” them as many claim<laughs in sturdy single flap>, it’s a design flaw.
• Fendi by the way strap catches my hair every time I wear it.
• Fendi by the way’s corners get saggy and look tired quickly
• Chanel boy bag and Givenchy Antigona wear and “use” in too boxy a fashion.

General:
• Leather lining often makes bags too heavy
• Black hardware is gorgeous but will wear over time. If nothing else the black zipper will turn because of the constant rubbing / use
• An It bag can easily look “dated” which is frustrating if you spend good money to enjoy a trend.
• It bags - like many beautiful designer shoes - are more often designed for looks rather than function.
• Totes targeted to women have skinny “shoulder eating” straps and rarely have the key features (internal organization, space for full sized laptops, or top closure) to be truly functional for work. Designers seem to think women have no needs but to carry a flower bouquet and crusty baguette in a no crime, no weather city and design for that bizarre fantasy.

My RL Collection/Ricky bags actually come with a wide shoulder strap but my shoulders are narrow & slope so all bag straps fall off lol. Oh well

 

[Sparkletastic]

You totally nailed the Tote bag one I have a designer tote bag for work and indeed have an organizer in it because there are no options for laptop (and accessoire) storage, but the organizer also takes a lot of space and makes the bag even heavier. So, really annoying. I caught myself looking at non designer workbags again because I miss al the smart little pockets.

Completely agree on the organizer. Plus I’m offended I’d have to buy something extra to make a bag that costs thousands of dollars functional. I’ve given up on fashion / designer totes for any real work / life function.

 

[sdkitty]

Completely agree on the organizer. Plus I’m offended I’d have to buy something extra to make a bag that costs thousands of dollars functional. I’ve given up on fashion / designer totes for any real work / life function.

I've stayed away from organizers because I almost always have bags with outside pockets.....so I have a bunch of small stuff in a cosmetics pouch, my wallet and a few other things inside the main compartment and some small things like keys and glasses go in the outside pockets

 

[totally]

We often hear or read people raving about their bags. But most bags have flaws and many might be deal breakers or very annoying features people notice only after wearing the bag around a few times. What "cons" have you noticed in your favourite popular bags?

Mine:
- Some Bulgari Serpenti bags have too many partitions inside which make them so difficult to use if you want to carry anything bigger than a lipstick! I believe most of the new launches don't have that flaw but worth noting.
- Generally, bags that don't have a back pocket to slip cards or keys are annoying.
- The Balenciaga Hourglass is very pretty but due to the curved bottom there is a LOT of dead space.
- Recently bought a Ferragamo bag with a slightly triangular shape so that the bottom is wider than the opening. The bag is smaller than it seems as a lot of things that I thought would fit do not fit through the opening (a book for example - it's too tall to be upright and can't be put in horizontally because of the opening).

I've noticed that about Bulgari Serpenti handbags too! That's why I ended up going for the WOC style. No partitions which means more space, and it even has a back pocket. For the price of a WOC!

Loewe Puzzle bag: The zip opening is a little narrow on the smaller sizes, which can scratch up SLGs if you're in a hurry. Also if you don't carry a lot, I find things tend to swim around the bag, making them hard to find.

Celine Classic (Box) bag: Most of these cons have been mentioned in reviews already, but there are a lot of cons with this bag. The buckles are sharp, you have to be careful with the leather, and it doesn't hold as much as it looks. Could use a back pocket. But it's beautiful

Celine Micro Belt Bag: Strap is not adjustable and a bit too long, the opening is REALLY finnicky as you have to unzip, undo the hook clasp and slip it from under the "belt".

 

[coffee2go]

Agree, so many it-bags are flawed like the current structured hobo style, e.g Prada Cleo, Gucci Diana, YSL 5 a 7 and so on all lack a zip closure, which is huge no-no for me, as I want whatever I put in a bag to be secured. Also with current prices, lots of bags are just out of reach, I mean it’s almost a 2k € now for just a small/medium size bag! Also another major flaw for me is when an empty bag is heavy already, so I always skip heavy bags.

As for specific flaws, I love the look of these bags, but:
- Marni Trunk bag, Celine Box, Fendi Peekaboo, YSL Sac de jour and any other structured bag with inner compartments that fit mostly only flat items, while I like my bags to fit some bulky and round-shaped items, like an apple, a bottle of water or so.
- as mentioned above, a zip closure lacking on many hobo style structures bags
- Kelly and Birkin with their straps and the lock thing, completely unfunctional…

also any tote bag that doesn’t have an inner pocket

 

[BalletDream]

I find Birkin 35 extremely heavy and bulky if you live in a city and walk a lot. Same thing with Kelly 32 and up. Alma BB zipper would always scratch my hand.

 

[JenJBS]

Agree, so many it-bags are flawed like the current structured hobo style, e.g Prada Cleo, Gucci Diana, YSL 5 a 7 and so on all lack a zip closure, which is huge no-no for me, as I want whatever I put in a bag to be secured.

I'm the opposite. Even if a bag has a zipper I don't close it. The exceptions my Coach Trail bag, that can't be carried if it's not zipped, and a couple heart bags. Those three aren't worn a lot. I got rid of a circle bag because I hated dealing with the zipper constantly. I don't like flap bags because you can't just drop something in, or pull something out. I want my bags easy to get things in and out of.

 

[Jereni]

I'm the opposite. Even if a bag has a zipper I don't close it. The exceptions my Coach Trail bag, that can't be carried if it's not zipped, and a couple heart bags. Those three aren't worn a lot. I got rid of a circle bag because I hated dealing with the zipper constantly. I don't like flap bags because you can't just drop something in, or pull something out. I want my bags easy to get things in and out of.

Agreed, I am usually anti-zipper. Most bags have terrible quality zippers and they usually scratch my hand.

Popular bags with big flaws, for me:
- Chanel double flap, as other have said
- Sac Du Jour Baby, and possible other sizes: the long strap attaching in the middle next to the short straps looks dumb. IMO long straps should always attach more towards the outer part of a bag.
- Proenza Schouler PS1s: this hurts because I adored these bags, but the soft leather meant that the bottom eventually sags horribly. They should have made the bulk of the bag in the soft leather and used a sturdier leather for the bottom or something.
- Bags that droop on the ends and are shorter in the middle. Balenciaga Hourglass, I’m looking at you. Not a shape I’m a fan of, and wasted space. Nope.
- For the most part, chain straps, whether woven with leather or not. They just slip off my shoulder and are usually uncomfortable even if cross body. I only like them when they have the full leather part for the shoulder area, and then the other parts are chain.

 

[lenarmc]

I don’t like tote bags, but they are functional as a work bag. I bought a nylon Dooney at a consignment store that has leather straps, pockets on the front and back, and inside pockets on both sides. Mostly, it fits my HUGE work laptop and the straps are longer. Because of my laptop, I had a hard time finding a tote. I’ve had it for three years, and I love it.

The one ”it“ bag that I’ve always wanted was the Dior Saddle bag (the vintage and current versions). I have tried it out many times. I don’t carry much, and even this is too small. The awkward shape draws and repels me at the same time.