To me, the bags that only have one thing wrong with them are always more disappointing than the bags that are completely and totally terrible in every way imaginable. To see a designer get so very close to making a great bag and then not make it is tragic (at least as much as a handbag design can be tragic, anyway). If a brand gets it completely wrong, well, there was probably no hope to begin with.
The Junior Drake Ruffle Regina Hobo is one of those bags that comes so close but is, sadly, so far away from something I would want to carry. The shape isn’t the problem – the shape is functional and classic, and I don’t even mind the addition of the ruffles because they’re not so enormous or gathered that they’re ridiculous. I also don’t mind the color; in fact, turquoise works great as a bright used as a neutral, and summer is the perfect time for it. What ruins it for me is the almost denim-like wash that they’ve put on the leather. It makes the material look cheap and uneven, and there are so many ways that they could have distressed it without getting this much fading. If they had used a different treatment on the leather, this one could have been a real winner. Buy through Bloomingdale’s for $398.
Junior Drake bags usually have such a wonderful leather, that I am really surprised at this faded out color. It looks like a bag that is overpriced by about $350. You never get a second chance to make a first impression, so this one is a pass.