I both tweeted and facebooked about being extremely let down by a new handbag purchase. And this is it.
The Alexander Wang Rocco in a style that I was obsessing over for its sporty chic vibe. This version of the Rocco had my heart. The wavy-stitched detailing added such a nice dimension to the luggage-colored leather, alongside the ridged silver tone studs at the bottom. And when I saw it online I had to have it. Perfection!
The rest of the handbag-loving world is still mulling over the original Alexander Wang Coco with black leather and brass studs. In fact, I was hoping for the black and brass original myself. But when I spotted the camel leather version I got this weak feeling in my knees. It seemed perfect and I clicked SUBMIT ORDER on the Alexander Wang website quicker than my fingers could type my payment information.
The bag arrived last week and I immediately ripped the packaging open. Alexander Wang shipped it in a beautiful box, very Net-A-Porter like. It was wrapped impeccably and as I pulled back more layers of tissue paper I saw the bag emerging. Then came the feeling I was so hoping would not follow: disappointment.
The leather is stunning, thick and smooshy, and the wavy stitched detail adds such a nice touch. The studs are a great color, a ridged silver tone color which compliments the burnished silver-tone zip fastening. Each material was just as I expected and I loved it.
Now comes the disappointing part.
The bag is very heavy. I have tried on hundreds of bags over time, and always liked the stud trend, but this bag has one of the worst weight-to-size ratios I have ever held on my arm. With the studs being on the bottom, the duffel body has no option other than to slouch lacklusterly down to the ground, the weight of the studs pull the leather straight down.
The size is very similar to the Louis Vuitton Speedy 30, which is another bag that at times people dislike due to the lack of shape. The Rocco really lacks shape though, the body of the bag looks nothing like it does on the website. Obviously each website that photographs this bag will stuff it, which will give it the structure and shape that I so desperately desired.
It has been rare that I have pined for a certain bag, bought it, then felt let down. Part may be because I built this bag up so much for so long, hoping it would look exactly as I imagined in my mind. Now all I have to decide is if I will return the bag, which for me is something entirely rare.
You can buy this version of the Rocco via Net-A-Porter for $875.
Help me make a decision and share your thoughts on this bag below.
