Saben Coco Mini Bag

Where I got it

I was in the market to buy a new small bag that could hold my phone and just my keys and a couple of cards. I actually have a couple of small bags that do the same job already, but I just wanted something for a change. I was looking at luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Dior, etc. but they are so freaking expensive right now, I cannot justify spending over $2k for a mini bag. A number of the mini bags I was looking at, weren’t even leather bags, they were either canvas or cloth bags! I decided to go look for high street brands that don’t carry that premium price just for the logo. I was looking at Saben a couple of times, but have not been able to check out my cart as I was waiting for a sale or some sort of discount. Lo and behold, within that week, I received a newsletter email from Saben that they are having a sale of a selection of their products and just my luck the Coco Mini bag is on sale!

It was $249 down from $359 which is around 30% off which was a pretty good deal. Saben is quite a popular brand in New Zealand and its designs are subtle, simple, practical and classic. They actually do have a bag that was more of what I was initially looking for (Nikko phone sling), but I really like the chain detail of the Coco Mini bag and this essentially has 3 different straps – the gold chain, the short detachable leather strap and a detachable crossbody strap. I know I would probably wear it most with the crossbody strap, but the short strap is also quite cute just on the nook of my arm. I picked the colour Ivy, which I would say is a bit of a deep olive green. It is quite neutral and the other colour options were terracotta, light blue, black and white colour. Some of these colours are now sold out including Ivy.

What I got

The bag was delivered quite quickly even though Auckland was hit pretty badly with the recent flood and Auckland is under a state of emergency. The bag came in a soft compostable postage bag and it comes with a drawstring reusable bag. The straps are all wrapped up neatly inside the bag and everything was in great condition. Obviously not a luxury unboxing, but it was without unnecessary packaging I guess. This is the description from the Saben website “Meet Coco. Saben’s must-have mini bag with extra sass. Big enough to hold your wallet and phone, but small enough to be elegant arm candy at your next event. Attach her crossbody handle for hands-free dancing, or traversing the city.  Coco in Black, Ivy and Terracotta include a built-in feature chain which can also be used as a handle. It’s the little things. New season Coco is adorned in handwoven Black and Tan leather. Features include an Internal zip pocket, Secure top zip closure, Detachable leather handle, and Detachable and adjustable crossbody strap. Coco will fit the Winona, Delilah, Hannah and Landry wallets comfortably.”

How I find it

I have been using this bag for well over a month for daily use, and I took it with me when we went to Christchurch. I wanted to wear a crossbody bag that I could have my hands free and that it’s not too bulky or get really heavy because I expect to do a bit of walking. Items in my bag were mainly my card holder, my phone, a packet of antibacterial wipes, a lip stick, a lip balm, a small tube of hand cream as well as some medicine. The crossbody bag looked great on all of my outfits which were very travel-friendly, nothing fancy. Even if we had a night out for fancy dinner, I could easily remove the long strap and use the chain strap as a hand-held bag.

The bag is easy to get in and out of. The items are safe inside the bag and even though it could be difficult to get into the bottom of the bag, most of my items are placed down vertically. The zip was easy to open and close which was a very good detail.

Overall

It has been a good few months of use now and I can actually comment on the wear and tear of the bag. The bottom corners of my bags are the first to show wear and tear. I see the leather coating wearing off at the outer corners to reveal lighter colour underneath. Other than this area, the strap is still in perfect condition, the zip is working fine, and the chain is still looking brand new. There is one thing that I find a little annoying is the chain on swishing over the front of the bag making a sound when I’m walking. That’s just me.

Overall, I am very happy with the bag and once I started wearing Saben bags, I started noticing a lot of people wearing their brand. It is actually a very popular brand with good quality products, functional and chic designs. I would definitely purchase more from this brand when I see a style that I love.