It was a bit of an ordeal, but I finally have my Alexander Wang Rocco Duffle bag! Thanks to Grechen’s post on where to buy the Alexander Wang Rocco, I was able to buy this bag for just under $600 at the June sales, about $300 off the original price!

The original Coco duffle went ‘It-bag’ status with its iconic pebbled black lather and antique brass studs. Now, renamed ‘Rocco’, it comes in heaps of different colours, finishes and hardware. The granite Rocco with resin, rather than metal studs totally had me at ‘hello’. There’s been complaints about the Rocco bag being heavy and having no shape, but this version of the Rocco features thinner, foam backed leather to help it keep its shape, and the resin studs are half the weight of the usual heavy metal hardware. It’s also the first Rocco with a shoulder strap.

I’m certainly not the kind to collect designer gear (why try to look rich when I’m not?), but there are a certain few items that are on my ‘will complete my life’ list. The Rocco was tentatively on this list, but I never liked the pebbled, distressed or suede finishes. I’m definitely one for smooth bags, for some reason.

Common to all Roccos, there’s the enigmatic double pockets on one side face, opposite the closed zipper that’s not quite big enough to fit anything meaningful in, but looks really cool.

The granite resin studs Rocco has silver hardware with metal zippers and shoulder strap ‘buckle’, if you can call it that. Actually I love that it’s just a round knob!

The only place on the outer of the bag that actually says ‘Alexander Wang’ is a tiny inscription on the optional shoulder strap hook. I really prefer this as I’m not a fan of monograms massive logos-I have nothing to prove.

And of course, the Rocco wouldn’t be the Rocco without its iconic base rivets! These resin rivets don’t look as flashy as the traditional metal ones, but I appreciate that it makes the bag that much lighter and practical to carry.

I was a little surprised how big the Rocco actually is. I was expecting a handbag size judging from photos online, but this is one seriously roomy bag. The other Rocco are impossible to keep in its cylindrical shape unless you stuff it with tissue. But resin Rocco holds up its shape perfectly even when almost empty, but I actually like to flatten it out a bit, so it looks more the way that a Rocco duffle ‘should’ look!

Unfortunately I haven’t had the most positive reactions from people when I’ve worn this bag. People who’ve never seen the Rocco tell me that the bag looks ‘different’, or a bit like a gym bag! But I still love it personally, and worth every dollar!