I have been a longtime admirer and wearer of Tory Burch’s bags. I used to shop the brand regularly when I was first dabbling in the world of designer handbags and I considered it my favorite brand a decade ago. My first boss had an appreciation and eye for fashion and I would excitedly tote my new Tory bags into the office at the start of my career.
Tory Burch’s success is incredibly admirable, as she carved out a space for herself in an extremely competitive market and built a successful and easily identifiable brand in a remarkably short amount of time. Although I keep up with the brand regularly, it has been a while since I purchased a Tory Burch handbag. I admire them from afar, often adding them to my cart, but I haven’t pulled the trigger on a new one in a few years.
That is subject to change because recently I have been fixated on the Tory Burch Lee Radziwill Double bag. I cannot get this bag off of my mind. When I first laid eyes on the bag I was delighted to see it was Tory Burch since their handbags are usually at a more budget-friendly price point, but at $998 this bag is sitting in my cart instead of in my closet. Admittedly, I find the price tag to be quite large for a contemporary brand, but I am still considering purchasing it.
I’ve highlighted the Lee Radziwill Satchel in a previous Look for Less post—it’s very reminiscent of the Hermès Kelly! The silhouette nods to the iconic Hermès design while still possessing its own distinctive identity, an impossibly tough balance to strike, yet Tory Burch mastered it. I love the structured satchel version of the Lee Radziwill bag, but the slouchy aesthetic of the crossbody version has me full-on yearning. The Lee Radziwill Double looks like a Kelly and a YSL Muse Two had a baby, which is not at all a con in my opinion, because I love both of those designs.
The Lee Radziwill Double is definitely a large handbag, which of course is a big reason I love it. Measuring in at 9.6”H x 10.8”W x 4.8”D it could easily fit all of my essentials, including my MacBook Air and Kindle Paperwhite, it is certainly spacious. The bag has an open top with a button tab closure and, since I live in the suburbs and drive everywhere, this would not be problematic for me, but it could be a security issue for city dwellers.
There is an interior zip pocket for valuables such as a wallet or any other smaller items you may want to keep secure (AirPods, keys, a phone, etc). The best feature of this bag other than the gorgeous design and slouchy aesthetic? The adjustable shoulder strap. I love bags that can be worn in multiple ways, so being able to carry it in the crook of my arm or on my shoulder is such a big bonus for this design.
The more I look at this bag, the more I want it. Inspired by style icon Lee Radziwill, the younger sister of Jackie Kennedy Onassis, it is the ultimate casual bag while still emanating a cool-girl aesthetic. The light brown color is the ultimate autumnal color. The reason I haven’t gone ahead and purchased it already? That price. I just cannot get over spending a grand on a Tory Burch handbag. Should I bite the bullet and get it, designer aside?
Hi Everyone! I know this blog is about 1 yr old, but I still wanted to join in! Lol
Well I bit the bullet and spent $898 on a “small” (it’s more like a medium) Tory Burch Lee Radziwill Double in the green “Shiso” suede and it is GOREGOUS! AS IN STUNNING! It is from the Runway Line and currently it is sold at the Tory Boutique and on the Tory website. I walked in there to buy a keychain and saw that BEAUTY on the shelf! Gorgeous! I thought the same thing like you all are mostly thinking….$1k for a Tory Bag!? My mind went on to thinking I can spend a tad more and get a leather crossbody YSL, or a LV Speedy or Neverfull or a even the Gucci Jackie 1960 bag! I only say that because if I spend that much I want to have some resale value in the bag. Anyhow, this bag….it is stunning! It is made so well, every thing about it is perfection! That green color is just the prettiest green ever and the suede is so beautiful it looks like velvet…but 100x nicer! I decided to purchase this bag and spend right under $1k for it because I LOVE THE BAG! It may not have the resale value of a LV or others but I have a feeling I’ll be keeping this bag just due to the color AND style. Also I love it! I get compliments on the bag from men and women! What I love is that you really don’t see Tory’s logo. So at first glance no one knows it’s a TB bag. When I tell them they are shocked! Lol. I think if you can get over it being TB at that price point and you have the cash to get it….go and get it! You will not be disappointed! It’s a beautiful bag and made so well. I love the slouch it will get over time to resemble the Peek a Boo. It is made just as well as the high luxe brands and the materials are like the other brands too! One thing, but it’s not a deal breaker, is the middle zip compartment is made out of a canvas. Personally I would prefer leather but all else is leather. Again, not a deal breaker, and if it was made that way to cut down on cost….I’ll take it! I definitely do not want to pay more for this bag! Lol. I also bought the petite double in the white cutout version. That was a hard price to swallow as well as it is so small but I love the uniqueness! I use a gold LV chain on the petite and it looks really good! You really need to see the bags in person to see the beauty and quality.
This is sooo helpful! I’ve become obsessed with the bag and the comments had me worried for minute. But it’s more folks who don’t have the bag comparing it to others.
Hi Morgan. I hear ya! Lol. I think people just can’t match up that price tag for the Lee Radziwill to the brand Tory Burch. I get it, as it took me a long time to pull the trigger as I normally match the high price tag to the brand name, which is always high luxe.
Yes the price is high for these Lees but so is the quality, in THIS particular line of Tory Burch. It is up a few levels from her other designs as far as the quality which brings up the price.
So, are you going to pull that trigger? Lol .
I don’t look at the Radziwill as a Birkin or Kelly knockoff. To me they are BOTH different. It doesn’t even look close to a Birkin or a Kelly as in mistaken identity but to me they are both gorgeous bags with similarities. There are many similarities in many bags in ALL bags. If I had money for a Birkin I would still sport the Tory Radziwill as I would love that too! Lol The ONLY Birkin I want is the Himalayan. Can I afford it? Nope! Hahaha 😆 So I guess I won’t be getting a Birkin as in spending $25k or more on a “plain” looking bag (if I had it to spend) is too much for me. It would have to be that Himalayan version! Lol. But that bag is like $100k or so!! Uuugh! That bag is far from plain to me! 😆 It’s GOREGOUS!
Just ordered mine – the big size. Hope it works.
I am from Europe and I have no baggage about (or experience with) the brand. It is not necessarily one I’d like to be associated with purely aesthetically. I am more of a Jil Sander gal (in my dreams).. But I could not resist the design.
Hey Nicky! Which Lee Radziwill did you purchase? What color?
Clam Shell in the big size. It just arrived. Looks great, not as massive as on the models in the pictures. The only thing, it’s a bit heavy.
I just ordered ANOTHER Tory Burch Lee Radzwill Double in the large (regular) size! Lol 🤪😁❤
I ordered the double in the color English Tan (in combo leather and suede). It’s the Double version with the cutouts in the leather (like the petite white leather version with yellow suede that is pictured). I’ve had my eyes on this bag for at least 3 years but could not imagine paying $1,198 US dollars PLUS TAX for a non high end luxe bag but I did it! Lol. Yikes! I decided to ignore the brand name of Tory Burch and just focus on the bag itself. I’m not buying for the name but for THE BAG. This bag is just STUNNING!💖 This craftsmanship is just BEAUTIFUL on this bag and unfortunately Tory knows this, that is why it is priced so high. Along with the quality of the leather and suede, it is a heavy bag. Not too heavy, but if you load it up, it will be! Really, if I placed a St Laurent logo on the bag you would believe it to be true. My feelings of how beautiful it is has never declined from day 1. Personally I have not seen 1 person with ANY of my Tory Lee Radziwill bags in person (I have 1 clutch, 1 petite and 1 small) which I really appreciate as it just makes the bag stand out more when I use it because people just awe over the bag and assume you paid about $3k for it and they sometimes assume it’s a Tom Ford bag due to the T logo on the front of the hardware. Everyone is always SHOCKED that it’s Tory Burch. I’m glad Tory kept her traditional logo off the bag so this line can remain separate from her other bags. I seriously have been waiting for this particular bag to go on sale but it NEVER goes on sale! Uuugh! While checking Tory’s website I saw it was SOLD OUT on line yesterday! I was like what the heck! An SA at Tory told me a few months ago that the one I just purchased (the cutout version of the Double) was being discontinued “she heard” so when I saw it was sold out online I decided to look elsewhere and found it on Neiman Marcus’s website. Right now there is a promotion of $150 gift card reward so I decided to snatch it up so I will at least get something out of my purchase. Neiman has promotions like this periodically but usually this bag doesn’t qualify. Well this time it did! 🤩 I’m so glad I got the white version in petite earlier. In the large (regular size) the Optic White looked huge but in the English Tan it does not. I can’t wait to receive this bag! I just hope it’s not a display. Sometimes with the department stores it can be hit or miss. Also I hope I get the English Tan because on Neiman’s site it has the option to selectic Optic White or English Tan but the only photo displayed is for the Optic White for both color discriminations.
Yes this bag it VERY EXPENSIVE and just because it’s from Tory Burch I should not expect to pay just $500 or less for it. The leather, the suede, the gold brass like hardware, all the details, design and craftsmanship is ALL there. It’s stunning, and THAT’S why I purchased it.
I feel the same, I seem to love the bag but have an extremely difficult time to pull the trigger on buying it because the price don’t match the brand. 🙇🏻♀️
Yes I hear you and totally understand. I was that way too before I pulled the trigger. Lol. One good thing is Tory now has sales on SOME of the Lee Radziwill bags! Yay! It is usually seasonal colors but still if you want the bag, it’s great to get the opportunity while it’s on sale! 😀
Wow, snob city up in these comments. Reminds me why I left the purseforum. I thought I could escape it if I just read the blog, but I guess not.
Seriously – you have an issue because she is derivative of other designers??? They are all copying one another …. dismiss because it’s not your taste but really lack of originality or the price ($1000 too high but upwards of 4K for other brands is ok)
I’m getting second hand embarrassment from the comments. Lol. Anyway, it’s not that she has a style that, I guess, resembles a Birkin or Peekaboo in this case and other brands in others. That happens with every brand ever, you’re just offended because it’s a contemporary brand and “beneath” you. It’s that she outsources to China for her bags and then charges these prices that is offensive. For those prices she should be ensuring that these bags are made by people that have workers’ rights and are making living wages. I would’ve happily bought one if that were the case because it’s a nice bag and I’m cutting back on my spending/have a budget during these uncertain times.
$1,000 is too much to spend on a Tory Burch bag imo. I like the bag, but if it were my money I’d wait at least until the end of season to see if it goes on sale.
Every designer, I wait for a sake. Unless super small designer. This bag is pretty
I bought this very bag when it first came out. It ended up not working for me, but that was just a matter of personal preference (I need a little more structure and a little less room). The quality of the leather and construction is worth the money, IMO. If the size and style work for you, I don’t think you’d regret the purchase.
Her bags are reminiscent of other brands; basically, she has always copied other designers and has no unique or original ideas of her own. Then, to charge almost 1K? Ha! No, not worth the money.
That looks like a birkin and a peekaboo had a baby.
Poor man Birkin and peekaboo lol
That’s not a Birkin. The Birkin and the Kelly are two distinct bags that Hermes made for two different muses. The Birkin was for Jane Birkin and an original from the 60s will auction for more than an Heirloom Rolex, the Kelly Bag was made for the Grace Kelly Princess of Monaco. TB whole line of purses seems to have had a make over and I see less of her knock off bags than LV to Hermes.
No one should pay more than $100 for it and even then they should still think hard and long about it.
I feel she copies other designers a lot and then goes on to charge far too much than what it’s worth.
Personally,Tory Burch has never been high end enough for me to carry.
I can’t imagine being this level of snobbery and having such low self esteem or self worth as to be defined by a designer brand that thinks nothing of you. What a life.
I would personally never carry an LV, too logo heavy and too many knock offs. However the new 1854 ready to wear collection has caught my eye. I am a fan of Flea Bags but due to the limited runs and non repetition of design I have missed out. There’s entry level luxury and then high level, I would carry Chloe over Gucci with the exception of one bag release in 2014.
It’s a nice looking bag but I would not buy on principle alone. Anything Tory Burch is a hard no for me as I’d rather not look like every other Infiniti SUV driving, Hunter boot wearing suburban mom in the grocery store
There is nothing wrong with carrying Tory Burch or non-premium designer bags in general but $1000 seems very high for a Birkin knockoff. Even if the leather and craftsmanship is there, the point of going with a no-name or contemporary designer for me is to save money and have a bag I can be less careful with. Once you get past $500-600, those benefits are negated and I’d rather save my money for a premium designer bag.
That is not what a Birkin looks like, a Birkin is more structured and is not as height derivative but would be wider. Wow, Hermes makes more than the Kelly and the Birkin but…
I know this is an old post. However, I’ve just now gotten into the petite styles of this bag. I’d previously owned both a regular and small size. I found them both to be a little big and very heavy so I sold them onwards despite having loved the quality and craftsmanship. I’m petite so it’s easy to be overpowered.
I’d been lurking out and about when I came across the petite in tiramisu. I looked at it but couldn’t separate the price despite loving it. So I left it.
Weeks later I was back in that department store and saw the petite double again in tiramisu. This time it was on sale. I scooped it up.
Since then, I’ve bought the black, silver, red and a saddlebag in the Lee line as well.
I get compliments everywhere with this bag. It’s a unique but a brilliantly made and designed bag. I love it just as much as my designer bags and that’s such a strong sentiment I have multiples in the size which is an uncommon move for me.
I’ve also found several from 50-80% off on the real real. You have to go through Tory Burch handbags on there because they’re not all listed by the model. The saddle bag was $125 I think and the two other petite radziwill totes were under $500 combined. If you like a bargain it’s worth a search. I’ve bought brand new and secondhand on these, and am happy with both as they wear well due to the excellent materials.
It’s a classic bag (not just saying that – that’s a too often used saying) and I’ll be keeping all of mine for many years to come. So there you go, for anyone still contemplating – just buy it. They’re wonderful.