This is a gorgeous, very well-designed, very large handbag. I should probably preface this review by saying that I like to switch my handbags every week or so, meaning that I have a lot of them. And my brand of choice is Frye. I can always count on lots of styles and sizes to choose from, top quality leather and excellent construction from this brand. I chose the black for this handbag and the quality of the leather is superb and the woven part and the fringe has been done by hand -- stunning. The leather is intricately woven and looks absolutely perfect and the macrame trim leading to the fringe is beautifully done. The fringe doesn't hang down very much below the edge of the purse so it is not as likely to tangle as bags that have really long fringe. As I mentioned, this is a large handbag. Really large. The dimensions are given in the product description and I always look at the pictures when making my decision, too. Sometimes the pictures don't seem to be a good representation of the actual size of a bag, but in this case it is accurate. The slim model is almost overwhelmed by the size of this handbag and it looks almost like a week-ender on her. I am considerably larger than the model, so this handbag doesn't look quite a s oversized on me. But it is still large and it is also a bit heavy even empty. I like smooth and supple leather that is thick enough to be robust and durable. This is the 'pick-up' type of leather the Melissa line is known for, but I know many women prefer to carry something much lighter in weight. There is only one pocket on the outside of the bag -- it is on the back. It has a slanted zipper that is about 8" long, including the casing, and has a large leather pull tab to make it easy to use. The sipper operates smoothly. The pocket measure about 8" across the top and about 7" across the bottom (because of the slant) and although it could be used to stash my phone or keys inside, I would have to remember to zip it up as I don't want to take a chance of anything falling out. And I can be forgetful. I wouldn't put my wallet in there for the same reason. I would use the pocket for all of those things if it was vertically oriented, but as it is, I would be more likely to use it for a small cosmetic bag, my sunglasses and one of those small cases that hold a writing pad and pen. The interior of the bag is lined in a durable tan/beige colored fabric so I can see the contents easily. Thare two good sized slip pockets on one side (4" wide, 5" deep) and I use one for my phone and the other for my glasses. There is a larger zippered pocket on the other side (9" wide 7" deep) that I can easily fit a full-sized wallet in. There are no partitions inside of the bag, and there is no key fob, which I would have liked. The zipper that opens the bag is heavy, sturdy metal with a metal pull tab with a long, tasseled leather extension that looks lovely and is a great accent. The strap is adjustable in length and is made of durable leather (same quality as the bag) and has antique silver colored metal hardware (buckle, swivel snap to match the rings on the bag). The strap is definitely strong enough to support the weight of the bag. I prefer a completely detachable strap, and I do find this one to be a bit odd. One end is permanently attached to a ring on one side of the bag, and the other end attaches to a ring on the other side of the bag with a swivel snap so the purse can be worn over the shoulder or as a cross-body or the strap can be unhooked, drawn through one ring and attached to the other for a short hand-held handle. I'm very happy with my new bag and the The regular price of this handbag is $398.00 which is well out of my reach, but I did pick it up at substantial savings. Definitely another 5-star handbag from Frye....
