Quince Review: Italian Pebbled Leather Sling Bag

As a person who grew up in the 80’s I’m no stranger to the fanny pack, so when Quince came out with their Italian Leather Sling Bag, I decided to take a trip down memory lane.

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The Italian Pebbled Leather Sling Bag is equal parts practical and stylish. It is not your mother’s fanny pack.

Let’s start with the strap. This updated version of the fanny pack, or sling bag as it’s now called, features an adjustable one-piece strap. Whereas fanny packs have a utilitarian nylon strap that closes with an unsightly back-pack clip. Made from a sturdy silky material and measuring 1-3/4 inches wide, the length can be adjusted by sliding the straps through a gold toned metal D-shaped ring. I like that the strap doesn’t twist around like most thinner nylon straps and lays flat against my outfit.

Next the Hardware: As I mentioned above about the D-ring, the zippers and other hardware are gold-toned for all the bags in the collection. You can detach the bag on one side by unclipping the snap-hook swivel clasp (yup I had to Google that) from the circular ring that attaches to it. This allows you to hook or unhook the bag from your body instead of pulling it over your head.

On to the material. The leather on the Pebbled Italian Leather Sling Bag is, well, pebbled. Confused? Well apparently pebbeled leather and how it is achieved is somewhat of a mystery. With a bit of research, I found the definition below on Carlfriedrick.com, a site which specializes in luxury travel accessories. What I like about this texture is that it doesn’t feel so precious and can withstand contact without resulting in immediate scratches. I recently used my Mansur Gavriel tote as a carry on bag only to incur multiple deep scratches after placing it under the sear in front of me. My other pebbled bags from Cuyana which I’ve written about here, have withstood the test of travel without a scratch.

Pebbled leather (also known as pebble-grain leather) refers to any type of leather that has been finished with a bumpy embossing effect. This is achieved in a tannery by applying extreme heat or pressure to the leather. The result is an uneven, slightly raised surface that gives pebbled leather its particular appearance and texture — and makes it stand out from smoother varieties of leather.

carlfriedrik.com

But is the Quince Pebbled Italian Leather Sling Bag functional?

The answer my friends is ‘yes’. The bag has a roomy interior that holds my wallet, cell phone, keys, and sunglasses case. There is a back zipper pocket and interior card holder as well.

My overall assessment is that the bag can carry all of my essentials and let me look good while doing it. Whether I’m traveling or just running about town this will be the bag I’m reaching for over and over.

The Pebbled Italian Leather Sling Bag comes in at $69.90 and is available in five stylish colors.

I haven’t forgotten about that trip down memory lane, so here it is.

Back in the day when fanny packs were cool, because they hadn’t become the signature of an American tourist, I liked to wear mine around my waist. Fast-forward to today I rarely see people wearing packs on the fanny or tummy. Instead it’s all about the cross body look. I actually remember the exact day this shift occurred. Actually Instagram remembers it. Since my Instagram feed also doubles as documentation of my evolving style I can scroll back through my feed to that time. So here I am at an Oakland museum press event, elevating the simple fanny pack. The date was March 23, 2018, and iPhone photo resolution wasn’t quite where it is today.