Celine Camarat Saddle Bag
##Disclosure: I was not offered any present/future discounts/free products in exchange for this review.
Quick Intro:
As stated in my last review, I tend to focus on quality more so than accuracy. Also, I cannot find decent (ie detailed) photos of this bag. In fact, I wasn’t even sure it existed in black until I stumbled across a Celine runway photo. While I will try to be accurate in my assessment, please don’t put too much stock in my review. The repgame^(TM) is subjective.
Details
Seller: TS Alisa
Price of item: 109 USD (700 CNY)
This was a sale price. It is usually listed as 1780 CNY (278 USD).
Price of Shipping/Carrier: 34 USD (220 CNY) - DHL (transferred to FedEx)
Payment Method: PayPal F&F (4.99 USD fee)
Total Cost: 147.99 USD
Factory: Pomegranate
Order timeline:
- May 14 - Inquired about bag and paid
- May 22 - Received PSPs and gave the green light
- May 24 - Received tracking
- June 4 - Bag delivered!
Photos
My Photos (pics, videos, and mod shot)
Purseblog Website of Celine Spring 2020 Bags (pic above was taken from here)
Quality 10/10
I took a chance on this bag. I was looking for a decent sized, casual, black, saddle bag and this fit the bill. I was working with no reviews and a small, crappy photo of the auth. Needless to say, I kept my expectations realistic, especially since I bought it on sale.
When I opened the packaged, I was floored. My first thought was “holy shit this bag is fucking divine.” Second thought: “How the hell did this cost under $150?!” I know the Camarat is not everyone’s cup of tea (which is probably why it was on sale). And yes, I’m aware the hardware looks like it was pried off of this lovely number. But I don’t give af. I like what I like…. going to bed before 9:00 pm, playing solitaire, and my Camarat bag.
What makes this bag so incredible, you ask? The. Leather. If you’ve suffered through my past reviews, you will know that I am all about the leather. It’s ridiculously soft and luxe. It’s as if this bag was conditioned and caressed for 50 days straight before being shipped off. Calgon take me away.
Is the leather quality alone enough to give this bag a 10/10? Damn straight it is. But it doesn’t end there. The hardware is solid and the magnetic closure has just the right amount of strength. It’s strong enough to be secure but not so much that it’s obnoxious to open. The stitching is even and tidy with no loose threads. The edge paint was applied perfectly… yes, perfectly.
The icing on the cake would be the shoulder strap keepers (those little leather loops that keep the strap in place). They are perfectly snug. I’m a very easy-going person but when those damn loops are too loose and they fall down, it grinds my gears.
Accuracy 8.75/10
Color:
It’s a black bag. It’s pretty hard not to get it right.
Shape/Measurements:
The dimensions are slightly off the mark (-.25). My bag is a bit wider and shorter than the auth and the strap is an inch longer (which I prefer anyway).
Auth: 10 x 9 x 3
Mine: 10.5 x 8.75 x 3
Auth: Strap Drop (at longest length): 18”
Mine: Strap Drop (at longest length): 19”
Logo:
The embossed logo on the leather is off-center (-.25). The logos on the hardware and interior look good. Okay, to be honest, I’m sort of flying by the seat of my pants with this… I have no reference photo of what the interior logo should like. But “Celine” and “Paris” are both spelled correctly so let’s call it a win.
Leather:
Perfection. The texture definitely looks consistent with the auth.
Hardware:
The hardware shape is consistent with the auth. However, the auth has a more antique/matte finish/color. Mine is higher shine. Could probably be fixed with a little DIY project. (-.50)
Strap:
As stated earlier, the strap length is off so I won’t deduct points again for that. Other than that, the strap is consistent with the auth in terms of the shape and buckle placement.
Stitching/Edge Paint:
Everything is tonal (same as auth). It looks like there is a discrepancy on the front under the “camarat” hardware. On the auth, the bottom of the large front buckle leather is “stitched in” (I’m sure there’s a better term/phrase for this) into the front flap. On mine, the leather buckle part looks like its laying on top (-.25). Will anyone notice this? Absolutely not. Reference photo because if I were reading this I would have no idea what this person is talking about.
Satisfaction: 10/10
Um, if you couldn’t tell… I am DELIGHTED with this purchase and so happy I took the gamble on it. It is very spacious with easy access to my belongings inside. I love that it looks casual but feels like a million bucks. It is a great daily bag that flies under the radar for work and running errands. Brand name aside, this is a fantastic $150 bag.
Seller Communication and Service: 10/10
I’ve purchased numerous bags from Alisa over the past two years and will continue to do so. Most of my orders are always straight forward:
- Send picture to seller
- Pay
- GL PSPs, say thank you
- Receive tracking, say thank you
- Contact seller to let them know I received the bag, say thank you.
(yes, this is a shameless PSA to say thank you to our amazing sellers).
I rarely ask questions or ask for updates (granted, I’ve never had something custom made/pre-ordered with long wait times). Either way, communication and purchases with Alisa have always been smooth sailing. I also appreciated the amount of PSP’s she sent.
by AccioWit934
Comments
Love this! It’s bigger than I expected. Have been eyeing it, but the post I saw only had 1 photo. ⏤ by 16athena
├─ Oh yeah it’s definitely roomy. Most of my bags are fairly small so I wanted something with a bit more space. ⏤ by AccioWit934
Such a gorgeous bag and at that price - what a steal! Enjoy! Mad jealous of your lawn btw, mine has yellowed and died in the sun. ⏤ by NormaliseNormality
├─ Love a good bargain! Haha thanks - we’ve been getting a decent amount of rain in NY lately so I definitely can’t take any credit for it! ⏤ by AccioWit934
Wow what a beauty. I definitely share your feelings on leather so I can imagine how wonderful this bag must be irl! ⏤ by griffine5
├─ Thanks! Yes, the leather is a dream. ⏤ by AccioWit934
Love that you took a chance and it worked out! I don’t think I even realized the size of this bag until seeing your mod shot, so thank you for sharing 😊 Congrats on a stunner! ⏤ by coolcoolsweetsweet
├─ Love when things like this work out! It’s so hard to tell how big or small is going to be from photos. When online shopping, I usually compare the measurements to a bag I have at home to get a better idea. ⏤ by AccioWit934
Oooh, I so wanted this bag in brown but it ain’t ready…too many things were wrong with it so I passed and got the Besace instead, it was repped better. But, the black, Aw man, the black is pretty. Enjoy your bag😍 ⏤ by twonickeIs
├─ Thank you :) The Besace is gorgeous! Great choice ⏤ by AccioWit934
I saw this bag and was contemplating it for so long but now your post made me want to buy it 😍. I covet Celine and love simple, underrated/less popular bags! ⏤ by petitepluviophile
├─ Same same. I just ordered the Celine 16 Soft (large) to use for work this fall (my last purchase of the year I keep telling myself…) Celine is my go to brand for sure. ⏤ by AccioWit934
TS Mr. Gary has Camarat now in sale section I am honestly so tempted to get it. Beautiful bag ⏤ by Faneeeeee
├─ Do it 😈 ⏤ by AccioWit934
Love this! It’s a great size and so beautiful. ⏤ by cwj25
├─ Thank you 💜 ⏤ by AccioWit934