In late July I ordered two Loewe Puzzle bags from Fashionphile, one in the mini size and one in the small, after watching Maggy's YouTube videos. I resisted getting the Puzzle bag thus far because back in 2018 I disliked how small the opening was and how hard it was to get things in and out of the bag. However, Maggy mentioned that with time, the leather on the Puzzle bag starts to relax and thus makes the opening of the bag wider. So that made it more appealing. Plus the Puzzle has been around for so long it’s starting to become a classic. And the news of the classic Puzzle being phased out, motivated me to give them one more chance. And I’m so glad I did!
I couldn’t decide between the mini and small size, I decided to get both from Fashionphile and keep the size I like the best. Unfortunately Fashionphile no longer does free returns (it’s $15 now ugh), but it’s a small price to pay to try out both and really take my time with them. You can find the current selection of Loewe Mini Puzzle bags here on Fashionphile and the small size here. Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure the small one was a fake and the mini one was too small, so I returned both.
My first clue that something wasn’t right with the small blue puzzle was the thick Loewe anagram that wasn’t imprinted into the leather. The anagram of my small Flamenco (that I purchased at a Loewe boutique and that I know is authentic) is thin and stamped into the leather, unlike the anagram on the blue puzzle. Also the thickness of the anagram isn’t even all around (some parts are thicker than other areas) and that’s not going to happen to an authentic Loewe.
Other clues include the bad stitching and leather edging (the top photo in the pic above) and the Loewe brand tag on the inside wasn’t stitched all the way to the top (even the good fakes have at least that I’m sure). And on top of that the leather was heavy and felt rubbery. There was some people in my Insta who said that the first iteration of the Loewe puzzle had feet and thus it might have just been an older model. But in my gut it felt like a fake so I returned it.
As for the mini Puzzle in light green, it looked and felt authentic to me (though I could be wrong). But the mini size was just too miniscule. When you have all the essentials in there (sunglasses sans case, phone, card wallet, and hand sani) getting just the phone out required some maneuvering (see my video of that here). And I just don’t want to have to take more than a couple seconds to whip out my phone. So even though the mini is so cute, it just wasn’t the bag for me. On a side note, the mini here is the newer Puzzle Edge model where there aren’t any gaps to the the leather pieces—rather they’re all sewn together. This blog post here does a good job highlighting the differences. There’s a rumor (that’s been confirmed by several bag enthusiasts) that Loewe is phasing out the older Puzzle and only producing the Puzzle Edge (and dropping the word “Edge” from its name so it’ll just be the new Puzzle). But I heard that the old Puzzle model will still be made in black and tan leathers, just not in newer seasonal colors—all those will be produced in the Edge model. Currently on the Loewe website, the only black and tan small puzzles that are not in the Edge style are the satin leather Puzzles with a jacquard strap. They only have a couple of the old non-Edge styles left in three colors (wild berry, bright ochre, or dark khaki) and the rest are pretty much the Edge styles. I’m not really a fan of the Edge style since it loses the characteristic Puzzle look. To me it kind of looks a little Frankensteined Dumpling? It’s hard to describe but it’s like a bandaged, rolly polly look. But I will say, the one nice thing about the mini Puzzle Edge is that the strap is adjustable (which isn’t true for the the non-Edge Puzzle Mini bags).
So I returned both and was out $30 from Fashionphile. But I at least learned two things: 1) The small puzzle size would work best for me and 2) I don’t really know enough about Loewe to be able to authenticate a preowned one.
So when Matches was having a 20% off sale in September, I decided to get the small Loewe Puzzle in black (it came out to about $2680, which is great since I see the small going for $3250 now). I really wanted it in a different color (that classic tan one is oh-so-nice), but they were all sold out. After much hemming and hawing I decided to just go for it and return it if I didn’t like it. Well I liked it (but now I love it—it really grew on me).
First off the black color is such a classic and since it’s the primary color of my wardrobe, it really goes with everything in my closet. I also love that the black won’t get dirty (or you at least won’t be able to see dark marks—sunscreen and scratches on the other hand…). And the small size really is perfect. It might seem large to some, but with all the things I need to carry around for my kid, the bag fills up fast. And I honestly don’t have any trouble getting things in and out of the bag (though if you have an iPhone max you might).
Also I should note I keep my card case wallet in the small zippered pocket in the back. I kept it the first couple days in the flat pocket inside, but it would always fall out and then be a pain to find inside the bag. Keeping the card case in the outside pocket makes for easy access.
I can see now why everyone loves the Puzzle so much. It’s easy to carry, lightweight, and yet something a little different. It really has become a classic in a sense, and I can see myself carrying this bag for years if not decades to come!
P.S. I forgot to add that I’ve been using this bag daily since I got it in September and after 2 months of constant use, there are quite a few noticeable scratches. So the leather isn’t the most durable out there, but I don’t mind the scratches (I like the look of a used bag). The bag also got soaked in the rain in Oregon and it held up well. There’s no noticeable difference, though the leather did feel a bit damp for about a day. Overall this black Puzzle can handle being tossed around and still looks pretty great (though not perfect). I also came to realize I love this bag so much because when it starts getting heavy (and it can because you can really stuff this baby) I carry it by the rolled top handle and it’s so comfortable to carry. You don’t realize how amazing a good-sized rolled handle can be until you start missing it on all your other bags. This small Puzzle has really converted me to rolled top handles!
P.P.S. I also tried on the medium Puzzle edge when I did some bag browsing in Las Vegas (see the whole thing here). The medium is quite large, and in my Insta story I called it a Frankenstein dumpling (no offense to all those who have the puzzle edge). I just prefer the original puzzle shape. I also learned from the sales manager there that Loewe will be raising the price of the Flamenco and Puzzles this week, eek!
And you can read all my other Loewe reviews here.
{February 2024 Update: I love my small black Puzzle so much that I bought another one! This time in a Sand and Mink color combo, in pebbled leather. My black puzzle has been one of my most used bags of all time, so I could justify the purchase of another. Seriously this bag is compact and yet holds so much! It’s also so easy to carry and never gets in the way. Has there been a more perfect bag? I carry my sand and mink puzzle almost everyday, rain or shine, and it’s been holding up like a champ!
No color transfer or major marks on it yet. I got it secondhand from one of my favorite eBay resellers (Brandear) for a pretty great deal. I wanted to get one more puzzle before the “puzzle edge takeover” and I’m so happy I did. I rarely buy two same bags in different colors, but for the puzzle it was worth it!}
{March 2024 Update: I got this mini Loewe puzzle from the Suna Fujita collab again from my favorite Japanese reseller, Brandear Auctions. I know when I first wrote this review I said that the mini is not for me. But I saw this particular bag back in Japan and wanted it, but I wasn’t ready to pay the $2300+ price tag for a mini. So when I saw it on the resale market for $1600ish, I jumped at the chance. Not only is the leather marquetry on this bag gorgeous, but for me it also reminds me of Japan and my first trip back there after 10+ years. I’ve used this bag a couple times now and yes it’s hard to get in an out of. It’s definitely not a daily bag for me (especially since I’m still carrying around things for my kid). But I love it as a small going-out bag if I’m sans kid. I should note that this mini is made of satin calfskin, which is smooth and very stiff. There’s already some creasing by the flap and I wouldn’t say it’s the best leather for the puzzle bag. I think they used it here for the leather marquetry, but they don’t commonly use the satin calfskin for the mini (it’s mostly made of the classic smooth calfskin or the soft grained leather). In general I would say don’t go for the satin calfskin because I don’t think it will age well. But I’ll make an exception on this sentimental bag.}
{August 2024 Update: I just wanted to add that both of the small puzzle bags have made it on the list of my most used bags of the first half of 2024. The black puzzle is still my most used bag of all time, but the sand/mink one is my second most used bag for that time period. Honestly these bags are my workhorses and yet look as good (if not better) than the day I got them.}