DeMellier London Montreal Bag Honest Review

By Genevieve Go on July 1, 2024

I wasn't very into the other DeMellier bag that I got to examine up close, but that one was a soft style and this one is a structured one, so I figured that it's still worth reexamining.

This Montreal bag is one that I've also seen online, but it is not nearly as sleek as it looks in their photos. Right off the bat, the leather feels very similar to the Lisbon bag, which was a bit plasticky and cheap-feeling.

And I wonder why, but similar to the Lisbon, the hardware is already pretty scratched up. The interior lining is also cheap-ish looking fabric.

I did also mention before that the prices of these bags are not outrageous compared to some other brands. 35,500php is around 600+ USD.

But if we look at brands with similar quality, 600USD is a bit high. For example, Kate Spade (whose stitching and edge finishing are arguably cleaner than this)--most of their bags are a little under 400USD

And if we think about brands with similar price points, I think you can find better quality elsewhere. Longchamp's large leather Le Pliage bags, large Le Roseau tote, or large 3D L handbags are all around 600+ USD as well, and from experience, Longchamp's bags actually last quite well over the years. And they have sales and outlets as well, so you could get those bags for even less. Lots of indie brands (mine included, haha) and leather crafters would have large bags priced around there as well, and the quality will for sure be better.

Inconsistent stitches and sloppy edge finish:

You can see especially on the strap (foreground) the machine stitching inconsistencies:

The stitches on the strap are really killing me

Edge finish overflowing onto the bag body:

And here you can see that the stitches were not placed very well, almost right to the edge of the circular hole where the handle is coming out, which will likely lead to ripping or damage from wear and tear sooner rather than later.

I actually went back to this department store a few weeks ago and saw this very bag in a pebble-grain-ish finish. While the leather still feels rather plasticky, the grain will help hide the dirt and imperfections if you really want to buy this bag style.

The hardware closure looks the same but the tophandle and strap are different, so I'm not sure if this is also a Montreal, or a Vancouver but with a top handle? But either way, you can see how the grained leather makes it *look* a bit better haha.