Boguta Bow Bag review

Remember when these daft things popped up? Well, I bought one. Because it’s dumb and apparently that’s all that’s required to tempt me to part with my money. The Big Question now is - was it worth it?

I will skip over the details of a preorder process with a Taobao shopping service. I knew the wait would be long, I used the same SS as always (Superbuy) and there were no problems at any stage of that, so let’s skip straight to the juicy parts!

No filter, natural lighting on a slightly rainy day.

This is it - the bag in its glory. I ordered a size L, since it was the same price as size M, and why wouldn’t I want the biggest bow possible on my butt, right? For reference, the price was 178 CNY split into a 55 CNY deposit and 123 CNY for the second payment, which worked out at like £25 give or take (obviously exchange rates fluctuated during that time). At £25 of course I am going to get the L size rather than M size, that’s a no brainer! And, well, this really is a big boi!

Everything that was included.

I kind of wish that it was three postcards from this bag's photoshoot, but that's just being petty.

The logo on the clear file...

... is the same as on the bag.

Each bag came with a clear file and a few postcards. I say each bag because I once again hosted a group order (though it ended up being just one friend), so I got a peek at what they got. And it seems that the clear files were only available in red, they ordered a pink and a leopard bag, and both still have a red clear file included.

Thankfully the tag came with laundry instructions because I did worry about upkeep. The bag is made out of fabric and appears to be at least partially stuffed, so it’s reassuring that it appears to be machine washable, as well as ok with a tumble dryer on low. It will help with keeping it looking good.

It's nice that the strap will add some interest to your shoulders, though this frill could look a bit too maid-like for some.

All pretty sturdy here, I might actually reuse the straps with other convertible backpacks.

You can just about make out the difference here: left is the underside facing up and right is the top side.

Most bags had a pre-set strap colour. Mine came with white ones, though I can tell you that the leopard one came with black ones (and the pink one with white). Boguta appears to be selling strap replacements separately too, which would be helpful for anyone who wants a different colour. They are made out of a nice pleather, with the frill part being some sort of suede-like fabric on the underside. The D-rings they attach to make little sense at first, but trust yourself that it is as obvious as it appears. Whilst in theory the D-rings would allow you to add a different strap, e.g. for a cross-body bag or handbag, no other straps were included and these ones wouldn’t be long or comfortable enough for any other arrangement.

The zip is more hidden than that, I puckered it out of the bow a bit for the photo.

Very cute zip pulls.

This is about as much of an opening as you can get.

So where does your stuff actually go? Inside this smaller front section of the bow. The zip pulls are these cute hearts, which you will only see when the backpack is open - otherwise they tuck underneath the centre section of the overall bow. There are two zips on either side of the centre part of the bow, but whilst the pocket inside is one thing, the zips don't meet in the middle. I like how the zip pulls are hidden because whilst your average pickpocket would have to first figure out that this is a bag, it adds a nice layer of security - they are easy enough to fish out from under that piece of fabric, but only if you know to look for them there, and you would definitely feel someone pulling on your bag if someone tried to do that to you.

How much does it actually hold then? I tried to come up with a reasonable and plausible bunch of items that I would be likely to take and packed them all in.

From left to right: a linen tote bag, sunglasses, wallet, 500ml bottle of water, phone, keys and a 100ml eau de toilette spray.

Even though it's only the smaller bow that's a pocket, all of the things above fit inside comfortably with some room to spare. Not a lot of room, but enough for some small bits like a few snacks, a hand sanitiser, small pouch with accessories etc. The bigger problem is finding things that can fit through the zip openings - whilst the inside pocket probably could hold a manga book, there is no way to get it through an opening this small. Still, I can see this holding a pair of soft flats or something like this for a change of shoes, so it would definitely work for a meetup or, like Boguta advertised it, a trip to a theme park. The size L is big enough to allow you to take most things that you’d need, though it likely wouldn't fit your shopping if you did any. This should be enough for my own purposes, but it may not be for others who really need to take a lot with them.

Intrigued by the coord? You'll see it soon enough.

Lastly, this is what it looks like in the context of an actual person. Definitely a big boi, but what can I say - I like big bows and I cannot lie. I look forward to wearing it out, it will be great for spicing up even the simplest outfits. And I’m also just desperately curious as to what reactions I’ll get from the public, let’s be honest here!