Senreve Midi Maestra and Aria belt bag review

Where I got it

I actually purchased these bags back in February 2020 (over a year ago), but I never really got around reviewing them on my blog. I really want to wear the bags out more before I post a review. Long story short, I saw this brand from Wendy from Wendy’s Lookbook, and ChaseAmie’s YouTube channel. There are also many many influencers online who promoted these. I checked these out online for a few weeks and only put items in my cart, but because they were not necessary the most affordable bags, I did not check out immediately.

Until I recieved an email from Senreve about their Matchmaker deals. Basically, there is a number of 2-bag combom options available at a discounted price. They were not end-of-season or to-be-discontinued styles or colours, they are just a discounted price when you buy them as a set. Of course, you can choose your own colours and leather for each bag and there was basically all of the combinations you can think of.

I decided on the Midi Maestra and Aria belt bag which was USD$1,190 but the Matchmaker deal was down to USD$1,072. Normally the Midi Maestra is $795 and the Aria is $395, with the discount, it was $716 and $316. Shipping was free and they were able to do no customs fees (not sure how, but usually NZ customs charge customs for anything over NZD$1,000).

Packaging and shipping

The shipping was pretty fast because it arrived within a week from the US to NZ! Both bags came in one black box which is securely sealed. I opted for free gift-wrapping so they sent extra tissue paper as well as their paper shopping bag. The bags are individually placed in their dust bags and filled with tissue paper to maintain it’s structure. The belt for the Aria is inside the bag and the Maestra has its long strap tucked into the bag.

Midi Maestra in Burgundy

So let’s talk about the Midi Maestra first. This is the medium size of the Maestra family, there is the Maestra and a mini Maestra. I wanted something that can carry a decent amount of items but is not too big because I am not tall so I don’t want a bag to drown me down. There is certainly a bit of weight to the bag and the bag is very structured.

The colour I have chosen is merlot which is a beautiful wine colour and the photos doesn’t seem to show the shade correctly. It is beautiful and the pebbled leather feels quite durable and scratch-resistant (i.e. from light scratching like nails and brushing against something). The bag is really structured even with all the tissue paper removed from the inside.

The front clasp is also a button/hole opening (2 holes) and you just pull the tab up to open the top flap and expose the full-opening zip. There are buttons inside the bag to secure the ends of the zips, you can unbutton them if you wish. The zip is really smooth and it opens up nicely for you to access the bag. There are so many compartments inside the bag and that makes me freaking excited!

I love an organised bag, especially when I travel. There are 3 equal-sized pockets on one side and on the other side, you get 2 equal pockets on either side and a pen pocket in the middle. Close to the back of the bag is a large pocket with button closure which you can fit an iPad mini, and on the opposite side, there is a large zipped compartment. At the outside of the bag, there is a card pocket as well.

The bag measures width (base): 10.5”, width (top): 13.25”, height: 8.75” and depth: 5.75”. The drop handle: 2.25”, and adjustable Straps: 16”-21”. The material on the inside is really smooth and soft, and its light in colour which means it might get dirty easily. There is also a hook for like your keys so it doesn’t get lost in the bag.

The straps seem to be quite durable and sturdy, the top of the strap that goes over the shoulders has a wider band to provide support. It is adjustable so you can wear it lower or higher, but I find it really hard to push those little buttons through new holes, so it might not be something you can change up all the time. There is also a very sturdy top handle if you want to carry it by hand.

Aria Belt Bag

So the Aria belt bag is quite different from the Maestra in terms of the size and how it’s designed to be worn. It comes in one size and you can either wear this as a belt bag or buy an extra chain and wear it as a crossbody bag. I have chosen a more easier to wear shade called chestnut which is like a camel colour which pairs very well with casual clothing, jeans, etc. The same pebbled leather as the Midi Maestra above, it is quite structured so if I wear it as a belt, it will stick out a bit, and I might bump it against things a lot. However, I am not going to baby this one too much because I got a belt bag because I don’t want to worry too much about my bags, be hands-free so I can be more involved with my kids.

The Aria belt bag as a magnetic closure instead of the button/hole closure like the Midi Maestra. The magnetic closure makes it a little easier to close the bag, but since the bag is quite stiff at the moment, it will take a bit of breaking in to get the magnetic closure to snap close easily. At the moment, I need to push the bag close to help it close. I love the little pocket at the front which I thought was just for decoration (like the Maestra), but it does hold some thin items such as reciepts and maybe 1-2 cards.

Once you open the front flap, you see two slots under the flap and that’s where you would thread through a chain to wear it as a crossbody (the leather strap wouldn’t really work in this case). The sides of the bag does give a little way for you to fit items in, but as you do, it might be a little hard to close the flap at the front, so you need to try and fit things at the bottom and not overfill the top.

 

There is a large zip pocket inside for more valuable or small items, and 2 card slots as well. I usually bring 2 credit cards, my drivers license as my 2 bare necessities. Most of my loyalty cards I leave at home unless I need to use those to use my points, etc. Most of the time I can just quote my phone number or details to access my loyalty information. I hardly have any coffee cards so I’m not too worried.

Other than that, the main compartment of the bag is pretty spacious for a belt bag I think. I can fit my iPhone Xr in along with my keys, a lip balm/lipstick, thin pack of tissues and a hand sanitizer. I can also pop in a small hand cream in there as well. Items would fit perfectly and will not tumble around to much and get messy.

There are plenty of holes for the belt and it is really long. The button/holes for the belt is the same as the bag and it is difficult to push through. You need to break it in for a few times to get it softer. The belt is quite long so you can wear it as a belt and tuck the rest behind the bag, and you can also wear this as a sling bag. Otherwise you can ditch the belt altogether and use it as a clutch!

Overall

I love both of these bags and I use the Aria bag a heck of alot! I have been using this in the weekend with the kids, swimming lessons, lunch, church, shopping, running errands, I love how strudy it is and how chic it looks as well. It doesn’t fit a lot of items, but it is enough for the basics I need. I really did not baby this bag so I can already see some wear at the bottom corners but there are no scratches, stains or creases anywhere else. It looks brand new!

As for the Maestra bag, I have used that just a handful of times because it does carry a lot more items and significantly heavier than Aria. It is more of a travel bag for me as I don’t need to carry so much on a daily basis. However, when I did use it, I really enjoyed using it. I also got a lot fo compliments as well.

I would definitely repurchase the Aria if it ever get so worn out or broken or damaged. They have so many different colours now, but I do prefer something neutral so I can wear it with different outfits. I don’t think I need to purchase the chain strap to wear it as crossbody because the leather strap is good enough and it looks less formal.  As for the Maestra bag, I don’t think it will ever get worn out given how many times I will use it so I haven’t considered repurchasing possibilities. I would say the medium size is perfect for me if not smaller. I won’t go any size bigger (I am 156mm).