Coach - Would love opinions!

[rainydaze]

I am considering the Coach Ergo Sachel or the Coach Madeleine Medium Tote for a new everyday purse. I would love some opinions on between the two styles as well as colors! (Pics to follow.)

For color reference, I am fair skinned with medium brown hair, and I wear a lot of casual fall colored clothing - navies, browns, burnt oranges, kahkis, etc. I had a no-name purse in the geranium/orange color and got tons of compliments from strangers, and as much as I LOVE that color, I am now afraid it could be too much. I don't have a white and I like that look as well as the versatility, but my fear with white is keeping it clean and fresh. The natural is nice and could work, but it doesn't excite me - though I could dress it up with a scarf or charm.

Thank you!!

 

[rainydaze]

ergo white....

 

[rainydaze]

ergo natural....

 

[rainydaze]

ergo burnt orange.....

 

[rainydaze]

madeline geranium....

 

[rainydaze]

madeline parchment.....

 

[Heidi137]

I LOVE the Madeleine Tote in Geranium. It sounds like it will go great with your clothing and it will be easier to keep clean than the white. Plus, you can carry it year-round.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I like the ergo. I agree white is beautiful but would be hard to keep clean on an everyday bag.

 

[diamondfan]

I love them ALL. But think the Ergo is more comfy and easy to use for an every day bag. I picked natural cause it will go with so much. The orange tone is great but it depends on the palate of your wardrobe. Off white will get disgusting in no time.

 

[miraclesrule]

I prefer the ergo''s as well. I''ve not seem them before. They are very nice bags.

I''m not a good color person when it comes to bags, I always go black or brown. I''m too lazy to transfer things over, but I am trying...really trying.

 

[rainydaze]

thank you for your comments SDL, Heidi, Tacori, diamondfan and miraclesrule! your thoughts are definitely helping me! SDL, i so want to be able to pull off the white.... but Tacori and diamondfan''s comments are reinforcing that little voice inside my head that is screaming ''in your dreams woman!'' i don''t baby my handbags.... argh and the whites would be so cute with the wallet i plan to use (for about, oh, three days before it gets its first *ahem* birthmark)!!

thank you to everyone else who has voted so far!!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Rainy, I feel ya pain. If it was just a special occasion bag I would say get the white. Also DF brought up a good point. I have a coach with each of the kinds of handles (two different bags) and the ergo''s style is MUCH more comfortable and well I am all about comfort. Just another thing to consider.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 4/27/2008 6:10:57 PM
Author: rainydaze
ergo natural....

I love this one. I do have a white leather coach and I was hesitant to buy it because I was worried about keeping it clean and my friend said hers stayed clean so I bought a white one and it is still white which is amazing to me! If you want I can try and take a picture.

 

[rainydaze]

skippy - that''s good to hear! i would love to see a picture... thank you!

tacori - very good point about the handles; i am all about comfort (and functionality) too. no matter how cute a bag is, if it isn''t comfortable it just ends up decorating my closet and not me. the handles may be the deciding factor now that you have made me think about it. as a matter of fact, i have a handbag with handles much like the madeline and one strap was always falling off my shoulder; as a result the whole bag would thunk to my elbow. it drove me BANANAS (guess where the bag has been for the past year, untouched). i will have to make sure i test that out thoroughly. thank you for mentioning that!

 

[rainydaze]

Date: 4/27/2008 9:12:57 PM
Author: miraclesrule
I prefer the ergo''s as well. I''ve not seem them before. They are very nice bags.

I''m not a good color person when it comes to bags, I always go black or brown. I''m too lazy to transfer things over, but I am trying...really trying.

miraclesrule, that was me too until a few years ago when i finally realized i needed to spice things up. the thing is, i am still lazy about transfering so sometimes i must look frightful!

i guess that is my quandry - do i go back to playing it safe with this one, or do i continue having some fun?

 

[miraclesrule]

Fun being the decisive word here.

 

[rainydaze]

Date: 4/28/2008 12:20:14 AM
Author: miraclesrule
Fun being the decisive word here.

 

[diamondfan]

Rainy, perhaps you can spray or coat it without discoloring it? I do think the white is chic. But I love the hobo style a lot more, honestly. It just looks fresher to me, more easy to wear.

 

[oobiecoo]

How long do you plan on having this bag? I actually purchased the madeleine but returned it for a Louis. I loved all the compartments inside and the shorter straps that let you carry it on your shoulder or in the crook of your arm. I have to vote for the parchment madeleine... unless you plan to keep it for more than a year.

 

[star sparkle]

I vote for the Madeline. I have a Coach bag that is VERY similar to the Madeline and I love it! I don''t think you could go wrong with either color.

 

[rainydaze]

diamondfan - i will have to ask about that. if i can indeed spray it without concern, it puts the white back in the running. and i suppose i could try to be more careful for a change!

i''m due for some chic!

oobiecoo - hmmm, any purse that functions well and has a fairly classic style i tend to keep indefinitely and revisit down the road. i often gravitate to purses that are classic in styling rather than trendy so that i can keep them. is your concern with that much use it will look rough, or that over time in storage the white will lose its freshness? i don''t have any experience with white - thanks for your input! oh, and did the straps stay comfortably on your shoulder while you had it?

thanks star sparkle - it is great to hear from gals who have it or have similar, to know if it does its job well or not!


one thing i noticed, the madeline does have the brass feet, which might help a little with keeping the bottom of the white, white. the ergo doesn''t have the feet. you know, it''s mostly in my car that my purse gets defiled - they should really offer a choice of glove compartment or purse cubby!

 

[diamondfan]

Rainy, I think car designers need to think of the purse issue! I hate when mine falls all over if I have someone in the passenger seat I cannot use the seat for my purse.

I think the natural in the Ergo is awesome. I also saw pink and another color on their site, and boy, I love the design of that bag. The Madeline is not fresh and cool to me, the Ergo is.

 

[rainydaze]

diamondfan - exactly!!!! for me, when DH is in the car, the purse gets stuffed in the back with the kids - ACK!! or near his shoes with the sand and mud and snow - ACK AGAIN!!! i have tried to convince him to keep it on his lap, but he is not too keen on the idea.

they offer the ergo in patent leather - i think that is the pink, which if your wardrobe supports it is something else for sure! i think the patent also comes in navy and.... black?

i saw the madeline a couple of months ago and really loved it - but i just recently saw the ergo and the madeline began to look a little less, i don''t know, something. i think i feel as you do, that the ergo has a fresher style. plus i love the pocket with the ball snaps, those always win my heart for some reason!!

 

[Krissie]

I prefer the ergo natural or the ergo burnt orange! I think the hobo style is more current and functional (looks great with casual, can be dressed up, too!)

 

[sugarplum]

hi rainy- i vote for the ergo. love it in white but natural would be easier to care for. both are great colors!

 

[gailrmv]

Another vote for the ergo. I love it! I was getting kind of tired of coach for a while there because it was all looking same-old, same-old. I just checked out their website and there are lots of interesting styles! (Of course the ones I like are really expensive.) The ergo is one of my favorites! I got a brick red purse recently and it is actually more versatile than I had thought. I wear it a lot. I guess I have a lot of neutral colored clothes and the red really brightens up the outfit. So, I'd vote red if you think you'll use it and if you have some other bag in a nice neutral color. If you don't have a brown colored bag already I'd get the neutral. I'm not that into the white, but I do have a white coach bag that has stayed very clean over a few years, but I baby it a good bit also.

 

[rainydaze]

thanks krissie, sugar and TDM!

krissie, good point about dressing up or down. i like handbags that are versatile like that.

TagDog, that exactly why i like the red - my wardrobe would benefit from the punch of color it offers as i typically wear muted/neutral tones. the only thing is, when i do wear a color, i am not good about switching out bags! i do have another leather in natural and a cloth in a dark chocolate brown, so maybe i should go for the red with this one. i agree about coach''s selection - when i checked it out recently i was pleasantly surprised by their new styles.

 

[Miscka]

rainy-I voted red ergo. I think the Madeline is very chic, but something about that ergo-

The shape is TDF. I have a hard time telling-does it have a snap shut thing?

 

[rainydaze]

hi Miscka, the ergo has a pretty cool design actually. the ball snaps belong to a clutch-sized purse that is in the middle, with two large pockets on either side that are secured by hidden magnetic snaps. so you can put your keys/cell/lipstick right there in the ''clutch pocket'' where you need them for easy access, and the rest of your stuff can go in the roomy body of the hobo. i immediately liked this layout....

i have to play around with the madeline a little more as i haven''t explored its layout much yet. it has a zippered entry that i might find a bit troublesome - i would probably never zip it because with kids in tow i just don''t have enough hands to fuss with it to get to my things. hmmmm, looks like i am leaning to the ergo too; i am glad many see it as stylish and fresh as well!

 

[rainydaze]

UPDATE!

a big thank you to everyone who took the time to vote and offer me your opinions. i was having a tough time deciding on this one and needed some input. you all are great - and very helpful! your feedback reinforced that i couldn''t go wrong with either style, but that the ergo just had a little something extra.

as for color, i was so torn!!! in the end i decided on the burnt orange. the natural with a scarf was very classy, and the orange had a fun presence. i finally just had to just close my eyes and point!

i wasn''t planning to purchase just yet, but macys is offering 20% starting today and it can be applied to coach purchases so i decided to go in. macys didn''t have the leather ergos, but the coach store did..... and they pricematched the macy''s sale! i''m glad i went in today, because the gals at coach said the ergos were more popular than they anticipated and they didn''t make enough to meet demand.... with burnt orange being the first predicted to sell out in three weeks. could have been a sales tactic, but when i later decided on the orange, she only had the floor & window displays so she called distribution to see if they could get me a fresh one... turns out distribution is ALL OUT! phew! i wouldn''t go so far as to say fate made sure i got a handbag, but it sure does seem that way!