Please excuse the very indulgent post :) you may actually want to sit down with a cup of tea (or a gin) to read this.
In the last few weeks, I decided I wanted a new bag. I don't have that many everyday bags, and I don't swap them over very often, so it felt like time for a new one (and I don't need anything else big like boots or coats). At the moment I am using my beloved tan mulberry mitzy hobo, which is my oldest bag, because it's a perfect size and I can wear it crossbody as I added a long strap from the east west model. However I always end up carrying a cotton tote to work as well, with my water bottle and a pot for soup and any other food in it.
Because of this, I decided I needed a large tote along the lines of LV neverfull or the saint laurent leather shopper, which I've always liked. I need it to be very hardwearing, as I don't want to have to baby a bag, and it will just get chucked into the car or dumped on the stairs at home. I've scratched a smooth leather bag before and don't want to have to worry about that again. So I started off looking at saffiano leather, to see who made totes other than Prada and Michael Kors. I came across this one from Mansur Gavriel, which I thought was quite cool, and it's also cheaper than LV or SL while still looking good.
This is a big purchase for me so I googled reviews of MG bags and found this, written by someone who makes things out of leather. I realised that for me, nothing would be worse than spending hundreds on a bag only for it to start looking tatty or even falling apart - I want something that I can keep for years like my old Mulberry. This gave me an idea and I googled "best quality bags purse forum", because all of the best info about bags comes from the purse forum. This led me to this short thread.
This was where I first saw the name Massaccesi. I started on their website. I've since learnt that this is a work in progress because Marco, the company owner, prefers to make bags than spend money on his website. :) But the website shows the essence of the brand - bespoke leather bags made in Italy for the fraction of the price of a designer bag. I read all of the website and browsed the bags and leathers. Intrigued, I headed over to this mega thread on TPF and read the most recent few pages.
By this time I was hooked. I emailed the company and asked if it was possible to request leather swatches. I got a reply from Marco himself within 20 minutes! Previously I had been going by the website, but he told me that any bag can be made in almost any leather. Overwhelmed is not the word! I knew I was going to order a bag, so I joined the purse forum thread. The posters there are super helpful and knowledgable and most of them own several MM bags.
There is also a super useful thread on TPF of just pictures, which really helped me visualise ideas, as there aren't many bag pics on the website. I read all of this and spent a few days thinking about which bag to get, what colour, etc. This is a bit sad, but, I haven't been so excited about anything for ages. And I think we all need more excitement in our lives this year :) I think a lot of Voguettes will like the concept as well, and hope some of you may even order bags.
I decided that after all that, I need crossbody, not a tote, as I need to be hands free with DS. Most of the MM bags can be worn cross body, so while I was choosing, I emailed Marco asking about a specific leather and he was so friendly and helpful. He always replies quickly and is a real pleasure to deal with. The whole experience has just been fantastic and I will definitely be buying more bags. Now I just have to wait 6 weeks for it to be made!
So drum roll... this is what I ordered: (Marco, if you're reading, don't say who I am! 
)
I will OF COURSE report back with photos when it arrives. And the best bit? Lovely Marco gave me a 10% discount for being a new customer, so this bespoke beauty only cost me €420. And I get a one of a kind, handmade, quality bag, and the knowledge that I'm supporting a small family run business, and that no one is being exploited to make it.
Now, who is going to be next to order a MM bag?