Stephanie Verdino Mini Leather Messenger Bag

I really like where the Stephanie Verdino Mini Leather Messenger Bag is going, but I’m not sure that it ever gets there. It’s definitely on-trend; mini messenger bags and crossbodies of all kinds are the new, cool thing to have, and would probably work particularly well over the bulky sweaters and coats of winter. At the same time, winter bags can get so unreasonably boring when they’re in a dark color palette, so the silver might be a nice pop of color.

I’m not entirely convinced, though. I don’t generally find myself attracted to light silver bags, and I think this one might have been better if the silver was more of a pewter and the leather looked a little softer. Light silver tends to make leather, no matter how nice it is, look stiff if it’s used in a bag with structure. Which is exactly what has happened here – without a bit of softness, this bag isn’t looking as high-end as it should. For French-made bag at such a reasonable price point, though, it may be best to overlook a few flaws. Buy through Saks for $275.