Sheesh! Was this a long time coming or WHAT? I shot this review forever ago and was hoping to edit a video to go along with it, but I just cannot edit it to save my life. I scrapped the video and will save it for a later date. So here you go! Please enjoy. This is one of my favorite bags!
For some background, Senreve sent me a midi Maestra bag last year (the medium size navy) and I have fallen in love with it. It's such a unique bag that turns out to be more practical than you would imagine. I used it so much I wanted to (obviously) buy the other sizes but didn't really know if they'd be of any use to me.
I once learned from a sales rep that there are girls who are "big bag" girls and girls who are "small bag" girls. Think about your most used purses in your closet: What size are they? Mine are all big. Especially in New York I need to carry any and everything with me at all times. When I leave for the day, I'm bringing it all with me.
That's what I love about my Midi bag. It holds SO much but isn't obnoxiously big. The best part is it converts into a backpack. If there is one thing I really hate about big bags it's that they KILL my shoulders after a long day. I'm switching left and right. I'm leaning to one side or the other and I always find myself readjusting the straps.
That's also why I'm a fan of crossbody bags. I love being hands free. But they usually don't hold much so I'm kind of stuck. Enter my Maestra. It's a bag, it's a crossbody but it's also a BACKPACK. And a really cute one at that. I was able to literally do anything in the city without worry: take the subway, bike, or walk around. I was hands-free with all my stuff and had less back pain. Same goes for when I'm traveling. Going hands-free at the airport is so clutch!
Having a bag that can be a shoulder, top handle, crossbody AND backpack is amazing. There are different times for different styles and they each are great in their own way. How many times have you wished your bag could also support two styles of straps? It's more useful than you would think, and once you have it, it's hard to go back! This option really makes this bag special.
So with that little backstory, I wanted to get into my review of the three sizes of bag. I was able to borrow and test out the other two sizes for a week and I have some thoughts....
(for reference, I'm 5'6 / 150)
Comes in 26 colors // Price $695
Out of the three sizes, this was my least favorite. But again, I'm not a small bag person. I need to fit a lot of items in my bags at all times and this doesn't hold much. It's the least expensive of the three (rightly so) but I would say spend the extra $100 and get the next size up. It can fit a book, which is great, and you can stuff it full with things you really need and get away with it but it leaves no room for anything else. I feel like this size bag is best as a crossbody but not the most functional as a backpack.
Comes in 21 colors // Price $795
This is the bag I own and love. It doesn't seem that much larger than the mini but it sure can hold a lot more. It can pretty much hold a traditional paperback book/planner but it cannot hold or fit a 13-inch laptop. I'm judging "fitting" by it's ability to close. A computer can fit but it takes up all the bag space so it's not really worth it. One thing I really like is that it carries my camera when we're traveling (either sized lens!) and my large S'well bottle with room to spare! I brought this to Disney and it carried it ALL. It's a wonderful bag.
It's kind of the perfect medium between the two bags. It's in the middle for price and for size and functionally. I love it and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a nice everyday bag. It's well made, the leather is durable and water resistant! I've been caught in many rain and snow storms by accident and the bag has come out on the other side.
Another thing to mention is that when it's full it's not terribly heavy. This is the bag I would recommend to anyone no matter their size preference, BUT it's not my favorite size...
Comes in 17 colors // Price $895
This is the OG bag and for good reason. It is SO GOOD. Easily my favorite of the bunch because it can just hold e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g you would need. A big recommendation to anyone in the market for a work bag: if I was still working in an office I would 100000% buy this bag. It's worth the price and is something that will stay in style, and remain durable and dependable for years to come.
My biggest complaint is that it can't fit my laptop. I need my laptop wherever I go and I hate carrying it. Having a backpack to fit it when traveling would be ideal. When I had this bag for the week to review, I wore it everyday. I left the house so much more because I was able to. It was so good and I cannot sing its praises more.
At work you want to make an impression and look nice and presentable, but I remember I would always feel self doubt when I wore a designer bag. I would be super self conscious about it as I didn't want to show off but I also didn't want to have a ratty old bag. I wanted something professional and appropriate. This bag is all that.
The one downside is that it can get heavy when you pack it full. This is obvious, but when I was shooting for this post and added everything into the bag, it was filled to the brim and heavy. The bag itself is no heavier than most, but note that while it can hold a lot, you might not want it to all the time.
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So what else do you want to know? Drop me a question down below and I'll update this tomorrow night with the answers. Hope this was helpful to anyone reading it. It truly is a great bag that I fully support in terms of durability, style and functionality. You don't know how good it is to have a backpack bag until you have it.
