I'm back from New York! This is my first visit to Fashionphile and it did not disappoint. Warning this is a very image heavy post. Fashionphile is pretty much my version of handbag heaven, except I didn't buy anything I wanted, so maybe it's my version of hell too. 😆 When you arrive to the location, it looks like an office building on the outside. Inside you need to show your ID to security, then take an elevator to the 4th floor and you're greeted by a receptionist that logs you into their system with your email address. After that you're greeted by a lifesize Prada robot charm, which is very cool. Then you walk down this long, long hallway.
In this hallway, I had to stop at every single display case to look at the bags. Behind the display case there are glimpses of their stockroom with all the bags! You cannot enter the stockroom, they're behind a gate. I was able to still get decent photos through the partition.
I love that the bags are grouped by color. It's like a rainbow! 😆 Oh, I should also mention that it's walk-in and appointments are not required.
And then there was a sea of Hermes Birkins and Kellys. 😍
After spending a good ten minutes walking down the hallway, we finally made it to the showroom. We were greeted by sales assistants (SA) and were offered bottled water. They told us to make ourselves comfortable and we chose a spot with a sofa and coffee table. I was very impressed with the layout.
There was a test area where there was a real Louis Vuitton Speedy and a fake Speedy. Same for the Chanel Flap. Of course I took the test!
The Speedy was very easy for me to tell which one was authentic. I have a Monogram Speedy 30 at home and by the touch, I could tell very easily which one was fake. Visually, it was difficult to tell, unless you looked at the date code. Do you want to know the answer? The real one is A.
I have never owned or felt a real Chanel Caviar bag before, so this one was difficult for me. Both leathers felt softish, but the only real tell I could find was the stitching wasn't as neat underneath the flap for bag A. B was the authentic Chanel. Visually, they both looked so good. I have to say, fakes have come a long way! It was a lot of fun taking this test, and I wish I recorded the whole thing.
After the test, we were finally ready to look at some bags. There are iPads for you to use to browse the bags in stock. You can use the filter to only show the bags they had in the NYC location (There's a second location in California). Add the bags you want to look at to your cart and once you've made your selections, give the iPad to an SA and then after 10 to 15 minutes (depending on how many bags you picked) they brought them out to you. It was such an amazing experience.
Our first order! 😍
This was cute, but so small!
This Birkin is my absolute dream bag, holy grail, if-i-ever-win-the-lottery-purchase, etc. Also if anyone would like to gift this to me, I would be forever grateful. 😆 This is my first time getting a hands on feel for a Birkin bag. It did not disappoint! I particularly love this type of leather. It's very soft and supple, has the slightest bit of leather grain and the contrast stitching is perfection.
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I absolutely love the size 30 on my frame. It makes a very nice tote bag. Even though this bag is pre-owned, it is still in very good condition and I would be perfectly happy with this bag.
Hope you are all enjoying these candid photos of me talking while posing with the bags! 😂
I've been obsessed with this bag ever since I first laid eyes on it last year. It looks like denim, but it's actually printed on leather! It is so amazing. I really love how it looks and feels. It's super soft leather but it really looks like denim. So gorgeous. The bag sold the day after I looked at it.
Amazing!
Here are some of the bags that were on display around the showroom.
Can you all tell I really love purple?! After nearly three hours at Fashionphile, we decided we should leave and find something to eat. Next time we'll bring snacks. Just kidding! Oh and there was absolutely zero pressure to buy any of the bags we looked at. I love that.
We made a quick stop at TheRealReal (TRR). Compared to Fashionphile, TRR felt like a thrift shop. I'm not even entirely sure they have a stock room in the back. I wonder if it's just what you see is what they have. I did try on a Loewe Puzzle bag on in the small size. I really liked it, but the opening is a little small.
Next stop, Polène! I wanted to see their bags in person again. I managed to edit my wish list down. It's always great to be able to handle the bags in person and try them on.
I love the shape of this bag, and prefer the wider opening over the mini version. Wish Polène would make this in smooth leather.
The Nodde is one of Polène's newer styles and the opening is a bit small, but it is a small sized bag. I love the smooth leather and the contrast stitching. It is a very structured bag but I like that you can wear it crossbody or on the shoulder. Smooth Cognac is beautiful, probably my favorite color for this bag.
Super large tote, can probably carry everything including the kitchen sink! Definitely a travel bag or if you have to carry a ton of things with you to work. I love the color, but not a fan of the textured leather. Would buy this in the smaller size if it came in smooth leather.
Really thought I would love this more in the blue, but it actually did not look like it would hold up well to dirt. Surprisingly the Taupe looked better in person. This is still on my wish list, but I can hold off for a bit since suede season is coming to an end. Maybe next fall/winter purchase!
Last but not least, we went to a Delvaux event. I never heard of this brand until very recently. Delvaux is the oldest fine leather goods brand in the world. It was founded in Brussels in 1829! They are the inventor of the first modern handbag. I'm very impressed. Of course, after perusing their selection, I fell in love with the Cool Box bag in Rosewood. Rosewood is a new spring color for 2024. It's on my wish list. The opening is so unique, it's hard to explain and I wish I had a video of it. If I ever get my hands on one, I will definitely post a review.
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(This bag tours aroud the world, right now it's in the NYC flagship store.)
And there you have it. I spend the whole day walking around and just looking at handbags. I absolutely loved it and would definitely do this again! Now if I can just win the lottery so I can buy all the bags I want! Which bag is on your wish list? I have so many... I hope you enjoyed this post. Have a wonderful start to a brand new week!
It looks like you had a great time checking out all those handbags! Fashionphile seems like such a cool place! I think I liked the denim hobo bag the best of the ones you modeled there, but the Polene Numero Neuf has my heart :) Sigh....maybe someday....
ReplyDeleteHi Lola! Ah that Bottega denim is truly amazing. The Neuf is a very pretty bag, it looks great in all the colors. Very roomy too.
Deletehi Leslie! Thanks for sharing your NY trip! I didn't know Fashionphile had a showroom. I always thought it was just an online shop! Their bag selection is truly impressive! If I visit New York, I'd love to check it out!
ReplyDeleteHi Karen! If you're in California near Carlsbad there's also a store front there too. I would love to make it out there one day.
DeleteWow! So much fun seeing these spaces and the bags! It seems like it would be so hard not to buy anything. Everything is so pretty, but I guess the prices are a good deterrent! I didn't realize there is a Fashionpile showroom near Carlsbad. My family goes to visit my inlaws in Encinitas every summer. It would be hard to shake them though.....hmmmmm...
ReplyDeleteThe prices definitely stops me from buying! I do have a wish list and I'll usually wait and see if the price drops low enough. Sometimes it does! If you make it out to Carlsbad, let me know how it is. =)
DeleteI really liked the interlocking design of the Polene Nodde! Some pretty interesting choices on here. I like the spot the fake game, from the way they displayed it, the fakes just looked sadder and limp for some reason
ReplyDeleteHi AC! Yeah the Nodde is my husband's pick as well! He really likes the design of that one. I thought the Chanel was very hard to tell which one was fake. It took a while for me to figure it out.
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