I first talked about Mansur Gavriel Mini Protea Bag in exactly this Biscotto color back in June of 2019 (I love how blogging has helped me keep track of things like this lol). Anyway since then I’ve thought about getting this bag off and on but never committed to purchasing it because I didn’t want to pay for it full price and I never saw it for a good price and in good condition secondhand. Well it took a year and a half for Mansur Gavriel to put it on sale, and even though it’s not returnable I decided to take a chance on it since I’ve been wanting it for so long. So was it worth the wait? Let me sum it up in a picture:
reality vs. expectation
Whoomp whoomp 😑 (also if you compare it to the MG promo photo from my June 2019 post that first made me love the bag, it looks nothing like it irl). I’m not sure if the bag I got was faulty or if all the mini protea bags come all squished and misshapen, but it definitely did not come the way I expected. Also I know MG stuffs the bag for their website pictures, but I didn’t expect it to look so distorted once you added your essentials and carried it via the crossbody straps. I mean I kind of knew that these MG protea bags eventually becomes a little lumpy and wonky (see the pics below of the Mansur Gavriel regular sized protea bag that I found while doing research for this bag—this is why I also definitely did not want to get the regular size). But I had hoped that was after using it for a good 3 months or more at least. But nope, mine just came that way. And maybe that’s what I get when purchasing something during the end of the season sale where things are all final sale (I feel like this bag might have been used because the leather supporting the crossbody straps were already stretched out and sides were already soft and not structured like in the website photos but who knows 🤷🏻♀️).
Another negative thing about this bag is that when I put in all my essentials (first picture of this post) my bag doesn’t actually close. The magnetic closure isn’t strong enough to close when it’s a tad overstuffed (or if you have any tall objects in there, like my toddler hand wipes). This would probably make me more worried during non-pandemic times, but since we are all accustomed to being socially distanced (and being in our own physical bubbles) the chance of getting pick-pocketed are rather slim right now. Though once things go back to normal I would be less likely to carry this bag in a crowded space. Even now I do worry about things spilling out if the bag tips.
The good thing about this bag is that it’s incredibly light. With very little hardware and excess leather, this is one of my lighter crossbody bags. The shoulder strap is adjustable with an easy peg-hole system. And because it’s a small and shallow bag, it’s easy for me to find everything I need with a glance (but so can any other person if they lean in close enough). Also the lamb leather is super soft and really nice to the touch (though of course that’s why the bag is also a distorted mess all time). And a toddler bonus, when we’re waiting in lines Emi likes to play with the leather drawstrings.
Also on the bright-side I can finally stop thinking about this bag, though too bad it has fallen short of expectations. Anyway I’m using it for now though I’m not sure how much longer I’m going to keep it. As it stands I can’t recommend anyone else purchasing this bag unless they’re totally ok with the squished wonky look.
{Update: Ok so I wrote this post a couple weeks ago and even though I still think the bag is totally not worth it, I did use it quite a lot since it fit all the essentials, it’s easy for me to find everything without having to dig through the bag, and it’s super light. Also the key to making it look somewhat decent is to put something along the bottom so that it sags less. I’m using the hand wipes (they’re the perfect size) to reinforce the bottom and it’s working out great! But ever since I got the Hereu Bombon L bag, this MG bag is definitely not used as much since it’s just not as good. I’m currently selling it on eBay and if anyone’s interested in this bag despite this review, let me know!}
Please note I was not paid for this post nor did I receive this bag as a gift. But this post does contain affiliate links that could result in my earning a small commission (at no cost to you) if you click and make a purchase. Thank you so much for supporting this blog!