New lurker popping in!! This thread has been amazing, I have recently bitten the bullet on a Leo & Violette Elegant in burgundy, and a Polene Numero Trois Mini in dark green thanks to the recommendations here!
https://www.leoetviolette.com/products/elegant?lang=en
https://eng.polene-paris.com/products/numero-trois-mini-trio-vert
Neither of these have been reviewed here or on the Polene thread so just wanted to stick my head in and say both are beautiful and amazing quality. Happy to post pics later if anyone is interested.
The leather quality on both bags is stunning, smells great. No complains about the hardware either, although the long strap on the L&V is a little fiddly to attach (it goes straight onto the hardware for the top handles, i.e. no separate/dedicated hardware).
The L&V Elevant is very smooth and probably somewhat prone to scratches like smooth leathers are, but I see no flaws at all. Of course it calls to mind the Celine clasp bag which I love. The L&V in comparison is less hefty but personally I think the size actually suits the silhouette better and can be worn in multiple ways (the Celine only has top handles). It is quite narrow and doesn't have a dividing section in the middle like the Celine but again I think this streamlines it. I love that it has a long strap option as it looks beautiful worn over the shoulder as well as on the elbow. I am about 5' and it doesn't overwhelm me, but would look equally stunning and more dainty on a taller person.
The Polene reminds me of another dream bag the L&V SC, which is out of reach for me. The design is more structured but extremely well made and I think suits it very well, and also differentiates it a bit from the SC so it feels less like you're trying to carry a wannabe bag. If you are looking for an SC lookalike because you love the worn-in/floppiness of the SC, this one is probably not for you.
The leather is a combination of smooth leather which feels "chewier" /more hardy than the L&V leather, some of the slip pockets are lightly pebbled, and some of the panels are suede. As with the L&V, all beautiful and no flaws I could find.
The Polene has a lot of slip pockets on the outsides which are handy for flat items but sit too flush to put anything bigger in - I'd worry about the pockets bending out of shape.
I especially love the handle columns running down the sides of the bag, these look and feel VERY well made/moulded. The bag is extremely roomy as well. I love the shade and again the multiple carrying options - I think it has a real ability to look very "cool / It girl" slung over the shoulder, yet on the elbow it still doesn't look to twee due to the more "masculine" colour (super girly bags are not my thing and I don't often do wrist/elbow carry for this reason). It's a little bigger than I expected but still just right on my size, and would look great on a taller person. It also has feet which is a nice touch, I have to say the hardware feels really luxe.
In terms of the buying experience, I loved the customer service with L&V as they were extremely responsive. I am based in Asia and asked whether they had any shipping promos as the shipping cost was maybe the one thing giving me pause, and they gave me a code for my first item. In comparison Polene charged 100EUR shipping which of course they have the right to do, but for a very similar price point bag as L&V, similar business model and shipping from the same place, they lost a point for not being flexible. I bought the bag anyway and thought it was still worth it, but is much better value if your shipping cost isn't as high as mine. Polene said it was because they cover import tax, but L&V did as well and shipped for free.
L&V was mid-production on the Elegant when I ordered I think, so this took a couple of weeks (but only a few days to actually deliver once shipped out). Polene delivered in less than 3 working days which was very impressive - I got my 100 euro worth of shipping!
Let me know if anyone has any specific questions about either as I'm happy to answer, since I know there's not a lot out there on these specific models!!
https://www.leoetviolette.com/products/elegant?lang=en
https://eng.polene-paris.com/products/numero-trois-mini-trio-vert
Neither of these have been reviewed here or on the Polene thread so just wanted to stick my head in and say both are beautiful and amazing quality. Happy to post pics later if anyone is interested.
The leather quality on both bags is stunning, smells great. No complains about the hardware either, although the long strap on the L&V is a little fiddly to attach (it goes straight onto the hardware for the top handles, i.e. no separate/dedicated hardware).
The L&V Elevant is very smooth and probably somewhat prone to scratches like smooth leathers are, but I see no flaws at all. Of course it calls to mind the Celine clasp bag which I love. The L&V in comparison is less hefty but personally I think the size actually suits the silhouette better and can be worn in multiple ways (the Celine only has top handles). It is quite narrow and doesn't have a dividing section in the middle like the Celine but again I think this streamlines it. I love that it has a long strap option as it looks beautiful worn over the shoulder as well as on the elbow. I am about 5' and it doesn't overwhelm me, but would look equally stunning and more dainty on a taller person.
The Polene reminds me of another dream bag the L&V SC, which is out of reach for me. The design is more structured but extremely well made and I think suits it very well, and also differentiates it a bit from the SC so it feels less like you're trying to carry a wannabe bag. If you are looking for an SC lookalike because you love the worn-in/floppiness of the SC, this one is probably not for you.
The leather is a combination of smooth leather which feels "chewier" /more hardy than the L&V leather, some of the slip pockets are lightly pebbled, and some of the panels are suede. As with the L&V, all beautiful and no flaws I could find.
The Polene has a lot of slip pockets on the outsides which are handy for flat items but sit too flush to put anything bigger in - I'd worry about the pockets bending out of shape.
I especially love the handle columns running down the sides of the bag, these look and feel VERY well made/moulded. The bag is extremely roomy as well. I love the shade and again the multiple carrying options - I think it has a real ability to look very "cool / It girl" slung over the shoulder, yet on the elbow it still doesn't look to twee due to the more "masculine" colour (super girly bags are not my thing and I don't often do wrist/elbow carry for this reason). It's a little bigger than I expected but still just right on my size, and would look great on a taller person. It also has feet which is a nice touch, I have to say the hardware feels really luxe.
In terms of the buying experience, I loved the customer service with L&V as they were extremely responsive. I am based in Asia and asked whether they had any shipping promos as the shipping cost was maybe the one thing giving me pause, and they gave me a code for my first item. In comparison Polene charged 100EUR shipping which of course they have the right to do, but for a very similar price point bag as L&V, similar business model and shipping from the same place, they lost a point for not being flexible. I bought the bag anyway and thought it was still worth it, but is much better value if your shipping cost isn't as high as mine. Polene said it was because they cover import tax, but L&V did as well and shipped for free.
L&V was mid-production on the Elegant when I ordered I think, so this took a couple of weeks (but only a few days to actually deliver once shipped out). Polene delivered in less than 3 working days which was very impressive - I got my 100 euro worth of shipping!
Let me know if anyone has any specific questions about either as I'm happy to answer, since I know there's not a lot out there on these specific models!!
