Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This review might be long but I am hoping it will help someone make a decision on whether or not to purchase this designer inspired piece. So here goes my top 10 feedback with some comparisons to the designer piece: 1. The name of the designer brand LV is NOT on this bag. It’s inspired by the designer but not intended to be the designer. Similar to something you might purchase at Target that looks like the Gucci, Birken, Chanel, Kate Spade style but it’s just the Target version. 2. The coloring of the squares on the bag is yellowish and it looks totally different from the original. I believe they also use black instead of blue like the original. You will be able to tell as soon as you open the package that the coloring is totally different, it’s darker actually. This does not bother me because I like yellow and the colors work better with my wardrobe anyway. It is no where near the original color and it will be noticeable to anyone who’s ever seen the original. 3. The side stitching on the handles and straps is bright red even more bright than the original but it looks neat, no rips, tears or damage. I didn’t even see any unevenness. 4. It does come with a gold lock. It’s flimsy but if you don’t try to open and close it a lot it should last ok. In fact, my lock fell apart once I finally got it open but I was able to reattach it and add it to the front of my bag. 5. There is a smell when you open the bag. People, please stop making a big deal about this because you are not buying a USDA or FDA certified item. If you don’t like smells don’t buy most foreign goods. Air the bag out for a few days or add dryer sheets to the bottom of the bag because the smell will subside after a few days. It’s stronger when you first get it because it has been wrapped up tightly for shipping and once unwrapped it needs to breath and the smell will eventually go away. 6. The handles are not real leather. I am not seeing any scratches yet but they are very light in color. I might look for a clear sealant to apply to hopefully help them last longer. 7. The bag was sort of wrinkled when I pulled it out of the package. I simply rolled up two large bath towels and two mid sized bath towels and stuffed them all in the bag. I left it like that for a few days to help remove wrinkles and establish a rounder shape. 8. It comes with a crossbody strap. It’s long but I would like longer. It will work but I am very tall, 5 feet 10 inches tall and I like my purses to hang low. 9. The material of the actual bag appears to be some sort of coated vinyl or plastic. Here’s the big news for those who didn’t know- the designer bag is also NOT leather it is a coated canvas that is sealed with a plastic material. The only thing leather on the original are the straps. So in this regard you are getting close to the same thing except no animal parts were used to make this bag. This material seems very durable. I am not worried about dye from my denim jeans or dark colored tops rubbing into this fabric. That actually does happen with the original designer bag. 10. There are double zippers on the top of the bag. They seem to glide fairly smoothly. Even with me closing the bag with all of those towels didn’t seem to bother it. Overall- I will proudly use this bag knowing it is not attempting to fool anyone into believing this is the actual designer bag. I absolutely love the checkered pattern and it makes me smile every time I look at it. This bag is large, equivalent to the speedy 25 so I would recommend an insert to help keep your things organized. I would recommend purchasing as long as you are fully informed about what you are getting and you don’t have expectations of this bag being like the $1600 version when it was only $36. I took pics in different lighting so you can see the color difference.