There has been one handbag that has played on my mind for years and that is the Bottega Venetta Pouch. When this was first released, I lost my little mind. It was different to anything that I had liked before and I needed to own it. Because of that, it went on my wish list and I kept my eye on it for years. Some people saw this item as a fleeting trend that would phase out. Whereas others thought this was a timeless classic. After loving and longing this for many years, I realised that I had to get my hands on it. There are around four different versions of the Bottega Venetta Pouch that I want. However, the first one that I purchased was a woven brown leather version. After using and loving it for so long, here is my review.
Why I wanted this.
Like I mentioned above, from the very first moment that I saw this, I fell in love. The amazing appearance of the bag blew me away. Then, as I saw it appear more on the likes of YouTube and Instagram, I fell for it even more. It also reminded me of a handbag that one of my colleagues used to carry when I first started work. She was older than me, much more sophisticated and she would carry her handbag in a slouchy style under her arm. I wanted to recreate that with the amazing Bottega Venetta Pouch.
What put me off.
As I briefly mentioned above, the thing that put me off was the opinion of others. When other people first started to purchase this, they seemed to fall out of love with it pretty quickly. I saw the influencer Lydia Elise Millen, buy my dream version and then she sold it only a few months later. She couldn’t make it work for her style and her closet and I thought that I may have the same fate. However, I spent time looking for other people that did make this work and I decided to go ahead and try it out.
The appearance.
I have heard some people love these items. And others absolutely hate it. To some, this looks like a Chinese Dumpling and to others a bag with broken handles. To me, this is a classic handbag that is a true and timeless classic. I adore the overall shape of it for one. The hidden closure makes me swoon and the soft nature of the bag is a big love of mine. I also adore that the bag is brown leather. My only other brown leather bag in my collection is my Louis Vuitton Pochette Metis and we all know how much I adore that item!
The price tag.
When this item first launched, for the large version it was around £1800. When I bought mine from Net-A-Porter it cost me £2650. A staggering amount and a vast increase from when it was first released. However, when I thought about it in relation to some of the other items in my closet, I could absolutely justify the price tag. Also, as you may use, I have an app which logs all of my clothes and accessories. When I look at this item, I have already worn it over 130 times, which is incredibly large in comparison to some of my Chanel bags.
The space inside.
I went with the largest Bottega Venetta Pouch on the market. Not particularly for the space, but simply because I love how it looks. Because of that, I have the freedom to wear it much more than I would some of my smaller more standard evening handbags. I can fit just about everything that I would usually carry with me, except for my iPad Pro. Which is a big ask for any handbag really. That means that my makeup bag, wallet and iPhone fit very comfortably inside without changing the shape or stretching the leather.
The practicality.
The last thing that I want to touch on with the Bottega Venetta Pouch is the practicality. I can remember showing this to my husband and the first thing he said is, “Where’s the handle?”. The man has a point. The beautiful simplicity of this Bottega Venetta Pouch is that there is no handle, no branding, etc. However, does that make it practical? For me, I love this bag enough to see past that impracticality of the item. Because of that it does limit where I use it and how I use it. But trust me when I say I’ve got more than my money’s worth out of this beautiful Bottega Venetta Pouch.
As always, I hope that you guys enjoyed this review of the Bottega Venetta Pouch. It is a wonderful item that has found a fantastic home in my closet. I wear this more than I care to mention, and it has already proven its worth to me. I am absolutely going to go ahead and buy the others that I have sat on my wish list. They fit my vibe and aesthetic so well and I look forward to occasions when I can use it. As always, I will pop a link to this bag below if you would like to try it out for yourself. What do you guys think about the Bottega Venetta Pouch? Do you want to try it out? Or do you think it was a fleeting trend that’s had its day?
