Michael Kors Selma Bags Comparison and Review

The Michael Kors Selma Satchel was one of my favorite purchases last year for a number of reasons; among them are relative affordability and a pragmatic yet aesthetically pleasing design.

I have been intrigued by how members of the Selma family differ but have not had an opportunity to evaluate them closely until recently, when I needed to purchase a wedding present for a family friend whose wedding I cannot attend.

I ordered a few different styles during one of Macy’s sales to contemplate and wanted to share some pictures and thoughts with you, in case you were curious about them too.

Mini Messenger | Medium Messenger | Large Satchel

I won’t comment at length about their durability because I already discussed it in a previous post (and intermittently since then) and there is little difference in
quality between styles. I still think the workmanship and material are, at a minimum, acceptable for a mid-range bag.

One of the differences I observed among these three styles is strap width. The width increased slightly with bag size but I don’t quite understand why there exists a need to differentiate strap width when the differences are minuscule and the smaller bags would’ve lain flatter against the curve of a body better had the straps been slightly wider.

And on the topic of strap length for the mini and medium messengers, if you are shorter or have a short torso, you would probably need to punch additional holes in the strap as existing holes did not allow me to wear the bag at low waist (even at the shortest setting the bag still slung near my lower hip).

Top to bottom:
Mini Messenger in Fuchsia | Medium Messenger in Mandarin | Large Satchel in Luggage | Large Satchel in Navy

And as cute as the smaller bags were, they hold very little and their sizes impose a limitation that’s hard to overlook for those of us who have trouble paring down our essentials (what do you mean two first aid kits are redundant?!)

Medium Messenger in Mandarin | Mini Messenger in Fuchsia

The Mini Messenger was very cute in person but personally I found it almost toy-like in size at 5.5″ tall and less than 7″ wide. It wouldn’t fit a full-sized wallet or much more than a few essentials (coin purse, card wallet, a few beauty products, keys, and phone).

It is fairly light (about 10 ounces empty) which is unsurprising given its size and even if filled with osmium pellets it probably wouldn’t weigh enough to cause any bag-related injuries.

The bag conveniently comes with built-in card slots and a slip pocket so you have the option of leaving your wallet at home.

And…moving on to the Medium Messenger (shown below in “Mandarin,” an orange-y red that is very vibrant in person).

The medium messenger is a good size for weekend use but again I feel the size might be slightly too small for chronic overpackers like me. The bag measures 10.5″ in width, 6.5″ in height, and about 3″ in depth. The advantage to having a smaller bag is that it forces you to strategize about which items to lug around and it’s harder to lose items in the shuffle.