Furla Julia vs Metropolis: Comparison and Review

A few years ago I wrote a review about my first Furla bag: the Furla Julia in black. Back then the typical chain-strap mini bags were very popular among bloggers and other fashionista’s. I, too, jumped on the bandwagon. Today, my review of the Furla Julia is one of the most read posts on this blog and it gets hits via search engines almost every day!

Sometimes people who read my review reach out to me to ask more questions. I thought it could be helpful if I shared my answers to the most common questions in a new blog post AND compare the Furla Julia to it’s twin sister, the Furla Metropolis.

Furla Julia

You can read my review from 2016 here.

The main reason I bought the Julia and not the Metropolis was that I didn’t have enough budget to buy the metropolis at that time. I was a student and had just moved in with my boyfriend. I had other financial priorities, haha. In 2016, The Furla Julia was available in an outlet store for around €130. The Metropolis, however, retailed for €260.

Furla Metropolis

2 years after I purchased my Julia, I bought a Metropolis in the Moonstone color (a light pink). It looks beautiful with many of my spring/summer outfits. I have especially loved wearing it with my white broderie anglaise dresses!

Furla Julia vs Metropolis: Differences and similarities

As I’ve said before, the main difference you’ll notice when looking into these two bags is the price difference. The Julia can easily be found (new) in Furla outlet stores for half the price of a metropolis bag. I haven’t seen a Metropolis in the outlet stores, but must admit that I haven’t been to one in a few years.

The huge price difference seems a bit strange, because both bags look identical! However, there are a few differences in the design details!

• The Metropolis has metal ‘legs’ which the Julia has not. The bottom of your metropolis bag is protected by 4 metal legs. This way you could safely put it on any kind of surface without scratching the bottom of your bag. The Julia doesn’t have these.
• The metal closures have a different design. The closure on the Julia is longer and has a slightly more elegant look than the closure on the Metropolis. The closure on the Metropolis is more robust-looking, giving it more rock’n’roll vibes I think.
• The insides are finished in different ways. The classic Metropolis bags have a ton-sur-ton lining and one cardholder slot/pocket on the inside. The fabric used on the inside is a sturdy, woven fabric that holds up really well. The furla has a monogrammed, silk-y lining that feels less qualitative than the one inside my metropolis. It has survived the past 4 years in my wardrobe without incvident, though. The Julia has 3 cardholder spots. The front flaps of both bags are finished with a suede-effect.
• The leather has a different structure. The Julia is made of saffiano leather which has a distinctive structured look and dry/hard feel. The Metropolis is made of classic, butter-y leather. See the photo below for comparison.
• The Metropolis has a finer metal strap. The strap of the Julia is more robus than the strap of the Metropolis. See the photo below for a comparison.

Furla bags: durability & use

I bought my Julia in July 2016 and my Metropolis in October 2017. Both bags are still in my wardrobe and I still wear them a lot. The Julia comes out to play most in fall/winter and my Metropolis is a trusty companion in spring/summer.

I have unfortunately managed to damage my Julia bag. I 1) left it in the harsh sunlight on a hot summer day and 2) have often stuffed it too full. It has lost its shape a bit now and the black color has faded due to the exposure to light. These are both factor that I could have controlled, but didn’t, haha.

There are some scratches on the metal closures of both bags as well. Fingerprints are also very visible on them.

These bags fit my huge Huawei phone, my small wallet, ear plugs and a set of paper tissues. I use the cardholder inside to hold my house key (I literally have 1 key) and my public transport card. I do sometimes push a snack in there too, hehe.

Outfit ideas with Furla Metropolis/Julia

Lastly, a collection of all outfits that I shared on my blog with my Furla bags throughout the years. Some of these really make me cringe, haha.

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