I was lucky to try on some new bags over at Loewe and Bottega Veneta a couple weeks ago in Hawaii and I put a little poll up on Insta asking if you guys would prefer my opinions on Insta stories or on the blog. And I’m pleasantly surprised that you guys said on the blog (I guess you long format people are my people 😂). Anyway I still did an uber short recap on stories and here are my detailed thoughts and more pictures here:
Loewe Try-On
Puzzle Fold Cropped Bag: I know the east-west style bag is all the rage right now (Alaia Teckel bag anyone?), but I don’t think I can get behind this style of bag. It looked akward to me and felt a tad akward to carry by hand as well. Also when I see bags this long narrow, I think, “Are you carrying pool cues in there?” (see professional pool cue bags). TBH I don’t know if this is a trend that’s gonna last, but it’s not for me (or at least not in this form).
Small Square Basket Tote: I feel like the Loewe raffia era is over (I mean if you still have them, please by all means rock them), but the trend has crested IMHO. But I thought I’d check out the square tote that I had been eyeing ever since the raffia totes got popular. And well this small square tote is small. Under my arm I feel like it makes my medium-ish tricep seem larger. Also since the width was quite stiff, it was awkward to fit under the arm when the bag was worn over the shoulder.
Mini Pebble Bucket Bag: I really wanted to try the medium-sized pebble bucket bag, but they didn’t have any in the store. So I tried on their newest displayed ones—the mini. And wow I’ve never carried a more awkward bag (ok that’s not true but it was the most awkward of the bunch). The base is a stiff diamond-shape so when worn crossbody it sticks out (pic below), and yet when worn on the wrist, it looks a tad weird too. I think the only way it doesn’t look weird is by hand-carrying (which is not my preferred way of carrying a bag).
Amazona 23: I liked this classic-looking bag, and even though it’s pretty small it can fit a ton because the zips go down the side. I also like the crossbody strap and the two rolled handles (but those can’t be worn over the wrist). There’s nothing bad about the bag really, but it’s a tad ordinary (dare I say possibly boring?). But it’s a great flying-under-the-radar kind of bag.
Mini Flamenco in mellow nappa lambskin: So this one was my favorite of the bunch, and if they came in more colors I might have been tempted. But currently they only have the Sahara color (I’m wearing above), a burgundy (pictured below in a bigger size), a bright teal, and a black. The SA told me they’re working on making it in more colors but for now that’s all they’ve got. I might get one in the future but I’m good for now. The most interesting thing about the bag is the donut chain: it’s laced with leather so that it’s the leather that’s holding the donuts together, not a chain per see. So the chain doesn’t really feel like a chain (no metal hitting metal), and it makes it feel a lot more lux. Sure you can get a donut chain dupe, but you can’t get this (yet). It felt like it was a cute piece of jewelry for the bag and it functions as a top handle. As for the round dumpling shape of the new Flamenco, I’m not a huge fan. I like it a bit more when it’s not scrunched and round, but rather flat and rectangular (like I’m wearing in the pic above). But I don’t understand why Loewe can’t be bothered to come up with new names for new bags (also see their puzzle/edge bags). The whole point of the Flamenco was that there were ruffles at the opening, sort of like the frills on a flamenco dress (see my original Loewe Flamenco Mini Clutch review here). They should have named this one the dumpling bag lol. If I were to get this bag I would be tempted to get it in the regular size instead of the mini since I already have a mini Flamenco (but the $3550 price is making me doubt I’ll get it new at all 😂). Also the lambskin leather is gooorgeous, yet I’m not sure how durable it would be. But dang it felt nice to touch.
burgundy flamenco in mellow nappa
Mini Flamenco Jade: I have to admit I was influenced to try this on by Maggy—see her youtube video of it here. It’s a limited edition lunar new year version with a pocket for a small piece of jade. I like the idea but the color just wasn’t for me (and if I were to seriously buy the new Flamenco, it would be the one with the donut chain for sure).
Small Squeeze Bag: I was really interested to try out this bag after seeing both Michele Wang and Maggyxchuu try it on in their videos. But I have to say I didn’t love it myself. I was most interested to see how it would look when worn crossbody, but the way it lays feels a tad awkward to me (could be the ruched U-shape opening at the top). I didn’t mind the “pickle” handle so much, but I wasn’t a big fan of the donut chain. It was fiddly to remove and put on (it took the SA a good few minutes), though I’m sure if you own the bag it gets easier with time. Overall I just wasn’t a big enough fan to even consider the $3950 price tag.
*I just want to mention that in Hawaii, Loewe (and Celine) prices are about 10% cheaper than Mainland prices.
Bottega Veneta
So as some of you guys know from my February recap post I recently got a secondhand Bottega Veneta Small Intrecciato Wallet. I’ve been super impressed with its quality and functionality (full review to come soon), so I decided to check out what’s new at Bottega. Here are some of the ones I tried on:
Bottega Sardine Bag in regular and large ($4200-$4900!!): I always thought the sardine bag was kind of cute and unique, yet when I tried it on in the store it felt a tad awkward to carry. Sure it felt nice to grip it in the hand (but again carrying by hand is my least favorite option). But when you use the shoulder strap to carry it the large metal handle kind of bangs your side. And trying to carry it on the crook of your arm is also uncomfortable. Overall I think this might be another bag for the trendsetters. Oh and I thought it was interesting that the sardine handle comes with little dents, as if it’s already been worn and loved.
Andiamo Bag ($4200): And of course I had to try on the “it” bag of the season. For the same price point of the Sardine bag above, I would definitely go with the Andiamo. I appreciate that it can be worn in several ways: crossbody, over the shoulder with the straps doubled up, and of course by the top handle. And the SA also showed me how to take off the straps with the hardware to turn it into a belt (so it looks like this). Inside, there are two main compartments with lots of flat pockets and a zip pocket. The intrecciato (woven) lambskin is gorgeous. This bag, along with the Sardine, and their classic cabas are all now under a lifetime repair “warranty”, where like at Hermes you can bring back these bags for repair. I think that’s great since it allows these Bottega bags (but these bags only) to now be used, repaired, and passed on much like Hermes bags. Since the intrecciato leather can get worn (my petal pink wallet definitely has some wear and tear), the lifetime warranty is great when you’re spending that much on a bag. But I just wasn’t ready to spend that much money on a bag. I guess when you get used to shopping secondhand for bags, it’s quite hard to pay full retail price 😂 (I got my wallet for about $150). Instead I’ll probably be hunting my favorite pre-loved sites for a vintage bag for my next Bottega purchase (looking for a nice dark brown hobo).
*Bottega Veneta also just recently decided to adopt “Hawaii prices” and they’re about a couple hundred dollars cheaper than on the Mainland.
Hermes
During this mini 2-hour shopping trip, I actually went to Hermes first. Since March is my birthday month I thought I might try my hand at scoring something from Hermes. But woomp woomp, no bag—I was quickly rejected at even the mention of bags and wasn’t offered a “non-quota” bag (not like last time). I just wanted to see if they had any picotin 22 bags (chasing the used Havane one from the RealReal that slipped through my fingers 😭) or the Lindy 26 or smaller (love my Lindy 30 but it’s kind of big for my everyday needs). But nope, couldn’t even see those. So I looked around and first purchased shoes and a BeHapi bracelet (pictured above). But when I took them back I wasn’t satisfied. The shoes felt tight and the bracelet already looked bad (the leather was dry and creasing). So I went to a different Hermes store (which also “had no bags available” though I saw a pink mini lindy offered to another party) and returned them. But Hermes only gives you store credit so I instead got the Roulis Sim Wallet in black Mysore leather for $2380 (I plan to add a kit to make it a tiny tiny crossbody bag in the future). TBH pickings were slim and so I made do, but this has definitely put me off on purchasing Hermes in-store. It doesn’t feel like a luxury to me, but rather a con lol {Update: see the Hermes lawsuit in California where some other people think so too, or more specifically an anti-trust issue.} I think part of enjoying shopping at Hermes is finding a good SA and I just haven’t had the luck yet. Also wouldn’t you know, the next day the SA at the first Hermes store happened to have a picotin MM. But by then I was over the whole thing and just told her I wasn’t shopping for the rest of the trip. Anyway I think I rather find older, more worn styles that I can clean up with some leather conditioner and enjoy those. Luxury shopping should be fun and not stressful. (I have the most fun at Loewe—I’ve always found the best service and the nicest SAs there).
*Hermes does not have Hawaii prices (and as far as I know neither does Cartier).