Pierotucci Kids: Leather Bags, Backpacks and Jackets for Kids

Handmade quality Italian leather handbags, jackets and accessories for kids  and toddlers

Perhaps nothing is more delightful than dressing your toddler, niece, nephew, godson or goddaughter in adorable clothing! Especially when you have the satisfaction of knowing that the selection is quality handmade products that use only the safest and best raw material. The selection of available pint size Italian leather accessories for children are growing every season to extend not only to fashionable cloth, jackets and shoes but to include tote bags, backpacks and messenger bags. Designed to fit smaller hands yet keep secure their largest treasures.

Playing dress up was part of every little girls growing experience, imitating her Mommy with a big girl handbag and high heel shoes. Today’s little girls are no different than yesteryear, always looking for that special something that makes them feel all grown-up. Perhaps though today’s kids are more practical because they are looking for not only something that “looks just like Dad’s” but that will hold all of their gadgets, books and traveling toys. As they grow older these bags from their childhood will remain as memories of the fun they had playing around.

Today’s kids fashion has evolved from infantile designs to include colors, textures and styles that are not only fashionable and trendy but convenient and practical. Be it kids luggage with bright colors and a multitude of pockets to bags for girls with sophisticated designs and multiple carrying options – fashion for kids is definitely on the upswing. Pierotucci has taken some of its more famous designs and restructured them to be suitable for toddlers, children and young boys and girls.

Starting with the FORTUNATA TOTE BAG, a huge success for the adult market this leather handbag has 4 different carrying options making it extremely versatile. This same model is now available in: Fortunata Baby. Re dimensioned for toddlers between the age of 2 – 12 years old this limited edition and totally unique leather tote bag for kids will bring a smile to any child’s face. A complete replica of the larger version, these bags for kids have a good luck charm, a removable and adjustable shoulder strap and each one is numbered – making them a one of a kind bag.

The options don’t stop here. Toscanella has opened the doors to bags for kids in 100% vegetable tanned leather in the traditional colors of Tuscany. These include leather tote bags and lightweight backpacks for kids made in genuine Italian leather and a durable canvas. However you put it Kids fashion and Made in Italy has never looked so chic as that which is emerging now in Italy from top designers. Look for kids luggage, bags for kids and backpack for kids with a touch of tradition and made with quality.

The final touch to your evening out, the perfect #leatherhandbag

Evening Bags from Italian

Cosci, Michael Kors, Moshino, Furla and more in Italian leather

After the gorgeous dress, the killer stilettos, the seamless makeup, polished nails and the divine fragrance the next obvious step in dressing to go out at night is the perfect evening bag. Traditionally these designer evening bags are black satin, black patent leather or black sequin but in every case these little leather handbags are considereg no more (or less) than an accessory – a designer piece that will enhance your overall appearance.

The stranger the shape . . .  some would even say the better.  The ideal Italian leather evening handbag is projected to hold the bare necessities for a true lady out on the town . . . her phone, her ID, a bit of mad money, a touch up lipstick … and maybe just maybe, as atomizer perfume spray bottle.

At one time you would have thrown in a pair of opera length leather gloves, but you only see those on the fashion runways anymore!

Every designer adds a line of specialty bags to those collections to match those lovely couture outfits – stunning with black satin tassels and gold colored accents. says M. Tucci from Pierotucci Leather Factory

By definition an evening bag is contained in its size, so as to not out strip the importance of the outfit and the “serata” but this does not diminish the necessity of having the just the right size. Most evening bags are shown as clutch bags, tucked under the arm and matching well with the outfit. But the reality of the events normally request that the evening bag come with a removable shoulder or cross body strap. Today’s nightlife is much more active which means your evening handbag needs to be on the move with you.

However there is no denying that the allure of an evening bag is sometimes just to add that picture perfect touch to the outfit – a designer piece like this Jason Wu bag in the 2013 Collection is the perfect example of a artists master piece.

What do you look for in an evening bag? Color? Size? Designer Name? -

Do you have a favorite evening bag – or one for each outfit?

Lions, tigers and Leopards. Oh My! Porselli Ballet Flats are living on the wild side.

What ever would the modern day Dorothy from Kansas think if she were to see these flashy and wild ballet flats from Porselli?  We like to think that she would most grab her faithful dog Toto and place him in an elegant handmade genuine Italian leather handbag  (instead of the old wicker basket) before skipping off in here soft suede Porselli ballet flats to find the yellow brick road . . .

Did you know Leopards are many times confused with two other large spotted cats, the cheetah and the jaguar?

However, the patterns of spots in each are different: the cheetah has simple black spots, evenly spread; the jaguar has small spots inside the polygonal rosettes; while the leopard normally has rounder, smaller rosettes than those of the jaguar.

Working from the inside out, the skeleton of a leather handbag

Marco, at Pierotucci Italian leather factory is working on one of the Toscanella leather handbags. As you can see he has assembled the lining first, starting with the characteristic 100% all cotton striped lining, padded with a ridge protection and reinforcement.  You can see how the front flap has already been attached.  The bags are sewn and then turned inside out so that the striped lining will be evident on the interior of the genuine Italian leather handbags.

Marco prepares the linings first, working from the inside out towards the genuine Italian leather shell.

Once the linings are prepared the will be inserted in the the prepared leather bag and then sewn into place, and the final product will be available . . .

From this . . . . to that . . . the transformation of an Italian masterpiece

In Florence there is a little tale they tell of Michelangelo when he was working on the marble masterpiece of “Davide”.  The story tells of how someone came in while the great sculptor was pulling out the piece of art hidden within the marble and the interloper made the comment that the nose was a little too big on this mammoth statue.  It then goes on to tell how Michelangelo  climbed the ladder with the hammer and chisel, made the movement and sounds of chipping away at the smooth white stone and then let a little marble dust float out of his hand.  At that point he then looked at the critical observer with a tilt of the head, as if to ask “and now?”  The person nodded their head – and said – “now it’s perfect.”

That is not a customization, but it should be a hint as to what you are asking when you request  the craftsman to change their work of art.  You are asking to transform an Italian masterpiece.

But, unlike Micheangelo, our craftsman understand that their masterpieces are meant to be used and that they need to be practical, functional and useful.

Our happy shopper A.S. from Switzerland came to us with an idea about a leather business bag from the Tucci Collection she had fallen in love with on our site. It was the size she needed, it had all the pockets she needed, it was the perfect “war bag” for her business.  BUT, she required some modifications so that she could easily carry all of her necessary items, and she wanted a quality bag, hand crafted with all the trimmings, but without the fancy designer label potentially putting off her prospective clients.

Step by step, the bag took shape. Our master craftsman, Marco Galli has been designing and making bags for most of his adult life, and he knows exactly what will work and what won’t. So for example, when A.S. said she wanted the shoulder strap to be attached at the sides, he immediately knew that this would not work for this kind of bag. It has two gussets and when the shoulder strap would be in use, then the shape and form of the bag would be contorted in such a way that would be ugly and unsafe for the design. So he suggested that the strap be attached to the back and this worked perfectly.

1)  We converted a masculine style bag, into a more feminine, versatile bag which oozes charm and sophistication at every angle.

2)  The top handle was eliminated.

3)  We took away the two shoulder straps and replaced them with rolled leather handles that were long enough for them to be slipped over the wrist for a more elegant and feminine carrying option.

4)  We added a much longer detachable shoulder strap which can be comfortable over one shoulder or used as a cross body bag.

The whole concept of the bag has gone from masculine to feminine with just a few tweaks and for only a nominal fee for the extra work and leather, A.S. has a bag that will take her to every business meeting for a very long time. She was absolutely thrilled, and took the time to write to us and praise us on a job well done.

Even fully loaded, as you can see in the picture I made, it holds its form beautifully.  Your craftspeople are to be congratulated on a great concept and job well done.

We try to accommodate every customised request, some we can do, others not. Pierotucci is one of the finest Florentine factories in Tuscany and they go that extra mile in trying to satisfy the needs of the customer, be it colour and type of leather, length of handles or monogramming.

Kodachrome Camera and the greens of SS 2013

Some say “vintage”, some say “so last” year but Valentino, Mulberry and Kate Spade are saying YES to mint green for SS 2013.

A color that easily lends itself to spring and summer wedding trends with its soft shades is converting into a full blown fashion statement.  Personally, I see it as a color that evokes lots of memories as well: eating Girl Scout cookies, mint chocolate chip ice cream (when they purposely made it green), rolling in the grass and smelling like the warm sweet perfume of mint leaves and of course, reading romantic novels where hot summer days were spent drinking a cool refreshing mint julep on the terrace.

The color mint offers a wide array of shades varying from the warm sultry colors to the cool crisp, almost aquamarine shades.  But whatever end of the spectrum you decide to wear, it will most certainly be a classic color for spring and summer combining well with pastels, whites, jeans and black formals.

Some of our favorite designers have decided to capture this spring summer moment using this delicious color in even more delicious leather handbag designs, here are a few of our favorites:

Kate Spade mini Clutch

Not only the mini clutch handbag, but the skirt and jewelry accessories as well. But the color is soft and doesn’t come across as overkill. What’s your guess, even the nail polish is a bit on the minty side?

Jason Wu uses mint green in a classic handbag style.

What can we say about Jason Wu, this leather handbag would look good in any color, elegant and classical!

Valentino uses a warm shade of mint green to convey elegance.

Don’t know if I am drooling more over the purse or the scalloped lace jacket adorning the models arm…Italian’s are always a step ahead of the crowd. Like these Porselli Ballet Flats in a cool fresh mint green. Perfect for strolling the boardwalk on a summer’s evening (with a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone!)  But let’s not gloss over the mint green Italian leather handbag in a soft nappa with silver colored hardware or the mint green highlights in the Campo dei fiori Italian leather handbags with tabacco colored accents.

What’s up at on the drawing board at Pierotucci today? #leatherbags

Making the cut is the first step to a quality leather handbag or, in the case, messenger bag. Using a genuine soft grain leather with an embossed pattern which we call buffalo,  you can see Marco in the first part measuring out the pattern pieces of this men’s messenger bag which he will then hand-cut with his coltello.  He will examine each hide that he lays out for the a homogeneous color and no unusual markings.  Normally a piece of leather in this style will have a uniform color – but to assure a high quality finished product special attention is paid to every step, his quick eye will notice if there are any strange or accented marking that will be too obvious once the bag is assembled.

After all the pieces have been assembled they are passed over to Renato, who has worked years in the area of prepping the pattern pieces for the final assembly. This messenger bag that they are cutting (1288-BU) is the large size and that means that the larger pieces of leather need an interior support to be sure they maintain their form in use.  Renato adds a feather-light adhesive support to all major components of this bag – you could say that he is adding a little bit of skeleton support to this messenger bag.  Once this step is done it will pass over to our leather craftswomen (and man) who work on assembling and sewing the bag together.

What’s in Production today at Pierotucci?

Each handbag goes through 4 phases before it can be checked at quality control, and packed up for storage in the warehouse.

First the leather, lining and in this case the canvas accents needs to be cut.  Secondly, all cut pieces of leather need to be sealed, pressed, punched with holes and sanded down.  Third on the list is the accessories for each bag need to be counted out, this includes the zips, the straps, the snaps and handles.  The last step is the assembly of the bag – starting from the inside out – each bag is composed by putting together first the lining, then the leather casing and finally all accessories and name plates.

In this photo you can see Marina working on the outer panels of the our Toscanella canvas and Italian leather tote with removable shoulder straps.

One small error for Tuscany becomes one lasting memory for fashion

Only the innovative nature of the Italians can turn inexperience and a huge miscalculation into a fashion statement. And only those Italians from Tuscany knew how to make it a statement that would last through the test of time.

Wool has been a constant, thriving economic force in Italy as far back as the Etruscans, Romans and the Medici Family. It is a well known fact that the banking houses in Florence built their wealth on the wool industry. The Casentino Valley, where the Arno river starts its trek to Florence, was perhaps one of the largest suppliers of high quality woolen products in Tuscany.

In the late 1800’s they sought to further commercialize their natural resource, and a “mantelline per cavalcature” was introduced to the Florentine market. This was basically a thick, water resistant blanket used to cover, keep warm and protect work animals that hauled large loads.

Traditionally, this cover was made in a deep red – but due to an error when they mixed the chemicals to soften the wool, the color came out a vivid orange. Like most trends, it was a twist of fate that turned this rough cloth with its unique color, fashionable.

The “panno Casentino” was admired by illustrious names such as Baron Ricasoli and the opera composers Giuseppe Verdi and Giacomo Puccini. The result was that this brightly colored felted wool was fashioned into a double breasted jacket complete with a fox fur collar which became a very Italian symbol of wealth and prestige of the upper echelon.

A reputation that is still widely recognized in Italy today.

Close up of the panno Casentino with Italian leather accents

What’s cooking this Friday @Pierotucci ?

Preparations are being made for the newest line of FORTUNATA leather handbags. A new collection of designer leather arrived and we are now sorting and combining linings, canvas cross body straps and top handles.

Below you can see Marco, our master craftsman embossing the numbered patches that go on the right hand corner of the bags indicating the total number of bags in the series and individualizing each with the number that bag represents in the series.