Longchamp Le Pliage Néo

I'm not a handbag kinda girl, let alone a high-end bag kinda girl. but recently, I've had so much trouble finding a decent bag to carry around for everyday use. I usually go for my small-medium across the body satchel or backpack just because it matches with everything and it's comfortable to wear, but sometimes it just doesn't go with my outfit!

So, I recently purchased this Longchamp bag, in the Le Pliage Néo version. It's basically a thicker/sturdier material in a mono-colour than the original Le Pliage collection. I'd say this is my first 'luxury' brand item!

Came with dust bag, tag and original wrapping.

Holds it's shape really well (there's nothing inside the bag in the picture)
so it's okay if you have too little or too many things.

I asked around before making this purchase, because I used to think it was a bit odd that people bought these bags for over $130, because they look a bit like eco-friendly grocery bags, but I can see why. It's comfortable, long-lasting and looks great with any outfit.

Seeing as I'm not a huge fan of the original Le Pliage collection (they still do, look a bit like grocery bags to me), I came across this one and ended up really liking the look; It's modern, simple and sleek.

I went in-store to have a look, and the only colours they had were bright pink and orange. I quite liked the Le Pliage backpacks too since I am a fan of backpacks, but they only had one orange and pink colours. I couldn't find them anywhere besides online, so I ended up just buying it from eBay. I know, it was a bit risky, but I did buy from a reputable seller in Sydney for roughly 2/3 of the retail price in-store.

Needless to say, it was worth the risk! I really love it, and I know I won't have trouble with awkward bag-outfit combinations any more. The only down-side is that you can't fold these up like the regular Le Pliage, but I won't really ever NEED to fold it up so it doesn't matter to me!

I pretty much bought the bag to replace this one I got earlier this year, my first "real" handbag from Gap (Sydney Pitt Street Mall). What a disappointment it was though, I don't think I'll be using it again.

The terrible bag.

I liked it until I realised that the leather with no lining of some sort kept dispersing all this black fluffy stuff - from raw underside of the leather that is fully exposed. The particles that rubbed off went EVERYWHERE covering my phone, going inside all my books, sticking to my water bottle, etc. It was a nightmare, but just the tip of the ice berg. The straps just fell off twice (different straps too) - indicating the stitching was very weak and not well sewn on. It was also mega floppy with no firm bottom, so it never looked like it does in the picture, unless I filled it with a cardboard box. I pretty much gave up on it. Luckily I bought it for half price (originally $150).

TL;DR - Inspect the bag before you buy it, it may have added features you don't want. You're probably better off investing in a more expensive but reliable one rather than getting a mid-price one that probably wasn't made with good quality parts.