(updated with recent photos)
I studied bag making & interned at a designer bag factory in Florence, and have now been making bags for nearly two years. I realized that those experiences have made me so much more critical and detail-oriented when it comes to considering buying bags, as well as nitpicking bags that I myself make. My time at the factory, in particular, really brought about a sense of great disillusionment about that particular brand that I was working on (that I had loved and admired for years), and disillusionment about the designer bag industry as a whole, and the myth of the “Made in Italy” label (a wise woman told me that “Made in Italy” does not mean “Made by Italians” 😐 Think about that.)
I think it’s because of this new heightened sense of bag inspection (I worked a lot in quality control haha) that I decided to start writing bag reviews. If I see something that’s not made well or that’s overpriced or something, and people are buying into it, I genuinely feel bad that they don’t know better. I don’t know if anything I write will change people’s minds, but to those who do online research about a bag before deciding to buy, maybe this’ll help.
One such bag that I feel very strongly against is the Balenciaga Classic City Bag (and all its ugly variations)–and so naturally, it’s to be the first bag that I *figuratively* tear apart.
This bag is pre-Alexander Wang Balenciaga, so I don’t feel bad about getting into the nitty gritties of it. It is honestly one of the ugliest, most overpriced, poorly-made bags I’ve ever come across. The ubiquity of it is alarming to me, which tells me that a lot of people are likely buying it because of its perceived “hipness”, but no one’s really taking a look at its make and quality.
Now, people may say that the bag’s design is really up to a person’s individual taste, yada yada. And I get that argument. I get it, but I will respect you less for liking it :))
My qualms are about more than just its looks, but largely about the quality and the build. First, let’s talk about the leather. In the bag description, the leather is described as being “soft crafted vintage lambskin”–and to that I say, it is more likely lambskin-aspiring leather film. The bags I inspected at the factory I interned at used almost exactly this same type of leather, and if you knew how flimsy it is, and how little leather you’re actually getting (they shave off most of the leather and stick “stiffeners” in between the leather and the lining), then you’d definitely balk at the $1600+++ price tag. So not worth it.
The leather they use–in the name of lowering costs and increasing their profit margins–is no good. And seriously, I could never understand why people would like that shiny, cracked, trashy, garbage-bag looking leather 😐 Remember, the bag may be Made in Italy, but that doesn’t mean that it was made by Italians, or made with high quality Italian materials.
I’ve also heard from friends that the “hand sewn” decorative strip on the bag handles (it’s just the twisty thing that’s done by hand, the sewing is by machine) disintegrates after a while. It just isn’t acceptable for a bag that’s asking $1600+++ of you, and it is telling of the poor quality of the leather.
I’ve inspected this bag several times in department stores as well as in their own standalone shops, and although the size and practicality are not in question, the quality of the leather and the ordinariness of the workmanship really does not merit its overblown price tag (In the factory, we also got a few old bags that came in for repairs, and it had this same type of leather. It does not age well at all–just google photos of old City Bags)
So there you have the information, straight from a bag maker. Do with this knowledge what you will.
This review is particularly with regard to the Balenciaga City Bag with this type of leather. It is not a review of the brand itself. All photos from Balenciaga’s website.
Additional photos from a recent up-close inspection at Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche in Paris:
I Make Leather Handbags 
[…] this price point though, it’s still loads better than the Balenciaga that I absolutely loathe, so there’s that. And unlike Balenciaga, MG at least doesn’t seem to use fillers and […]
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Thanks for your thoughts. Do you own this bag? What do you think of the goat skin version of this bag? Is it better than the lamb skin one?
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Hi, no I do not own one (specifically because I do not think it is worth it). The review is based on my inspecting the bag whenever I’m able to inside their store or at a department store. I’m not sure which would be better, but personally I cannot recommend any version of this bag.. Sorry if I can’t be of more help!
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[…] so it is, in a way, fair. It is also a lot better value (in this price range) than the Balenciaga city bag, which I loathe and which you can read about here. For the same price, the Céline’s quality and finishing is far superior to the Balenciaga. […]
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I own 5 and they’ve held up for years of constant use. I love them.
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Good for you. I know people who have varied experiences across the board–whether due to humidity/weather, frequency of use, etc. I personally don’t like them or find the quality up to snuff but that’s just my opinion.
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[…] not too entry level, and it’s not too expensive but it also doesn’t look cheap (unlike this Balenciaga bag which I hate with a fervor). That’s a pretty difficult mix to get right […]
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[…] bag shapes or bulk up handles and such. With a lot of these bags (ahem, I’m looking at you, ugly Balenciaga city bag, or the PS1), they shave the actual leather down from behind, so that only the “face” […]
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[…] when so much of its price is hype-driven instead of substance-driven (ahem, Mansur Gavriel, Balenciaga, […]
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[…] Where I feel the bags lose value is in some of the leather choices. I saw on their site that they source their leather from Italy, but–as my internship in Florence has taught me–Made in Italy doesn’t mean made by Italians; Likewise, a tannery based in Italy doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the “Italian Leather” we expect, and it doesn’t necessarily mean high quality anymore (a lot of Chinese tanneries over there these days)–I feel like the leather is very mediocre. Maybe I’m biased and partial to the quality of my precious veg-tan, but I just can’t help but get that cheap, plasticky feel from this type of leather (pretty sure this is not expensive, not that high quality, and most likely chrome-tanned). And, sadly, it’s very common in these au courant “instagram-friendly” seemingly-aesthetic-only brands–I’ve inspected similar poor quality leathers on Danse Lente, Manu Atelier, and Boyy Bags as well. The only positive is that at least it’s not as garbage-looking as Balenciaga (sorry not sorry but I really can’t stand their city bags). […]
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What do you think of the YSL Niki vintage leather quality?
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Hi! I have not gotten my hands on one to examine in person, so I cannot say for sure. But I see that a lot of the Niki bags use that crinkled-looking type of leather, which, vintage or not, I am not a fan of, personally. If the material feels plasticky and feels like it’s separated from the lining/filler material, then that is not really a good sign. The thin, plasticky feel that seems to be separate would already be the leather (usually a super thin layer of it since most of it is shaved away) that has come unglued from the stiffener/filler material. Hope that helps!
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Thanks for the review! I’ve never been a fan of this flimsy bag with worn-out-feel type of leather, and it’s interesting to see your perspective backed up with some facts. They recently released the neo classic city bag and I got to see it in person at department stores; they have several version with stiffer/slouchier look of the leather, but it’s so thick unlike the original city bag! thought you might be interested in checking it out. Curious to see your thoughts on the revamped version
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Hi! Same here, not a big fan of that type/finish on leather, either. I haven’t been able to drop by a store to check out newer iterations lately, but thanks for letting me know–will keep an eye out!
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What are your thoughts on the Balenciaga le cagole? (love your blog BTW!)
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(Hi, thank you so much!) I think it looks like the same material as the city bag, so I don’t personally love or value it. The shape of this bag is very on-trend though, because it looks like such a 90’s/early 00’s throwback! haha
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I think it’s a bit too on trend as well – don’t think it will have staying power beyond the next few years, when the Y2K trend goes away… if I’m going to spend that much on a bag I’d go for something more classic 🙂
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That’s so true, but if the quality survives (which I am doubtful about haha), I guess it can hang around until the 90s/00s comes back in fashion again in 30 years haha
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