This is it guys, this is IT! And by IT I mean this is Mansur Gavriel's IT-bag, or at least the IT-Lady Bag. And I should know because I'm the Goldilocks of Mansur Gavriel Lady Bags. First I tried the regular lady bag in calf-skin (review here), then the large lady bag in veg-tanned leather (review here), and finally the regular lady bag in veg-tanned leather (review here). Today I have the mini lady bag in brandy veg-tanned leather (avion blue interior) and it's my favorite by far.
Mini Lady Bag vs. Regular Lady Bag
The above pictures show the the size difference between the regular and mini lady bags. The mini lady bag measures: 9"H x 10.5"L x 3.5" depth while the regular lady bag measures 11"H x 12.5"L x 4.5" depth. So it's about 2 inches shorter both in height in length but only 1 inch less deep. So it can't hold a 13" laptop but it can hold a full-size ipad with case. The mini lady bag works best as a day to day bag to hold all your essentials but might be too small to be a work bag.
Inside my bag in the top pic: My old Ipad in a Dodo case (I love these cases, even though they can make the ipad a bit heavy to carry), makeup case, wallet, phone, and sunglass case. So not a whole lot of stuff but all the essentials and then some.
Another difference between the mini and the regular lady bag is the drop of the top handle. The mini lady bag has a 5" drop while the regular has a 7" so that means for the mini lady bag, I can't get the strap around my arm if I wanted to carry it tucked under my armpit (which I sometimes did with the regular lady bag). But I think the 5" handle drop is a good proportion for the mini.
Strap out or tucked in?
Also the drawstring closure on the mini is a lot stiffer than the closure on my regular bag. So the drawstring stays cinched and secure (but to be fair it might be because I've overloaded the regular lady bag in the past and it might have worn out the closure). But this helps my mini bag to stay closed and secure, which wasn't always the case with the regular lady bag (thus my need to carry it under my armpit, especially in crowds).
Anyways I can tell this is going to be my favorite bag in the next few months! If you want to get your own mini lady bag nab one at the Mansur Gavriel restock this month [edit: it's going to be on March 29th]! And in the meantime here are my other Mansur Gavriel reviews!
P.S and this is for reader Svy showing a 13" macbook and the mini lady bag:
{March 2019 Update: They also have had a Mini Mini Lady bag out for a bit now. I can see that size being the best for going out and/or carrying just the essentials. Also since MG has been around for awhile now, you can score some really great deals on secondhand mini lady bags. Check out my favorite consignment sites Fashionphile (their selection of mini and mini mini lady bags) and TheRealReal (their selection of mini and mini mini lady bags).}
{December 2020 Update: I purchased and reviewed the Mansur Gavriel Mini Mini Lady Bag. Check out the post for a size comparison of the Lady Bag, Mini LB, and the Mini Mini LB}