I’ve been eying these woven bags by Loewe and Celine since last summer, and from your feedback on IG, it seems that several of you were interested in the same! I wanted to share some initial thoughts on style, size and quality after trying them on a few times.
These days I prefer to buy preowned if possible, but having stalked my usual bag reseller sites, these particular styles are a rare sighting and have been priced similar to retail. I know a woven designer tote may not be the best long term value (if that’s important, go pre-owned on a timeless leather style), but nevertheless a piece I’d enjoy as part of my collection!
**Update** Shortly after publishing this post, I saw a video by @BrooklynBlonde on how her Loewe Anagram basket tote has not held up well. Given this info I was able to exchange mine in time for the square basket tote below (#4), and wanted to share her video as a heads up for other shoppers!
1. Celine Triomph Panier Tote
Sizes: Teen (7″x8″x4″) and Medium (10″x10″x5″)
I’m going to start with this one, since I have countless European-chic inspo shots saved on my phone featuring this bag, and was pretty sure it was going to be “the” summer tote for me. I ordered the white from Celine’s website (photo at the bottom of this post), and was a little surprised upon opening the package. The bag was just loose in a big cardboard box with no dust bag or packaging, and a little misshapen likely from transit. While I know every straw bag will have variations due to the woven nature, the bag also had several loose fraying pieces. For this reason I’d suggest picking out a bag in person, if you have the option to visit a store locally.
While I returned the white bag, it’s definitely a cute tote and I just love the Teen size. I also like that there’s one long shoulder strap in addition to the shorter handles.
2. Loewe Anagram Basket Tote
Sizes: Small (6.7″x15″x5″), Medium (also at Net-A-Porter; 9.6″x18″x6″) and Large (13″x24.8″x8″). Medium and Large have 2 sets of handles (both long and short), while the Small has 1 set of handles.
Compared to the popular Loewe basket bag with the square leather patch, I was drawn more to this anagram tote for it’s more delicate, feminine design. I hadn’t seen it in person until coming across a return at Saks, and couldn’t stop thinking about it afterwards! The woven material on this style is more lightweight and pliable with a smooth finish compared to their more well-known tote, and it felt comfortable and flexible under my arm without sticking out. And after trying on both the Celine and Loewe bags in person, the intricacies of the Loewe woven tote seemed more refined.
The Anagram tote also features Loewe’s clever multi-handle design which swivels from the bag, so you can carry it 3 ways: on the shoulder, in the crook of your arm, or hand carry. The Medium (also at Net-A-Porter) is my size of choice, as it has a spacious capacity without feeling overwhelming in size. The small did not seem useful to me since it’s shallower in size with a wide open top.
For considerations / cons, a few of you mentioned that due to the wide opening, things can fall out of this tote. With any bag that has such a big opening, I like to use a drawstring purse dustbag inside as a more secure liner bag. Another consideration is that the long shoulder straps are tubular shaped instead of flat, and flat may feel more comfortable on the shoulders if the bag is loaded up with weight. And lastly, this is minor but instead of the leather tie closure in the middle, I would’ve preferred a magnetic tab. UPDATE: see my note below the intro above on why I ended up returning this bag!
3. Sézane Justine Basket Tote
I wanted to mention Sézane’s woven basket tote for when they restock – it sold out quickly upon its initial release! The Sézane features a similar 2 handle swivel design, but the functionality seems better than Loewe’s because the alternate handle can always be hidden and tucked inside. Due to the design of the Loewe handles, when you’re using the short handles you can tuck the long ones inside, but when you use the long handles the short ones can only hang outside of the bag. Update: After trying this bag, I’m in love with the look as well as functionality. The bag also has a generously sized, attached drawstring liner bag to help keep your belnogings secure!
4. Loewe Small Square Basket Bag
Size: One size (8.1″x10.4″x3.9″)
Sold at: Saks, Net-a-porter
Also part of the Loewe x Paula’s Ibiza collection, this raffia bag with adjustable strap was actually the first Loewe tote I fell in love with, and almost pulled the trigger on a handful of times. It’s super petite-friendly in size, and compared to the open totes mentioned above, this one has more firm shape and structure but still fits comfortably under the arm. It completely depends on what you’re looking for, but since I have several more structured, smaller woven handbags, I was thinking of a more roomy, open tote.
Other Celine Tote Variations
Before returning this misshapen Celine bag from my initial online order, I snapped a photo just in case anyone was interested in the white color (which I wasn’t able to find in stores).
And the medium Celine tote size (pictured below in blue) was not a contender for me due to the long straps and big size, but in case it’s helpful, here’s how it looks against a 5ft tall frame.
I’d love to hear what your favorite summer bag is or what’s on your wishlist!
