Valentino Mini Lock Bag in Light Ivory Review – The Good & The Bad
I’m quite excited to be doing another review for you, as I haven’t done one in quite some time, and it’s on a bag style I have wanted for years! This is my new Valentino Mini Lock Bag in Light Ivory that I got from FarFetch. I have many points on this bag to get across, both good and bad, but it really is stunning. As I didn’t get it from the boutique itself though, I’m not sure if it comes in a gift box or not, but mine came from the Biondini Paris boutique on FarFetch and it only came in its dust bag, inside the stock cardboard box which has info and stickers on it. This could be because it’s lighter and makes the shipping cost less, but I would have liked a gift box for it. So anyway, lets get to my review!
Size – I wasn’t sure at first which size Valentino Lock Bag I should go for (the Small or the Mini) so I spent a good amount of time with a measuring tape seeing which suited my size most. I decided on the Mini as you know and it measures 12cm in height, 6cm in depth, 17cm in length, and 35cm on the chain strap. I’m 5ft 4 myself and around a UK 8 in dress size, and as you can see from the modelled photos, it’s pretty much the perfect size for me, which I am pleased about. I think the Small might have been too large, despite its name. This Mini size is big enough to fit my iPhone 6, a small card case purse, a lipstick, mirror.. All the essentials that I need when I go out as it’s quite wide inside too.
Style – The Lock Bag from Valentino has been a coveted style for years, just like their famous Rockstud shoes, so it’s been a bag I have always admired and fell in love with time and time again. It comes in an array of colours and I think what attracts people to it most is the design with the pyramid studs on the top flap, the chain strap, and the overall shape of it. It’s a truly gorgeous bag to look at. Since it comes in about 4 different sizes, there’s one for everyone too. There’s also different hardware colours ranging from gold, silver, and gunmetal, to complement the different leather colours. Anytime anyone looks at the Lock bag, they’re smitten! I can’t fault how gorgeous it looks. The bag is designed to be worn in 3 different ways too, you can wear it cross-body with the long strap, you can double it up and wear it as a shoulder bag, or you can remove the chain all together and wear it as a clutch. I love that it has multiple wearing options, and that the chain is easily removed just by un-clipping it. It’s a very versatile bag.
Craftsmanship – Since I am honest in all my reviews, the craftsmanship is where I have some negative points. This bag retails for a lot of money, it’s over £1100… And with that I would expect the same quality as Louis Vuitton or Celine. My bad points for the Lock bag are how uneven the flap can be. When I got this one, the flap was wonky and tilting up on one side, so it didn’t look symmetrical and I had to work at it to make it straight. After looking online so much, I could even see that some retailers stock photos were showing a wonky flap too, which I think is really bad. I also have faults with the leather on the underneath as it’s cut with 4 slits so that it fits around the shape of the bag, but because this one is Light Ivory, you can really see the slits as they’re darker. You can see in the shoulder modelled photo on the bottom. I just believe that with a bag as expensive as this from an Italian designer brand, the quality should be better.
Leather – There is another negative point here for me too, it smells so much. I know leather bags can smell really bad, but this is on another level. The leather itself is really nice, it’s soft, spongy, supple, and a good quality, but I believe with the treatments done to it to bleach it and make it almost white, it’s made the bag smell terrible. The smell is so strong that anytime I touched it, my hands would stink too. I’ve been airing it out for weeks and it’s only diminished a bit so far, but over time I am hoping it lessens more. I don’t know if this is just because of its colour as I didn’t notice this smell on the black ones in the boutique, but the Valentino customer service wasn’t very helpful in responding to me about the smell at all. So just be warned, if you get a lighter colour Valentino Lock bag in white or Ivory, it’s going to stink. It’s such a shame because it meant I wasn’t able to wear it for weeks after purchasing it and contemplated returning it.
Weight – Now this one I wasn’t overly sure on as for me, I find it quite heavy. It might be purely because it’s a chain strap (looks like it has 3 woven links to it) and it can dig into my shoulder, or it could be because of all the metal hardware on it. For a small bag this size, I would expect it to be lighter. It’s not incredibly heavy by all means, but for me, with the hardware combination and chain strap, it gets heavy over time and can irritate my shoulder and collar bones if it’s worn cross-body. I can only imagine how heavy the bigger ones are since the chain isn’t any bigger on those to accommodate. It’s definitely wearable though and to most people it’s probably not that heavy.
Overall Opinion – So as you can probably tell, my overall opinion is somewhat mixed between positive and negative. I don’t like the smell of the bag at all, it’s actually awful, and I really do think the bag should be better made, especially on the main focal point of the flap, that really should not be wonky, and the cuts underneath should have been covered in some way, but at the same time, the bag is visually stunning. It’s actually gorgeous and the combination of the Light Ivory and Gold hardwear is just amazing. It’s so complementary. The size is just perfect as well, especially given how small it is and what I can fit inside. So with all of those points, I’ve managed to straighten out the flap to be symmetrical either side, and I am hoping the leather smell will continue to go away, so all in all, I do like the bag a lot and will be wearing it numerous times in outfits to come in the future, that’s for sure. What’s your experience with the Valentino Lock Bags? I would love to know!
Shop Valentino Lock Bags at:
My Theresa | FarFetch | Net-A-Porter | Matches | Harrods | Saks | SSENSE
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Very nice!
Author
Thanks!
Te small bag is very cute. If I should buy one some day it would be a medium size, because I have so much things to carry around with me. In Germany most bags aren´t that expensive, so I wonder about the differences from county to country :-*
Melanie / http://www.goldzeitblog.de
Author
Hopefully the medium size is ok and not too heavy!
Wow, this is really a good one!! You made me think about the fact that I don’t have a bag in this colour. Have a nice day!
Steal4Style.com
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Thanks!
That purse is absolutely amazing! Love it! =)
– Cielo
Mermaid in Heels
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Thanks =)
Obsessed with this mini bag <3 such a great and genuine review with lots of information. Thank you for sharing this info.
xoxo Ashon
http://ashonfashionary.com/how-to-style-long-baseball-jackets/
Author
No problem, really glad you liked it!
This is such a pretty little bag!! It’s so pretty! You give such great reviews too! Thank you!
Much love,
Marianne x http://www.beautiful-in-essence.blogspot.com
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Thank you!
It’s a beautiful bag, but a smell is definitely not a good thing.
Author
Nope, it’s really not!
I’ve had this bag on my wishlist for months now and it looks so beautiful in your pics! I love the color and the size, but I’m shocked (and a little disappointed) to hear about the quality. Hopefully the smell goes away soon!
Jenny // Geeky Posh
Author
I really hope it goes away soon too! Thank you.
Thank you for this post, I’ve been planning to get this kind of Valentino bag but haven’t got around looking for a review. Nice and helpful post. Love Valentino!
http://www.busyandfab.com
Author
Good luck with yours!
I love this bag actually! It’s such a great size and it quickly became a fashion icon! LOVE IT!
xoxo, Vanessa
http://www.WhatWouldVWear.com
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Thanks!
That bag will go with everything! Perhaps the smell of the leather will fade over time?
xx Yasmin
http://banglesandbungalows.com
Author
That’s what I am hoping!
It’s such a beauty. Perfect size too.
Gemma x
http://www.jacquardflower.uk
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Thank you!
This bag looks stunning Lorna, and I love the studded detail which makes it very distinctive. It’s a shame the bag was unsatisfactory in terms of the strong smell, and some aspects of the craftsmanship. As you said, one would expect a better finish on such an expensive bag. I’m glad you like the overall look of it though, and it definitely suits you!
Lots of love Saba xx
http://www.trulymadlydeeplyfashion.blogspot.com
Author
Thank you! Yeah, it is a shame that it’s not quite up to my expectations, but I have noticed the smell is getting less now.
Oh that’s good! It looks fab in your latest outfit post too! xx
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Thank you!
That’s such a shame about the quality of it hun but it’s a gorgeous bag for sure xx
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It really is!
I really love Valentino Lock bags 😀
Author
Me too 🙂