Well, I know this is normally a 'craft' blog, but as far as I am concerned, all crafters love beautiful things... And this post is definitely about beautiful things!
Unless you have been living under a very sad, dark rock, you will have probably noticed the satchel phenomenon spreading across the UK. There are three main brands in the running, as far as I'm concerned: Zatchels, The Cambridge Satchel Company, and the Leather Satchel Company.
I bought two satchels from Zatchels during their Birthday Sale. Firstly, I was very disappointed in the general public during the sale, as the amount of grief that Zatchels received via social networks was unreal. They offered an amazing discount, and had an unprecedented demand, so the fact that people were complaining so bitterly was ridiculous. They were doing their best and replying to everybody as soon as they could! I personally sat and patiently waited for my delivery, and I was happy to wait!
Anyway, this is now about 4 months ago. I wanted to give the satchels a really proper roadtest before I reviewed them, to see how they held up.
As I am now living in mainland Europe, I have taken the satchels on a Europe tour to spread the love (and broaden their horizons, of course). These beauties have toured the UK, Germany, Austria and Italy.
In this post I am going to concentrate on my little pink baby. In this size I can fit a large purse, some very large sunglasses, my phone, a lip gloss, and at a push, my Kindle. The workmanship is faultless, and I personally prefer having the contrast stitching on the flap as well as on the body of the satchel (which is unlike other brands). The leather is good quality and hard wearing.
After 4 months, there is minimal wear, apart from slight cracking of the leather on the buckles, which is completely normal, and in my opinion, quite desirable! This bag has also spent a lot of time in very bright sunlight, and there is no alteration of colour in the leather. To be honest, it still looks new!
Here she is enjoying the evening sun at Barga, Province de Lucca, Tuscany, Italy....
And here she is at Mainau, the 'flower island' on Lake Constance....
And here is a sneak peek of my other satchel, taken at San Gimignano, Italy....
So my final conclusion is: best bags ever, just buy them!!!!