Bottega Veneta Small Jodie story time & preliminary review 🤍

I struggle so much with finding a Bottega Small Jodie review. Maybe I just wasn’t diligent enough to find one, but I genuinely couldn’t find that many information on the larger Jodies. Luckily, the day has come. I have finally added the Bottega Veneta Small Jodie in my collection and I am so excited to share my own story. I’ve got a little story time (how my heart was swayed by the Teen Jodie), my first impressions and a “preliminary” review on this absolute beauty. I can’t hide how happy I am, I am so over the moon. I’ve been wanting to upgrade from the mini Jodie to the more functional, larger, Jodie, for the longest time. And, I can’t believe that it finally happened!

<3 a little back story <3

I turned 26 this year and for my birthday, I wanted to get a bag that kind of “symbolizes” my step further into adulthood. Sensibly, a larger bag that I could wear on the daily to the office and just out and about. I’ve been using my medium Balenciaga City, a bag which I purchased as my first designer “work” / “office” bag when I was 21. And, after 5 years of loving and wearing it heavily for this purpose, I felt ready to, partly, retire the bag.

Now, getting a work / office bag wasn’t as relevant a year ago. I was fully working from home and I almost never left the house. Unfortunately, we’re having more office days these days. As a result, I successfully talked myself into believing and justifying a larger, more functional, Jodie. It was really difficult for me to decide between the Small Jodie or Teen Jodie. The rational part of my brain was convinced of the Small Jodie. I thought that it was closer to my Medium Balenciaga City and fits the purpose of why I wanted it in the first place. Plus, it’s larger and seemingly more functional than the Teen. But, regardless, my heart was leaning heavily on the Teen Jodie.

Oh the Teen Jodie

I was obsessed with the Teen Jodie. Honestly, maybe I still am. I couldn’t get the caramel shade out of my mind and as a bonus, I thought that it’d match my Hermes Oran sandals. I had the bag and the sandals in my mind as the go-to perfect summer combo. Literally, I had gone through the check-out process nearly 20 times, filling out my address, getting to the payment step, only to back out last minute because it didn’t feel right. I thought that I just needed more time and more research to be sure that it’s a good purchase. But, despite the hours put in stalking this bag on Instagram, YouTube, and the long thread on PurseForum, I just couldn’t convince myself. The more I waited, the more out of love I became with the bag. I don’t know how to explain this love-hate relationship. Don’t get me wrong though, this doesn’t mean that I will never ever get a Teen Jodie. I still think it’s beautiful and I can’t get it off of my mind. But, in the end, I got an amazing deal which sold me on the Small Jodie.

My Bottega Small Jodie and how I found it on Vestiaire Collective

I wasn’t specifically looking for the Small Jodie on the preloved market, but I kept my options open. I had alerts set on Vestiaire Collective for any Jodies listed worldwide. And, whenever I have time to pass, I take a look. I find it fun for some reason and it became kind of a routine. I would honestly visit and re-visit the listings until I get bored. Long story short, it helped me get a good sense on what the different Jodies typically go for and how they’re listed. Believe me, while there’s a ton of sketcy ones, there’s definitely quite a few hidden gems in between.

No shade to Vestiaire Collective, but buying luxury goods on the secondhand market is just never perfect

I’ve always had good experiences with Vestiaire. But, I don’t fully trust it without question. I’m still pretty wary and skeptical of the items listed. The risk of getting duped can be quite high in my opinion, especially if you don’t know what to look for. With that being said, I almost never buy secondhand luxury unless I can do enough due diligence. I don’t feel super reassured if I can’t get a good sense of the products or the sellers. With the products, I’d need enough photos and details – really check for the obvious tell-tale signs. But, with the sellers, I’d want to check their history and chat with them.

I will give you an example. I had come across many sellers in my hunt for the Jodies who are selling the bags for nearly 70% off. But, these are sellers with inconsistent or no sold history. Or, sellers who couldn’t verify the origins of the bag. Their story didn’t make sense and they had multiples of the same bag brand new. It’s super, super, sketchy and it wasn’t worth risking it. I thanked my lucky stars for having found the seller of my bag. She had all the information I needed, she was accurate and her sold items history checked out.

I’m no means an expert, but I’m 100% an anxious buyer who wants to be as sure as possible when it comes to buying secondhand. I’m always skeptical cause you never really know. Anyways, I can go on and on about this topic, but I don’t think it’s super relevant for this article. Again, I’m not an expert and I don’t actually buy secondhand luxury often. But, I do feel confident in the tips I’ve collected over the years and I’d be happy to share in a different article if you’re interested.

Back to my Small Jodie

I found a listing for a Small Jodie in this soft-yellow shade called ‘Tapioca’. The seller has had it up for about two months and I thought, why don’t I just try to make an offer? I had to convince the seller as she was reluctant. Multiple people had approached her with offers only for them to cancel at the last minute due to customs charges. Luckily, after we talked some more, she accepted and I checked out almost immediately. I literally stopped on the side of the street whilst I was out and about to buy the bag.

I couldn’t pass this opportunity. In the end I paid about ±1500 EUR all in vs. 2900 EUR retail. It’s an incredible deal for a bag that I think is still in a very good condition. Now, the bag wasn’t in perfect condition by any means, but it wasn’t terribly used. There were minor stains on the inside and discoloration around the zipper (which I don’t notice at all). The leather is still very, very, soft to touch, but rigid / sturdy at the same time. It’s also not as smooth and tightly weaved as when you first get it from the store. But, it’s pretty normal for the Jodie lines because the weaves are larger than the older models. And, I truly don’t mind the state of it, especially not for almost 50% off.

Side-note: the bag here looks even more squished and distorted cause VC shipped it in a tiny box, all squished. Far from ideal (and yet another reason why I don’t always love Vestiaire). Luckily, the bag is slowly recovering!

My first impressions of the Bottega Veneta Small Jodie and “preliminary” review <3

This bag is in the color Tapioca and it’s in the prettiest soft yellow shade. It’s quite close to the current Almond color that they have in their collection now, but that one has more of a pink undertone. If I’m not mistaken, the Tapioca color was introduced in SS20 and re-released in FW21. This specific shade isn’t in their main collection now as far as I know, but it’s still available on mytheresa. It’s a beautiful, beautiful, shade, both in real life but also in pictures. It’s this soft yellow that easily goes with any neutrals and colors (light blue is my favorite so far to pair it with).

I haven’t had my Bottega Small Jodie long enough for me to give a full review, hence the “preliminary”, but here are some of my thoughts so far:

– the zipper is annoying, but what else is new?

The zipper on my Small Jodie is so fussy and time consuming. I have to really place it somewhere to zip it up neatly and properly. I personally find it difficult to zip it up standing up. When I do, it just gets stuck or pushed up kind of awkwardly. I honestly leave it half open most of the times cause I can’t deal with the zipping and unzipping each time. It’s just as annoying as the mini Jodie, if not more. Luckily, my arm covers the bag opening and it’s not an open buffet for pick-pockets.

– the shape / slouch really changes based on what you’re carrying and how it’s zipped

This might be quite obvious since it’s a slouchy hobo bag. But, I find that the shape of the bag changes quite easily depending on what I carry. And, more importantly how I leave the zip on the bag. For instance, when I zip it up properly and push it down, I get a longer strap drop (like in the first photo). But, when I leave it fully opened, it’s a shorter strap drop and the bag compartment becomes taller in height (like how it is empty in the second and third photo). I’m personally a huge fan – the slouch is stunning.

– tbh, the small jodie feels quite delicate – I’m not sure about the wear and tear

I don’t know if it’s really fair for me to comment on how delicate a preloved bag is. I also haven’t worn it long enough to truly comment on it. Plus, I don’t know if I have enough grounds to say this as the leather still looks almost perfect despite it being preloved. But, I feel like the leather will wear out quite easily on heavy duty use. It is lamb leather after all and most of the Bottega pieces I’ve seen on the secondhand market tend to look super worn out. Anyways, it’s too soon to tell and I have no reason to think that it’s wearing out for now. I’ll have to make an update when I’ve had it for longer.

Also, while I know that the loose weaving is normal for the Jodie line, I am still nervous that it’ll become an issue one day. I find the weaving of my bag quite stunning, but it does kind of bubbles. It makes me worried that it’ll somehow affect the longevity of the bag. Anyways, I’ll have to update this within a year to really comment on it. Maybe the loose weaving won’t matter as much. I don’t know, I hope so. For now, it is fine and it kind of adds to the bag.

– I get kind of nervous about the color maintenance

To be honest, I don’t know if the beautiful Tapioca shade will stay exactly the same as it is now. I’m getting nervous that it’ll darken or get color transfer. For some reason, I feel that this specific Tapioca shade has darkened slightly. But, honestly it’s hard to capture in the photos. I’m starting to think that it could be just the trick of the lighting. Sometimes I see it darkened, sometimes not. I wore it out the whole day yesterday in the blazing sun and I don’t know if my black dress has rubbed off on it. But, maybe I’m just getting paranoid as I haven’t treated it yet. If you guys have any recommendations for the perfect treatment, please let me know, I’d love to check it out!

– perfect size, but it’s not as functional as I thought it would be

There weren’t a lot of reviews of this bag to begin with. So, it was hard to estimate what would have fit inside. I thought, for some reason, that either my work laptop or my personal Macbook would fit. Unfortunately, it does not. It fits my 13-inch Macbook Air, but it is incredibly difficult to push in. I have to put force on the leather and push either ends of the zippers to create the opening. I don’t recommend doing that, it’s not worth it.

Because of that, I end up having to carry a separate laptop bag when I take this bag to the office. It’s definitely not as functional as I thought, or hoped, it would be for a work bag. But, I don’t mind it as much. Fortunately, it functions perfectly for a day-to-day bag. I can carry my essentials and more. My boyfriend is actually a fan of this bag and he gets excited when I wear it. Honestly, I think he’s just happy I can also carry his essentials. I find it cute.

– this bag is so, so, beautiful

To be honest, the Small Jodie looks terrible in most mod shots. I’m talking about the photos of the online retailers and even on Bottega’s own website. It looks humongous and awkwardly shaped. In real life and in non-retailer photos, however, they are stunning. The slouch is insane and I find it so beautiful. I get really happy when I wear it out and I catch myself looking for reflections of the bag in the passing windows. I’m genuinely floored at how stunning this bag is irl.

– it’s surprisingly comfortable & light

Aside from that, the Small Jodie is truly one of the most comfortable bag I own. Look, it’s not as light as feathers, but it’s definitely light. It also rests really comfortably on my shoulders when I shape it correctly. It’s not extremely fuss-free, but when you adjust it right it literally feels so comfortable. I’ve walked long hours with my Small Jodie and it has felt great. I think it’d make a great travel bag and I’m excited to wear this on my holiday this upcoming summer!

To conclude,

I love love my Bottega Small Jodie and I hope it shows in my review. It really complements my style and I can see myself wearing this in the years to come. I highly recommend this bag, it is so stunning and the Tapioca shade is unreal. Honestly, I’m over the moon and I can’t believe my luck finding this at such a good price and condition.

Absolutely no regrets or buyers remorse for now. But, of course, it’s too soon to tell. I am just extremely glad that I got this for a lot less from the secondhand market. I highly recommend this route (with extreme caution!). Yes, it’s not in perfect condition, but it’s definitely not bad. Truthfully, I think that I’d have have a harder time enjoying this bag to the fullest had I gotten it retail. At the end of the day, 2900 EUR is a lot for a bag I’m planning to use as a low maintenance work and everyday bag.

I pray that the bag survives my hectic work lifestyle and I hope that the wear and tear is minimal to none. Let me know if you’re interested in a 1-yr update of my Bottega Small Jodie or a proper full review with more details on the wear and tear. I’d be happy to get to it.

At the end of the day, I still have a tiny crush on the Teen Jodie. But, I’m glad I got the Small Jodie in Tapioca instead. I think I would’ve regretted the Caramel Teen and I would probably be better off getting it in a different shade (even in black).

For now, thank you for giving my Bottega Small Jodie story time and “preliminary” review a shot. I hope you have a good day with many Bottegas in your future x

x
Hana