SWAINE ADENEY BRIGG Westminster Review

[christianch]

I have noticed that all the Swaine Adeney Brigg reviews are a bit dated and I did read some rumours about the quality being different now so I just wanted to share my views. I have owned (and still own) several briefcases (Louis Vuitton, Valextra, Loro Pian, Montblanc) so I was curious to try Swaine Adeney Brigg bags but I was always put off by the long wait.

Mr Porter recently started to sell a chocolate brown "Westminster" (that from the SAB catalogue looks more like the Paternoster?) so I would like to review this bag but also the Westminster wrap ss in the classic London tan. I will also compare it with the Cambridge holdall.

The first Westminster in dark brown (I think this would be the Havana colour but I am not sure as Mr Porter marked the item as made exclusively for them) is an amazing bag with a special padded space for a laptop. This is unlike any other briefcase that I owned: bridle leather is amazingly sturdy and heavy. Sorry for the iPhone photos and the bad lighting:







The lock is similar to the Westminster US size




The bag seems to be completely hand stitched.









The inside padding in pigskin is green creating a very nice contrast









The strap seems to be reasonably comfortable and very well made




I was lucky to find a Westminster Legal briefcase UK Size (I think the model is now called
Westminster wrap ss) in London tan available immediately from the Swaine Adeney Brigg London store:




This has the square lock (UK version)











Same high level of craft

























The Havana Westminster (which again, it is marked as Westminster but does look like a paternoster to me)
is slightly thicker due to the extra space in the padded, laptop compartment




The size is really similar. In this photo the havana one might look taller but is really not






Side by side




This is Cambridge Holdall in London Tan






The zip is very easy to open and close. This might sound obvious but I do have a loro piana
bag with zips that are almost impossible to handle





side lock



The inside is very simple yet I really like it.







Side by size with the Westminster london tan








My conclusion: If you are looking for "THE" briefcase the Swaine Adeney Brigg Westminster is not going to disappoint you. It is the best briefcase I have ever owned and I am in love with the classic look and quality of the materials, hand stitching etc. Between the classic Westminster wrap SS and the Paternoster (laptop padded) version I would recommend the traditional one as nowadays laptops are much slimmer so there is no longer the need for an extra padded space just for the computer. A mac book pro or mac book air would fit perfectly in the Westminster wrap ss too.

 

[Wrenkin]

The Mr Porter bag isn't completely hand stitched. For one thing, it has a machine-stitched handle. Compare it to the tan bag, which features the hand-stitched handle, with its giveaway central ridge.

 

[christianch]

@Wrenkin Do you mean the one in Havana/Chocolate? thanks for the hint but I can't really tell the difference ! Perhaps different bags follow different manufacturing processes ? Or may be the Tan was in store since a while and was still hand stitched ?