I've got my eye on a canvas/leather briefcase (w/ removable messenger strap) that meets my requirements for price and aesthetic better than most other bags I've seen. However, the bag's fold over flap is affixed by means of button snaps "disguised" as buckles: that is, the buckles are non-functional.
Is this design feature tacky? a faux pas? a dealbreaker? Currently, I'm taking a wait and see stance, to see if I can find another bag I like, but the coupon I have for this particular bag expires in a week. The bag is a Bosca, which I'd never heard of before but seems like a solid, even high end company (the leather on my bag is full grain and the prices on their all leather bags approach Saddleback territory), and it's an in-store only product offered by DSW, else I'd post a link to the offending buckles. Fwiw, I'm not inherently opposed to the idea of a bag w/ button snaps (it does make for easier opening and closing, which I do a lot of on the subway), but I'm just a little iffy on whether or not the disguised snaps cheapen what is otherwise a nice looking, seemingly well-made bag.
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