I’ve always admired Loewe’s Flamenco bag, with its soft structure and two knots on the sides, ever since I saw it on another woman (hers was actually a tote but I know myself well enough to know I’m not a tote gal). However, I never thought to purchase it myself until I saw it in the Loewe store at Ala Moana (Hawaii) when I was home for the holidays (I like to save my bag purchases for my visits to Hawaii since they have lower sales tax as well as a “Hawaii discount” at many luxury stores—I ended up getting this mini Flamenco for $200 less than retail). As soon as I tried on the mini Flamenco, I knew it was the bag for me because it was everything I had wanted the MG Protea bag to be (and if you remember my Mansur Gavriel Protea review, I was horribly disappointed at how flimsy it was). The Loewe Flamenco has none of the flimsiness, and that’s probably due to the thick and luscious leather.
The poll helping me decide
First off, if you’re wondering why they call it the Flamenco, it’s because when the drawstrings are pulled tighter, the leather ruffles up like that of a Flamenco dancer’s dress 💃. But TBH I rarely have it cinched up that way mostly because I can fit more things into the bag when it’s not cinched. Even though the bag is fairly small (9” x 7” x 3”), it actually can fit quite a few things. The 3” depth of that bag ensures I can carry all the essentials (phone, keys, card case wallet, sunglasses) along with my usual extras (small hand sanitizer, small toy for Emi, tissues). And if need be, I can pile things in (like Emi’s sweater or a water bottle), but the bag won’t close. The bag usually closes with a strong magnet that ensures nothing falls out or the bag doesn’t gaping open.
The straps are adjustable and removable. The inside is lined with suede, which feels luxurious (but which also means you have to be careful of any spills or pen marks). But the outside leather is wonderfully soft and smooth. It’s gotten rained on with no water marks (thank goodness), but I did get a dab of sunscreen on it that won’t come off (sadly this happens to a lot of my bags 🤦🏻♀️).
Since there’s no hardware, the bag is very light, weighing in at around 8 oz (or half a pound). I love that this bag feels luxurious to the touch (both inside and out) but isn’t flashy and has no discernible logos. I think only fellow bag ladies in the know would recognize this bag from afar. I’m also a fan of this dark chocolate brown that I’ve been pairing almost exclusively with navy blue. This is the only dark brown bag I have and even though I thought I was mostly a black-bag kind of gal, I’m really liking the slightly muted nature of brown.
Anyway if you’re looking for a lightweight and discrete crossbody bag I recommend checking out the Loewe Flamenco. This is just my second bag from Loewe (find my Loewe Hammock Bag Review here), but I really love what Loewe is making. I think the quality of their leather and craftsmanship is top notch (and yes you are paying a premium for both). I see that Loewe has quite a market now (sold at most premium department stores) so they’re easy to find. But sometimes my favorite luxury reseller, Fashionphile, has Loewe Flamenco bags on their site and you can find them here.
And if you’re looking for more reviews of the mini Flamenco, I enjoyed reading Yuki's review of her floral version here.
P.S. You can find all my Loewe reviews here.
{May 2024 Update: I just recently brought this Flamenco bag back out after a brief hiatus and I have found renewed love for the bag. It’s just such an easy and versatile bag. I also found that after a year the calfskin needed some hydration so a quick rub with Leather CPR and it was better than new (also the little sunscreen mark came out)! I also just watched Maggy’s YouTube post highlighting the differences between this older Flamenco model (with the ruffles on the top) and the new Flamenco purse (that’s more like a dumpling). NGL I’m tempted to get the new Flamenco Purse in the larger size because I love that donut chain (I tried it on in this post here and talked about my opinions of the new Flamenco purse bag). But I really wanted there to be more colors available (currently I think I’d just go with the classic black one). Also the April 16, 2024 price increase didn’t help lol.}