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The Senreve Mini Maestra in pebbled ice.
As I prepared for my two-week trip to Spain, I was met with a conundrum – it was going to be my first time traveling overseas with my Nikon D750, and I needed a bag that would fit the camera but be comfortable and stylish enough for use everyday. Enter the Senreve Mini Maestra! It’s a bag that has served me well on two separate two-week trips to Spain, one trip to Italy, and countless days around town in between. Read on for why I love it.
About the brand
I learned about Senreve (where else) on social media but it took me a while to click through to their website and probe further. After finally doing some due diligence, I saw that they fit into my personal product values, from a dedication to craftsmanship and high-quality materials, to a sustainable mindset – while many luxury brands trash their imperfect products, Senreve sells these slightly blemished pieces at a discount, and all their bags come with a lifetime guarantee.
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The Senreve Mini Maestra performs really well on all three of my criteria for bags that will stand the test of time: beautiful design, broad utility, and excellent construction. I love how well it photographs, and my very first Mini Maestra in pale blue ice pebbled leather still looks like brand new three years later. Today, I also own the Mini Maestra in a forest green mixed-leather suede, and Senreve’s black Mimosa finish (their take on a saffiano leather).
A great bag helps you travel in style with ease.
Choosing a size and color
Senreve’s main bag style is the Maestra, a versatile crossbody-satchel-backpack that comes in three sizes. You can see a full size comparison here.
- The Maestra, 10.25″ tall, 6.75″ deep, and 12.25″ wide at the base, it’s as big as a work tote and accommodates a 15” laptop in the center compartment.
- The Midi Maestra, 8.75″ tall, 5.75″ deep, and 10.5″ wide at the base, no one will mistake this smaller version for your work bag.
- The Mini Maestra, 7.5″ tall, 5.5″ deep, and 8.5″ wide at the base. A perfect purse size, this fits a ton of essentials – DSLR included.
The inside of the Mini Maestra – multiple pockets keep things organized, and my DSLR fits in there, too!
After examining the sizes, I was excited that the Mini might be big enough for my needs, and I was right. I love that it doesn’t look (or feel) like I’m carrying around a ton of stuff, ideal when trying to not look like a tourist while being touristy. It’s nice to blend in a bit and not completely stick out!
I might be sightseeing, but you can’t tell based on my bag.
Design
Senreve’s signature detailing on the front of their Maestra bags is reminiscent of a wingtip loafer without perforations. I love how the curved edges on the leather and lack of visible hardware makes for an elegant profile. A front tab attached with a magnetic snap finishes the front and creates a focal point. (Interestingly, the Midi and full-size Maestra both peg closures instead). Overall the design is sleek enough to go with a summery cocktail dress at dinner, but didn’t look completely out of place hiking up a mountain with a t-shirt and sneakers. Not many bags can boast that range of utility!
Utility
The Maestra bag has a small top handle as well as a longer, adjustable strap that can be worn as a shoulder bag / crossbody or pulled through into a backpack. At first, I wasn’t super excited about the backpack function, but it quickly proved to be an eminently useful travel feature. It was great for long walks when I wanted to distribute the bag’s weight across my shoulders, and when walking uphill (like going up to the Alhambra) when a crossbody design would normally get in the way or flap against the body.
Being able to carry the bag three different ways makes it extremely versatile, and appropriate for a range of travel scenarios.
Wear it as a backpack…
…or on the arm.
Construction
In addition to design and utility, it’s very important to me that a bag is built to last. I prefer bags with structure – ones that will stay upright when set down on a surface, and therefore will look newer, longer. The Maestra is the most structured bag I own; I love that Senreve built it so that it won’t relax or slouch over time.
I also appreciate the practical finishes used – from pebbled to saffiano, these textured leathers won’t attract water stains or dirt, and will resist developing a patina (code for absorbing oil from frequent use and darkening over time). Since I first wrote this post in 2019, my pebbled leather Senreve Mini Maestra has continued to look impeccable, and I’m confident that will keep looking new for years to come.
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Such a great bag! I’m always looking for stylish travel bags
Me too! I used a Longchamp zip tote for years, but I love how the Mini Maestra looks good even with a cocktail dress!
Love love this color choice! Gives the bag an effortlessly chic vibe yet is totally practical!
Yes! I feel like it hides dirt, too – it’s a great neutral color that still feels fresh.
I’m going to Japan next year and have been researching the best travel/every day/everything bag because I’m trying to branch out from my trusty Everlane/Longchamp totes. I found your post on instagram and that led me here! So thankful for your thorough analysis on the bag (it definitley helped me weigh the pros and cons) but I do have two questions – when wearing it as a backpack, did you ever feel like the straps were digging into the body or if the stud straps were coming undone? Those are the only things holding me back from purchasing.
Hi Ronida, great questions! The studs on the straps are pretty secure – when I initially adjusted the length it was actually quite hard to get the studs out of the original holes and into other ones, but a little leverage helped. They never popped out of the holes during use. Because the straps are thin and the leather is rigid, they dig in a bit, but it only got uncomfortable over time, so there were some days I switched back and forth from backpack to crossbody. The straps are spaced in a way that I think distributes the weight well, because even in a tank top on a hot day it never left marks on my shoulders, which I do get with heavy shoulder bags sometimes. Hope that helps! Let me know if you have other questions.
Love your review of the bag!! I finally got the mini, in blush, and have been obsessed with it. It truly is the perfect versatile bag for travel!
Agree! Now I just need to try the midi and the full size…!