Way back in 2018, we listed our now favorite contemporary brand, Polène, as one to watch. In the following years, Polène quickly worked its way into our hearts and found its way into yours, too. Few brands boast a luxury brand’s popularity, quality, and craft at a contemporary price, but Polène has consistently nailed it.
Its cult status is more than warranted, and once you feel and experience the bags up close, you’ll see why. Polène’s design aesthetic is clean and chic, offering that distinct French je ne sais quoi that is hard to capture. Each design is carefully thought out—designed and crafted with the utmost attention to quality and detail.
My personal favorite was and remains to be the Polène Numéro Dix Bag. With its curved lines, sleek, distinct half-moon shape, and ease of wear, it is a bag I reach for time and time (and time) again. I love my blue-hued version, but of course, it doesn’t match every outfit I wear. However, I can guarantee I would wear it even more if it were white or black.
While we could sing Polène’s praises all day, the proof of its popularity is (as they say) in the pudding. The brand opened its first flagship in New York last year, which, I might add, is a stunning space, and my eyes on the ground in Paris (aka my cousin Erica) tell me there is always a line at the store. Then, there are my friends and family, who constantly ask me about the brand.
A Fashion Girl Favorite
My 70-year-old mother even recently decided to copy me and add her own Numéro Dix in Sandalwood to her closet after seeing the bag during our trip to Paris. The Numéro Dix is clearly a favorite, and it’s a beloved bag here in NYC, too. I often spot it while out and about on the Lower East Side where I live and when I’m out and about in SoHo. Because of what I do for a living, bag-spotting is the part of my brain that never shuts off, even when it’s off hours.
Week after week, I keep spotting one single Polène Bag all over the city. So much so that I started taking a tally, and in the last three weeks alone, since the new year began, I’ve spotted more than 10 of them. I’m talking about the black Numéro Dix in smooth leather with contrasting stitching. The bag stands out even more because of the stitching, which I personally love.
While I was bummed to see that this exact version is currently sold out (I wasn’t kidding, I think every fashion girly in New York has one), it is available for pre-order with an estimated ship date of February 2nd. *BRB, I have an order to place!*
