Prada Nylon Pochette Review: The Y2K Mistake I Won’t Be Making Twice
Facts
Preloved Price: £350 (yes, really)
RRP: £600
Where I Bought It: Designer Exchange, Knightsbridge in 2022.
Condition: Very good
Colour: In between Baby Pink and Hot Pink
Verdict: Cute, but not £350 worth of cute.
Why I Bought It
Let’s set the scene: I thought I bought this bag for £200. So, coming to write this review I thought, “Well… okay, maybe not the most practical purchase, but at least it was reasonably priced.” Then I checked. I paid £350. £350. That has very much changed my opinion.
And the worst part? I am normally the queen of bag research: I Google, I dig through The Purse Forum threads, Handbag Care Guides, Specific History of the Brand Books and old Vogues, I compare linings, serial numbers, stitch counts. But for some completely unexplainable reason, I decided in my head that Prada nylon was wipe clean.
Thanks, brain.Spoiler alert. It is not.
The Cycling Holiday in 2022.
What Fits Inside?
A phone
A cardholder
Lip Stick
Concealer
Airpods
Keys
Comb
And that’s your lot. You might squeeze in a little extra makeup item - but it will make the shape bulky.
This is not an everyday bag - it’s a “pop out for dinner and hold it under your arm like it’s 2003” kind of bag.
Quality & Construction
It is well made, I’ll give it that:
The nylon is structured and strong
The zip is smooth
The lining is decent, quite luxurious I would go as far as saying.
The logo plaque is crisp
You can absolutely tell it’s authentic and properly made — but a clean zip and sexy lining doesn’t make up for the fact that it’s essentially a glorified make-up bag.
The Harsh Reality
It’s NOT wipe clean
Let’s talk about the cycling holiday, in which I potentially ruined my bag.
I packed this tiny pink Prada for evenings in France, imagining spritzes, strappy dresses and just the right amount of smugness after a hard day of cycling. I thought I’d look effortlessly chic rolling up to a little restaurant in a linen co-ord with my Y2K moment tucked under my arm.
The reality?
We were cycling with everything we owned strapped to the bikes, and because of course I’d overpacked, I was squeezing my Prada Pochette into my boyfriend’s bike bag.
I mean… who brings a baby pink designer bag on a bikepacking trip?! I genuinely thought it was wipe clean (again, thanks brain). It ended up smushed between cycling gear and snacks — and that’s when the dirty stains (not sure what from just general dark marks) happened. Cue immediate horror.
The Cleaning Mission
The stain is still there.
I’ve tried:
Gentle soap and detergent
Bicarbonate of soda
A microfiber cloth
Debating washing machine - but I know this is an absolute error.
But the pink is so delicate that even breathing near it feels risky. I’ve Googled “how to clean Prada nylon” so many times my search history thinks I’m a dry cleaner. But, my next plan is a few Collonil products - they are the OGs of cleaning handbags.
Stay tuned.
In Summary:
It’s not good value
And now that I’ve reminded myself it was £350, I just can’t get behind this purchase.
Yes, it’s iconic. Yes, it’s well made. But it is so impractical, and for the price, there are so many better options I could’ve chosen. For an extra £200 I could have bought a Gucci Dionysus Bamboo Top Handle - £500, Mulberry Alexa £380, Mulberry Lily (old style large) £310, Bottega Veneta Intracciato Clutch - £280, Jacquemus .. basically I could have bought leather and a more durable, long lasting bag for the same money.
Do not spend £600 on this bag, unless you are Hailey Bieber.
Do not spend £350 on this bag, unless you have an extensive handbag collection already and just want to add a little cute number. If you are credit carding its a no.
£200 I’d let you buy it for £200. My verdict - she is cute, but sort of pointless, very trend led, very Y2K and not in my opinion a designer classic for the ages. That is an unpopular opinion - she is in the top 10 selling handbags of 2025… (well the Prada Re-Nylon Re-Edition 2005 Shoulder Bag is - which I have to say gives a bit more than this bag). But, I say… Save your money and put it towards a more expensive better quality classic bag.
