The Horse Review - Clementine in Burgundy

Hello friends! I'm doing a series of reviews as detailed in this post. This post is for the Clementine(s) I ordered... yes, multiple. I ordered the Olive ~2 days before I heard that the Burgundy would be going on sale, so I bought the Burgundy anyway, and sold the Olive at the Black Friday price. Unfortunately I only took photos of the Burgundy.

Photos: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1GMoMHXtN4PowI5Ctf5_lNA7Hir0ZWRUI

Let me say - this is one of my favorite bags, and definitely the least expensive bag that I loved and kept. The design is simple but gorgeous IMO, the leather feels and smells luscious (none of them chemical smell I've heard some colors have), and the color is beautiful.

My first impression was, honestly, that the color looked more brown and less red than I'd hoped, especially since the Coffee color seems to have a red undertone too. But once I took it into slightly better lighting it is definitely more reddish, and especially outside. To be nitpicky, I would probably call this a maroon instead of a burgundy, but hey.

My second impression was that I liked the shape, but was worried it might be too deep for my preference and/or frame. Thankfully (surprisingly!) I didn't find wearing or carrying it to be uncomfortable, although my style and function preference will definitely be to carry it instead of wear it.

In general, though - the shape has a GORGEOUS shape, from every angle! All photos were taken with a minimum of items inside (wallet, phone, keys), and without any other encouragement to make it slouch, or any wear yet for it to 'gain' a slouch. It definitely slouches more when carried, but other reviews have mentioned that too. Have I mentioned the leather feels and smells gorgeous?

Something else I appreciate about this style/color combo, is that it feels really versatile - easy to dress up or down, can be worn any season, etc. While the Olive was also REALLY pretty, this bag feels like it can be dressed up a little easier. The Olive seemed great for a casual or edgy style, but less for evenings, an elevating neutral, etc. Both colors were true to the website.

Minor cons: I don't love the silver hardware, which I know The Horse does for most bags, and I knew about going in. It doesn't bother me too much, or clash with a chain I played around with adding, but it's never my preference. The strap also feels a LITTLE too wide, but that was quickly forgotten, and I like the look of it when carried (not worn), so that doesn't matter too much to me. It's also the least easy to access out of all the bags I kept, since you need to move both flaps out of the way - but my bar for this generally is pretty high, so I'd say that overall it's not too bad.

Overall I was really excited for this bag, with a little uncertainty since there were some underwhelmed reviewers here too. The thought crossed my mind if perhaps it was nice for the price, but wouldn't work for someone who generally carries more expensive and sometimes luxury bags. But I am happy to report that my high expectations were definitely matched!