I should know by now that impulsively purchasing a bag just because it’s on sale is ALWAYS a bad idea for me. And most years I manage to avoid these sale impulse purchases but for one reason or another (but mostly because of YouTube) I fell for it this year. And two out of two of these Shopbop sale items are a total miss. I’ve since sold both (with a slight loss) and this is a reminder not to shop the sales anymore.
Elleme Trousse Bag
I was tempted by this bag because it kind of reminded me of The Row’s 90’s bag which I like the look of, but not the price tag. So I thought this look-alike from Elleme might scratch the itch. Sadly the qualtiy of this bag is so sub-par that I disliked it from the first feel. The leather is quite plasticky and cheap looking. It also came with a chip on the leather edging even though it’s a brand new bag. I haven’t heard a lot about Elleme but I have to say I’m quite unimpressed. This bag originally retailed for $495 (what a rip-off), but I don’t think it’s worth it even for the sale price of $185. If this was $50 then maybe the value is there. I can’t believe this is a French brand made in Italy. Honestly Quince bags are better than this. Or if you’re looking for a dupe for the 90’s bag I highly recommend the Cabin bag from Facade Pattern.
JW Anderson Corner Small Chain Bag
I was first made aware of this bag by Australian bag-tuber Isabelle who sold her Loewe Puzzle bag and even though she said she regretted it, she said her JW Anderson Corner Small Chain bag was the perfect replacement. Now I was pretty dubious since the Loewe Puzzle bag is pretty hard to beat in my book. But when I saw this bag on sale I thought a canvas dupe might be a good one to carry around when I want to be a bit more casual or inconspicuous. But sadly even though JW Anderson might be behind the design of both bags, the Corner bag is no Puzzle bag. First off the chain detail is made of plastic thus it looks and feels cheap. The handle is also not a rolled handle so it’s not as comfortable in the hand. At the very least I’m glad I got this in canvas because I watched another YouTube review of the leather version and the reviewer said the leather felt cheap. I could see from the way it was creasing on the photos that the quality would not be anywhere near luxury level. So again I sold this with the tags still attached.
Luckily the discounts on both were pretty good so I didn’t lose a lot of money (but I still lost money!). So I’ve learned my lesson (yet again) to not impulse buy purses on sale.