I recently shared in my Mansur Gavriel bucket bag review that I have been refining my bag collection (especially since my wardrobe has been pretty drab all year throughout my pregnancy). One brand I recently discovered is Polène Paris and after falling down a YouTube rabbit hole I really wanted to own one of their bags.
I ended up falling for the Umi Bag, mostly because I wanted a medium sized shoulder bag and the clever strap design won me over. I love the rich camel color (although the clay was hard to pass up), and opted to pre-order it since it was not available in October/November when I went to purchase.
Unfortunately for several reasons that I share below and in my unboxing video I ended up returning this bag (and replacing it with something I absolutely LOVE and have been getting ample wear out of!).
Pros
Versatile with the two srap options and very clever strap design
Lovely hardware that isn’t a typical buckle
Minimal branding and an elegant logo
Beautiful pebbled leather that will likely wear well
Cons
The interior feels unfinished with the construction of the bag being so clearly visible
The zipper is stiff and not effortless to open
The bag opening is a bit tight to get things in and out
Adjusting the strap was difficult and the leather loop meant to hold the excess strap was a bit too small and rubbed harshly on the glazing. Overall it felt like an afterthought and not the best design
The customer service is pretty abysmal. I didn’t receive a shipment notification for my pre-order and after inquiring it took nearly a week to hear back from Polène who blamed it on DHL for not sending. Returns are also not free which sucks for a brand you can’t see in person, but that is stated on the website and understandable.
