From Nada To Prada: Prada Saffiano Double Zip Tote

Here is the unveiling of the new bag I have purchased, specifically for my conference happening this fall. Yes, I know it's still quite a bit of time away. However, with brands like Prada, Chanel etc., they do increase their prices near the fall. I also noticed there was a $30 increase since last month. So I decided to get it now before prices skyrocket like the stupid housing market in Toronto.

So the information below:

Name: Saffiano Double Zip Tote (medium), or Galleria
Number: BN2274
Material: Saffiano Lux Leather
Colour: Peonia (or Peony Pink)
Size: 33cm (Length) x 23.5cm (Height) x 14.5cm (Width); 14" (Length) x 10" (Height) x 6" (Width).
The Double Zip comes in 4 different sizes: Mini, small, medium, large.
Addition: Comes with a detachable shoulder strap

The Double Zip Tote, being one of Prada's classic lines and the most popular one, comes in 12 different colours as of today (July 2015).

Shopping Bag:
Unfortunately the Prada store did not have a huge shopping bag to fit my box. So they used a Holt Renfrew big pink bag to store my box, as you saw in the previous post.

Display/Storage Box:
The box it comes in is not in saffiano leather. But it is a heavy duty cardboard-like box that protects the bag inside. I was not happy this time around because the SA (Richard) did not stuff the box with tissue paper or have any nice wrapping. Instead, it was just the dustbag containing the purse. So during travel, the bag would have shifted. Not happy, especially after paying a premium price. I didn't know until I got home, so it was too late to complain.

As you can tell from above, the box is big. Even Stitch agrees.

Dust Bag:
Yes, all Prada bags should come with a dust bag. It's the same dust bag in white (like cotton) with leather straps to close.

Exterior:
Just like the BL0837 model, the leather material is saffiano. It is more durable, easier to clean and scratch resistant. It comes in gold hardware (and only gold hardware), with 2 leather handles to carry by the hand or arm. There are 2 snap closures on each side of the bag (in cases where you want to put a lot of stuff and need more room). Once again, this model does come with detachable shoulder straps for over the shoulder wear or cross body. People have said the cross body look doesn't work too well with the medium or large size tote as it doesn't look proportional to the body.

The shoulder strap also comes with its own bag. Pretty cute!

The shoulder straps can be attached to the inside of the bag as shown above. The "D" ring is located just across from the snap closures.

Bottom's Up:
Because of the structure of this bag, feet are a must. It really helps when you have to put your bag down for whatever reason, and to not have it topple over. So there are feet. 4 golden feet, with Prada embossed on it.

Keychain Ring Holder:
So just like the Top Handle bag, this bag does come with a keyring holder. I have not unwrapped it yet, but it's basically the same thing except in pink. You can choose to remove it completely (which I have) or put it in the slit shown in the main picture, but I find it tacky. I'm not a fan of the slit, but I can't do anything about it. I would prefer it to be solid with no slit. And just remove the keyring if I don't want it to dangle on the outside.

Interior:
The interior pockets are made of leather, along with nylon material with Prada all over it. Some people don't like the nylon part as it makes the bag look cheap and boring. Especially for the price you pay, people would have expected more. But I don't really mind it. Besides, who looks into the bag anyways? Besides yourself? Exactly.

This bag is very roomy. It's insane but I like it. There are 2 outside pockets with zip closures (here you can put your wallet, papers for work or something), 1 zip closure inside pocket, and 3 open pockets to put your cell phone or lipstick or pens.

Now how much can you fit? Below are a few shots of my random stuff that I just decided to throw in to see how much you can really fit. I have a 13" MacBook Pro and it fits inside. Only problem is the 2 snap closures have to be open. If you have an Ipad or Ipad mini, there is no problem fitting those in. You can have the 2 snap closures together.

Authenticity Card:
This bag does come with a card, and is stamped by the store when you buy it. In this case:

Final Thoughts:
I have not used this bag yet (ok, maybe once to dinner) but I can say that it's already a heavy bag due to the leather material. However, it's an eye-catcher because it's pink. I think people stare because it's either so hideously pink, or because it's a Prada. I'm not sure. If you are looking for something more classic, aim for a Nero or Cameo colour, or even Grey, or Cornflower Blue. Those are the more classic colours and can match your wardrobe, whatever it may be. If you want to be very girly, go for pink. But choice of wardrobe colour would be limited, because it's not like you can wear a yellow or lime green dress, and wear a pink bag. However, if you like very colourful things, then nothing is stopping you from doing that.

The Good:

-Structured purse

-Material is very durable

-The option of removing shoulder straps

-Lots of compartments!

-Very, very roomy

-It has feet

The Bad:

-Premium price....just keeps going up. Just keeps going and going and going and going...

-It's already heavy while empty

-Shoulder strap could be a little wider

-Zippers take some time to break in. They are stiff in the beginning. I had to ask the SA to wax the zippers because I could not open the outside zippers. After the wax, it made a world of difference. Now it's easy to unzip and zip up.

Lastly, here is a comparison shot of the Top Handle Promenade and the Double Zip Tote (both in medium size), side by side: