I’m in the Market for a New Bottega Veneta Bag, so I Took 3 for a Test Run

I know journalists are supposed to be completely unbiased, but after owning, testing, or at least touching pieces from practically every fashion brand under the sun, I can’t help but sway more toward some than others. For designer handbags, there’s one brand that I always recommend and come back to, and that’s Bottega Veneta.

This is true for a couple of reasons, and it doesn’t just have to do with the fact that the Italian leather goods house manufactures pretty things. (Though, that doesn’t hurt its cause.) It’s correct that Bottega Veneta’s creative director since 2021, Matthieu Blazy, designs handbags that perfectly align with my tastes, but he’s also introduced programs like the Certificate of Craft, which allows shoppers of certain styles like the Jodie, Sardine, and Andiamo bags to receive complimentary repairs for life. Bottega Veneta’s signature Intrecciato weaving technique is yet another example of craft at its finest. Plus, many of its handbags are equal parts practical and aesthetically pleasing, featuring utilitarian separators and inside pockets as well as multiway straps that don’t appear bulky or unintentional like so many other handbags with these functions.