Blog

Moving from conspicuous to conscious consumption and doing reviews along the way. Find plenty of unsponsored reviews of Quince, Everlane, Grana, and Cuyana on the site! I'm working towards a minimal waste lifestyle, and oh yea I love bags >.<

Hermes In-The-Loop 23 Bag Review

This In-The-Loop 23 was the second bag I got straight from the Hermes boutique (the SF one), but my first new bag after getting back into Hermes (the first was my Evelyne, which I ended up selling). And for awhile it stayed on my shelf because I found the top-handle only style very inconvenient to carry.

The Row Sofia 8.75 Crossbody Bag Review

Of the three kinds of bags from The Row that I’ve owned thus far (the Margaux, the Park tote, and this Sofia crossbody), the Sofia seems to be the least popular. And I can kind of see why. It’s the smallest of the bags but just as pricey as the Margaux 10 (current retail for the Sofia is $3990!). Luckily I got mine secondhand (from Brandear) and paid about a third of that price. So do I think it’s worth it?

Hermes Picotin 22 Review

As I mentioned in one of my monthly recap posts, I got this bag from the Hermes boutique in Waikiki during one of my visits home. I found a really nice SA there who offered me this after the purchase of the Roulis wallet. Even though Picotins are pretty common on the resale market, they’re also commonly faked so I decided to play it safe and get it straight from the store (even though it’s about $1-$2k more than resale prices). So how do I like it?

Buying Luxury in Hawaii 2024 {Updated October 2024}

Growing up in Honolulu, about a 10-15 minute drive from Ala Moana, I never realized how blessed I was when it came to luxury stores. Some luxury brands offer a “Hawaii price” that’s cheaper than the Mainland (that’s the continental US) price. Not all brands do this and the following list (in alphabetical order) details which of them do (or don’t) and what percentage is offered.

Korean Brand Bag Reviews: Nothing Written, Dunst, Couronne, and Monorow [Updated October 2024]

Since going to South Korea I have great respect for the fashion lines coming from that country. They tend to be on trend but also super affordable. And two of Korean brands that caught my eye are Nothing Written and Dunst. Both are sold by online retailer Ssense, and I snagged one bag form each when Ssense was having a sale. But I only kept one, can you guess which?

Hermes Roulis Slim Wallet Review

As I had mentioned in my March recap post when I bought this wallet, the Roulis Slim wallet was not my first choice from Hermes. I had returned some shoes and using that credit purchased this wallet, in somewhat of a f* it, it’s my birthday mood. However seeing how I’ve only used this wallet twice since March I can fairly confidently say that this purchase was a fail.

Goyard Sac Cap Vert Crossbody Bag Review

So as I disclosed up top, I got to borrow this bag for free from Fashionphile for a month. And I took them up on their offer by borrowing this Goyard Sac Cap Vert in green. Well, would I buy it now after trying it for a month? It’s a definite possibility.

Top 5 Most Used Bags For The First Half Of 2024

2024 has been a banner year for buying bags for me. I finally let myself buy the bags that I want, and yes I may have gone overboard (especially thanks to a newfound Hermes addiction). So amongst all the bags in my collection, which one did I use the most? Here are my top five:

Bags I've Sold Without Fully Reviewing: Ree Projects, La Portegna, Kieselstein-Cord

In the past I would never have sold a bag without doing a full review of it here on the blog. But in the last couple of years I’ve started to let things go without a review. Is it laziness? Perhaps. It’s probably also a sign of overconsumption (I’m getting bags faster than I can review them). Though if they were all stellar bags I’d definitely be reviewing them, so maybe I’m just in my phase of not wanting to review bags I didn’t absolutely love. Anyway without further ado, this is a brief review of three bags that I sold (mostly on Fairly Curated closet) did not fully review on the blog.

Vintage Hermes Vespa PM Bag Review (and Comparison to the Hermes Evelyne III PM)

My very first bag I got from an Hermes boutique (with no prior spending or purchases might I add) was the Evelyne III PM in the Etoupe Taurillon Clemence leather. You can read my Hermes Evelyne III PM review here. Any-who, I ended up selling that bag on eBay (at a $1000 loss I think), which is a shame. But I figured lesson learned and I didn’t go in to an Hermes boutique for another couple of years. But currently I’m in the grips of an Hermes obsession and I have this vintage Vespa bag to thank (that and the Havane Picotin 22 I didn’t buy at the RealReal). And who would have guessed it would be the Evelyne’s close cousin that would get me back under the Hermes hypnosis.

Loewe Dice Pocket Bag Review

I purchased this Loewe Dice bag as a souvenir from Japan back in November of last year. And I have not used it once in the last six months, which should tell you a little something about the bag. Sure I’ve stared lovingly at it countless times, but I haven’t actually put things in and taken it out of the house.

The Row Margaux 15 Bag Review {Updated October 2024}

Thank you to all of you guys who have requested this review and waited patiently for it! Unfortunately even though I love this bag I haven’t used it very much so I didn’t think I could give it a fair review. But I’m not sure when I’d be consistently using this bag and the fact that I haven’t really used it might be a great data point as well. So without further ado…

Old Celine Large Trio Bag Review

I’m writing this review about 13 years too late considering this Celine Trio bag came out in 2011 😂. But I did get some interest from people who are still toying with the idea of getting a Trio bag, so this one is for them!

Loewe Mini Hammock Hobo Bag Review

Thank you to all those who’ve been patiently waiting for this review of the Loewe Mini Hammock bag. As you can see from these photos, I purchased this bag in late Fall and have been using it off and on for about four months now. I used to have the original Loewe Hammock bag (review of it here), but ended up selling it because I didn’t really use it. I think I stopped using it because of the way it aged and the fact that the bag is so open. So how would I compare that to the new Mini Hammock bag?

2024 Loewe and Bottega Veneta New Bags Try-On, plus Hermes in Hawaii

I was lucky to try on some new bags over at Loewe and Bottega Veneta a couple weeks ago 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 😂).

Real vs. Fake: How to Authenticate The Row N/S Park Tote {Updated October 2024}

I accidentally bought a fake The Row Park Tote from my go-to eBay seller (who didn’t do me wrong for five straight bag purchases). I actually bought this one for a friend so I was quite bummed when I got it. I knew as soon as I felt it that this was a fake. The leather was rubbery and the handle was too stiff. But since that’s not much to go on, here’s the various ways I knew this was a fake (and it was a really good fake at that too).

Toteme T-Lock Clutch Review

I received this Toteme T-Lock Clutch bag as a Christmas present from the family (but of course I picked it lol). When deciding between the clutch size and the regular size, I decided to go with the clutch since the regular one looked so much larger. But I did want a top handle to hold it with since that’s my favorite way to hold a bag so I added a chain I found on Etsy and it’s the perfect combo.

The Row N/S Park Tote Review: Small, Medium, and Large {Updated November 2024}

For those who’ve been following me on Insta, you know that I’m completely obsessed by The Row’s N/S Park Tote. I first encountered it secondhand in a shop in Ginza, and even though it was quite worn I couldn’t pass it up (I went back the next day for it). Ever since then I’ve been on a hunt for secondhand Park Totes (I got them all from Japan) and have gotten two mediums (one in the pebbled leather and one in smooth), one small, and one large, along with a brand new pebbled medium one from Saks in cognac.

Loewe Small and Mini Puzzle Bag Review: Which Size To Get? {Updated August 2024}

In late July I ordered two Loewe Puzzle bags from Fashionphile, one in the mini size and one in the small. after watching some Youtube videos from Maggy, a fellow handbag enthusiast, rave about it. 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 glad I did!

Longchamp Le Pliage XS and Le Pliage XS Cuir Bag Review {Updated May 2024}

Back in August I had a bit of a bag-buying spree that was kicked off by this navy Longchamp Le Pliage XS crossbody bag. While there I also checked out the leather version of the XS bag, called the Le Pliage XS Cuir, but didn’t really want to spend the extra $300+ for the leather upgrade. However when I saw this cuir version secondhand at the RealReal for just $20 more than what I paid for for the nylon one I couldn’t resist. And now I have two Le Pliage XS bags, but I plan to keep both!