As I said before, I’m the Goldilocks of Mansur Gavriel Lady Bags. I started with the large (reviewed here, and no longer produced), then reviewed the regular Mansur Gavriel Lady Bag (now just called the Lady bag), and then reviewed the Mansur Gavriel Mini Lady Bag. Well it’s been some time since I’ve purchased and reviewed an MG bag, but when I saw a friend carrying the mini mini Lady Bag I really wanted to try it out for myself. And luckily I found one on the RealReal where I had some leftover credit. (You can find the RealReal’s current selection of Mansur Gavriel mini mini Lady bags here and Fashionphile’s selection of mini mini Lady bags here). Yay for buying used! And I especially love buying a used veg-tanned Cammello leather bag because it already has the patina of a loved bag. Of course there’s some scratches and marks on the bag but I love using my favorite leather milk to condition and revitalize the leather (and it’s especially fun to condition a bag when it’s already a little old and worn looking).
{Wearing: Only Child Alta top in black raw silk (reviewed here), Elizabeth Suzann Harlow Dress in silk (reviewed here), Mansur Gavriel Mini Mini Lady Bag, Martiniano Glove Shoes (reviewed here)}
So what do I think of the bag? I have to admit, I’m not sure I love it. The mini mini lady bag is quite small at 7″ X 8.5″ X 3.25″ (for reference the mini lady bag is 9″ x 10.5″ x 3.5″), so it just fits my essentials (wallet, sunglasses, keys and phone). But since it’s so small, when I go to find my keys, I have to take at least one thing out to find the small stuff at the bottom. There’s not enough room to shuffle things out of the way to reach the bottom. Also the short handle strap is so small that it barely fits over my wrist. Sometimes I like to carry bags on my forearm, and that’s not really possible with this bag.
{Wearing in photo above Everlane denim chore jacket (c/o, review coming soon), Only Child Alta top in black raw silk (reviewed here), Linenfox wide linen pants (review coming soon), Mansur Gavriel Mini Mini Lady Bag, Everlane Boss Mules (reviewed here)}
However on the plus side, the mini mini works really well as a compact crossbody, and it doesn’t feel as awkward to carry it across my body as the larger lady bags. Also since it’s so small, there’s no chance of weighing the bag down with too much stuff. And it looks super cute. This would be a great casual going out bag!
I think I might have liked this bag more pre-baby. But as the baby gets older, I’m going to need to carry more and more things (snacks, toys, etc.) and I might not always want to carry a separate diaper bag. In those cases this bag is not a good fit. I also have similar feelings for my Celine nano belt bag, which used to be a favorite but I’m finding a bit too small these days. I do however like that I can hang both of these bags on the stroller by the top handle, and it’s easy to reach the compartments inside (just lift the flap). I find when I hang bags with two handle straps like the Everlane day tote mini or the Celine Soft Cube bag, I have to unhook one handle strap to be able to get to the inside of the bag.
how I really carry this bag most days
Anyway I plan to keep this bag for a bit because despite some inconveniences I think it’s so cute!
{December 2020 Update: So I just wanted to let you all know that I still have this bag though I haven’t used it much (and especially so because of the pandemic). I have thought about letting it go a couple times but then I think it’s so cute I don’t want to part with it lol. I’m hoping once Emi gets older I might go back to some of my small bags though this bag is quite tiny. Well I’ll let you know if I sell it or if I keep using it next year!}
images via Fashionphile
Also to get an idea of the sizes of the current selection of MG Lady bags, here are the three sizes from L to R: Lady Bag (reviewed here for calfskin and here for veg-tanned leather), Mini Lady Bag (reviewed here), and Mini Lady Bag (this review).