Fun fact: my sister, who has ridden horses all her life, wants me to tell you that the horsebit Gucci uses is called an “Eggbutt Snaffle”. You are most welcome.
I’ve always liked the Gucci print. In small doses, it added a special little pop to a look without sacrificing neutrality. However, I’d talked myself out of buying anything bearing the print more times than I can count.
“You’ll get tired of it!”
“It’s too trendy.”
“It won’t match with anything you have.”
And so forth– however, two years ago I fell in love with the Gucci horsebit embellishment and with the right amount of brown leather accenting it, it looked perfectly equestrian. It had that ‘old money’ look that was so popular way back when.
I chose the Gucci 1955 Horsebit Tophandle Mini, complete with an optional crossbody strap, coated canvas boasting the iconic Gucci print, and trimmed in an appropriate amount of brown leather. This particular bag is sold out now, but you can get lots of other ones like it with the horsebit in this color combination. You might also be able to find this one on secondhand sites. I bought the bag hoping for a ‘forever’ bag, but I would have also settled for a ‘for now’ bag.
I can admit when I was wrong. The Gucci print was versatile, the coated canvas and chunky gold hardware were durable, and it’s been over two years of weekly wear and this bag has neither shown any wear nor exhausted any outfit options.
When I wear this bag, I could probably wear a plain tan bag with the look as well. I could even get away with a black bag, and maybe a beige or cream bag, but this bag is a statement piece and I find it compliments an outrageous number of looks.
In fact, this bag reminds me of why I like bags so much — you can take any outfit and change the bag and suddenly, without putting different clothing, you have a brand new look. Inspired.
I paid ($)3600 2023 dollars for this bag, and I think the price is perhaps a bit generous considering the bag is lined in cotton.
It has a single zip compartment at the top, and it has two little leather handles that I can fit my hand through or carry like a little tiny briefcase.
DURABILITY
The crossbody strap clips are durable and it comes in handy at least on a weekly basis. That’s a word you’ll hear a lot throughout this review, by the way – durable. I have not been kind to this bag or precious with it. It’s been bonked around and scratched up against and the only thing that indicates such is the slight fuzzing on the fabric part of the zipper.
The coated canvas is unmarked and smooth, and the brown leather (which is quite rigid) is so solid that I’m pretty sure that when it hits against things, it dents them.
HARDWARE
The hardware is, since the day I got it, a bright, shiny gold. There has been no fading, and honestly, I can’t say there are any significant scratches or dents on any of the larger pieces, like the horsebit or the zipper pulls. It feels sturdy and, well, durable. The hardware is heavyweight and feels luxe but doesn’t feel too heavy.
The Feet
The feet on this bag are rounded and may as well be nonexistent. If you rest this bag on the feet, it either falls over right away or thirty minutes later when you hear a crash and you come to find it’s plummeted off of your front table onto the floor. I set this bag down on its back — always.
INTERIOR
# Of Inside Zip Pockets: 0
# Of Pockets Without Zips: 1
Total # of Pockets: 1
Total # of Compartments: 2
This shape of bag is a bit awkward, and I’m glad I didn’t get a bigger size. It came in a few different sizes at the time, but I chose the mini because I thought it was adorable and I can fit my (chunky) cardholder, lip balm, keys in the interior pocket, medication, etc.
The awkward part is that the bag is quite tall and tapers toward the top, so you basically just stack your stuff in the bag and hope for the best when you go to pay for something or need to unlock your front door. If the bag were any bigger, I’d probably have to get one of those bag organizers to avoid having a large space where you drop things into and maybe you see them again, maybe you won’t.
What Fits in the Gucci 1955 Horsebit MinI?
- An iPhone 13 Pro
- A pair of Ray Bans without a case
- A moderately-sized cardholder
- Keys (3 keys and a fob to be exact)
- A small bottle of eye drops (think Visine or Hyabak)
- A lip product
- A little pill case
WEAR AND STYLING TIPS: How I Wear the Gucci Print
Perhaps this is a bit contentious, but I love wearing this bag with other prints. I think, if you’ve chosen the right print, they play off of each other and make the other sing. I also wear it with solids, but I love this bag with fall or warm colors, prints, reds, darker blues, and varying shades of brown.
Sum It Up
I’m super happy with my purchase. It’s versatile, it’s convenient, and besides the price point being a bit much for a cotton lining, it’s become a wardrobe staple. I’ve had it for over two years and I’ve yet to run out of outfit possibilities. The top zipper is super easy to access, and while I have to kind of pile my stuff in there, it hasn’t been annoying to use this bag out and about. The most annoying thing has actually been the faulty feet, but that’s easily circumvented by just laying it flat.
Until next time,
Megan
Great read!