As I did in the Quince fine jewelry review and Quince linen review, I thought I would round up all the Quince bags I’ve purchased in one review. As a bag lady, I’m quite particular about my bags (see my whole bag review section here). And having tried everything from Hermes and Valextra (brand with bags handcrafted by one artisan) to Longchamp and Moop (canvas bags sold on Etsy), I feel like I know what quality bags look and feel like. And I have to say Quince makes great quality, practical leather bags at really good price points. Most of their bags are made of Italian leathers and some in Florence, a location that is known to produce high quality leather goods. Without further ado, here are the Quince bags I’ve tried thus far.
Italian Leather Crossbody Bag: This was the first Quince review I did, and what made me love them (at the time they were still calling themselves Last Brand and were selling this crossbody for $89). I loved this bag so much that I purchased a bunch for my friends, and they loved them too (I still see them using it constantly). And even though it’s $10 more now, I still think the bag is an excellent value for what you get. It’s made from high quality leather that’s super durable and scratch resistant. This crossbody was my pandemic bag and I wore it every time I went out for a year, and it still looked as good as the day I got it. And the size is quite practical—it’s large enough to fit all the essentials and then some. The shape is a classic and goes with everything. The only gripe I had was that the old model had a crossbody strap that was a tad too long for petite girls. and there was no way to punch more holes to make it shorter (so some of my shorter friends tied a knot on the leather strap). But since then, Quince has changed the design and now you can easily punch more holes if you want the strap to be shorter. And now Quince has made it many more colors, so I’m not surprised this is one of their most popular products. This bag is really that good! (And if you’re looking for a review on how it compares to the similar Clare V Gigi bag, this one is great).
Classic Italian Leather Tote: I was so impressed with the crossbody that my next review was a Quince bag review as well, this time for their Tall Italian leather tote. Unfortunately they don’t make this tote anymore, but it was a beautiful one. I actually got this as a gift for a friend and didn’t keep it. So when I started work a couple of months ago and had no structured totes for carrying my laptop, I decided to try out Quince’s current Italian leather tote. And it is a great work tote. It’s big enough to fit my 13” laptop in the laptop sleeve, my notebooks, my lunch, my essentials (phone, wallet, keys), my sunglasses and whatever small odds and ends I take to work. I really like the shape of the tote since it’s small enough not to overwhelm my 5’4” frame. The straps are a good length and super sturdy. The inside is organized well with a polyester lining (not my favorite but it makes the bag light and the inside easy to clean). I like the many pockets and zips, along with the computer sleeve and a detachable key hook. This is a really well-made and functional leather tote, with frankly an unbeatable price. {Update on this tote below. Please read the update before considering the purchase of this bag.}
Italian Leather Shoulder Bag (pictured at the very top): The 90’s are making a comeback and it looks like that’s true for handbags too. I never really had a crescent-shaped bag back then since I was still in my teens and didn’t really care for bags at that time. But now that I’m seeing it more frequently I couldn’t resist trying my hand at this trend. And I’m so glad I did. It’s a really beautiful bag, well-made of high quality leather. The inside is lined and comes with one zippered pocket. The strap is adjustable and I leave it on the longest length so that it fits over the shoulder. I can see this bag getting even more beautiful and slouchy with age, and if you’re looking for a crescent bag I don’t think you can get one as good as this one for the price.
100% Italian Napa Leather Belt Bag: I got this soon after the crossbody bag because I was looking for a belt bag. Unfortunately I got the M/L belt size and the belt did not fit me. I didn’t bother exchanging it because the bag was a little too small for my needs and I didn’t like the stiff leather, which made it a little difficult to get things in and out. I ended up giving it away to a friend and I would say this is the only bag from Quince that I didn’t really care for.
And that’s it. I want to thank everyone who’s used my referral link in the past. It is because of you guys that I’m able to keep doing these Quince reviews!
P.S. I realized that the Quince bags that are made in Florence, Italy (not just of Italian leathers) are the most lux. Those bags are the crossbody and the shoulder (crescent) bag. Check the description to see that it says “handcrafted in Florence, Italy.” I also appreciate that the bags made in Italy are also minimally packaged with just paper (there’s one large plastic bag to protect the bag that I reuse when I ship off my own items on ebay or the blog shop). A minor pet peeve is when the bag hardware is protected by multiple pieces of plastic foam or tape, and I’m happy that these bags straight from the Italian factory (it’ll be postmarked with am Italian return address) don’t have any of these.
{October Update: I’m on the hunt for a large wallet after years of using a card case. So I decided to try out Quince’s Italian Leather Continental Wallet. And I just want to say, it’s quality is pretty mediocre. The leather is thick, thus making the wallet quite bulky overall. Plus the glue is fairly sloppy where the leather meets the zipper. I think if you’re looking for a quality leather wallet, I would skip this Quince one and look elsewhere. You can see a more detailed review of the Quince leather wallet here.}
Quince leather tote after 7 months of use
{March 2023 update: After using my tote bag for 7 months of work, I decided to sell it at Crossroads. It’s still functional but these days I walk to work when I can so a backpack (though less professional) is much more useful. But I should mention that one side of the tote has become very wrinkled. Or rather the leather has folded into an awkward shape. It might be because of the way I use the bag—though I never stuff it. I think the weight of the laptop on one side (in the laptop sleeve) and the pliability of this leather causes the other side of the bag to cave in on itself. This is probably why they’ve added a new tote in their lineup, the Italian Leather Triple Compartment Shopper Tote, where the laptop sleeve is now in the middle of the bag and the leather looks a lot stiffer. Their new tote will probably hold-up better in the long run, possibly justifying its higher price tag ($50 more). Plus the new tote comes with the disclaimer “To preserve the shape of the bag, stuff with tissue paper and store in the dust bag when not in use.” So I think if you’re deciding between the $100 tote and the $150 tote, I would go with the $150 because the $100 will not last you out the year in good shape.}