Hi everyone! Summer is here! At last. Yesss! Have any of you managed to have a getaway? Have you already decided on your vacay spot? Because, I’ve prepared a nice roundup of swimsuits for tomorrow’s post, but today I’m in the mood for bags. (I hope I didn’t just kill your mood). I don’t want to talk about any bag though, so let me give some specifics. I want to share with you my impressions on Coccinelle bags — the high-end bag label with the cutest name! Did you know that in Italian, ladybugs are called Coccinelle?! But what’s in a name? The identity, the label, the brand? I’ll tell you…
Four of the most popular Coccinelle bags (left to right): Carousel, mini Arlettis, Liya, Ambrine.
Everything! This Italian brand built in 1978 by the Mazzieri family in the province of Parma stands for, everything it was designed to do: to become a real favorite lady’s bag. How? By adding on style with a surge of femininity to any outfit while, helping ladies feel comfortable and at ease with their identity. I know that sounded just like a sales pitch, but honestly we’re not selling anything. Just bear with me and hear me out…
Loved both the taupe Carousel crossbag and the leather keyring by Coccinelle.
A friend of ours, Savvas who’s a stylist, used to work in Coccinelle until recently and as we spoke a while back, one of us dropped the idea of getting together to catch up and perhaps have a closer look at this brand. Elisabeth and I, own our share of high-end label bags. But we don’t own any Coccinelle ones. Frankly, I was very skeptical at first. I wasn’t sure if they were worth it. Can you really blame me for this bit of ignorance?! I mean there are so many high end labels out there, that it can be a tad difficult at times to keep up with all the new-comers and the old-timers beating themselves up for a bigger piece of the market’s pie.
A Coccinelle wallet and scarf.
The suede leather Janine bag.
The Celene suede Tote bag.
So, to make a long story short, we did get together and even brought another friend along, Antonis – a photographer by profession. You see, it’s one thing to take casual pictures of a tablescape with a smartphone and a totally different ballgame when it comes to a product with a certain reputation. We wanted to be fair and square. So many times, a photograph of a product looks a lot more promising than the actual product. And it’s a real disappointment when the product doesn’t live up to its reputation.
Therefore, the basic concept was simple. Could a Coccinelle bag be our next favorite bag? Does it have that “it” quality? Can it add that flair of feminine confidence to someone as low profile as myself? So, here are most of the photos we took in a two hour casual photo-shoot session with nothing fixed or specific in mind; just ideas that came with the flow of thoughts on bags and how we personally use them in our every day life.
The all-season Ambrine leather and fabric straw bag.
Liya, Arlettis and Ambrine. These little ones are fierce!
To our pleasant surprise, these particular bags were quite nice and playful – anything but boring, despite their classic chic appeal! Hence, it turned out to be a fun two hours. None of us was sure where this would take us. But, the point is that we did get together and we enjoyed ourselves. Elisabeth and I got the opportunity to hold each of these bags that we initially spotted on their Instagram, and grew fond of them. As we held and scrutinized them, we instantly thought to ourselves: well, these are actually a lot better than we thought. And after two hours of carrying them and setting them up, I can honestly say that they won us over.
So yes, these bags have that “it” flair and lived up to their brand’s reputation. They could be our next favorite bag to use day in and day out. They were cute in a sophisticated way. Their leather was real fine, their size just right, their colors spot on like an injection of vitamins that uplifted our mood and we both loved the option of having two straps to choose from instead of the norm one (both leather and fabric straps are included).
And since I’m in a playful mood, allow me to add two Pinterest pins with the mini Arlettis, the cutest little bag ever!
Background image via.
Keep smiling and let them wonder, xx
FYI: Photo shoot concepts by Elisabeth and I. Styling by Savvas Chlinos. Photography by Antonis Drakakis. Special thanks go to Lanakam S.A. for granting us access to these Coccinelle bags.
P.S. Stay tuned for a roundup of swimsuits! 😉
