Loewe Featherlight puzzle, medium flamenco, and BV small Andiamo
On a recent trip to Oahu, I was able to get away for a couple of hours of luxury reconnaissance. I visited Loewe, Bottega, Celine, Coach, and Valextra, to try out some of their pieces as well as learn of any “Hawaii prices” (usually a bit lower than the mainland US pricing). I have a 2025 Hawaii Luxury Shopping guide here, where I’ve bolded my April updates.
Classic 2023 Small Puzzle in Black on the left, Featherlight Puzzle in Dark Butter on the right
Loewe
My first stop, as usual, is my all-time favorite Loewe. I wore my black small classic Puzzle and checked it out next to the new Featherlight Puzzle. Honestly I didn’t think I was going to be that impressed since it’s really just another (more expensive) Puzzle bag. But it was so nice and luxurious. The use of lambskin really changes the feel and vibes of the bag, adding that extra smooshiness that I love. Oh and the interior lined leather is soooo luxe. Unfortunately the Hawaii boutique only had dark butter yellow and black left in stock (Pecan was already sold out US-wide by that point). I don’t need another black Puzzle, and I was very iffy about yellow. I just couldn’t pull the trigger on yellow (but by the time I visited again later that week the yellow was also sold out). I was also tempted by the $3900 Hawaii price for the Featherlight Puzzle (vs. the $4500 US mainland retail price). In the end I let it go because I really don’t need three small puzzles (but I wouldn’t be opposed to selling one if the Featherlight is released in other colors). Oh I also learned that there will be a Featherlight Mini Puzzle coming soon, which would be great for that size since mini Puzzles are usually stiff and hard to get into, plus they rarely have that slouch factor (it’s listed on Loewe here). Maybe I’ll just wait for that and see if I can get that at the Hawaii price 🤔. P.S. I did a short video of my Loewe Try-on here.
Since there weren’t any Featherlight Puzzles I was interested in, I started looking at the Medium Flamenco bags with the donut chain. Hawaii had a Lunar New Year edition one left (for $3550), which was tempting except that blue was such a bright blue. But the biggest contender was the medium Flamenco in Sea Salt (I really wanted to try their new Pearl Grey but they didn’t have any in stock). I tried that bag on so many times, but the thought of color transfer made me hesitate.
But out of all the Loewe bags I tried on, the medium Flamenco in Seat Salt was the one I wanted the most (at $3350 Hawaii price vs. $3900 mainland US price). Also tried on the Loewe Puzzle Bum Bag and it was way too bulky.
small Andiamo in Sapele left, small Parachute right
Bottega Veneta
BV was my second stop since a reader asked for the price of the Bang Bang Vanity bag ($2210 in Hawaii vs $2600 mainland US). But I’ve been stopping by BV more frequently as I’ve become more interested in their bags. But so far I’ve only pulled the trigger on vintage Bottega. On this trip I was very very close to splurging on the Small Andiamo bag in their newest colorway, Sapele (a chestnut brown color). And for $3840 (vs. $4500 on the mainland US) I was really tempted. Even on my little poll on Instagram, over 50% of you guys voted for the Andiamo (over the Featherlight Puzzle and Medium Flamenco). And as much as I love the versatility of the Andiamo (check out my try-on review from the first time I tried it), the Andiamo is starting to feel a bit over saturated to me. It feels like every influencer and their mom has one 😂.
I also tried out the small Parachute ($3530 in Hawaii vs. $4150 mainland US) and it was 1) a little hard to get in and out of due to the narrow opening and 2) bulky to wear as a shoulder bag because the square base is quite large. Between the Parachute and the Andiamo I would 100% go for the small Andiamo.
Bottega Dustbag
The only other bag that caught my eye was the Dustbag. It’s the BV version of the Loewe Flamenco: a large pouch that closes with a drawstring. But the Bottega version can’t be crossbodied, only worn on the shoulder or clutched in the hand. At $1600 (in Hawaii vs. $2000 mainland US) it seemed like a great deal. Until you open it up and realize that it’s lined in the flimsiest of nylon. You know that interior will not age well and at some point will just disintegrate. A cotton lining would have been preferable. Sadly, as cute as that bag was, it’s a no for me. A video of my Bottega try-on is here.
Celine
I popped into Celine, even though I’ve stopped purchasing from them in store since Phoebe left, because I thought why not. I do like the look of the Camille 16 ($2850 in Hawaii vs. $2950 mainland), with the absence of branding. It was a bit reminiscent of Phoebe Celine in that way. I also appreciated the option of two straps so that it can either be worn on the shoulder or crossbodied.
Small Celine Heloise Left, Camille 16 right
It’s similar in size to the small Heloise bag (no price difference between Hawaii and the mainland) and I would think can fit about the same amount as the Heloise. Also from what I gathered at the store, there are only some bags that are cheaper in Hawaii but the price difference isn’t big.
Empire 28
Coach
I also stopped into Coach because I wanted to check out their Empire bags. A little while ago I was tempted to try out their Empire 28 bag (which at the time I was looking at it online I swore it was $495?). I also wanted to see if Coach has Hawaii pricing. Well that’s a no for the Empire line. Both the Empire 28 and 34 were the same price as the mainland US ($550 and $450 respectively). The Empire 28 was nice, but I just sold a Margaux 10 from The Row so I wasn’t really looking for that style of bag again.
Empire 34
And the Empire 34’s shiny leather just isn’t my cup of tea. So I’m glad I got to try both but they were a pass for me.
Valextra Medium Iside left, Small Iside Right
Valextra
My last stop of the day was Valextra. I have a Valextra bucket bag from about 5 years ago that I love, so I’m no stranger to the brand. But I’ve never purchased from their boutique, which is one of the two in the nation. The only other Valextra location is in Bergdorf Goodman in NYC. So Ala Moana has the only stand alone store in the US.
I mainly went in to try the Medium and Mini Iside. I see them pop up periodically on Japanese eBay and I’ve been curious about these Hermes Kelly “dupes” and to see how the sizing was (honestly I feel like I can’t comfortably wear my Kelly bags in public). I have to say, I liked the size of the medium and it didn’t feel too big at all. The mini was cute too, but I could never do the micro, which is one more size down. I will most likely buy a medium Iside on the resell market because it’s a style I want to try out, but I know I don’t have to pay full retail. However Valextra also has Hawaii prices: the Medium Iside was $3600 (vs. $4550 mainland price), the Small Iside for $3300 (vs. $4200), and the Mini Iside for $2980 (vs. $3850). You can usually find the Iside (of any size) for under $2k on the secondhand market.
However as I was looking around the store, the Mochi Top Handle Mini bag completely stole my heart and I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. I love the more relaxed shape and the versatility of carrying it either as a crossbody or by the top handle. Also for $1300 (vs. $1550 mainland), I felt it was a great deal for an all leather bag (though its a fabric interior). I also really love the light lavender color, which they called Wisteria Pink. I don’t know why, but I’m really craving some color in my bags these days. I will of course do a full review of this, and when I do I’ll be sure to link it here. I also picked up a glasses case for $410 (vs. $530 US mainland), which is a lot to be sure. But I’ve been looking for one that I could hang on the outside of the bag, plus my current one from Celine has seen better days. Together they look so stinking cute, which is probably why I splurged on them.
My “haul” from Hawaii >.<
And that is everything I saw and tried on during the three hours I had in Ala Moana. Thanks for making it through this whole post since man it was quite a long one!