Last year, I made my very first designer purse purchase! It was the Gucci Marmont Small Matelasse Shoulder Bag that you’ve probably seen all over Instagram! I was definitely influenced by it as well but overall I chose it because of the value, versatility and trendiness. Now that I’ve had it for one year, I wanted to share my review of how it wore and whether it’s worth it!
Gucci Marmont Family
Gucci was never on my radar before because I only associated them with their beige logo canvas material. However the Marmont family features leather and a gold double G buckle. Both features that I love on a bag. There are a variety of designs to pick from and the materials include leather, velvet and other special limited edition prints.
The design I picked was one of the classic ones in the Marmont family. But they are really building up this collection with new circle bags, square bags and also wallet on chains.
Pricing
I bought mine in November 2017 and it was $1450 before tax. At that time, it was one of the cheapest options for a designer camera bag and one of the reasons I was drawn to it. Currently it is showing as $1520 on Gucci’s website and anywhere between $1450-$1750 on other retailers. I have not seen any Gucci bags on sale in the past year so I would say that demand is still very high.
What It Fits
I was deciding between the Mini and Small versions of this bag for a while. I think the Mini version definitely looks nicer against the body. But the size does not fit my glasses case length wise. Since this is something I always bring with me, I knew the Mini size wouldn’t be as practical.
Usually I would toss in my phone, card holder, a couple of lip glosses, and my glasses case. When I travel, I can also put my Sony A5000 in the bag which is a huge plus! It should make sense that a camera bag can fit a camera.
Durability
The leather selected for this bag is extremely smooth and supple. I believe it’s calfskin leather which doesn’t have that super soft to the touch feel but is much more durable. I am pretty careful with it so I don’t notice any damages in the past year. On one occasion, I did remember scratching the back of my bag with my nails and it left a mark. However, it honestly seems to have healed itself as I can’t find the marking anymore.
I think this bag will have issues holding shape. I usually only use it a week at a time and then I put it back in its dustbag stuffed back into a rectangle. At the end of the day, I usually notice that the back of the bag curves in against your hip. It looses the rectangular shape of the camera bag and starts to look worn in and slouchy when this happens. I think if you wear it too often without stuffing it back to its shape, it’ll start to sag.
Style
There’s no denying that Gucci bags are super popular and the Marmont style is so versatile! For this style, you can pick from this dusty rose, black or red. Since I already had a black bag with gold hardware, this dusty rose color was an easy choice. It goes so well with any outfit in the spring and summer! I also bust it out in the winter time as well especially if I have a very drab colored outfit on.
I like that the gold hardware makes it look more dressy for formal occasions. But I use this as more of a casual bag mostly because of its size and shape. I love how this bag can instantly make a look feel polished.
Overall I love this bag and I think it’s great value for the money! For my first designer bag, it has proved to be very versatile and stylish. The leather has held up really well although I have concerns about its shape. The only thing that I dislike is that I’m starting to see it so often on the streets. But I can’t blame everyone else for loving this design.
Let me know about your first designer bag purchase!