to shop / where to find mansur gavriel (feb/march 2016)

Published on February 13. Updated on June 20.

Image source: Mansur Gavriel

Mansur Gavriel isn’t stocking its own web shop until March, but you can find their SS2016 collection at a number of sites. Though you’re not getting a pink box, many of these sites offer returns. Buying directly from MG is final sale, which I learned the hard way, and they also charge shipping. The biggest perk of buying direct from MG is the selection.

New for SS2016 (Update: MG’s own site has been updated with all new styles and colors)

• Shoes in four styles and five heel heights, in many colors. Sorry, none of these appeal to me. And you may have heard about the drama. The shoes pre-launched at Net-a-Porter two days ago, which means you can trust there will be plenty of popbacks.
• New bag styles: the Moon Clutch, the Flat Clutch, the Volume Clutch and Circle bag.
• New bag size: mini Lady bag. It looks substantially smaller than the regular Lady bag. Mini dimensions: 9″ x 10.5″ x 3.5″ vs regular dimensions 11″ x 12.5″ x 4.5″. The handle drop differs by 2″, which means the mini top handle won’t fit on your shoulder. Both have a crossbody strap.
• New color: Rococo (dark berry pink) and Blush (between the existing rosa and peony).

Personally, I am not interested in the new colors, shoes, or new bag styles. I like the lady bag, but not sure if I like the mini or regular size, or if Barneys will have the mini in saffiano.

Brief Description of Leather and Size Options

• Leather: Vegetable tanned, tumbled, saffiano, and calf coated, in ascending price with a tie between tumbled and saffiano. Canvas is obviously cheaper than the vegetable tanned – and I won’t be mentioning it further.
  • Vegetable tanned is the most delicate, needs to be loved with leather milk/sprays, and in return you will get a beautiful patina. It comes in black, cammello (light camel), and brandy (burnt brown) exteriors and a huge array of colorful matte, smooth leather interior or raw, unfinished interior. This is the most popular – folks want a contrasting interior! It has structure and will soften a bit with use, but will still stay structured. Not a good option if you do not like signs of wear or treat bags roughly.
  • Tumbled has no structure. It is soft and I’ve never seen one in person.
  • Saffiano is pretty indestructible and an exclusive to Barneys and Opening Ceremony, and at some point, Colette in Paris. While the string may soften a little with use, the stiffness and structure of the bag will not change.
  • Calf coated is smooth, matte, and softer than vegetable tanned and saffiano. It is the most refined out of the bunch and doesn’t really require any maintenance, but may eventually show wear on the corners. The exterior color = interior color. No contrast here. The lady bags do not have a matte leather interior but a canvas lining. Since it is softer, I do not think it looks good in the lady bag style (look at how the top flap pulls).
• Size: 
  • Bucket: mini mini, mini, and regular (often referred to as large). The smaller sizes are harder to find.
  • Lady Bag: mini, regular, and large. Large is harder to find than mini.
  • Crossbody: mini and regular.
  • Backpack: mini and regular.
  • Tote: small and large. Small is super rare outside of MG’s own site.

Mini bucket can hold a similar amount as the mini lady. The same can be said for the regular bucket and lady bag. They’re just different shapes.

Image source: Mansur Gavriel

Where to find Mansur Gavriel

(*) denotes backorder or preorder. Pre-orders ship in February, March, or April.

Please note that inventory is constantly changing, which means your best strategy is to stalk the sites that have what you want and/or pick up the phone and call. If you want someone else to do the legwork for you with a minimal fee, check out PS Dept.

Image source: Mansur Gavriel

 

• Net-a-porter US – I have noticed a final sale sign on some items on the product page, “FINAL SALE – THIS ITEM IS NON-RETURNABLE”. So, be aware. Otherwise, great return experience. Recommend using the waitlist for best availability as often items return to stock but only show up in the waitlist.
• Net-a-porter GB 
• Net-a-porter Asia
• Barneys New York* – Some items are pre-order, your credit card is charged when it ships. You can find totes, buckets, and lady bags in saffiano that are exclusive to Barneys float in and out of inventory, links are below. Saffiano is priced between vegetable tanned and calf coated, and is my choice for the large bucket.
  • Saffiano large bucket in black/flamma ($625). Available for pre-order as of Feb 20, March delivery.
  • Saffiano large bucket in rosa/rosa ($625). Available as of March 17.
  • Saffiano large bucket in white/royal.
  • Saffiano mini bucket in black/flamma ($525). Available for pre-order as of Feb 20, March delivery.
  • Saffiano mini bucket in rosa/rosa ($525). Available for pre-order as of Feb 20, March delivery.
  • Saffiano large tote in black/flamma ($615). Was available for pre-order in mid-Feb for March delivery.
  • Saffiano large tote in rosa/rosa ($615). Available as of February 11.
  • Saffiano regular lady in black/flamma ($945). Available for pre-order as of Feb 20, March delivery.
• Bergdorf Goodman* – Some items are pre-order. Your best bet for colorful buckets (mini and regular).
  • There was a huge update in stock yesterday and most of it has disappeared.
  • I’ve gotten my order cancelled a few times before and returns can be slow since it is processed by the NYC store. I suggest mailing it back to the TX warehouse instead.
  • If you like something save the bookmark. Some items don’t always show up on the brand page
• Steven Alan – Highly recommend calling stores for stock updates. And now they are now applying the free shipping promotion to MG bags. Hah. I’ve had positive shopping experiences here in the past, but they’re not my fave and if I can buy it elsewhere, I will!
• Moda Operandi* – Make sure to select the gift box option, beautiful packaging. Your credit card is charged when you order, not when pre-order ships.
• Kirna Zabete* – No returns.
• Opening Ceremony* – Sign up for stock updates. Silver saffiano is exclusive to OC.
• No. 6
• Anita Hass* – Germany-based retailer. Some items are pre-order.
• Totokaelo
• Forward by Elyse Walker*
• The Line
• My Chameleon* – Australia-based retailer.
• Matches (UK)
• Shop Bazaar
• SSENSE – Canada based, free shipping/returns to US
• Bird
• Mohawk General Store
• Stand Up Comedy*
• Creatures of Comfort*
• Dover Street Market (UK) – Buckets and totes only.
• Dover Street Market (US) – Buckets and totes only.
• Mill Mercantile – Not sold online, need to call.
• Shop Super Street
• La Prendo* – Singapore.
• Farfetch – Random availability from US-based retailers and sometimes European retailers.
• Zoe* – NJ-based boutique. Does not ship internationally. This mini flamma/flamma lady bag is gorgeous.
• ShopCurve
• Colette
• Marissa Collections
• Mansur Gavriel – I think the MG hype has died down a bit. When they launch new stock, most items don’t sell out right away. This site still has the best collection of interior colors. Dolly is a newer pink and sells out fast. Mini sized bags also sell out faster than regular sized bags. However, all bags are final sale. Don’t get too trigger happy!
• La Garconne
• Department Feminin. France. Taking pre-orders. Hint: Sign up for an account to view Celine.

Lastly, some friendly advice:

• If you want a vegetable tanned bag, I highly recommend ordering it more than once from places that take returns. The material is very susceptible to scratches and natural imperfections, and I rather scratch my own bag than get a pre-scratched bag. Of the various sites I’ve ordered from, some come from a physical store and not all stores package the bag as well. It’s also hard to say if a bag was scratched before they arrived at the retailer. I’ve been looking for a non-black lady bag (regular or mini) and it’s been harder than expected!