This niche bag has been popular for four years. Where exactly does its charm lie?

When I wrote about bucket bags before, I mentioned Simon Miller. Their Bonsai bag is really popular. I once thought that after the year before last it would quiet down for a while, but unexpectedly I still often see gorgeous street style shots of it, and new colors keep being released~

Actually, this bag was born at the end of 2014. At that time, circular elements were hugely popular, and the Bonsai bag rode this trend to fame. To this day, this Bonsai bag has never left people's field of view.

At the beginning of this year, Wang Da R bought a medium dark blue Bonsai bag overseas. When she brought it to work, it also won a wave of envious looks. Count it up, our studio actually has three of the same bag! Kaka has a brown mini one. She says it is so small that even a plus sticks out at the edges, but she really likes carrying it when walking Xiao Fu at night, relaxed and stylish.

And Jeff, the colleague in our office who loves posing the most, is full of praise for this bag, and even wanted to write a separate article praising it. Today, let him share the mini Bonsai Bag he bought!

---- I am the dividing line named Jeff ----

Today I want to share with everyone this Simon Miller Bonsai bag that I really love. ▼

Ordinary people are certainly still unfamiliar with the brand Simon Miller. This brand, founded in Los Angeles only in 2008, did not attract the fashion world's attention until the end of 2014. In particular, by 2015 it became one of the hottest brands of that year.

Actually, Simon Miller started out making men's denim. The brand philosophy is to combine Japanese inspiration with American modern craftsmanship. So it is not hard to see that the design of the Bonsai bag has a sense of Eastern Zen.

Founders Daniel Corrigan and Chelsea Hansford decided in 2014 to launch a womenswear line. The Bonsai bag was thus born! At the time, they wanted to create a very cool and very cute bag to help modern women simplify the items they carry every day, so at first this bag only came in the mini size (phones were not this big back then either). ▼

Bonsai in English means potted plant (which shows how simple and direct the source of this bag's Chinese name is). I also think the name is very clever, perfectly summarizing the bag's characteristics. Look closely, and the Bonsai bag really is somewhat similar to the potted plants in Japanese gardens~ ▼

Now let me talk about the fate between Simon Miller and me. As someone who has always liked unique shapes and preferred small bags for posing, I fell in love with the Bonsai bag at first sight. My biggest hobby usually is browsing all kinds of bloggers' outfits on Ins for inspiration. Unexpectedly, all the bloggers I love each have a Bonsai bag! You could say all these bloggers made me want this bag.

For example, one of my favorite bloggers, Camille Charriere, whether in everyday outfits or posing at fashion week, uses the uniquely shaped and cute Bonsai bag. Hers is the medium size. ▼

Is having just one enough? To express her love for the Bonsai bag, Lucy Williams recently got one in a different color to match her spring wardrobe. ▼

Net a Porter's fashion director Lisa Aiken even carries the tiny mini version around fashion week! It works for both spring and summer outfits. This shows how versatile the bag is, usable all year round! ▼

Blogger Beatrice Gutu, who has quite a distinctive personal style, chose an all-black Bonsai bag. Compared with other Bonsai bags in fresh and elegant colors, the black Bonsai bag looks especially cool, giving a fashionable feeling of being "hard to approach." ▼

Now let me talk about this Bonsai bag I bought.

I bought it on Luisaviaroma in the second half of 2017. When I first saw the new arrivals on the site, I was attracted by this color combination. The dark blue body with a red tortoiseshell handle was simply a "fatal blow" for someone like me who loves dark blue bags! At the time I used an 8.5 discount code, and the final price was about 3150 yuan. ▼

I remember being especially pleasantly surprised when I first got this bag. Because I completely did not expect this niche brand's craftsmanship to be so good, beyond my expectations: the leather feels first-rate, the details are handled especially well, and I still have not found any flaws; the entire bag is made in Italy, and it completely matches this price point.

I had also closely observed some niche brand bags before. The prices were not low, but the texture and the price did not match. But Simon Miller does not give me that feeling at all, and my first impression was especially good.

The Bonsai bag comes in three sizes. I bought the smallest 15cm size. Many of the bloggers who appeared earlier are carrying the more practical and more everyday 20cm size. At the end of last year, the Bonsai bag also came out in a 30cm size, with a huge body! Even models' heights make it hard to carry off a Bonsai bag this size. Does it look like a bag of lime at a construction site... ▼

But I myself do not carry many items every day, and the small and exquisite 15cm Bonsai bag is already enough to meet my need to carry essentials. The original purpose of buying this bag was also to pose, and my most basic requirements for it are that it looks good, photographs well, and integrates well with my wardrobe. And this little Bonsai happens to satisfy all of them. ▼

This is what I put in this bag when I use it. Does it hold more than it looks? Actually, it can still fit small items like tissues and keys. ▼

In terms of material, the Bonsai bag has now come out in four kinds of leather: smooth calfskin, grained calfskin, suede, and nubuck. At first glance I liked suede, but it is really especially hard to care for. I have already seen many bloggers' suede bags looking horribly dirty!

So I decisively chose Nubuck, which looks and feels like suede. But it is tougher than suede, and the shape of the bag body also holds better. The handle is made of acrylic, especially smooth, and not easy to scratch. ▼

I keep saying that I bought this bag just to pose. If I do not include a few pictures of myself, how could I do justice to this uniquely shaped Bonsai bag! (shy)

It really is not intentional. Almost every time I use this bag, it is to go to a museum or an art gallery, places full of artistic atmosphere. The next two photos were both taken at the Tate Modern in London. I paired it with a long coat that counts as a statement piece. The Bonsai bag carried it off perfectly, and also added interest to the whole outfit. ▼

The second outfit was for going to Liberty department store for the new book signing of one of my favorite designers, Dries Van Noten. I wore an oversized sweater and also carried the Bonsai bag. This little bag has already witnessed many memorable moments for me. ▼

---- I am the dividing line, kiki herself ----

All right, has everyone been tempted by Jeff? Even someone like kiki, who prefers practical big bags, was moved, and quickly searched for how to buy it, discovering that Simon Miller is still sold on many e-commerce sites, such as the Net-a-Porter, Luisaviaroma, Ssense, Matchesfashion mentioned above, and they can all ship to China.

Friends who love posing, really do not miss the Bonsai bag~ Jeff's color combination is now relatively hard to buy, so I found several fresh colors released this year that are more suitable for summer to tempt everyone. Anyway, looking at them makes my heart itch. ▼

Size: 15 Color: Splash

Size: 15 Color: Anis

Size: 20 Color: Sand

Size: 20 Color: Cliff Multi

Size: 30 Color: Anis

Now many niche bags are great helpers for posing. If everyone likes them, kiki will also introduce more uniquely shaped bags. After all, life is so long, and there are always occasions when you only need to stand there beautifully, stylishly, and confidently, enjoying others' admiration for your good taste!

See you tomorrow!