Review: Victoria Midi (by Yvonne)

I am a relatively new Massaccessi Handbags client, but every order I have placed so far with Marco has been a full and enjoyable experience - from the time I email orders@marcomassaccesi.it with some vague thoughts of what I have in mind, perhaps a leather that caught me eye or a bag design that fills a hole in my closet, to several weeks later when I finally receive my "white box" from Italy, with my purchase(s!) safely nestled inside.

I could sing the praises of every bag I have received, and the accompanying suggestions, thoughts, and service from Marco, but I wanted to highlight the Victoria Midi because it is the shoulder bag that I have been missing, ever since my first shoulder bag started falling apart years and years ago after constant and daily (ab)use. For some reason I never ended up purchasing a shoulder bag after that, and it makes me so happy now that I waited for the "perfect" bag.

My Victoria Midi was produced using Marco's soft and supple Verona leather in the amethyst colorway, which has a slight sheen to it, an obvious grain, and a wonderful natural texture.  The color is difficult to capture, but Amethyst is a saturated, dark purple with some underlying red tones. The amethyst Verona is a stunning purple outside or in indirect outdoor lighting, as you can see from my photos, and it can appear brown under more yellow indoor lighting.

Though I often love the appearance of gold hardware against my favored dark and saturated purple, I went with dark gunmetal hardware for my Victoria Midi - though there is not much exterior hardware, the dark gunmetal blends nicely with the darker purple of the leather. 

One of the coolest things about the Victoria and Victoria Midi is the bag's ability to transform its appearance with a few easy snaps.  Four buttons on each side, when snapped together, can remove the Victoria Midi's wings, for a more compact look...