I’m writing this review about 13 years too late considering this Celine Trio bag came out in 2011 😂. But I did get some interest from people who are still toying with the idea of getting a Trio bag, so this one is for them!
I originally got a small Trio bag from Barneys NY in Las Vegas. At the time I was in my late 20’s/early 30’s so I didn’t need to carry around a lot. The small could still fit a lot and it’s only one inch smaller length and width-wise than the large (The small measures 9” x 6” x 2” and the large measures 10” x 7” x 2”). And at $1150, it was still a big investment for me at the time (the large was closer to $1400). I loved my small Trio but unfortunately I got it in a teal blue color that didn’t really go with my wardrobe. So I never used it a ton, and in the end I sold it a couple years later (taking a loss of maybe a couple hundred dollars).
Fast forward almost a decade later and this beautiful burgundy Trio in quite excellent condition popped up on my favorite Japanese reseller’s site (Brandear—current selection of their Celine Trios) for under $400. I knew what a great bag it is, even though it’s no longer a popular bag, so I went for it. And oh boy, I’m glad I did.
This particular bag still had the foam inserts that it originally came with (all yellowed with age, but still functional). And the only major flaws were the corners. The corners of this bag gets beat up the most (my old small one also had some corner wear) since the lambskin leather on the bag can be quite delicate. So if you’re one to accidentally scrape your bag on a brick wall, then this might not be the bag for you. But if you don’t mind some cornerwear, then this is a beautifully functional bag that I think will always be a bit of a classic (well at least a classic Philo Celine bag).
The Trio bag is aptly named since it has three compartments that snap together with snap buttons. I remember when I first got the small the Barney’s saleswoman pitched the idea that you could snap off the one pouch with the Celine logo on it and use it as a clutch. I never did that with my small since it was a tad too small for that, but I could see myself doing that with this large one. The strap is adjustable and I think fits a wide range of people, but especially petite people. The strap is thin but since you can’t really weigh down the bags too much, it doesn’t dig into the shoulder (or at least it won’t if you’re just carrying the essentials).
The only other flaw (other than the delicate corners), is that the soft lambskin leather can stretch out over time, or look bumpy when carrying more bulky items. I usually carry keys or anything that can cause lumps in the middle pouch since it’s less like to show there. I usually save the front pouch for my phone and card case, or if I’m carrying a compact wallet, I put that in the back pouch. This bag can fit quite a bit (especially the large).
So if you’ve been thinking of getting this Celine Trio bag (no longer in production by the way) I highly recommend going for it now that the prices have come down quite a bit. I think the three pouch, minimal crossbody bag will never go out of style and for some of us it brings some nostalgia. You can find some preloved ones at Brandear (linked above), Fashionphile, and the RealReal. And you can always reference my Celine authentication guide here (the Trio was probably faked quite a bit because they were once such a popular bag, however I think this is where time favors the authentic—ie the fakes will look very much worse for wear than the real deal. I personally would stay away from any bags that have the Celine foil logo rubbed off since that usually happens to fakes or very heavily worn bags, both not worth it when you can get the real deal for a steal these days). And finally you can find all my other Celine bag reviews here.