Well now, Juicy Couture, it’s been a long time, hasn’t it? I haven’t sat down to think about one of the brand’s bags in nearly three months, and it’s possible that what they say is true; maybe absence really does make the heart grow fonder. Either way, I’m certainly fond of the Juicy Couture Lady Lock Minibag.
Don’t get me wrong, there are still some aspects of its design that merit criticism. Overall, however, it’s far less offensive than what we’ve come to expect from the brand, even if it does sort of look like a Balenciaga bag and a Marc Jacobs Stam Bag had a small, inexpensive baby.
The center-pointing buckles at the bag’s bottom corners are a design element that any Balenciaga fangirl (that’d be me) would notice straight away, but at least they’re not accompanied by the thimble-shaped hardware that dots the most recognizable of recent Bal motorcycle bags. It’s obvious where the idea came from, but I’m not inclined to hold it against the brand.
And then there’s also the issue of the oversized gold shoulder strap that almost any fashionista should be able to place immediately, but the use of chain has become so popular in recent seasons that it’s hard for me to get worked up about the unoriginality of that aspect of the design too. Juicy Couture might be getting away with some handbag sins here, but the end result is cute, functional, inexpensive and not too over-designed, so I can’t be mad at them. Buy through ShopBop for $228.
