I was walking through the Who What Wear office in New York the other day when a co-worker of mine stopped me in my tracks. She knew right away what bag was on my shoulder and needed to see it up close. It’s at the top of her wish list—hell, it’s on the wish lists of everyone I saw during New York Fashion Week. We ogled it together for a good five minutes before I had to run to a show across town, where three more people inquired about it. Clearly, I’ve been carrying 2025’s most-wanted handbag, and since I’m not one to gatekeep, I’m here to share every last detail about the designer experience.
The bag in question is one of Matthieu Blazy’s final creations for Bottega Veneta. Named the Ciao Ciao, it’s the latest addition to the beloved Andiamo family. It comes in two sizes—regular and large—and a variety of colors, including neutral Barolo and Black as well as spring-ready Rose and Matcha. It recently debuted in the Italian fashion brand’s summer 2025 campaign, which went viral on social media for its upbeat, fun, and overall positive energy that doesn’t exist across the fashion landscape these days. Its name reflects this same light, joyful air: “Ciao ciao” is used in Italian to say both “hello” and “goodbye” as a relaxed and playful way to greet and send off loved ones. This bag should be by your side in these exact moments, accompanying you as you travel to and from beautiful destinations.
(Image credit: Who What Wear)
Ahead of NYFW, I received an email about the bag. It was coming out soon, and as the proud owner of an original Andiamo bag, I knew I had to compare and contrast the styles in person. Bottega Veneta was kind enough to loan me one to do just that, so I put it to good use during one of the busiest weeks of my year. For six days, I loaded my Ciao Ciao with everything under the sun, from water bottles and green juices to phone chargers, snack bars, headphones, sunglasses, and more. I carried it with the long crossbody strap for a hands-free experience; tried out different handle methods with the bag’s braided, brass hardware–clad shoulder strap; and enjoyed the classic top-handle option. I even went as far as to tote it around like a very large clutch purse, using none of the handles at all.
On the fifth day, I sat down to give the Ciao Ciao its formal review. Scroll down to read my thoughts on what’s sure to be one of 2025’s top handbags and see how I styled it throughout NYFW.
Shop the Bottega Veneta Ciao Ciao Bag:
Bottega Veneta
Ciao Ciao in Black
Bottega Veneta
Ciao Ciao in Barolo
Bottega Veneta
Ciao Ciao in Ecru
Bottega Veneta
Large Ciao Ciao in Fondant
Bottega Veneta
Large Ciao Ciao in Rose
Bottega Veneta
Large Ciao Ciao in Matcha
My review + how I styled it during NYFW:
Wearing: Mango Leather Blazer With Buttons ($500); Tibi Sheer Gauze Maxi Pencil Skirt ($325); Oliver Peoples x Khaite 1998C Cat-Eye Metal Sunglasses ($485); Bottega Veneta Ciao Ciao Bag ($5900); Flattered Tove Leather Heels ($138)
Day one: The thing I appreciated immediately upon receiving the Ciao Ciao bag and exploring it was how truly practical it is. I find this to be true with most Bottega Veneta bags, which often feature multiple strap options and a bevy of internal storage. To my count, this specific bag can be carried four different ways: from its top handle, with the attached crossbody strap, on your shoulder when you adjust the braided straps to fit, and handheld. Honestly, there could be even more options that I didn’t even think of. It has two main compartments on the inside of the bag, which is completely made of suede other than one zippered pocket woven using the brand’s intrecciato technique for a IYKYK touch. Suffice it to say, I wasn’t running low on storage space. Most days during fashion week, I had my bag stuffed Jane Birkin style with paper show notes, little bags of Happier Grocery almonds, extra eyewear, and a dozen different cords and devices. On the outside, though, you’d never know it. In fact, the Ciao Ciao looks even better full than it does empty.
I remember when the first day of NYFW felt quiet, but this season, it was one of my craziest, most jam-packed days because of all the previews, appointments, cocktail parties, and dinners. Funnily enough, I only had one actual show, and it was all the way at the end of the night. I didn’t sit down the entire day and traveled from the Upper West Side where I live to Bryant Park, FiDi, East Village, NoMad, SoHo, Brooklyn Navy Yard, and back again, and those are just the locations I can remember off the top of my head. I basically lived out of my Ciao Ciao bag.
I styled it for the day with a leather blazer worn on top of a navy-blue cashmere cardigan from Tibi that I paired with a white tank top and a sheer midi skirt. It rained all day long. Fortunately, I had an umbrella tucked inside my Ciao Ciao bag for whenever I needed it.
(Image credit: The Style Stalker)
Wearing: Mango Leather Blazer With Buttons ($500); vintage jacket; Gucci skirt; Calzedonia tights; Jimmy Choo boots; Oliver Peoples x Khaite 1998C Cat-Eye Metal Sunglasses ($485); Bottega Veneta Ciao Ciao Bag ($5900)
Day three: These photos were taken midway through the week the morning after the snowstorm in NYC. I needed gloves, an umbrella, and more protection against the elements, and the Ciao Ciao Bag provided storage for all of it. The envelope-style zippered pocket inside became home to my keys, wallet, and lip balm, keeping me from having to dig through the many items I packed for the day anytime I had to stop home to change or work or pay for a coffee. (This is a very frequent activity for me.)
I picked the black version of the bag because I knew it would be the easiest option to style in multiple ways in a short period, and that proved to be a spot-on assessment. Here, I wore it with a leather blazer and pencil skirt, knee-high suede stiletto boots, and a short brown fur coat on top for added warmth. It went with the look perfectly. I’m not just saying that—fans of the bag, of which there were many this week, told me so.
Wearing: Fforme coat; Uniqlo sweater; Sportmax Adelfi High Waist Midi Skirt ($194); Bottega Veneta Ciao Ciao Bag ($5900); Jimmy Fairly The Elvie ($150); Calzedonia tights; The Row heels
Day five: One thing I often think about when considering which handbags to purchase is what I need them for. Is it an evening bag? A daytime tote? Do I need it to somehow be both? Usually, the answer is the latter. Handbags are expensive these days, so I want my bags to kind of do it all—a tall order, I know. This also isn’t exactly a quality you can find out about a bag just from looking at it online. You need to be able to style it with nighttime outfits and daytime ones and see if it fits in both categories, which is why I was so grateful to be able to test out the Ciao Ciao during NYFW. My outfits for the week were formal for the most part, but I was also working, so I needed a bag that does both. This bag does both.
Here, I styled it with a brown, cream, and black color palette, including a brown Fforme car coat, cashmere sweater, and sheer tights; a cream Sportmax skirt; and black The Row heels and Jimmy Fairly sunglasses. The outfit took me from a morning show to a fancy dinner out without any need for even minor adjustments. Though, I probably could have pulled that off given the extra storage space in my Ciao Ciao.
Wearing: Zara jacket; Gucci pants; J.Crew x Maryam Nassir Zadeh shoes; Linda Farrow sunglasses; Bottega Veneta Ciao Ciao Bag ($5900)
Day six: On the final day of fashion week, I had a million errands to run in between the last few shows, so I needed the Ciao Ciao Bag to work double time for me. I will say that I wish my laptop could have fit inside, but it is an old MacBook Pro, so maybe that’s on me. (Or maybe I should have opted for the large Ciao Ciao, which I heard from another fashion week attendee does fit a laptop and so, so much more.) I styled it over my shoulder this time to give me plenty of hand freedom to hold as many coffees as I could find, grabbing one at the Blue Bottle across the street from the Kallmeyer show followed by another inside the actual show space. Though the shoulder strap looks thin, the braided technique used makes it feel surprisingly strong and sturdy, so I didn’t have to worry about filling my bag up like I might with other bags on the market. It also didn’t dig into my shoulder at all.
Since it was the last day, I styled my bag pretty simply, wearing two layered Kallmeyer tees underneath a leather, cinch-waist jacket with black Gucci trousers and white loafers from Maryam Nassir Zadeh’s collaboration with J.Crew. The Ciao Ciao bag gave my otherwise paired-back look a strong focus point, which real fashion people know is the sign of a great, buy-worthy handbag.
Shop more Bottega Veneta bags:
Bottega Veneta
Andiamo in Ecru
Bottega Veneta
Liberta Bucket in Fondant
Bottega Veneta
Knot Lock in Fondant
Bottega Veneta
Andiamo Clutch in Barolo
Bottega Veneta
Lauren 1980 in Fondant
Bottega Veneta
Bang Bang in Matcha
Bottega Veneta
Hop in Barolo
Bottega Veneta
East-West Andiamo in Fondant
