I have a handbag obsession. I rationalize it as the most effective form of therapy, but the truth is I just love bags. While there are designers whose visions of handbags have sent me over the moon, I have also had amazing luck by changing up my bag shopping ways: I’m shopping Italiano.
Not Gucci (but I adore Gucci) and not Pucci (love you too, Emilio). Instead, I’ve been on the lookout for “no-name” Italian designers whose work shows up on ebay for so ridiculously cheap, you can pick up a bag often for less than a price of a pizza! The allure of quality materials, stitchwork and hardware at such reasonable prices can drive me into a drool-inducing hours of window shopping via computer.
One lovely designer is Marino Orlandi, whose vision includes alot of bucket bags, but I was fond of this red, lovely crossbody who showed up in my life awhile ago for only $10. I love the crocodile imprint on the leather, and the Kelly-style silhouette is a classic that keeps me interested, no matter the season. I’ve paired this with a purple sweater, dark jeans and black knee high boots in winter and loved the red-purple pop.
One trick to searching ebay is to use generic terms such as “Italian leather” or “soft leather” as your keywords, that’s how I found this red lovely. If you’re open to new designers, and the possibility of some amazing quality leathers, you’d be surprised what this kind of keyword search can yield. Now sort your list by lowest price, and you’ll find the uber bargains right on top.
And don’t forget to click the box to “search descriptions” too. This alone can help you find lots of items that fall through the cracks, and therefore often don’t get bid against.
“Italian leather” keyword searching was exactly how I found my summer crush by Italian bag designer Cecconi Piero. Isn’t this pretty? It’s velvety soft, glove leather and just puddles when you set it down.
It all started on a vacation to Colorado in June when a painted leather bag caught my eye in a store window, but the $170 price tag kept me from nabbing it on the spot. But it haunted me, as only a collector can be haunted. However, when I saw this painted leather beauty by Cecconi Piero on ebay? I knew I’d found my replacement. This was only $40 and although it’s from a season ago, it’s in nearly pristine condition. On Piero’s website, his handbags average 260 Euros (roughly $360+) so I was particularly proud of my shopping prowess.
Here’s another trick to finding great ebay bargains: check for misspellings. For example, the Cecconi Piero logo looks like “Ceoni” Piero to the untrained eye. As a result, many bags get listed under this typo, and also do not get bid against because of it.
…And, it has ladybugs! Ladybugs have been my theme since the beginning of summer, when I began doing ladybug totem meditations, so seeing them here on my bag pleases me greatly!
