Black vs. Midnight Navy bags? I don't get the draw with Navy... Your thoughts?

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C

chlee1

Member
Apr 22, 2015
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#1
I guess I'm getting tired of having too many black bags so I'm considering the midnight navy version of a bag (pebbled leather crossbody with brushed gold/brass hardwear), but since I've never purchased a Navy bag before, my logical side is asking why not just get black. They are visually SO similar. Curious to everyone's thoughts..I'd love to hear a new perspective. And if it matters - I have a minimalist asthetic, I don't wear much color and most of my pieces - clothes, bags, shoes are in neutrals.

coach cassie.png coach cassie blk.jpg
 
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#3
I like the “idea” of a navy bag because I like blue and I also have a number of black bags. But, other than occasionally wearing blue jeans, I don’t have colors in my wardrobe that go well with it. I wear mostly black, white, jewel tones and saturated pastels. No earth tones. And, I think navy looks great with earth tones.

I don’t really want a nautical look so I don’t want to pair it with red and I’d be careful about white

Navy remains a maybe for me. We’ll see.
 
#5
Sparkletastic said:
I like the “idea” of a navy bag because I like blue and I also have a number of black bags. But, other than occasionally wearing blue jeans, I don’t have colors in my wardrobe that go well with it. I wear mostly black, white, jewel tones and saturated pastels. No earth tones. And, I think navy looks great with earth tones.

I don’t really want a nautical look so I don’t want to pair it with red and I’d be careful about white

Navy remains a maybe for me. We’ll see.
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Such good points, thanks! Ugh. They need to release a mohagony brown color. It's not black and looks stunning/matches everything. Honestly that's the only reason I can stand LV damier ebene.
 
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#6
chlee1 said:
I guess I'm getting tired of having too many black bags so I'm considering the midnight navy version of a bag (pebbled leather crossbody with brushed gold/brass hardwear), but since I've never purchased a Navy bag before, my logical side is asking why not just get black. They are visually SO similar. Curious to everyone's thoughts..I'd love to hear a new perspective. And if it matters - I have a minimalist asthetic, I don't wear much color and most of my pieces - clothes, bags, shoes are in neutrals.

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IMO navy goes with a lot of colours, can feel a bit less formal/severe than black, and can look a bit younger. I wear navy with gray, blue, beige, white, red/pink, green, yellow, even black! I have a dark navy Valextra Iside mini and a medium navy Delvaux Brillant. Love navy bags!
 
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#11
JolieS said:
IMO navy goes with a lot of colours, can feel a bit less formal/severe than black, and can look a bit younger. I wear navy with gray, blue, beige, white, red/pink, green, yellow, even black! I have a dark navy Valextra Iside mini and a medium navy Delvaux Brillant. Love navy bags!
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I agree with all of this! I love my black bags too, but I find navy to be just as versatile while also being less severe. I tend not to wear black bags in the summertime, but navy works just as well in hot weather as it does in the cooler months. I especially love it with silver hardware for a clean, modern look. Navy with gold is also beautiful, just more traditional-looking.

OP, like you, I don’t wear a lot of color — my clothes are usually black, white, gray and navy. I add scarves for color but my clothes are all neutral, and dark blue bags fit in seamlessly.
 
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#12
I have dark navy and black bags. Ended up with navy when a black in the style I preferred wasn't available. Navy looks great with white, grey or denim. Wear teal? It will work with that also. I wear a ton of black, but trying to break it up a little. Sometimes I just wear the navy bag with black--because I don't have time. Sometimes it's accidental. Funny story.....I have exactly the same style of shoes in dark navy and black. Went out yesterday with one of each. LOL. I don't think anyone noticed!

Some of it will come to down to your preferred palette. If you really can't wear black or hate it, a dark navy is a great option. One caveat: navy is very hard to match! It can even clash with other navy,

However if I were looking at a classic bag such as the Cassie, I would go with the black. Hands down. You'll wear it forever.
 
#13
I love navy, it's my preferred color over black. I think it matters what clothing you pair it with. In a store navy/black are going to look quite similar but when you pair it with your own various colors and prints you can see the difference more clearly. Black is the safe choice in bags so navy represents being safe while still being a bit more individual. It can also come across as less harsh overall. I especially think navy is a great choice for someone who tends to wear a lot of black, to break up the monochrome. I find that navy pairs with just about any color.
 
#15
Perhaps consider a different shade of navy. As you noted, Midnight Navy can look so close to black that you're not really accomplishing the purpose of veering away from the black bags you're tired of.
There are slightly bluer shades of navy that are still neutral, still true navy, but further away from that midnight dark blue-almost black colour. Have a look around and see if a different shade of navy feels better to you.
Also since you wear a lot of neutrals, a navy bag will work brilliantly as it is also a neutral and matches almost everything (I love it with white, black, dark grey, but find it looks especially good with burgundy and yellow)! :smile:
 
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