Vera Pelle is not the designer!

January 7, 2014 11:59 AM

SO and me saw a chocolate brown satchel purse (this kind of design but the leather was real and not mottled) she really liked at a shop but agreed it was over-priced and probably cheaper online. The bag was labeled "Vera Pelle" and searches on eBay and other places brought up quite a lot of bags under that label. On Friday, we discovered Vera Pelle just means "real leather" in Italian and is stamped on any bag made in Italy that is made out of leather. So, we're trying to find places that have catalogs of Italian made, non-branded leather purses to peruse to find the purse she liked. Any suggestions?
posted by parmanparman to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (10 answers total)

Not answering your question, but can you contact the store and ask them to tell you who the designer is of the purse in question?
posted by Seboshin at 12:43 PM on January 7, 2014

I don't know, but you are looking for a Birkin-inspired bag. Not a replica or knockoff, just one in the style of the Hermès Birkin Bag.
posted by tel3path at 12:45 PM on January 7, 2014 [2 favorites]

Have you looked on etsy? That style of bag is pretty common, but if you're looking for one without logos or labels I'm sure you can find it there.
posted by apricot at 2:13 PM on January 7, 2014

That's close to the iconic Mulberry Bayswater. You could probably search or pinterest your way to similar styles.
posted by thinkpiece at 3:36 PM on January 7, 2014

overstock.com or searching italian leather satchel.
posted by oneear at 3:36 PM on January 7, 2014

It can actually be fairly hard to tell the difference between a really good PU knockoff and real leather. Trying to find wholesale no-name leather bag suppliers without having inside information just screams of getting cheated by China. I would just suggest broadening your search for tried and true labels that do understated branding.
posted by gillianr at 4:24 PM on January 7, 2014

How much was the one you felt was overpriced? That might help us assess...
posted by Pomo at 5:11 PM on January 7, 2014

Yes, not sure your price range, but check out mo851 for great quality leather and understated brand ID.
posted by gillianr at 9:50 PM on January 7, 2014

Response by poster: the bag was £95, about $160
posted by parmanparman at 7:24 AM on January 8, 2014

That sounds fairly in line with what I'd expect for a quality item, brand names aside. I would be careful spending much less.
posted by Pomo at 11:33 PM on January 11, 2014