I Make Leather Handbags

Accademia Riaci Leather Bag Making Course in Florence, Italy : A Very Detailed and Honest Review

Course: Atelier Bag Making (‘1 year’, but technically more like 7-8 months) Techniques Covered: Hand-sewing and machine-sewing Period Covered: September 2014 – April 2015 Location: Florence, Italy Subsequent visits: September 2017, September 2019 (exterior only) IMPORTANT: Please note that this review is solely based on my own personal experience at the school, therefore it contains my […]Read Post ›

Press Feature: Quiddity in Preview Magazine II

This is actually from a few years ago, I just forgot to post it haha. They were doing a western-themed shoot and asked us to make saddle bags. I had to make them in a hurry since I only had a few days notice, so it was a matter of designing something that could be […]Read Post ›

Prada Saffiano Leather Wallet Honest Review

Prada’s saffiano leather goods are available at their outlet store. My sister got this back in 2014 I think, and used it daily, with noticeable wear and tear showing up around a couple of years after she started using it. Then finally, she retired it after about 5-6 years. It was decent looking and pretty […]Read Post ›

Marni Tote Honest Review

One of the more disappointing breakdowns, because I really loved using this bag. We happened to score this Marni soft tote several years ago in the outlet. I think La Vallee in Paris, if I’m not mistaken, for only around 600 or so euros? Might’ve even been less than that haha. Anyway, it had periods […]Read Post ›

Strathberry Midi Tote Honest Review

Another ig-famous brand (but made especially popular due to having been seen on Meghan Markle and a lot of influencers), Strathberry is one of those bags that I was very eager to get my hands on to inspect. Their signature feature is this mini barbell-ish bar which, depending on the user, can either be convenient […]Read Post ›

The Row Margaux Bag Honest Review

By sheer chance, I had taken photos and inspected The Row’s Margaux bag (I think this is like a small one though) back in 2022 in Paris, before there was that whole kerfuffle about them trying to market it as the next Hermès Birkin. Right off the bat, they are miles away. I was thoroughly […]Read Post ›

Valextra Milano Flagship & Bags Honest Review

Visited the Valextra Flagship store in Milan late last year, and I’m really happy that I was able to see their products in a more complete context. In a way, seeing a tiny display in a department store is a bit of a disservice to the brand, especially because the department store displays usually have […]Read Post ›

Bottega Veneta Jodie Bag Honest Review

I’ve always found this to be an adorable shape, especially in this small handheld size. While I’ve generally had a positive experience with Bottega bags (I’ll include the links to my other Bottega posts below), there are certain bags or styles or elements that have not held up well. For this size of bag in […]Read Post ›

Loewe Puzzle Fold Tote Honest Review

This was one of the buzzier bags of the last couple of years, so I was really curious to see it in action in person. Unfortunately, they only had the small ones available on display at Rinascente in Milan last November, but I think it gives us a good enough basis as to the overall […]Read Post ›

Bag at a Glance: Bottega Veneta Sardine Bag

OK so this tiny thing is 2700€ and might even fit less than the inane Jacquemus Le Chiquito -_- I’m struggling to understand how they arrived at this pricing. And look at my photo above compared to the website pic. I mean– Online, it looks so sleek and solid, but in person, the weave isn’t […]Read Post ›

Acne Musubi Bag Honest Review

Happened to spot this goldenrod-ish yellow Acne Musubi bag on a sale shelf in Rinascente Milano (kind of sad how all those bags were just haphazardly stacked and on the floor) so I had to stop to inspect it whilst in the throng of a crazy holiday sale crowd (this was in late November, so […]Read Post ›

Bags at a Glance: Bulgari Serpentine Tote, Bulgari Serpentine Mini Top Handle Bag, Alexander Wang x Bulgari Belt Bag

Happened to see this at the airport duty free. Always loved the serpenti line and was curious about how it would translate to a bag, since it would make a nice set with the jewelry for events and the like First up, the Serpentine Tote…it felt very flimsy 😦 The metal part looks and feels […]Read Post ›

Valextra Iside Bag Honest Review (Updated 2024)

I have always loved the minimalism and clean lines of Valextra bags. I had been seeing them around in Le Bon Marché and Lafayette and online but only recently remembered to actually take photos! The top photo is from Galeries Lafayette Haussmann from my visit a few years ago (a lifetime ago, especially now that […]Read Post ›

Chanel Flap Bags Honest Review (Updated 2024)

My inspections have been over several visits from 2015-2019 or so (in Paris, Manila, etc), but this one from 1-2 years ago (pre-pandemic) was the one where I was actually able to take photos haha (scroll down to see the updated photos and inspection from 2022). Unfortunately they only had this mini flap available, so […]Read Post ›