Ladies and gentlemen, I have posted this bag for one reason and one reason only: to demonstrate a leather-finishing effect that I truly and completely despise. Other than the quasi-shiny effect, I really like the Miu Miu Distressed Leather Hobo. The shape is good, the color is interesting and uncommon, and the handle detail is a nice, subtle touch. If it wasn’t for the infuriatingly terrible finish they put on the leather, I’d be all about this one.
Why in the world do designers EVER do this? It’s somewhere in Leather Effect Purgatory between regular and patent, and it doesn’t do a bag any favors. It mostly has one of the following effects: it makes the leather look like it’s not actually leather, it makes the leather look thin, or it makes the leather look stiff. What it almost ALWAYS does is make the bag look cheap – I see a lot of PVC bags at Target with identical finishes, and whenever I see something like this, that’s always what it brings to mind. A finish like this is also pretty much a guarantee that the bag won’t be soft to the touch. There are few things that you can do to a bag that I like less than what they’ve done to this one, and it’s a really shame – it could have been a winner. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $1050.
