The Loewe Puzzle Bag

Sale PSA: A pretty bias cut slip dress from J.Crew, now 50% off with code FRIDAY, the ever popular (and wonderfully named) Levi’s Wedgie fit jeans, now 33% off, a linen jumpsuit from Everlane, now $66 for a limited time, and the Felix bag from Staud, now 25% off (when you add to cart).

Hello friends! Today I have the sort of post I haven’t done in awhile – a bag review. My bag interests have waned considerably during this year, but one in particular has continued to stick and so last week I decided to add a new goodie: the Puzzle bag, from Loewe.

Yes, I know we are in a pandemic so my activities really do not involve a handbag but I need to have some pleasures. To “pretend” that I “may” go “somewhere” at some point. We all need these sanities and so after some waffling I decided this one would be mine.

Onto the review!

Yes, I know that the Puzzle came out a zillion years ago. A bunch of bloggers got the bag years back, even the kind of basic bloggers (and believe me, I am aware I am 100% basic). And here I am, getting it years later. However, I have always loved the design, and 6+ months into quarantine..my jigsaw puzzle obsession is as strong as ever. I’m very, very into puzzles! So I thought this bag would be a great souvenir and tribute to my hobby. If Ravensburger were to branch into athleisure, I’m sure I’d buy that too.

There were a couple of sizes I debated between on this bag (mini, small and medium) and in the end, I chose small. I have enough medium sized bags, enough mini, and a great thing about the small is it can go crossbody (more on that below)

So first off: the color. I chose what I think is likely the most popular color for the Puzzle, tan. This tan is a big reason why I got the bag. It is a perfect tan, in my opinion. Not too brown. Not too yellow. Not too light. I am so happy with it and it is a wonderful neutral and matches with EVERYTHING yet provides contrast against all black, gray, camel outfits. I have not seen a better tan (Hermes gold is the closest).

Just to be extra clear, I got the smooth leather tan option, the one that comes with silver hardware. Loewe also has a slightly warmer camel color that they do in a grained leather with gold hardware (they don’t do the smooth tan with gold hardware, which is very sad). You can see the warmer grained camel here – if you scroll to the photo with the handle leather, you can see the two colors contrasted. For some reason the grained version is $200 more. They are both great colors you can wear year round.

Now: onto the straps. The strap is adjustable to four lengths, which I think is awesome. This is the first and shortest length, which is shoulder strap length. It is perfect for me – not too high, not too low. The one thing that kind of bothers me about this length is that there is quite a bit of strap “left over” as it was – there’s a little leather slider to slip the extra strap through, but quite a bit of the leather still dangles, a little “messy” for my taste. You can kind of see what I’m talking about below, with the strap curling over. I think this is something that Hermes designers find annoying which is why you usually don’t have these long dangling straps off of H bags and they go through such lengths in their designs to keep it neat.

But in the big picture, not a big deal, and actually I took these photos to help me see if it really stuck out (less in photos than I thought).

A quick shot of it being held by the handle as well. At first I thought I would never use this handle, but I can actually see it being quite useful! For grabbing while in the car, etc.

Next, showing the bag on the very longest length, which I think would work as crossbody for most people. I am 5’1 and you can see how long it is on me.

And then, on the second longest length, which is what I’d choose to have it crossbody at. I love this length! Very comfortable for me.

And doesn’t stick out too much from the hip, either. I was going to get a photo of the bag on the third longest length (second shortest) but ran out of time, but rest assured if you are taller you will have options. I would think the second shortest length might be good for taller people who want a longer shoulder bag option.

PS: shoes are the Everlane day wedges.

Now, for what fits inside.

A good amount! My bag, phone, notebook, little pouch, sanitzer, Baggu (From the Met collection which I’m obsessed with). I’d probably substitute out the sunglass case for a pouch (these are great) just to make the situation less packed, but wanted to show you with a case because the bag can definitely fit it.

Some final thoughts on the Puzzle:

Ease of use/features: In my opinion, the Puzzle is is really easy to use. It is light, the strap is adjustable, it is secure with the zip on top. The zip on the back I find less useful in that it can’t fit my phone, and I wouldn’t want to stuff anything major in there, as it’d make it lumpy. So it’s pretty much for loose cards and stuff, but this is a minor thing.

The one feature I wish it would have? Feet on the bottom. I think this bag used to and they got rid of it (boo). Feet would make it perfect.

Aesthetics: I really love the design and think it is super cool. Will it stand the “test of time”? I don’t know, but I do know a Kelly or Birkin is a zillion dollars and quite heavy and this design will always remind me of my jigsaw puzzle love. Life is short!

Cost: This is something to consider. I do not think the Puzzle is the greatest value, especially if you buy it at full price + tax which brings it a little under 3K (a medium is well over). The resale value isn’t great…not that we buy things for resale, but you know what I mean. That being said, it is a fraction of what an Hermes or Chanel bag would cost. AND there are ways to mitigate the cost. Here’s what I found below:

24S is shipping tax free for now, with the code MID15 for an additional 15% off! And the code applies to all Loewe bags! They are out of my tan one for now but have other iterations in stock.

Farfetch, in my opinion, is another great option. If you keep stalking you might be able to find the bag pop up from various European shops and they often ship duty inclusive. For example, right now the light pink version, which is $2700 + tax at many shops, is $2240 all in on the site right now.

SSENSE is tax free to certain states and sometimes they have Black Friday sales. Worth it to track and I’ll update my sale PSAs if it happens.

Net-A-Porter has the tan in stock right now, and a 10% code for new accounts.

Neiman Marcus has a 15% off coupon for new e-mail subscribers. But also tax, depending on your state.

Saks has a 10% coupon for new email subscribers but an expected ship date of no later than 3/21…what??

Nordstrom may sometime have coupons (usually gift card offers) though none right now, but I still prefer Nordstrom over NM and Saks only because of their customer service.

Okay – that’s about it for now! What do you all think of the Puzzle?