I was so intrigued by these ‘brown paper bags’ when I first spotted them on the Spring-Summer 2010 Womens Loewe presentation that I shot out emails left, right and centre asking the press office when it was making its debut in Singapore. Sure the idea wasn’t 100% original (Karl Lagerfeld first did something similar way back in S/S09), but the execution certainly was. Whereas Mr Lagerfeld chose to play on Chanel’s own paper bags, Stuart Vevers took it a step further and took generic brown paper bags for a completely new spin.

I had the pleasure of checking them out for myself last Thursday (yes they have arrived for sale in Singapore at Loewe Ngee Ann City), and boy did they take my breath away. Available in 3 different sizes, each bag is crafted with the finest calfskin, smooth to the touch and oh-so-supple. On the inside they’re fully functional, each equipped with its own interior zip pocket, as well as an additional leather flap that you could use to ‘cover’ the top of the bag.

At the end of the day, the bigger question is; would I spend SGD1990, SGD2490 and SGD2990 respectively for each bag? If I wanted a practical everyday bag then the answer would be no. But if I wanted a showpiece, a bag that’s set to be an ice-breaker and a true collector’s item then most definitely yes.

Image: Loewe