Vivienne Westwood Bag Review! My First Designer Bag!

Vivienne Westwood Bag Review

Hello friends! Today I want to do a Vivienne Westwood Bag review! I honestly can’t believe it’s taken me SO many years to review this bag as it’s actually my first EVER designer bag and probably one of my most used EVER handbags. Today we are going to chat about where I got it, how much it cost, if Vivienne Westwood is  luxury brand, how to spot a fake Vivienne Westwood bag, as well as all about the price, quality, size, what fits inside and basically everything you need to know about this handbag! OK! Let’s go!

My First Designer Bag!

So, believe it or not! This Vivienne Westwood Derby bag was my first ever designer handbag! No joke, I think I bought it around 12-14 years ago, maybe more! I was living in London and had not been there long, I was working in fashion so earning a pittance and the rent on my flat was half my monthly salary. Once I factored in council tax and food, I couldn’t even afford a tube pass, so I got the bus everywhere…. which doesn’t sound so bad, but it was 1.5hours to work each way!! I was broke broke broke! Anyway, When I bought this bag I truly thought it was the MOST expensive thing in the entire world and it was honestly the biggest luxury. I was obsessed with this bag and so proud of it! I went for a big size of it because I like the way the bigger sized bag looked (I still do!) and it meant I could fit my lunch inside – because I couldn’t afford a Pret!

I bought this bag for myself from one of the Vivienne Westwood stores in London, I think it was around £320 and my friend gave me his staff discount, which made it a fair chunk cheaper. But even then, it was still a huge amount of money for me. Anyway, I loved this bag and wore it literally EVERY SINGLE DAY for years and years! I felt so special using it and it was the beginning of my obsession for luxury handbags. I don’t think I’ll ever get rid of this bag, I love it so much!

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Are Vivienne Westwood Bags Good Quality?

Yes! Vivienne Westwood bags are good quality. I bought this bag around 12 – 14 years ago and it’s still going strong. However, the bags do vary in quality depending on the style and material. I’m not a huge fan of the faux leather bags, but I LOVE these coated canvas, cows leather and fabric style bags. Also, all Vivienne Westwood bags are made in Italy.

What Fits inside?

This is the large Vivienne Westwood Derby bag and it’s a bit of a Mary Poppins bag! It fits everything inside from purse, phone, keys, to a small laptop or iPad, as well as a spare jumper, make up bag, lunch and so much more. I carried around my life in this bag back in the day! Also, I have been known to use this bag as a small overnight bag too, as long as I’m travelling light. This bag measures 42cm across,  30cm tall and 18cm deep. This bag has one internal zip pocket and has a main zip along the top of the bag.

Vivienne Westwood Bag Review

As I mentioned, my Vivienne Westwood bag is around 12-14 years old and I think you can see from the images it is still going strong! Neither of the zips have broken, the stitching is all in place, the handles are in great shape and it’s generally looking incredibly good for it’s age! Also, I can’t stress enough, I used to wear this bag a LOT and I carried my life in it! It really got a lot of wear over a long period of time and I really did cram it full! I’m incredibly impressed with how strong and robust it is!

On the inside of this bag, there is thick canvas graffiti print lining. This is really hardwearing and strong and the zips are also incredibly robust too. On the bottom of the bag there is 5 small studs to stand the bag on which are branded with the VW orbs and these are a little scratched from years of use and a little tarnished, but nothing obvious. The most amount of wear can be seen on the bottom corners, there the colour has slightly worn at the very edges, however, it’s not obvious, especially when the bag is in use.

My bag is quite old, so the design has changed slightly over the years, if you buy this bag now you will see more branding on it, especially at the top in the centre, where as my bag just has the orbs embossed into the rivets, which do not feature in the newer styles. The hardware is generally in good shape (just a little tarnishing over the years) as is the stitching. This bag is made from coated canvas which means it’s generally a very robust material and I would recommend choosing a VW bag in this material. In my opinion the faux / vegan leather bags are not quite as nice, personally, I prefer these coated canvas, cloth or real leather bags. For a while VW did not make leather bags, but they have started producing them again now, whilst keeping a large selection of non-leather and vegan leather bags in the collection.

Finally, I just want to give a quick shout out to this bag for being such an incredible bag over the years! I have loved this bag SO much and whilst I rarely use it now, I still love it! If you love Vivienne Westwood bags, buy them with confidence and enjoy using them! Also, look out for their sales as you can often find incredible bargains if you are willing to stalk your favourite items for a few weeks!

Pros & cons so

Pros: high quality, affordable luxury, beautiful designs,

Cons: many bags are statement so less easy to style, inconsistent quality

♥

How much do Vivienne Westwood Bags cost?

Around 12 years ago, this bag cost around £320, however, the same style of of bag now cost around £500-550 which is pretty reasonable and not too much of a price increase for the time that’s passed. However, it is worth noting that Vivienne Westwood have incredible sales and you can buy Vivienne Westwood bags starting from £94 for a clutch bag and £124 for a tote style bag. Which is really reasonable for a designer bag!

What is the cheapest designer bag?

This is a question that comes up a lot and if you are looking for a designer bag on a budget, I would recommend considering these brands:

• Coach
• Vivienne Westwood
• Kate Spade
• Hill & Friends
• Love Moschino

Is Vivienne Westwood a luxury brand?

Yes, Vivienne Westwood is a luxury British brand. They are known for their amazing London Fashion Week shows and their celebrity fans, many of whom are musicians. Vivienne Westwood is also one of the few designer brands who have a great selection of vegan leather and cloth bags too.

How can you tell a fake Vivienne Westwood bag?

There are a LOT of fake Vivienne Westwood items on the market, especially jewellery. Personally, I find it quite easy to spot the difference between a real and a fake Vivienne Westwood item. The orb of a fake is often a different shape, the metal of the jewellery and bag hardware feels lightweight and poor quality and generally the overall stitching, finish and craftsmanship is poor. If you ever want to DM me on Instagram with images or links, feel free and I will do my best to help!

Do Vivienne Westwood bags hold their value?

Yes, Vivienne Westwood bags hold their value really well! I have bought Vivienne Westwood bags and sold them for almost as much as I paid for them – after using them for MONTHS! And I have bought Vivienne Westwood bags on sale and used them for a while and sold them for the same price as I paid for them, which is amazing! Iconic bags like the Derby Bag hold their value really well, and anything really covetable, like the heart shaped bags or the metallic finish bags sell really well too! Remember, if you love it, then someone else will too!

Go Shopping!

Thank you for reading my Vivienne Westwood bag review, I hope it’s of help to you! If you have any questions, please do let me know. Also this post contains affiliate links. Also, if you want to read more handbag reviews, you should have a browse through my handbag category.