New Review! My Christmas Present to Myself! The Mirus Puffy by Mila.Jito

I'm super excited about this review! It's my Christmas present to myself. Actually, this was supposed to be my birthday present but it arrived really early. This is a Mila.Jito bag and it's my very first bespoke handbag. It's one of a kind, at least until someone else requests the same exact bag as mine.

For reference I'm 4 feet 11 inches tall. 

The Mirus Puffy 😍

Before I dive into this review, let me give a little backstory. Originally, I wanted a Birkin and I was saving up for one. If you're in the handbag community, the Birkin is considered a "holy grail" for so many. If you're unfamiliar with the Birkin, it's completely hand stitched using the saddle stitch method and takes about 40 hours to make. I got to see one in person back in February when I visited Fashionphile's flagship store in New York. It was a Birkin 30 in gold Barenia Faubourg leather.

😍

Don't get me wrong, I love the look, love the color, love the leather. It's a gorgeous handbag. It's just extremely difficult to open and close with the hardware and the straps and the flap going over the handle. It's a lot to fiddle with and that's why you see people carrying them with the flap tucked in and the straps hanging out. I realized the disheveled look is not my cup of tea. 

Also, if you're not familiar with the Hermès process, typically you have to spend a fortune with them to be granted the "privilege" of buying one directly from Hermès. If you want to go through the resale market, expect to pay double or triple the retail price, but at least you won't have to buy a bunch of other things you don't really want. I did briefly consider the Kelly, but it also has the same issue. I need my bags to be functional. Easy to get in and easy to get out while still looking great. 

I discovered Lili and her brand, Mila.Jito sometime last year and started following her on Instagram. I loved seeing how each bag was hand stitched using the same saddle stitch method as Hermès. And then I fell in love with the Mirus Puffy. The design is so unique with a magnetic closure and the M harness is so creative. It's not only a functional handbag, but it's also a work of art. Personally, there is nothing better than a wearable, useable piece of art.

I decided to take my Birkin savings and made a deposit for the Mirus Puffy in June of this year and honestly I'm loving my decision. The M harness is removable. You can wear the bag with the harness for the look, or you can attach the crossbody strap to the harness for hands-free carry. 

There is also a third look where you can wear it bare without the M harness and crossbody strap which allows you to appreciate the M contours for the puffy look. I think all three iterations are fantastic and love that you can change the look depending on your preference for the day. 

Before I get into the details of the bag I want to quickly go over the ordering process. All bags are made to order. To make a reservation, I contacted Lili by sending her a message through her Instagram account, but her website now lists an email as well.  Once you decide on the bag, a 50% deposit is required at the time of placing your order. Lili will send you a deposit link. A week later a swatch book arrived in my mailbox.

I knew right away what type of leather I wanted. I loved how Novonappa (Barenia) felt beneath my fingertips. The feel of leather is extremely important to me. Lili did let me know that Barenia leather would scratch and show patina faster than the other leathers available. That's okay with me, I do not mind my bags showing wear. I just could not decide on the color. I looked over the sample swatches for days and I was really torn so my husband suggested I ask Lili if she would be open to making a tri-colored Mirus Puffy. 

She said yes! She was really open to working with me. I had a concern over the crossbody strap length because I'm only 4 feet 11 inches tall and most straps are too long. After telling her my concern, she told me no problem and made the strap according to my height. I've never had a bag customized before and it is such an amazing experience. 

So after I decided on the exterior color of my bag (gold, dark red/burgundy, and chocolate), I chose the interior color (red), hardware color (gold), and stitching/thread color (white). I absolutely love contrast stitching, I think it really makes a bag pop. I also had my initials monogramed on the handle sleeve in gold. This bag is completely customized. 

The order was placed on July 1st. Lili placed the order for the materials and once they arrived, she sent me this photo below. The colors are just gorgeous! I knew the bag would be stunning and the excitement just kept growing. 

At the end of October, Lili messaged me to let me know she would be able to make my bag earlier than expected, and would that be okay? The bag would be completed by the end of November. My bank account would not be happy, but I went ahead and said YES! I got to see photos of my bag while she was making it on her Instagram page. It was just so cool to see my bag come to life.

With that, let's take a look at the details of the Mirus Puffy.

This is a small bag. It will fit your daily essentials. Check out my Youtube video if you want to see what fits. The opening is a magnetic closure which is so cool. I love hearing it shut close. 

In my video, I also show how to put the harness on. It doesn't take very long, maybe about a minute. The strap is the perfect length. I don't know how Lili was able to calculate the length, but I'm so grateful for it. 

I chose a red inside lining and there is one zip pocket that will fit keys or card case. 

The handles are chocolate with white contrast stitching. They are very comfortable to hold, even with my small hands. 

This bag weighs 1 lb 9 oz without the M harness and crossbody strap. With the M harness and strap it weighs just about 2 lbs. 

I asked Lili if there was anything she wanted to convey about this bag. She sent me a small paragraph to include in my post. I'm paraphrasing here- while Lili designed the Mirus bag, her husband designed the Puffy based on her design of the Mirus. The Puffy padding of the design was extremely difficult to shape by hand, because the leather I chose was non-stretchy which made the warping process harder. The stitching for the shape of the M was the last part of the challenge because it had to start and end at the same spot. 

The leather smells amazing!

The sides and bottom of the bag show the dark burgundy color. In the below photo, you can see how the M harness wraps around the bottom of the bag. And yes, those are holes for the feet!

If you have made it this far, I know it's a lot. Thank you for reading! I know you may be wondering, so, just how much did this bag cost? Before I get to that, I was doing some research on the Purseforum on how the quality of Mila.Jito compares to Hermès. One member stated Lili's craftmanship "blows current Hermès bags out of the water. There's no comparison." This member also sold most of their Hermès collection to purchase bespoke bags. I think that should give you an idea of the price range for a bespoke bag of this caliber. On Mila.Jito's website, prices start at $5,000 and up. The price of the bag really depends on the type of leather/hide and what additions/customizations you want on the bag. The time it takes to complete is 6 months or more. My bag was supposed to take 8 months, but it was only 6 months from the date I placed my order. It went by fast. It really did. And So Worth The Wait!

I could take a million pictures of this bag. It is a work of art!

That is it for me. I can't wait to see what's in store for 2025. I already decided I'm going to start saving up for a second Mila.Jito bag. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

P.S. I will be covering Lululemon's Boxing Day sale. See you all then!