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).
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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 >.<
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.
Read MoreThe Row N/S Park Tote Review: Small, Medium, and Large {Updated February 2025}
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.
Read MoreLoewe 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!
Read MoreLongchamp 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!
Read MoreCeline Vertical Cabas Review
I’ve been eyeing this Celine small vertical cabas bag for years (like around 5+), but never pulled the trigger because I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend $1300 on a fairly simple bag.
Read MoreLoewe Review: The Mini Flamenco Clutch Bag {Updated May 2024}
I’ve always admired Loewe’s Flamenco bag, with its soft structure and two knots on the sides, ever since I saw it on another woman. However, I never thought to purchase it myself until I saw it in the Loewe store at Ala Moana (Hawaii) when I was home for the holidays. As soon as I tried on the mini Flamenco, I knew it was the bag for me because it was everything I had wanted the MG Protea bag to be (and if you remember my Mansur Gavriel Protea review, I was horribly disappointed at how flimsy it was). The Loewe Flamenco has none of the flimsiness, and that’s probably due to the thick and luscious leather.
Read MoreHermes Review: Silk'In Classic Long Wallet vs. Azap Classique Wallet (and Quince Continental Wallet Review)
Every once in awhile I’ll do something crazy like buy two Hermes wallets at the same time. Well it all started when I was browsing Instagram (isn’t that how many impulsive consumer tendencies begin? Well at least that’s true for me 🤦🏻♀️), and I got the notion to have a wallet that’s large enough to fit my usual card case items + my phone. I think it’s something a lot of people do, but I hadn’t really the need until I started working (and switching bags). I like my minimal card case (an oldie but goodie from Everlane), but I wanted something that could fit my phone. And like I’m wont to do, I went straight to Fashionphile to see what they had in stock.
Read MoreQuince Leather Bags Review {Updated February 2025}
As I did in the Quince fine jewelry review and Quince linen review, I thought I would round up all the Quince bags I’ve purchased in one review. As a bag lady, I’m quite particular about my bags (see my whole bag review section here). And having tried everything from Hermes and Valextra (brand with bags handcrafted by one artisan) to Longchamp and Moop (canvas bags sold on Etsy), I feel like I know what quality bags look and feel like. And I have to say Quince makes great quality, practical leather bags at a really good price point. Most of their bags are made of Italian leathers and some in Florence, a location that is known to produce high quality leather goods. Without further ado, here are the Quince bags I’ve tried thus far.
Read MoreHermes Roulis 23 Bag Review
I was 100% influenced to look at this bag by the Korean drama Hometown Cha Cha Cha (pictured below). In it, the main character, who loves bags and clothes moves from the city to a seaside town to open a dental clinic. I loved this romantic comedy with a charming look at rural life in Korea. Plus who doesn’t love a good city girl falling in love with the country boy trope. So when I found this bag at Fashionphile for a good price (quite a bit less than the $8550 retail), I decided to just try it out to see if I liked it. NGL I was fully intending to just check it out and then return it, but unfortunately (fortunately?) I fell in love with it and didn’t want to send it back.
Read MoreMy Purse Collection Ranked in 2022
So back in 2019 I ranked my purse collection from my least favorite to most favorite. Well sometime late last year someone asked what my purse collection ranking looks like now (so thanks for that post idea). Since I’ve purchased quite a few new bags (and sold quite a few too), my list now looks different enough to warrant an update. So without further ado here are my bags ranked from least to most favorite:
Read MoreRee Projects Review: Ann Tote Mini Bag
As I mentioned in my February Recap post, I bought this Ree Projects Ann Tote Mini bag from Saks on sale and as an early birthday present to myself. This is my second bag from Ree Projects, a black woman-founded bag brand out of Amsterdam that makes all their bags in Italy with gorgeous Italian leathers.
Read MoreHermes Evelyne III 29 PM Review [Updated March 2025 with an Evelyne I review]
Can you believe I bought this Hermes Evelyne III PM (also known as the Evelyne III 29) bag last May when I was in Hawaii. It’s been almost a year and I’ve worn it maybe five times so far. So I guess you can tell from that how much I love this bag (sadly not very much). Ah well let me get into it here:
Read MoreUnsponsored Polene Review: Beri Bag [Updated March 2025]
As I mentioned in June, this bag purchase was the one that broke the camel’s back so to speak and led me to do a No Buy July challenge. But I have to say I’m glad I bought the Polene Numero Onze bag and that no buy challenge was worth it. Surprisingly this little number has quickly become a favorite when I need an easy hands-free bag.
Read MoreValextra Review: The Secchiello Medium Leather Bucket Bag {Updated November 2024}
So like I mentioned a couple times before (here and here), I bought this Valextra Bucket Bag for myself as a birthday present. I didn’t think I was the big bucket bag kind of person but seeing the resurgence in popularity of the Celine Sangle bag and the fact that I have a toddler now made me want try out a big bucket bag again. Since I had the Sangle before (Celine Sangle review here) and ended up selling it, I knew the Sangle wasn’t for me. I thought about getting it in the smaller size but I didn’t love it. But when I saw this Valextra Bucket bag I knew it was exactly what I’ve been looking for.
Read MoreRee Projects Review: The Mini Helene Tote Bag {Updated February 2022}
Ree Projects is an Amsterdam-based, Black female-owned business that produces beautiful bags made in Italy. I first found them on Instagram and fell in love with the unusual shape of this Helene Mini tote bag. After doing a little more research and reading their sustainability manifesto I knew Ree Projects is the kind of intentional brand I wanted to support. So I contacted Desiree directly when I saw that the color I wanted (this caramel one) was out of stock. Lucky for me they had one left in the warehouse at the time and I purchased it directly from her. This was early July of last year (I know this review is looong overdue). Now I see that her bags are more readily available (and a little less than what I paid for due to the Euro-USD conversion at the time). Purseblog even did a full interview with her here in October. Guess I know a noteworthy bag and brand when I see one!
Read MoreTips For Successfully Buying a Used Luxury Bag
I’m a pretty seasoned used luxury purse buyer if I do say so myself. I’ve been doing it for over a decade and since a couple of you guys asked for some advice, here are my top tips on buying luxury used:
Read MoreUnsponsored Polene Numero Un Nano Bag Review {Updated February 2022}
Who knew when I wrote about the first Polene numero un bag (reviewed here) that it would be such a hit. Also who knew that Polene would be as ubiquitous as it is now (I see them quite often)? Well I sold my original Polene numero un because I just found it too big for my needs. So I was super excited when I saw Polene release their numero un Nano. It was the same great style but so so so kayoot!
Read MoreCafune Stance Bag Review and comparison to the Tory Burch Lee Radziwill Bag (Updated March 2025)
So the Cafune bag has been on my radar for awhile. And when I signed up with ShopBop using a new email address, I qualified for 15% off my first order. So I let myself have a big birthday order to try everything that I had been eyeing for awhile. Unfortunately/fortunately I also impulsively added the Tory Burch Lee Radziwill bag to the order as well because it had caught my eye while I was doing some Insta-scouting of the Cafune bag.
Read MoreMy Purse Collection Ranked
As you guys all know by now, I’ve been so fortunate to have had quite a few purses in my life. Lately I haven’t been buying and selling as many bags as I have had in the past (thank goodness) so my collection has been pretty steady. And since a reader asked me how I would rank the purses currently in my collection, I thought why not? So here are the rankings of all 20 bags that I currently own from least favorite to favorite.
20) Longchamp backpack: I purchased it on impulse last year and have yet to use it >.< . I’m not a backpack person but I thought it might be useful with a toddler or when traveling. I’m keeping it around just in case but if I don’t use it this year I’m selling it.
19) Everlane Form Bag (reviewed here): I never use it because it’s just too large for my needs. I much prefer the mini form bag (see #7) on this list. This bag is also on the chopping block.
18) Longchamp medium tote: I use this for times when I don’t want to carry the larger Longchamp tote, but tbh those occasions are kind of rare. We’ll see how long I keep this one.
17) Lululemon Crossbody/fanny pack (similar here, but mine is smaller and in black): I bought this bag a long time ago and it used to be my music festival bag. It can be worn both as a crossbody bag and a fanny pack, it’s waterproof, and it has a ton of pockets for organizing. I still sometimes use it for hiking or other times when I don’t want to have to worry about a bag. I’ll probably keep this indefinitely since I plan on it being the last fanny pack I’ll ever buy.
16) Longchamp Weekender: I used this as my hospital bag and plan to use this as my “personal item” the next time I catch a flight. Also just got this at the end of last year.
#15 and #13
15) Everlane Foldover Crossbody (reviewed here): I love using this crossbody when traveling since it’s pretty discreet yet can hold a ton of stuff if you need it to. It also can double as a clutch when going out.
14) PB 0110 Circle bag: I just reviewed this bag here and as much as I love this bag, there are so many more bags that I love before it so sadly it gets pushed down to number 14. And as much as I love the quality construction of the bag, the circular shape is just a trend, I know. We’ll see how long this ends up sticking around.
13) Balenciaga Work Bag: I used to have a lot of Balenciaga bags like this (it’s actually the bag that got me addicted to high end purses and started my former PurseForum addiction). I’ve sold them all a long time ago, but recently purchased this bag used on the Fashionphile (because of nostalgia and the fact that they go for such good prices now). I don’t think they’ll ever come back in style (they’re sooo 2000s) but I’ll always love them!
12) Hermes Bolide (reviewed here): I love this discreet Hermes bag and to me it’s the definition of understated luxury. But since it’s currently so low on my list here and it’s so expensive, I’ve decided to return it to Fashionphile using their buyback program. It just didn’t make sense for me to keep something that I didn’t love love love, especially since we’re trying to do FIRE.
#10 and #7
11) Acne Studios Musubi bag (reviewed here): I just got this bag at the beginning of the year (from TheRealReal), but this bag has made my top ten list. I love the sturdy leather, the great useable design, and its unusual shape. The more I use it the more I fall in love with it. Plus it fits a lot more than my usual “just essentials” daily bag.
10) Chanel small crossbody flap : I purchased this bag in London at the end of our Europe trip last year. This is probably the most useable Chanel I’ve purchased and I wear it often when going out. It holds just the essentials and can be dressed up or dressed down. And unlike the regular flap bags, which have a strap length that at the longest makes for a short awkward crossbody, the chain on this one is long and it’s a very comfortable crossbody length. Plus there’s a strip of leather that makes carrying it crossbody comfortable (instead of having the chain dig into my shoulder and leaving marks).
9) Longchamp large tote: This bag has been my travel workhorse over the last decade. I’m planning on replacing it with the weekender (see #16) since this tote is starting to wear out (the nylon corners are usually the first to go and mine are starting to have tiny holes in them). But I plan on still using it until pencils can fall out of the corners (like my friend’s longchamp tote).
8) Everlane Mini Form bag: This is my current obsession and also the newest addition to my collection. I just reviewed the bag here and I mean it when I said it was one of the best crossbody bags I’ve ever purchased.
7) Fendi By The Way bag: I recently reviewed the bag here even though I’ve had this bag for over 3 years and it’s the second oldest bag in my collection (the oldest being #9 above). Even though it was never a popular style, it works really well for my lifestyle (durable leather, easy to organize inside and multiple ways to carry it).
6) Everlane Day Market Tote (reviewed here): My most used item in my closet period. This is my work tote and all around “haul-anything” tote. You can see how it’s worn after 100 days of wear (and it’s taken a beating).
5) Chanel Medium Flap (featured in the post comparing vintage Chanel caviar leather to new Caviar leather): This was a gift from my mom on my 30th birthday so it’s the one bag I would never sell. And now I plan on passing it on to my kid eventually (hope she likes Chanel!). I only use this bag for special nights (mostly weddings).
4) Celine Small Cabas Phantom (reviewed here): This is my fancy tote that I treasure and baby. I use it when I want to look a bit more polished but still have to carry around a lot of stuff. I think a good dupe for it though is the Cuyana structured leather tote (I reviewed their original classic unstructured tote here).
3) Celine Nano Belt Bag : I’ve always loved the design and shape of the Celine Belt bag (and have purchased the Mini, Micro and now the Nano size—I’m like a crazy Celine Belt bag Goldilocks). I unfortunately sold my Mini bag before I started seriously blogging but I reviewed the Micro Belt bag here and did a comparison post between the Micro and Nano here. Now I have just the Nano and it’s the perfect size for my essentials without weighing me down!
2) Celine Soft Cube (reviewed here): This is the second most used bag in my collection after the Everlane Market Tote and it’s because the Soft Cube is a super functional bag. I like the crossbody strap (that’s a good length on me) along with the two top handles (which is how I carry it most of the time). The leather is durable and the inside is spacious enough for my essentials and then some. The only thing it’s missing are some legs to keep the leather bottom from touching the floor (not that I put it on the floor).
1) Hermes Lindy (reviewed here): This was my holy grail bag for over a decade, and I finally purchased it about a year and a half ago. And it was everything I had dreamt it would be. It’s my second Hermes bag (my first being a vintage Kelly that I had in my collection awhile ago), but I love it as if it was my first. This bag is a lot more functional for me than the Kelly was since the Lindy is a more casual bag. I love that I can carry it two different ways and even though it’s a high-end bag the leather is durable and not fragile at all. It’s the best of all worlds: functional, luxurious, and discreet.
Whew, that was some bag blog post! This is for all my bag-loving readers out there! I never really realized how many bags I had until I started to write this post, but 20 feels like too much. I think I’ll be selling some of those on the lower half of the list. How many should I cut my collection down to?
P.S. I found this old post with my old purse collection here. Not gonna lie, I definitely miss some of those purses!