The Polène Dix: A Review After One Year of Use
The Polène Dix Bag: An Overview
If you’re not familiar with the bag, here’s quick rundown: The Polène Dix bag is a half-moon-shaped bag with a unique, equestrian-inspired design. It is made of high-quality Italian leather and is available in a variety of colors, including black, beige, green, and navy. The bag has two straps, one short and one long, so it can be worn as a shoulder bag, crossbody bag, or handbag. It is also relatively affordable for a “luxury bag”, priced at $460.
Like most things I buy these days, I first saw the Dix Bag on TikTok. I was immediately taken by the half-moon silhouette and the ability to convert it to a cross-body, with the longer second strap. I had already known that Polène was praised for their quality, so after watching a few more reviews I bit the bullet and purchased the bag in the shade Edition Textured Green, which I actually haven’t seen many people get.
Since I’ve purchased the bag, it’s exploded in popularity. But is it really worth the hype? In this review, I'll share my thoughts on the Polène Dix bag after using it for one year.
Quality and Durability
Polène is well-known for their quality and after a year of using my Dix Bag as my main purse, there are only a few minor things I’ve noticed about the bag over time.
The leather on the bag is not soft. It’s thick, sturdy, and extremely durable. On the Polène site, they describe the bag as being made by a single panel of Italian full-grain smooth calf leather. The bag is also constructed around padding, which means that the equestrian-inspired half-moon shape holds over time.
I do want to call out that when my bag arrived, there was some very minor fraying on some of the stitching on the strap of the bag. I considered exchanging the bag for a new one, but decided against it. Over time, I haven’t noticed any additional fraying or deterioration to the stitching.
Design and Functionality
Design-wise, you really can’t knock the Polène Numero Dix. But if we’re going to talk about functionality…I have a few thoughts. I’m especially conflicted because I find the concaving of the leather around the zipper stunning from a design perspective, but SO AGGRAVATING from a wearers perspective. It makes the opening of an already small bag harder to use. Putting things in is fine, but your hand will be scraping against the zipper every time you need to take something out.
The structure and size of the bag also means that things don’t really “sink” to the bottom or organize amongst themselves as they do in many other bags. There’s some real tetris-like stacking that happens inside the Dix, meaning that sometimes you have to intentionally sort things around to make them fit. If you’re looking for a bag that inspires that “it fits way more than you would think” conversation, this isn’t it.
What it can fit (and what I keep in mine): a card wallet, keys, phone, 2-3 lip products, sunglasses in a soft case, hand sanitizer, and a granola bar. If your essentials are more than that, this isn’t the bag for you.
Value for The Money
Obviously, this isn’t a cheap bag, but for $460 I don’t think you could find a higher quality leather or design. And that goes for the entire Polène brand. The demand for Polène bags worldwide is huge right now, so the resale value is absolutely there, especially given how well they wear. The fact that the bag comes with two different straps, with a gorgeously-thought out and designed prong system for changing them is just a testament to the thought going into not only the design, but the customer’s experience.
Overall Thoughts on the Polène Numero Dix
Overall, the Polène Dix bag is one of the highest-quality luxury hand bags on the market in it’s price range, and will continue to be my daily bag.
I'd love to hear your thoughts! Do you own a Polène bag, or have you tried the Dix specifically? What are your impressions? If not, I'm curious—what's your current go-to bag, your daily carrier? Drop your thoughts in the comments below, and let's get a bag chat going! 👇
Bag lovers, you'll want to see my thoughts on the Madewell Essential Bucket Tote.
