Another bag review featuring the Givenchy Small Pandora in Carmine.

One of Givenchy's most popular and classic pieces is the Nightingale; a duffle-like style with Givenchy's logo embossed on its handles. The Nightingale is very simple but easily recognizable as a Givenchy piece. Over the years more and more styles have been added to its collection including the Antigona and the Pandora. Well today's review will be on one of the styles: Pandora. The Pandora structure is very minimal - a box with a couple of zippers (which surprisingly makes it a very functional bag).

Color shown on Bergdorf Goodman's website.

Beforehand, I wanted to make a purchase on the Mini Pandora due to my petite figure but based on what I already own, I have too many miniature bags. Therefore I added the Small Pandora on my list instead.

The Small Pandora is harder to find than the other sizes (mini, medium, large). And if the small is available, it is usually in Black. So when I stumbled across the smaller version in a dark, neutral color (other than Black) on Bergdorf Goodman's website, I immediately fell in love with it. I have been picturing the bag as burgundy because it was shown in a burgundy shade but sadly, the shade is nowhere near a burgundy color. The official color name is Carmine - a deep red (but definitely not deep enough to be considered a burgundy).


The overall bag is very functional and great for an everyday bag and features two zipper compartments - the top zipper is to access the whole "box" (there is also an interior zipper pouch) and the bottom zipper is a smaller pouch. There is also a top handle/shoulder strap and a detachable long-shoulder/cross body strap. While some Pandora's come in a crinkled-leather, the Small usually comes in a grained-leather which seems to be a lot more sturdy.

In my opinion, any size larger than the Mini seems to be featureless. Yes, the structure of the bag is supposedly a rectangle box but once you use it, the structure changes - for the small, medium, and large, the structure becomes a blob of leather. On the other hand, a mini doesn't have enough leather to slouch as much therefore the structure is still visible. Although the bag is very functional and is great to use, I find that there are better designer everyday bags (with a more unique style) for the price of a Pandora.

Mini Pandora in action

Overall, I am not the biggest fan of the Pandora. It is definitely not the bag in which I would repurchase in a different color.

Small Pandora retails for $1,790 and may cost more if it is paired with unique-prints/exotic leathers. Measurements are at: 6" x 10.75" x 5.50".

The Small Pandora is available through Barneys New York and Bergdorf Goodman's website.

I hope this review was helpful and informative for those who didn't even know a Small Pandora existed!