Best and worst quality Contemporary brands?

[shadowplay]

What contemporary brand(s) do you think have the best quality? The worst? I've recently purchased a couple Kate Spade bags, and while time will tell, so far I'm really pleasantly surprised by the quality. On the other hand, I've seen some Rebecca Minkoff bags that look cute online, but when I see them in person, the quality seems to be hardly any better than bags I'd get at Target or JCPenny. What are your thoughts?

 

[RLWrites]

I really like my Botkier, orYANY, Michael Kors and Coach bags. All have stood up to wear and tear pretty well, though to be fair, I own a lot of bags, so it's not like any of them are being worn daily for a year straight lol

 

[shadowplay]

I really like my Botkier, orYANY, Michael Kors and Coach bags. All have stood up to wear and tear pretty well, though to be fair, I own a lot of bags, so it's not like any of them are being worn daily for a year straight lol

I've never tried coach, but a lot of their leather bags seem to be very good quality. And Michael Kors leather seems nice as well!

 

[Wildflower22]

My Rebecca Minkoff is incredible quality, although I purchased it probably 4 years ago. On the other hand, I have a Kate Spade that may as well be from Walmart. It's embarrassingly poor quality. It was a gift and it's beautiful, so I wear it, but the quality is really bad.

 

[alansgail]

I've never owned Kate Spade or Rebecca Minkoff. I do own Oryany (beautiful quality on my bag), Coach (great quality here too, especially on the older bags), Linea Pelle (the older ones, not recent) have all been exceptional.
I've heard nothing but good things about Botkier and do have one of their smaller crossbody bags and it's wonderful.
So far I'd have to say that my older Linea Pelle Dylan is my favorite as far as the leather and construction quality goes.
I also had a gorgeous goatskin bag made for me by a wonderful handbag artist and that is my favorite bag that I've ever owned. The quality is top notch in every way.

 

[pandorabox]

I've never owned Kate Spade or Rebecca Minkoff. I do own Oryany (beautiful quality on my bag), Coach (great quality here too, especially on the older bags), Linea Pelle (the older ones, not recent) have all been exceptional.
I've heard nothing but good things about Botkier and do have one of their smaller crossbody bags and it's wonderful.
So far I'd have to say that my older Linea Pelle Dylan is my favorite as far as the leather and construction quality goes.
I also had a gorgeous goatskin bag made for me by a wonderful handbag artist and that is my favorite bag that I've ever owned. The quality is top notch in every way.

I agree wi h you about the leather and linea pelle. They have changed it from they way it was a few years ago. [emoji45]

 

[skyqueen]

I just bought 3 Coach Dinky's from the Coach 1941 collection. Haven't bought Coach for years. Stuart Vevers (Mulberry) is the creative director and has brought some nice touches to the bags. Leather lined which is impossible to find even in premium bags with a build in coin purse. Can't beat it for the price!

 

[Katiesmama]

I'm happy with my Coach, Dooneys and Brahmin bags. As for worst quality, I can't come up with anything right now. Most likely because they aren't appealing to me on any level and I just walk on by without stopping for a look.

 

[shadowplay]

My Rebecca Minkoff is incredible quality, although I purchased it probably 4 years ago. On the other hand, I have a Kate Spade that may as well be from Walmart. It's embarrassingly poor quality. It was a gift and it's beautiful, so I wear it, but the quality is really bad.

it's funny that our experience is the opposite! I've heard RM used to be better a few years ago - hopefully they'll step it up and get back there. And I'm sure they still have bags that are nice, I just haven't seen them. Sorry to hear your Kate Spade isn't good [emoji45]

 

[soramillay]

I think generally all contemporary brands are a tier above the department store level brands but with every brand, you have bags that are great quality and some that come across as cheaply made. You just have to go to TJ Maxx to inspect the bags there to see which ones hold up under rough handling.

Personally have no problems with my RM or KS which are great value for money but I am picky about leather and stay far away from the saffiano and printed leather. I associate Coach with quality but honestly they are not better than the rest. I have a Legacy duffle that had two studs fall off within a week of wearing it.

 

[RedPlanet]

I think generally all contemporary brands are a tier above the department store level brands but with every brand, you have bags that are great quality and some that come across as cheaply made. You just have to go to TJ Maxx to inspect the bags there to see which ones hold up under rough handling.

Personally have no problems with my RM or KS which are great value for money but I am picky about leather and stay far away from the saffiano and printed leather. I associate Coach with quality but honestly they are not better than the rest. I have a Legacy duffle that had two studs fall off within a week of wearing it.

I agree totally with these points. I own RM, Alexander Wang, Via Spiga, Zac Posen (don't hate!) and I just bought my first Coach. To me, it is ALL about the leather and the stitching and overall craftsmanship. So when I shop, I shop for thick leather as a primary + quality detailing. All of my bags have held up really well and arguably have just as good if not better leather than many of the premier brands. I think it really just comes down to the specific model and definitely avoiding saffiano and printed since they do seem to run of lesser quality with the contemporary brands.

 

[Amazona]

Some of my favorite (contemporary) brands are Lumi and Longchamp.
I think for Lumi, I only need to say this; I just sold a 3-yr Lumi Supermarket bag and listed it "as good as new" - after receiving my faithful companion the buyer said the bag was in a better shape than she thought it would be. I might as well have pulled it off the store shelf and sent it to her. I used the bag daily for almost a year, didn't baby it and it still had no signs of ever being used. For the price (now around 290 €) it's some of the greatest quality possible.
I've seen seriously abused and old Lumi bags that have held up beautifully; the only one, a black Supermarket, that had more color wear and seemed a bit tired turned out to be 7 yrs old and the owner told me she'd never used any care products on it!

Another brand that doesn't let down is Longchamp. Out of all the LC I've owned I have only had one bag with a quality issue and it was replaced with no questions asked. Others have held up beautifully, both SLG, clutches, nylon and leather bags. For the extremely reasonable prices they charge you get beautiful design, amazing durability and excellent customer care.

 

[anthrosphere]

I have a Longchamp Splash canvas Le Pliage tote and it is in beautiful quality and is lightweight. I've carried it many times and it has held up well. Their leather bags are also exceptional quality, too.

I stopped buying RM because the quality is pretty poor. Their black pebbled leather, while soft, looks really cheap. Actually, many of their bags that are in-stores now look poor. Something I would find at TJ Maxx for less than $50.

Coach's 1941 collection looks gorgeous in person. The buttery soft, rain resistant leather is amazing quality. However, I find their outlet bags kinda cheap looking.

 

[LVmyotherbaby]

From personal experience with brands I own, or have owned in the past:

Longchamp- Both Nylon & their Foulonne leather bags, love them!

Coach is another Contemporary brand with some great quality gems.

 

[peachylv]

Although I've mostly switched to designer brands and currently only own three contemporary bags, I used to carry only contemporary brand bags. My Rebecca Minkoffs are doing very well. My black MAM is in pretty heavy rotation and the leather is great. My Cupid is doing fine, but I don't wear it that often. I have a Cuyana tote that is doing well. I remember Coach holding up well, but I only owned the leather bags. Brahmin also held up well. My Brighton bags and SLGs were junk though.