Dooney broken strap - suggestions??

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BadWolf10

BadWolf10

Member
Apr 10, 2015
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1,559
#1
Hello all!! It's been a while since I have been on. I spent a few months a little disenchanted with Dooney. Then for Christmas I received 2 new Dooneys (woohoo!) and my love rekindled. I am not buying any new bags, but I went through my collection to review what I have.

I have Flo twist strap hobo in chestnut. It has a nice patina with a hint of red. I noticed the the glue on the strap has separated, and the stitching is lose on the strap as well.

I have considered sending it in for repair, they should be able to repair the strap. To be honest the strap has always been a bit too short for me. Before I send it in, do you have any suggestions for replacement straps that will look good? Or ideas for lengthening the strap? I love this bag but the one thing that always bothers me is that the top never quite folds over and "smiles" so the bag is always too high under my arm. I haven't found a solution to that so hoping that maybe this strap issue will present an opportunity.
 
#2
BW: hi and welcome back. I'm amazed the strap on the twist strap hobo broke. But if the stitching didn't hold.... then any strap can give way.
I wonder if someone used conditioner on the strap or it this was just a manufacturing issue. Yes, this is the kind of repair that Dooney can easily make. But, if the length of the strap is too short for you.... it makes sense to replace it. I don't know if Dooney would make it longer for you.... but it's worth asking if they would do it and at what cost to you. I think the twist strap is on of the nicest Dooney straps.

Ideas: a removeable shoulder or 3 part cross body strap from any Dooney you have, or one you can find inexpensively (ebay, thirift shop, sale/discount store). You could even get a nylon Dooney if it had the right color/type of strap..... ILD sometimes has great sales with extra % off. Some styles have slightly wider straps than others, so look at the details.

A totally different approach is a guitar strap, which is most often cross body length. Dooney had one, but the other contemporary designers have a wide range of offerings.... some leather, some fabrics, some patterns, some plain, some adorned. Don't be afraid to mix brands or even colors, as long as you like the look. Just because the Flo bag is chestnut, doesn't mean the strap has to match or even be in the brown family. Think outside the box..... black, any shade of brown, tan, orange, deep green, deep wine, and patterns with include a bit of browns and other colors. And while I'm on this adventure.... scarfs are very popular as handles and trim on handbags. So, you could get a strap that was the right length/width, and coordinate it back to the chestnut with a scarf.... either wrapped all around to almost hide the handle, or just o accent/coordinate a part of the handle. Was it Hermes that started this
with Twillies? I don't know, but I've been tying scarfs onto my handbag handles for 50 years. (Yes, I'm either that old or I started doing it for my dolls!) :) :) :)

And chain straps are very popular now for handbags. They can be bought on lots of sites (Amazon, for ex). You can pick your length and size. Of course many designer brands sell them also. Some have leather pieces at the center, for comfort. But most are all chain.
Personally, I avoid chain handles.... I think they are beautiful but heavy and uncomfortable to carry. But the rest of the handbag carrying world thinks chain handles are wonderful. (Thank Coco Channel) Ladies buy multiple colors/ lengths/sizes to have a wardrobe of chain straps to use on existing handbags.

And a while back, QVC offered a separate purchase cross body strap for a Dooney hobo they sold. I think it was a way to price the hobo, with short shoulder without the cost of the longer cross body strap. As I recall, the separate purchase strap was wider than your traditional, comes with the bag, removable strap. I don't remember the price or if it was adjustable in length.

Also, Dooneys Toscana line had webbed straps which were removeable, on some of the styles. They were adjustable with slides to various lengths from shoulder to cross body. Ladies loved these, but the hardware attachment was heavy (and I think silvertone). At one time the outlets had these for sale.

Check Dooney outlets and Dooney.com and ILD to see what they have for replacement straps. Also check Coach and MK and Patricia Nash.
 
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#3
Hello again!! You have so many great ideas, thank you so much.... I know I have conditioned the bag. The first time I did, I used Aussie. I wonder if it deteriorated the glue that binds the strap, and possibly the stitching.

I love the twist strap on my Logan and my new Tartan drawstring. But for some reason on my Flo hobo it's quite short. I hadn't thought of the strap that is on the pebble hobo and nylon hobo. I will have to measure the strap on my pebble hobo and see if it would work. If it does then maybe the outlet would have a nylon bag on clearance that would be worth the purchase for the strap. Thanks for the idea! I also may take a look at my crossbody straps. I will let you know what I find!

Thanks again!
 
#5
Check details before ordering any strap or chain..... apparently not all come with hooks or clips for attachment. I know the original web strap from the Toscana has dog clips for attachment to bags.... and they are big and super heavy. According to the reviews on Dooney.com the replacement web straps don't have ANY attachment clips! Guess it's a good reminder that we should read all the details.... attachment info, lengths, etc. When we see a picture, we often 'assume' the item is just like the one we have or have seen before.... so not true, but an easy mistake.
 
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#6
I agree, several of the replacement straps on the Dooney website are very thin... but you have to read the description. The image is deceiving. They appear to be wide enough, but in fact, they are the width of a zip zip satchel strap. The closest thing to what I want so far is on the QVC site. I struggle a little with the fact that the strap is $40. Its a steep price, but it is a Dooney strap that matches the trim and hardware. I did contact Dooney, and the repair department rep said that I do not need to send the entire bag in. She said the strap is removable, so I should send the strap in and they will try to repair it. If not, then they should be able to replace it. It's too short, but at least the original strap style is an option. I would like to keep it in repaired condition (or replaced) simply because it was part of the original style. I'm still on the hunt for a longer strap, QVC's is in the lead, but I want to be sure before I purchase it. I don't like the guitar straps, just not my style. They can be super cute, but not for me.
 
#7
BadWolf10 said:
I agree, several of the replacement straps on the Dooney website are very thin... but you have to read the description. The image is deceiving. They appear to be wide enough, but in fact, they are the width of a zip zip satchel strap. The closest thing to what I want so far is on the QVC site. I struggle a little with the fact that the strap is $40. Its a steep price, but it is a Dooney strap that matches the trim and hardware. I did contact Dooney, and the repair department rep said that I do not need to send the entire bag in. She said the strap is removable, so I should send the strap in and they will try to repair it. If not, then they should be able to replace it. It's too short, but at least the original strap style is an option. I would like to keep it in repaired condition (or replaced) simply because it was part of the original style. I'm still on the hunt for a longer strap, QVC's is in the lead, but I want to be sure before I purchase it. I don't like the guitar straps, just not my style. They can be super cute, but not for me.
Click to expand...

BW: that's good news that the original strap is removeable. I have an older twist strap hobo, and I just figured out how the strap could be removed!!! (Those length adjustment posts on the side can be opened and the ring and strap removed. Since I can never adjust those posts, I tend to forget about them.). After reading your post it was bugging me.... and I finally found my Flo twist strap hobo so I could figure it out. :)
And that may be the same way Dooney anticipates other replacement straps being used on other style handbags. Live and learn. Thanks... I feel smarter now.

I agree with you that getting the original strap repaired makes a lot of sense. And you can keep looking for an alternative. For 'only' $40 the QVC strap sounds like a reasonable option.... if the length works for you, depending upon how you want to carry the bag.

I recently bought the Dooney pebbled leather cross body bag that came with the guitar strap. Good price, at the time, on ILD. I'm not sure I will ever use it, but because it's wider and very long, it does balance the weight of the cross body handbag differently than a thinner strap. I have shoulder issues, so carrying anything on or across my shoulders is generally not a comfortable option for me. But sometimes, you just need to be hands free. And the handbag itself can be used with other shorter straps from other Dooneys. And the guitar strap can be moved to other handbags.... but because of it's length some handbags end up dragging around my knees with the guitar strap attached.... not a very elegant fashion look. :(

We do need to be more daring about interchanging our straps between handbags, even across brands. Who knows what combinations we can create.... style-wise and also to enhance the comfort and usability of various handbags. Maybe we should store all our removeable straps together, instead of with the handbag they originally came with! It would be hard to remember what originally came with which handbag, but maybe that doesn't really matter very much.
 
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#8
I'm glad you found a way to remove the strap. I agree it is very nice to know they can interchange. I always adjust my bags as soon as I get them to the longest drop strap option. If you aren't shoulder carrying your bags I can see why that isn't usually a priority. I think maybe you are right, I should just order the crossbody strap. It would be nice to use on my zip zip satchel and pebble hobo. They are slim enough to be carried as a crossbody with a nice strap.

Dooney has a newer Camden line. They seem to have it in Florentine and now Pebble Grain, woven embossed, and nylon. I have noticed the strap is removable, which is a nice option. Qvc has a crossbody strap included on some of them as well. Its refreshing to see some options. I hope dooney carries that over to other handbags.

I get very OCD about my wallet and strap being the same brand as the bag. But here recently I have been carrying my coach wallet with my Dooney bags. And I picked up a Radley London bag on a whim that I will use my dooney flo wallet with. So maybe you are right.... if the strap coordinates why not use it. I take such good care of my bags (as I'm sure you do as well) that I will never wear them out. So why not switch it up and coordinate brands and styles and enjoy our collections :-)
 
#9
BadWolf10 said:
I'm glad you found a way to remove the strap. I agree it is very nice to know they can interchange. I always adjust my bags as soon as I get them to the longest drop strap option. If you aren't shoulder carrying your bags I can see why that isn't usually a priority. I think maybe you are right, I should just order the crossbody strap. It would be nice to use on my zip zip satchel and pebble hobo. They are slim enough to be carried as a crossbody with a nice strap.

Dooney has a newer Camden line. They seem to have it in Florentine and now Pebble Grain, woven embossed, and nylon. I have noticed the strap is removable, which is a nice option. Qvc has a crossbody strap included on some of them as well. Its refreshing to see some options. I hope dooney carries that over to other handbags.

I get very OCD about my wallet and strap being the same brand as the bag. But here recently I have been carrying my coach wallet with my Dooney bags. And I picked up a Radley London bag on a whim that I will use my dooney flo wallet with. So maybe you are right.... if the strap coordinates why not use it. I take such good care of my bags (as I'm sure you do as well) that I will never wear them out. So why not switch it up and coordinate brands and styles and enjoy our collections :smile:
Click to expand...

BW: I'm still struggling with how to best coordinate my handbags and other accessories (SLGs). Since I carry a wallet, and credit card case, and eyeglass case, and cosmetic case, and another smaller pouch..... it's not just one thing. They don't all have to match, but I like them to coordinate or go together somehow. The red Dooney linings make it a challenge for me. Sometimes I don't think the red goes with the color of the handbag. And I don't want to use saddle color accessories all the time (it's not my happy color). This is a new 'issue' for me. In the past, I used one set of accessories all the time and only changed out twice a year. Then, I watched too many YT videos and saw too many posts here, and now.....Not only do I have too many handbags, I have too many accessories also. :) It's crazy and totally unnecessary. Why did I buy into this?
 
#10
BW: QVC2 was showing a nylon Dooney hobo with a wide, removeable saddle brown shoulder strap. Don't know if the strap would work for you, length-wise, but if it's on QVC you might find it on ILD or at the outlets 'soon'. When I saw the presentation, I thought of you. I think the show was 3/5, I recorded it and watched it late last night.

The Dooney rep (the newest one, with dark hair, don't remember her name) made a point about interchanging straps between Dooneys, since most of them are saddle brown color and have clips for attachment.

Great minds think alike. It's about time Dooney pointed out strap versatility....lots of YT presenters make a point of commenting that they love a particular handbag because it can be worn multiple ways.... hand carry, crook of arm, shoulder, or cross body. They aren't talking about Dooney at the time, but I always think that many Dooneys have this versatility and it's glossed over in presentations with a quick mention, at best. It seems that the ability to wear a handbag multiple ways is important to a lot of buyers.
 
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#11
That's awesome. I will check out qvc for sure. Hopefully Dooney will listen to its consumers. My rep at the local outlet says Peter Dooney is so set in his ways. Apparently it is quite difficult for his design teams to get him to venture very far on designs, including straps. Maybe he is starting to listen
 
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