A couple of weeks ago, I finally treated myself to a beautiful novelty bag which had been on my wish list for about a year- the Russian Doll cross body bag from Vendula London.
I'm head over heels in love with my new bag, so I just had to give you a peek at it and review it for you today. I know many of you will love it as much as I do.
The Russian Dolls cross body bag is a beautiful little bag in the design of a black, red, and cream Matryoshka doll, which you'll probably know better as a Russian doll; a painted wooden nesting doll traditionally from Russia, The wonderful thing about this bag is that it features stunning embroidery and applique detailing, and has been handmade from high-quality vegan leather.
It looks like real leather; it feels like real leather; but no animals were harmed to make this lovely bag, which is fantastic. While I do buy leather bags from time to time, I will always prefer a good- quality, cruelty-free alternative because I hate the thought of animals suffering for fashion. It's so unnecessary, especially when there are great, fashionable faux-leather alternatives out there, like this funky little bag from Vendula London.
I mean, look at this amazing bag; the design is perfect! I just couldn't resist it- even though I already had a Russian doll novelty bag in my collection. This bag is just so pretty.
Her beautiful round face is Geisha pale with rosy pink cheeks, wavy black hair, perfectly embroidered red lips and long embroidered black eyelashes, with a crown of cream and burgundy dots above her head. The best part? Her face doubles up as a little zipped coin purse, which I think is a cute and ingenious little feature. With it, there's no need to carry a separate purse, so it leaves you more room in the main compartment for your other essentials- something that's definitely appreciated when it comes to novelty bags, which only give you a small space to fill.
Below the coin purse, the Matryoshka's body is a deep shade of red, and is decorated with applique vegan-leather flowers and foliage, along with beautiful embroidery in shades of black, red, and khaki green.
I have to say, I'm really impressed with the quality of the stitching, which was all done by hand- it's so neat and carefully stitched. I've attempted hand-embroidery myself, and let me tell you, it ain't easy; it takes real skill to embroider like that. The craftsmanship and quality of their work is wonderful, and it was something that attracted me to the bag in the first place. You just don't get the same quality and attention to detail with mass-produced bags on the high street.
The rest of the bag is plain black, apart from the two peach hands resting at her sides, and the pretty navy and white floral folk print cotton lining of the bag. It's not often I say this about the lining of a bag, but it's almost as pretty as the outside, with roses, flowers, chevrons, and dots running along it in stripes. I love me a good folk print.
Inside the bag, there's a little open-top pocket sewn in to the lining for holding your mobile phone, and the main compartment of the bag is just about big enough to carry the essentials. I can fit a small purse, phone, keys, lip balm, medication, camera, and a little make up in it with room to spare. It's the perfect size for those times when you don't want or need to take the kitchen sink with you, such as for shopping, going out to dinner, or for nights out. I can't carry a heavy bag around anymore, so it's the perfect size for carrying what I need. (If you love the look of this bag but like to carry more stuff with you, I'd recommend checking out the larger backpack / cross body bag, which has at least twice as much room inside. I originally purchased it, but swapped it for the smaller cross body as it was too big for my needs).
The bag has a zip fastening to keep your belongings secure, and its gold zipper is decorated with a pretty iridescent mint green vegan-leather tassel.
It has a slimline faux-leather cross body strap that can be worn on the shoulder or across the body, and has seven notches and a buckle fastening for adjusting it to the desired length. I'm 5'6'' and at its longest, it sits on my hip across the body, and at the top of my thigh on the shoulder. It's a little shorter than I prefer, but not uncomfortably so; I just like my cross body bags long. If you're shorter or slimmer than me, you should find it a little longer. The straps are also removable, so you could even use the bag as a clutch if you wanted to. It's so versatile!
Another little detail I was pleased to discover was that the bag came with its own bright pink dust bag to protect the bag, and keep it in top condition when it's not being used. Hopefully this will help prolong its life and keep it in my bag collection for decades to come because I can see myself using this bag again and again for many years to come.
I'm so happy with my beautiful Russian Doll cross body bag, and I'm glad I finally got my hands on one. I snapped it up for just £23.50 (down from £47) in Vendula London's sale, which was an absolute steal, but I can honestly say, I would have happily paid full price for it. The Russian doll design and the quality of the bag are both amazing. It's one of the best novelty bags I've ever seen or handled, and worth every penny!
The good news is, the Russian Doll cross body bag is still available to buy online in both black and red, for the bargain price of £23.50, so snap one up now before they sell out! You won't be disappointed.
I'm so impressed with my Russian Doll cross body that I'm now tempted to treat myself to the equally gorgeous Russian Dolls tote bag. I'm trying to restrain myself from shopping, but I have a feeling I won't be able to resist it much longer! It's just too beautiful.
Have you ever purchased anything from Vendula London?
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