{Updated Oct 2018} Lo & Sons The Seville in Black Saffiano Review - 13 Inch

Lo & Sons Seville in Black Saffiano 13 inch - color varieties here

I think it’s no secret that I’m a Lo & Sons fan. I own 3 of their bags - the Catalina, the Pearl, and now the Seville. The designs are thoughtful, with utility and style in mind, without compromising quality above all.

With that said, I bought the 13 inch Seville in black saffiano leather about four months ago when it was on sale with the intent to replace my well loved Longchamp Pliage which I used as a work bag. I wanted something a lot more polished and professional since I’m frequently traveling to clients for presentations. One of the features of this bag that appealed to me was the ability to swap out the shell for something lighter weight and travel friendly, a laptop compartment meant to fit a 13’ computer, and of course, a zip!

Receiving the package, its contents included a dust bag, a nylon shell, and a black saffiano shell.

Travel Friendliness
When I bought this, it was a few days before I was going to fly out to Colorado for a short vacation. On a whim, I decided to bring this bag in its nylon shell to keep the essentials on hand. Laptop, cell phone, empty water bottle, various knick knacks, snacks, and a bag of toiletries. It’s really light on the shoulder, stands upright on its own, and the nylon shell has a zippable flap in the back to slide over your carry on handle. The top of course does zip all the way across, which gave me a sense of security as I was traveling. The straps are wide and made of leather, and was comfortable on the shoulder.

When I initially bought this bag, I didn’t think I’d ever use the nylon shell at all. But I definitely see the appeal! I just wish it came in more colors, as I’d definitely snag another pair for a more casual every day.

Switching Up The Shell
When I came home, I was assigned to a new local client, which meant switching from the nylon to the Saffiano shell.  When I initially started doing research on this bag, I was a little hesitant about the ability to switch shells at all. I was nervous that the buttons would not hold under the weight of the bag, and it would snap off easily. However, it is definitely not the case.

In fact, switching the shell came with a bit of difficulty, since the fasteners were so tight. The buttons are a bit hard to snap on, but once they’re on, I could see they were really secure and took some force to snap off.

Saffiano Shell
As for the Saffiano shell - if you’re familiar with the Pearl saffiano, it’s the same one. I bought it in black (because I buy everything in black) so nothing to write home about. Very durable, scratch resistent, and water resistant. the bottom of this shell has four golden feet so the bag can stand upright without touching the ground. Of course, once you start loading the bag up with things, the middle of the bag WILL touch the ground. But the bottom of this shell is made of a durable leather, so I’m not too worried about it. But all in all, nothing of note - a very good looking saffiano leather that is suitable for a professional setting.

The Insides
The organizational features of this bag are a real step up for me, upgrading from the Longchamp Pliage. Going from 0 pockets to all the pockets! I didn’t realize what I was missing from my life!

The main pocket here is the laptop sleeve, and will fit a 13’ laptop. I have a Dell Latitude Ultrabook for work, so this fits perfectly. My Macbook Air also fits with room to spare. For both computers, I still have room to fit either a legal pad or a notebook in the same slot.

Other than that, there's one pocket sewn onto the laptop pocket which has a bit of depth to it. I usually keep my notebook there. On the other side, two additional pockets where I keep a hand moisturizer, wireless mouse, phone, and my laptop charger. Additionally, there is a zip pocket on the same side that I keep smaller things in. I usually keep my headphones and card wallet in this (Ventra pass, license, keycard to office, credit card).

With all of that, there's still room in the middle, which I usually keep my keys on the attached lanyard. Like the Pearl crossbody I have, the lanyard here is long enough to reach the door without struggling too much.

Overall
I'm really pleased with the bag overall. As I mentioned, I was looking for an upgrade from my Longchamp, which carried me through college and the first two years of my job. I've since been in a significantly more client facing role with a lot more travel. The Seville in Saffiano fit all of my criteria - water resistant saffiano, laptop compartment, travel friendly shell option, zippered pocket. I did consider briefly the 15" option, but after seeing some comparison photos on their website, decided it would've overwhelmed my frame (5'2").

The Seville right now is on promo at Lo & Sons - several varieties are 40% off which is an additional 10% off of when I purchased in August!

-- Updated Review Oct 2018 --

After a year and change, an update to the Seville bag. Unfortunately for a bag this pricy, it did not hold up. Don't get me wrong, I still love the bag. It is such an innovative idea, swapping out the shells.

But I'm really disappointed because my other Lo and Sons products are great. I have the Catalina weekender (perfect condition, looks as new as the day I bought it) and the Saffiano Pearl (same thing, perfect). There are a few things that I was disappointed with:

1. The straps did not hold up and are annoyingly stiff.

Two separate problems with the straps. One - they are not durable. They've started to come apart at the top of the strap as well as by the metal fixtures on the shell itself. I can forgive the creasing at the metal bit... I get it, metal and leather aren't necessarily compatible under weight. At the top is likely due to poor construction. I've had my Longchamp Le Pliage bag for 3x the time frame, and stuff way more weight into it due to it being my weekender bag essentially. And it's only gotten better over time. The second problem with the strap is that they are very very stiff. They won't lay down, which makes it incredibly awkward in client situations. I find that I'm constantly fighting with this bag to sit down. One strap falls at a 90 degree angle to the bag, and the other nearly stands up.

 

2. Because of the internal organization, you can't over stuff the bag.

I love the organization in the bag, but I find that due to the thickness of the pockets, it doesn't leave that much room for anything else. I really only carry a laptop, notebook, phone, wallet, and personal care items. But on the days where I happen to run errands or have to carry a pair of shoes, there isn't that much room left/isn't room left. I rarely used the zipper on this bag due to this reason.

3. The bag weighs a lot on its own

Again - because of the amount of material this bag is made from, it weighs quite a bit on its own. Officially on the website, the 13" bag weighs 2.5lbs already. Compare this to a Le Pliage (about 1 lb) or my Timbuk2 backpack (2 lbs). I switched the shell out to the nylon instead of the leather since it was a lot lighter. My laptop alone (which I haul back and forth every day) is 3.13 pounds, so adding that onto the weight of the bag made it really annoying to travel with.

Would I still buy this again? Probably not, and especially not at the current pricing which is almost $400. At that type of pricing, I think I'd rather get a tote from one of the mainstream, mid-tier luxury brands like Kate Spade.