Mansur Gavriel Review Mini Sun Bag

One of my last impulse purchases of 2016 was this Mansur Gavriel Mini Sun Bag.  My fever for Mansur Gavriel had cooled down quite a bit by the beginning of 2016, and I only had one MG bag in my collection (the mini lady bag, which I love but also found I wasn't using as much as I had hoped).  So I really shouldn't have been buying more MG bags, but I just felt a structured bag was missing (yes, missing!) from my closet.  I once owned the Saint Laurent sac de jour in small but ended up returning it because it was super heavy for such a seemingly simple looking bag.  I wanted something similar but lighter.  Enter the MG Sun Mini Bag.  

I decided to get it in the vegetable tanned leather, even though Mansur Gavriel has so many more leather options now (tumbled! patent!) since I knew their veg tanned leather is the most structured and well suited for this kind of bag.  Also the cheaper price point definitely didn't hurt.

The bag comes with two large compartments separated by a zippered section.  This bag fits quite a bit (though not my laptop without sticking out over the handles).  I love that it comes with a long shoulder strap (a must!) but that's also removable (and also adjustable).  And the best thing about this bag is the overall lightness (like all of MG bags).  There's nothing worse than a bag weighing 1-2 pounds empty!

For reference, the brandy mini lady bag on the left and the sun bag on the right.

And back to back.  You can see that they're quite similar in size, with the mini sun bag being slightly deeper than the mini lady bag.

At first, I wasn't really a fan of the leather string tied in a bow in the front, though now it's growing on me (at first it seemed too cutesy).  But other than that I can't find anything wrong with the bag.  So if you're looking for a well-made lady-like structured bag, this Mini Sun Bag might be the one for you.  You can find it here at Mansur Gavriel.

P.S. When I went to the MG site for that link above I just noticed that they no longer carry the mini sun bag in veg tanned leather in this style.  The veg-tanned sun bags now only have 1 large compartment and it's not lined in canvas.  They either have it coated in matte red or blue or have it uncoated.  And now there's only a single interior slim pocket, no zippered pocket.  As they have it now, I think I prefer this version with the lined canvas since at least there's a zippered pocket to contain all your loose items.  It looks like the calf-leather version still comes lined (but the calf leather version is 1) more expensive, 2) a bit heavier overall since the leather is thicker and heavier, and 3) likely to wear faster where the top handles meet the bag (I used to own the MG crossbody in calf-leather and used it a lot over a year.  By the end of the year the leather where the straps attached to the bag were all cracked and worn.  From what I understand (thanks to a reader!) that only happens to chrome-tanned leathers not veg-tanned leather).  But the new version of the sun bag does have that pop of color, which is what attracted me to the MG tote a couple years ago.

Mansur Gavriel Bag Leather Quality {Updated Feb 2018}

There has been a noticeable difference in the quality of the calf leather before and after the summer restock.  Any calf leather purchased before April, was a high quality smooth leather with a sheen to it.  But calf leather bags purchased after April, mostly those made for the June restock is a seemingly lower quality leather that feels spongy/rubbery, is matte and smells a bit like chemicals/bleach {this was my major complaint with the navy lady bag from the first Mansur Gavriel Lady Bag Review}.  The picture above are all my calf leather bags.  The navy blue Lady Bag and sand Crossbody are from the recent restock while the royal blu bucket is from earlier in the year.  You can't see the differences there, but the picture below shows the difference.  The older, better calf leather is on the left while the newer and but lower quality calf leather is on the right.  It's only a subtle difference, but in-person the differences are huge.  

via from frankiextah

Another comparison shot with the older, better calf leather on top and the newer calf leather on bottom.

If you are new to the Mansur Gavriel market, stay away from the calf-leather and stick with the veg-tanned leather bags.  The calf-leather is more expensive and at the current quality, it's not worth the money.  Meanwhile the veg-tanned leather seems to be of the same quality and at a lower price point, it's just a smarter purchase.  If you did end up already getting a calf-leather bag from the last restock, don't despair.  The smell does go away after awhile.  Also by using a leather conditioner, like Chamberlain's leather milk, Leather Honey, or Black Rock the smell fades much quicker {and it makes your bag look better}.  If you're interested, I reviewed different leather conditioners and protectants for Mansur Gavriel bags.

MG calf-leather bag owners, is your leather like mine?  Or I wonder if it was just a bad batch?

Feb 2018 update: I feel compelled to update my post even though this is several years old with this review I just found.  It seems that MG leather quality isn't as good as I initially thought it was.  Also I can attest to this because my calf-skin crossbody leather began disintegrating where the straps met the body of the bag.  

Mansur Gavriel Large Tote Review

It's becoming almost a regular Monday with Mansur Gavriel on the blog here.  Here are past MG posts if you're interested: Mansur Gavriel Lady Bag Review Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 and the Mansur Gavriel Bucket Bags Review.  But since I have the large tote bag as well, I might as well review it here.  I don't use totes very often, but I did occasionally use the Louis Vuitton Damier Neverfull GM {the largest size} for the times I traveled.  But I found that the Longchamp Le Pilage was so much more useful {and light} for traveling and so I sold my LV {having a tote that can zip up at the top is pretty clutch for traveling}.  Then when the MG tote came out, I decided to try it out as a work/school bag.  I also have Everlane's Petra Tote, but that's quite narrow and doesn't work as well when you want to carry bulky things {it's perfect for laptops and textbooks}.

Pros:

-The veg-tanned leather is amazing!  Smells great and feels super durable.

-The coated pink color on the inside is the perfect pop of color to a normally boring black tote. And since there is no closure at the top, the pink is really easy to see.  I also learned that the coated interior gives the bag more structure so it won't become super slouchy with time {which is great for a tote}.

-It comes with an attachable wallet, perfect for the small things that might end up lost in a big tote.

-The large tote size is perfect as a work bag or even an overnight bag, since you can really pile things into it.  

-Also the minimal hardware and the veg-tanned leather choice means this bag is super light!

The cons:

-Since there's no closure to the top of the bag, you not only can see the pink interior but also everything else that's in your bag.  So I wouldn't recommend using this bag if you're going to be traveling or in crowds.  It might be too tempting for sticky fingers.

Here are some other great reviews of the MG tote bag: a cammello/rosa tote bag, a black/flamma tote bag, and a review of the small tote bag.

Mansur Gavriel Lady Bag Review part 3 {Updated December 2020}

So if you've been following my Mansur Goldilocks problem with my Mansur Gavriel Lady Bag review and Mansur Gavriel Large Lady Bag review part 2, you know that I've purchased 2 different lady bags and still haven't found the right one. Well my search is finally over!  Last week at the Mansur Gavriel shop relaunch I was able to pick up a regular veg tanned lady bag in black and oro {gold}. And this is it, no more lady bag purchases!

What I love about this bag:  

- the veg-tanned leather: it smells amazing and it's super structured which works out perfectly for this bag style. I've been consistently using the calf-skin lady bag and I've been finding it too slouchy, which makes closing the bag through the loops much harder when carrying it from the top handle. But I find I don't have those minor inconveniences when using the veg-tanned version 

-the size is perfect. I can even fit my dslr and extra lenses, which I did on my recent trip to Chicago. It was the perfect travel bag with the ability to carry it from the top handle or cross body. 

-and that pop of gold whenever you open up the bag.  Yes, it is kind of flashy but that's okay since it's just flashy on the inside.

One thing to be aware of for this bag:

-the gold interior is just a coating on the leather so from reading other people's experience with the metallic interiors in the bucket bags, I know that the coating can scratch and fade.  So I'm taking precautions and putting my keys and any other sharp objects in pouches.  Also, since there is only one pocket on the inside, it can't hold much {I just put my phone in there so it's easy to reach}.  But you can always do a pro-bag lady trick and use purse organizers {which also makes it really easy if you're constantly switching which bags you use}.

{December 2020 Update: Since writing this post I’ve reviewed the Mansur Gavriel Mini Lady Bag (where I’ve compared this bag to the Mini) and I’ve reviewed the Mansur Gavriel Mini Mini Lady Bag.}