It’s no secret that we see a lot—and I mean A LOT—of bags on a day to day basis. And though I’ll always love the designer brands that started my handbag obsession, I’ve said it a few times lately—more and more, I’m drawn to bags and brands that aren’t everywhere and on everyone. A couple of months ago, Tibi invited me to preview the brand’s upcoming collection—I’ve always loved Tibi’s clothes and shoes, so I was excited to see their handbags, which creative director Amy Smilovic created along with Paris-based designer Myriam Schaefer. Though Tibi’s line of handbags includes a range of styles, two in particular caught my eye: The Garcon Bag and The Bébé Bag. I was immediately drawn to the sleek shape, bold colors and contrasting stripe of Tibi’s version of a camera bag. I knew I wanted to see more, and I also knew that I wanted to share a close look at these bags with all of you. We took the Garcon Bag and the Bébé Bag out for a spin at Brooklyn hot spot Freehold.
True to it’s name, the Bébé Bag is the baby version of the Garcon Bag, intentionally designed to hold just the essentials—it’s super petite. Though it’s shrunken down a bit, its features are virtually the same. Both sizes are a classic camera bag shape with a top zip, internal slit pocket and a back exterior slit pocket. The back pocket is hands down my favorite feature of this bag, as it’s a great place to store items for easy access such as your ID or MetroCard. Where this bag differs from its big sister is the strap. It’s made of a thick fabric, instead of leather, and is completely adjustable so it can be worn over the shoulder or cross-body for ultimate functionality. The fabric strap gives the bag an almost sporty look, which works nicely with the stripe accents. This mini bag is true to its name, and with overall dimensions of 7.5″ L x 4.5″ H x 2″ D, you’ll definitely have to streamline your essentials to make it work, but fear not—the Garcon Bag might be for you, if this bag is too small.
Like the Bébé bag, the big sister version is crafted of smooth calf leather, and I was seriously impressed by not only the quality of the leather, but also the overall construction of the bag, which is crafted in Italy. We also took a look at a mixed media version of the Garcon, which marries smooth calf leather detailing with a canvas body for a casual, cool denim look. I love the overall vibe of this bag—big or small—and it makes for the perfect everyday bag. The Garcon has a thin leather strap, versus the fabric strap, which does elevate it a bit more, but like the Bébé, it’s adjustable to fit different shapes and sizes. I was impressed with the interior size of this bag—I was able to carry my sunglasses in a pretty large case, both my work phone and my personal phone, a small cosmetics case, a protein bar and various other items in the bag’s roomy interior. Overall dimensions of the Garcon bag are 9″ L x 6.5″ H x 3.5″ D, which retails for $850 in mixed media or $895 in all over leather via Tibi.
Of course, because we’re such big fans of Tibi, we couldn’t resist trying out some clothes as well, and I loved waltzing my way through our day with an easy, breezy striped dress from Tibi’s Resort 2019 collection, which kept me cool, calm, and collected on one of NYC’s hottest July days. It looked great with both the Garcon Bag and the Bébé Bag, which you can snag for $595 via Tibi.
