Testing 'Vivace' On The Streets of Venice
Women of all ages find their first true love when they are just young girls. For some it's dolls and for others its a hobby or sport, but for many it's fashion. Dresses, jeans, shoes, makeup, and accessories fill the mind with visions of runways and fancy nights out. Fashion helps shape our personal style and future identity. Many women have shoe collections that require it's own closet (or room...), but one true love that we find that nearly every girl on earth has an infatuation with at some point in their life is handbags.
What is about handbags that women love so much? Is it the design or fashion statement of them? Is it the functionality or the ability to bring more with you? Or is simply a calling to accessorize your life and add some creativity to your daily routine? May we suggest that it is all of these things and potentially even more?
As a handbag company, we take all of these criteria into account when designing a product that will serve the most function and also the most fashion... So we decided to take one of our best sellers, the Vivace crossbody bag, out on the streets of Venice for an entire day. What would we encounter? What would we need? How functional was the Vivace when we needed to "use it" during the course of our journey?
Our findings can be summarized in the following categories that help determine how useful and what a great handbag is.
Comfortable To Carry
Many women find out quickly that comfort becomes a top priority. Your handbag must be comfortable in order to carry it all day long. Handbag designers that consider the details of the product they are offering will always take comfort into account. After all the price associated with great handbag brands has more associated with it than just brand name or marketing - they often become known for something.
You should try on the handbag and take notice to whether it pushes on your arm in an uncomfortable way. How does it fit your body? Does it slide off your shoulder too easily or do you feel forced to carry it by the handles? You can fall in love with the look of a particular handbag or even spend quite a bit on a major luxury brand, but if it doesn't have the right kind of comfort for carrying around then you may start to regret your purchase.
Not Too Heavy
Most handbag-aholics love classic, top-grain leather handbags. Sure there are hundreds of faux leather, plastic material and other fabric designs out there. There are pros and cons to all the different options that one has, but for many handbag lovers, the highest quality leather is most sought-after and coveted.
You can tell when someone is carrying a high quality leather product because it wears beautifully over time. Your handbag will also get scratched, nicked, even torn in some cases depending how heavily you use it. Most fine leather handbags can be touched up, repaired, and cleaned really well.
With these benefits, you may also find extra weight. Great leather is heavier than alternative products, but it doesn't have to be. Modern alloy metals and careful design can help produce a product that is at the height of quality and still in a performance category for every day use.
So, test out the handbags you like to find out how heavy they are. How will it feel on your shoulder once you've added your personal effects to it?
Pockets & Storage
Though many women still love a deep tote bag that's a catch-all for whatever their hearts' desire, the daily handbag of today has to have pockets. Not just any pockets, but creatively genius pockets for thoughtful and accessible storage. The Endrizzi 'Vivace' is a thoughtfully designed crossbody bag with just enough space to enjoy a day-journey through any city.
In our case, we took our Vivace crossbody bag into the streets of Venice. Vivace offers a pocket on the rear of the bag that stays closed with a magnetic lock, making it easily accessible for cards, receipts, a container of breath mints, etc. Inside, you'll find a zippered pocket where you might carry change, cash, trinkets, perhaps earrings, a necklace or a ring that you had to take off for the day. In the front of the bag, there's a nice pouch that can fit the largest iPhones but also be a great spots for car keys and other items that need to be quickly accessed.
You can tackle of these essentials for the day with the Endrizzi Vivace, including lipstick, sunglasses and more in a neatly designed space that all weighs about 1 pound.
Security
Security is important. In many of the world's city's theft is at an all time high. Wearing your handbag as a crossbody bag will help keep things secure to your body and harder for a thief to remove it from you. So, the next most important thing is to ensure that the bag also has its own security to keep things hidden. In the case of our Vivace crossbody, the flap of the bag is secured by a magnetic lock which opens to the two compartments described above. Every section of this bag has an enclosure that keeps your private things private and prying eyes OUT.
Versatility
Obviously, you probably have bags for specific occasions, such as an evening bag, your everyday bag, your special event handbags and even a collection of clutches in different colors. But even if you have all of these options in your collection, you probably still only use your classics that "feel like you" on the regular. This bag needs to be versatile in it's design. You may want your bag to have these qualities:
Casual glamour to go with your daily work attire
A soft enough look to also pair well with your casual dress or comfy looks.
Neutral or classic in color so that it blends with the color palette of your various choices.
Versatile in its design to change the way it can be worn.
The Vivace is a unique handbag that can change its style to adapt to many different looks. It can be worn as a crossbody bag one day, and then you can shorten the chain straps and wear it as a hobo bag the next day. Or in the case of our day-trip through Venice, it was a nice switch-up after 6 hours of walking.
Design
If you're like us, then you want form AND function vs having one over the other. There are just too many options out there to not create a handbag that looks great but also gets the job done when put to the test of being a daily workhorse.
Color can be your superstar when considering handbag options that have storage and security as top-of-mind features. If you've got all the enclosures, zippers and magnetic flaps that you need, then make the bag color the superstar. Purchase the bag that rocks 70% of your outfits.
Design details can also help you stand out from the crowd. Our Vivace is also a head-turner in its silver color option. High quality vegetable tanned leather in sparkling silver make this handbag the highlight of any entrance - especially during the holidays.
