I do own other brands of handbags besides Louis Vuitton and regularly use them in my rotation... They are mainly Coach, with a bit of Marc Jacobs and Balenciaga thrown in.
I used to have a collection that was primarily comprised of Balenciaga bags and then found that Louis Vuitton bags seemed to just fit my lifestyle better after having kids. I try to keep my handbag collection at a "moderate" level and sell things that I'm not using to fund new things. So what you see that is still in my collection are what I consider "keepers" at the moment!
Enough items to go out for a day trip with an infant & a toddler!
This You Tube review shows what I carry in my Coach Op Art Diaper bag, and shows how functional it is.
The size is 21 inches long by 12.5 inches high by 4.25 inches wide. I would classify it as a "medium sized" diaper bag... bigger than the bag that diaper bag that I used as a quick grab and go bag with only one child - but smaller than some gigantic diaper bags I've owned or seen. (Most notably, the Coach Signature Stripe Diaper bag that I originally bought when I was pregnant with my first. It was so gigantic... I couldn't justify keeping it and sold it. Now of course, I'm wishing I would have held onto it - because it would have been a good diaper bag for those days when having "just a bit more" would be appropriate. Like for trips into Chicago.)
It works great for two children in diapers though, one still using bottles and one using sippy cups. I place the larger sippy cups on the outside. (One for milk, one for water.) And on the interior, there are two elastic banded areas that can fit bottles. (We use Tommee Tippee bottles and the 9 ounce size fits fine in this area.)
It came with a portable changing pad that works fine for infants and smaller toddlers. I honestly prefer to use a larger JJ Cole changing mat with my older daughter who is just shy of 2 years old. (The JJ Cole changing mat came with a quick change bag that I use now, which I will review and show in a separate post. It is super handy to hang from the stroller handle for quick changes!) For infants however, the changing pad that came with the Coach bag is good enough, and fits conveniently in the front snap pocket of the bag for easy access.
On the back there is a zippered area that would be good to hold items for Mommy, but I use this area for travel table placements and other odds & ins, since I always carry a handbag for myself.
On the interior the bottom area is ample enough to hold two shirts and one pair of pants for a toddler, one sleeper for a newborn, and two burp cloths. On top of that, I fit two snack containers - a hard plastic snack container from Innobaby that I featured HERE - and a smaller toddler hand held snack container. Also in the middle I've shown a travel formula container from Munchkin. Occasionally, I will also toss in an additional 5 ounce Tommee Tippee bottom on top of these things, and there is room for that as well.
Overall, I would rate this diaper bag 4.5 out of 5 stars. I appreciate that it is subtle and doesn't have a crazy print all over it. Not that I have anything against prints, but some days I would just like something more neutral. The color is beautiful, a burgundy - purple color that isn't flashy, but is more special than a black or gray diaper bag. The space is perfect for two children if you pack just the essentials, and I would imagine would work great for one child on longer trips or if you want to carry a bit more on a day to day basis.
Despite its 21 inch length, the bag doesn't look overwhelming against a short frame. I actually thought it was going to look a lot bigger when it arrived, but it is definitely not what I would classify as a "large" diaper bag... I've seen much larger bags, especially from Coach. (I would consider a JJ Cole Mode diaper bag a smaller diaper bag, for reference.)
All in all, it is a great diaper bag that is well worth its $298 price tag. (Especially if you can a PCE discount on top of that!)
Hmmm... being my first post on Coach and all, this should probably be more product oriented - but unfortunately it's mostly just informational. Like many other handbag enthusiasts, Coach was the brand that I "started out" with, over time lost interest in, and eventually led me to move on to using other handbag brands. It's been a few years since I could actually rattle off information about Coach's product lines (I used to know bags by their style number, sad - but true) and I've made steps to erase the entire graffiti-inspired, sequin laden, too much going on (for me personally) recent lines from my mind. It does seem that with it's new Spring 2011 releases, that Coach is making efforts to reform appealing to their inner 12 year old, and going back to appealing to their refined, classic design heritage.
The Coach Preferred Customer Event (otherwise herein known as "PCE", because let's face it - that's faster to type) is an event that happens every 3 months or so, in Coach boutiques where their "regulars" are sent a coupon in the mail for a percentage off their total purchase for a period of about 2 weeks. I learned about PCE about 5 years ago, when I received my first PCE card in the mail - I was exclusively into Coach back then and nothing short of giddy when it arrived. You feel like you've won some sort of Wonka-like ticket, just for being you.
Receiving a PCE "ticket" really seems to be hit or miss after you've gotten your first one though, there were times when I was purchasing things regularly and wouldn't receive the golden ticket in the mail - however other times I would go for months without having even stepped foot in the door at a Coach boutique and be included in the next PCE mailing. And also vice versa. The first few times you bring the coupon in to purchase something, it's great. You feel elated that you've gotten a deal and didn't have to purchase something full price, and maybe even feel like you should buy a little extra something because of that. ;)
As time goes on though, it quickly becomes like Michael's (the crafting store that has 40% off coupons available for everyday of the year), where you realize - you never should buy anything at regular price ever again - because everything is either going to be available to you at a discount soon enough or it's just going to go to the outlets and be available at a discount there. That's quite a quandary for a store in the luxury category. As I would be checking out with my PCE card, I couldn't help but think of all of the poor unsuspecting souls in the store getting ready to check out at full price. And so, I guess as should be expected as a part of the natural order of things, it almost may contribute to helping you lose interest in the brand all together and move onto other brands. That don't "go on sale".
In any case, the PCE is currently going on in Coach stores through March 13th, 2011, and the coupon card is for 25% off your entire purchase. However if you didn't receive one and have already formed a relationship with a sales associate at your local boutique, it never hurts to ask. I've heard of them letting you use the discount if you know about it and politely ask your regular sales associate if you can use it.
Since I can't leave you with just all of those wordy word words above, without anything pretty to look at - here are MY picks from Coach for Spring 2011:
Coach Kristin Leather Hobo in Champagne, $298
Coach Buffy Heel in Beige, $198
Coach Larissa Sunglasses, $178
And really... since we all know that I couldn't stay upright in the Buffy heels while chasing after a pre-toddler even if I wanted to - these are the shoes that I would more likely be seen in:
