When Angelic Pretty released their
latest mook, I pretty much instantly decided that I wanted it – mostly for the
mook itself, but I also quite adore the design of the bag that came with it. As
I waited for mine and browsed sales in the meantime, I saw many of these bags
being sold on auctions pretty much straight away, but now that I have mine I
understand a little bit better why.
The mook is a pretty standard A4-ish
size, so I assumed that the bag would be close to this as well, but it actually
turned out to be a tiny pochette. I still like the design, it will go great
with Baby’s Secret AIR MAIL from Sweet
Kitty, but this made me think about how practical it really would be. So
let’s find out!
As you can see, this is pretty much
your ‘going for a night out’ or ‘I only need the bare essentials’ kind of bag.
I managed to fit my phone (Meizu MX4 Pro, for reference), a card (though if you
don’t mind them being loose, you would fit a few cards in, e.g. Oyster, debit,
ID and maybe something else), pocket mirror, oil blotting sheets, keys (but not
if your keyring is any bigger/thicker than mine) and lipstick, and the bag was
pretty full. If you wanted to play Tetris and maybe stuff the bag until you
struggled to close it, there may be room for something else, but I personally
couldn’t think of anything else that I would realistically pack (maybe iPod
with small earphones?, but my headphones are twice the size of this bag, so not
for me).
All of this is about as much as I
guessed would fit in there and I think it’s still more practical than the brand
plush bags, so I’m happy. Although I’m definitely a big bag kind of person,
sometimes you only need something small, and this would look adorable with all
kinds of outfits, Lolita and normie. However, it’s bags like this that make me
even more grateful for pockets in Lolita dresses – that way I can carry my phone
and keys in my pockets, while the rest with one or two small additions are in
the bag. Honestly, I’m more disappointed with the mook than the bag, it’s more
like a catalogue with just the photoshoot in Paris photos, whereas I believe
some previous mooks were thicker and had articles etc. in, but that’s a rant
for another time.
This being said, if you’re in need
of a small bag or a letter-themed one, browse through Y! Auctions Japan or
Mercari, there are many of these floating about for just over half the price of
the whole mook. But stay away those who, like me, thought it was bigger and
need to carry more stuff on their person.
Do any of you have any of the mook
bags that AP has done so far? Are they just as tiny? Do you like yours? Do you
like big bags and cannot lie or are you happy with small pochettes?
It is a very cute bag! I have a BTSSB mook bag, which is similarly small. Definitely good for some occasions...though I too am a big bag person! I feel pretty naked without a big bag or backpack, actually, lol.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pity that the mook wasn't all that impressive though!
Oh wow, I don't recall Baby having a similar style. It'd be cute to compare the two, see how they differ in construction and design. For me it's not a feeling of naked without a big(ger) bag, but more of "what if that thing I can't pack will be the one thing I'll need that day"? Most of the times I don't use all these anyway, but I feel so unprepared otherwise.
DeleteIt's such a massive shame! After reading how previous mooks had stuff like articles and tutorials in, I was really looking forward to getting that, but this is barely different from the AP catalogue's I got in the past. :(
I have all the mooks from AP except the newest one, and the lavender messenger bag is quite big and you can definitely put quite a lot of stuff in there (however it is not very stiff so you can't put in too heavy stuff because it will bend in a weird shape).
ReplyDeleteThe other 3 bags from the AP mook are tote bags, so no bags that you can close. However they are between big and very big, and they are all very sturdy! I always go grocery shopping with them and they can easily handle a few water bottles and other heavy stuff.
I quite like the look of that lavender mook bag, but I don't have any lavender pieces, so wouldn't be able to use it. But I kind of hope for a nice tote bag next. I don't really need one now, after Wicked and Whimsy last year I have enough cute tote bags to satisfy my needs, but maybe then the actual contents of the mook would go back to being more interesting than a couple of photographs.
DeleteThe first mook was really good! The second mook was already meeh, and the third mook was only interesting because they explained their pink and lavender label thingy (though "explaining" is the wrong word because it still doesn't really makes sense xD)
DeleteOh, now that sucks even more! I'll have to try to hunt that first mook down then, just for the reading content. Although just recently AP did a collab mook on fake food accessories or something and I'm thinking of getting that...
DeleteSo cute, but so small! I can only fit cards in my porter bear pouchette, so I'll usually clip it to a bigger bag and use it for my Orca card only, and just scan the bear when I board. I like the Day Dream Carnival mook tote the best because of the size, small inner pocket, and button snap, I totally use it for smal grocery runs > >;
ReplyDeleteYeah, with this one you can't even use it as a card holder. But I'm sure that one day a meet or event will happen where I will only need a small bag to hold a few tiny items (maybe next January when I'm due to go to a drag queen show?).
DeleteNow that sounds perfect for quick grocery shopping trip. Maybe next time I spot it I'll try to grab it because the totes I currently have are just the plain kind, no button snaps or inner pockets.