Burberry: Structured Rouched

I've been sitting on the sidelines silently rooting for Burberry to make their big comeback. After all, there's something about Burberry that's so core to the preservation of being English. I always imagined myself (in Burberry) sipping tea with my pinkie up while being highly satirical in an old world accent. To own a piece of Burberry used to translate to owning a piece of the past and that little bit of English sass. And, although they're not quite there, the fashion house has been making progress towards restoring their brand and business.

With that said, I still can't help but gripe about their recent collection of handbags. Being a bag fiend (and on a mission for a new tote), I've scoured and scrutinized all the current collections asking, "Are -you- my next bag?". And Burberry came pretty close. Their new line of bags seemed low-key and versatile, with a casual personality, enough room to be street-ready, modern dark metal buckles and functional tote-to-shoulder-bag-to-messenger convertibility.

Below is a gorgeously shot ad from Burberry on its new line of bags

(this style comes in many different variations: check and non-check).

Also some nice variations of the same shape:

Medium Brit Quilted Leather Hobo Bag
$1095 (relatively well priced for an all-leather bag)

Cotton Canvas Lowry Bag
$1395 (semi pricey for a non-all-leather handbag)

When I visited these handbags in person, however, I was disappointed to discover that the handles of these bags were stiff - like metal-hanger stiff. The bags themselves were also stiff. This entire translation felt contradictory and uncomfortable. How could anything be "structured rouched"? Isn't this an oxymoron? I think this may be the dealbreaker for me.

What do you think?