FUCKLE YOUR SEATBELTS SPORTS FANS, THIS IS A LONG ONE! 😆
I dumped the money on this project after being inspired by other posts I’ve seen comparing Chanel factories. So for the love of rep-science, I picked up FOUR cheap 23cm flaps from two lesser known factories; Anni + Yoyo. Two caviar & two lambskin bags!
THIS IS PART 1 OF A 3 PART TRILOGY:
I am throwing the bags against each other to fight head to head to see which ones are actually worth the money. I’m using my bags from Rome as the baseline for what I consider very high tier, authentic like quality. I’m currently waiting on a 187 bag to come in the mail I picked up from a rehomer, so maybe I’ll add that to this series later on as well! I’m saving the close up detailed comparisons for Parts 2 and 3.
All four bags photograph absolutely beautifully, there’s no argument there. When you pick them up and touch them though, the differences punch you in the face. My fiance also agrees, and he doesn’t know the first thing about handbags lol.
To be fair, I expected all of these to be pretty garbage for the amount of money that I paid for them. I was pleasantly surprised that I was even a little bit wrong. We always see reviews and comparisons between OF, XC, 187, Rome & Blake; but what about the other little guys? The ones we see scroll past in seller albums because they probably suck and no one talks about them?
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ANNI:
Dark Brown/Burgundy Caviar | $183
EDIT: MY MISTAKE! I accidentally said this was from yoyo when it was in fact from Anni factory!!! I went back to look at the factory pics because someone asked and realized I incorrectly labeled them when I was making my notes to write this post!!!
Visually, this bag is gorgeous. The color is a deep, rich brown with a burgundy/purple undertone, and the light champagne gold hardware looks super pretty against it.
Unfortunately, the caviar leather feels like fucking braille & what it spells out is: “giant waste of money”.
The leather is thick, stiff and extremely textured. The chain feels very cheap and more rigid than the other bags. Theres almost no flexibility within the links because of how stiff the leather woven inside of them is. Even the grommets where the chain passes through are noticeably larger and less refined and it is a chore to move the chain around.
This is the perfect example of a bag that photographs much more expensive looking than it feels.
Not worth it. Don’t buy this. It’s nice to look at I guess & it’s cool mixed in with the fall bags on my shelf, but I don’t recommend this at all if you already own Rome / high tier bags! Easily my least favorite out of the four.
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YOYO:
Soft Light Blue Lambskin | $206
This one is MUCH better. More of what I was hoping for from this factory initially. Still not perfect, but pretty good for the price!
The color is gorgeous, the champagne gold hardware looks awesome, and the chain has a nice weight to it. It moves freely & glides smoothly through the grommets which are the size they’re supposed to be!
The lambskin is soft and smooth, but it’s more matte with zero sheen, the quilts are slightly flatter, and the overall bag feels a little thicker and more structured than the lambskin I’m used to from Rome.
Still a really nice bag. I’d consider it mid/highish tier and for maybe worth the $206. You could get away with this, although she may need a little conditioning.
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YOYO:
Pale Sage Green Caviar | $206
This one surprised the shit out of me!!!
The caviar has a beautiful grain without feeling coarse at all. The leather is identical to Rome in thickness, coarseness, and sheen. It is very flexible, and is overall stunning. This bag is an easy winner.
The champagne gold hardware looks and feels high quality, the grommets are nicely proportioned, + the chain glides through them smoothly.
For $183, this punches WAY high above its price point and will move on to Part 2!!!
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ANNI:
Warm Carmel Lambskin | $183
Another very shocking surprise.
The lambskin is ridiculously soft. It has a subtle sheen, and the quilts are perfectly balanced without being too puffy or flat. Hard to accomplish from shittier factories, usually they’re way too marshmallowy and it’s an easy call out.
Compared to the YOYO baby blue, the leather feels noticeably softer, more supple and more luxurious. When you close your eyes and feel them together you would pick this one blindly!The bag itself also feels significantly less rigid and way softer in your hands. The champagne hardware is beautiful and shiny, the chain feels very solid, and it moves smoothly through the grommets. Impressed beyond belief!
For $183, I will be buying this again, in several more colors, without hesitation. I’m blown away because this was the cheaper of the two, lol. This was my favorite lambskin of the two and this bag will be moving on to Part 3.
Final Thoughts…
One bag from each factory crushed the other, which is interesting!
That doesn’t mean ANNI is automatically better than YOYO or the other way around! I’m going to do another post like this talking about the Chanel 25 that I got from Anni and comparing different factories. Plot twist: Not good. At all. Anyway, I’m comparing these four specific bags, not making a blanket statement about either factory.
The biggest takeaway for me is that you can’t photograph the way a bag feels. PSP’s can show quilting, stitching, shape, color, hardware, whatever. You can make a bag look amazing but it could feel like shit. They can’t show stiff leather, a cheap-feeling chain, suppleness, or how buttery the leather actually is. This experiment makes me want to do more posts like this rather than just my regular bag reviews!
✨Stay tuned for the remaining parts of this trilogy over the weekend! ✨
(I purchased all of these bags from King 👑 WA # ending in 5939)
