Shannon Mahoney May 14, 2009 Savvy

J. Crew Large Metallic-Leather Gallery Hobo

When you get too caught up in the world of handbags it is easy to forget about price friendly options. Let’s be honest folks, not everyone can drop thousands of dollars each time you want to add to your handbag collection. Sure, there are some of you out there (psst – I want to know your secret) but most of us need to pinch pennies, in order to save up for that must-have-will-do-anything-for bag.

Amanda wrote about the Jimmy Choo Metallic Hobo and although I’m not a huge fan of that bag in particular, there was something about it that I do like. Yet the price, yikes! Now, as I was checking out J. Crew I came across a bag that kind of reminded me of the Jimmy Choo bag. Sure, not everything about the J. Crew Large Metallic-Leather Gallery Hobo is the same, but I might actually like this one a bit more. The color pops, the leather is soft and the shoulder strap actually is a great fit for the bag. Better yet, the price. Buy through J. Crew for $325.

Ruth

Is that not a total knock-off of the MBMJ Hillier hobo? Though MJ doesn’t do his style in metallic, the shape is identical! Unoriginal….
Amanda Mull

I thought the same thing, I was actually gonna write about this bag to that effect but Shan beat me to it!
Lauren

^don’t care, still think it’s a cute bag. Not too worried about stepping on MJ’s turf since he rips off Chanel like..ALL the time :P
justa9url

There’s something similar to this bag at Roots in Canada and it goes for $238 CAD. I don’t know if I like it enough to buy it though.
Allison

I really like the metallic of this bag…it looks almost like a rose gold, which to me feels more muted and would work with a lot more outfits than straight up gold or silver. I actually really, really liked this bag…until I checked out the MbMJ bag, but upon comparison it makes the J Crew bag look amateurish in its execution, that’s just how I feel. I’ve never actually seen any J Crew bags in person…anyone know anything about the quality of the leather compared to other bags in a similar price point?
marcinthemiddle

Ummm…I actually thought it reminded me (A LOT) of my Botkier “James” tote…except that this one is metallic…
:p
EmmaJ

I just bought this jcrew bag and am in love. Comfy, soft, practical, and chic. I love love love the color. Perfect amount of pop for summer. I’m not a designer obsessed lady by any means (i’m always scared i’ll ruin something too expensive!) and I don’t even know what an MJ bag is, but I *had* to have this one.
EmmaJ

Ok, marc jacobs, got it. Yeah it IS very similiar, but uh, $500 is too much dinero for me to drop on a purse. I do love the orchid purple color. I still prefer the metallic blush champagne
Dacs

I hate to leave comments that don’t really resond to the entry but I couldn’t help myself. In response to the other comments I don’t understand why people complain so much about companies copying other companies, houses, designers etc. I think the purpose of contemporary companies such as J.Crew design such similar bags to give options to those who just don’t want to spend the extra $73 for that MBMJ. It may not seem like such a big difference but to some people it is. In a way I am kind of offended because am I not worthy enough to have access to a great looking handbag? I believe everyone is entitled to look great. I’m sorry I’m making such a big deal out of this but I get sick of reading negative comments after a while.

I’m not rich so I’m glad sites like PBSAAVY have great alternatives to the bags I see on PB.
bunny

the first thing i tot when i saw it was that it looked exactly like a marc jacob’s hillier hobo inspired bag. hmm.
Am

In response to “what is the leather like” — I own this one in white. The leather… it feels like “buttah.” Extremely soft. The seams are high-quality. The strap is sturdy. The bag will last a while.