hi lavanderjunkie! thanks so much for the detailed reply!
now that you highlighted the handles on the trina and audrey satchels, i’m now hesitant on those since i prefer handles that fold down coz i have a similar bag with handles sticking out and it’s driving me nuts when i use it. so, thank you!
between the bristol and the dillen double pockets, are these heavy bags? the heaviest bag i have is the regular
coach rogue so was wondering if they’re heavier than that?
colors? i’d like a little pop of color actually in my next bag, like blue or red/pink. is the turquoise or ocean nice? what about red, strawberry, pink or bubble gum - are they they too bright and easy enough to pair with? or maybe stay with neutral like navy for my first dooney.
i’m afraid my only option for buying is through dooney site or ebay only since i’m based outside the us.
Are you thinking of the Bristol in Florentine leather or pebbled leather?
As for weight, I think the Bristol and the Dillen double pocket satchel
are probably similar.... neither is overly heavy, but they are not light weight bags. The QVC web site includes bag weight in the description... they might still have the pebbled Bristol listed, I don't know. The other web site that has lots of pictures and info is zappos, for styles they carry.
I don't know if they include weight of the bags.
As for color, I'm all in.... I love almost every Dooney blue shade, including the turquoises, and teals, etc. Very often the multiple shades (whether blues or pinks) are very similar.... a slight undertone difference might be visible in natural light.
I think the blues are generally very fashion flexible, so you can't go wrong.. for midtone blues the denim and ocean blue are almost identical. Side by side, you can tell the difference, the denim has 1 drop more teal in the undertone. But unless they are side by side, the colors appear the same. I will say that the denim blue is more consistent than the ocean blue in the Florentine leather. For some reason the Florentine ocean blue ranged from a vivid bright blue color to a more muted, lighter shade. I don't think you will find any Florentine ocean blue in new production. It has been replaced by the denim.
In pebbled leather the ocean blue is a darker shade, more of a coss between a light navy and a royal blue.
There are lots of different blue Dooney colors....some have a drop more teal in the undertone, some a drop more purple, and of course the darkness varies from the midnight and navy on one end to the carribean blue on the light end of the scale. Which blue you choose depends on whether you want an all year round color, the climate you live in, as well as your wardrobe and existing handbag collection. I will say that the pebbled leather dusty blue is a beautiful shade.... it's lighter than midtone, but I think a 12 month wearable color no matter where you live. The dusty blue has a drop of purple in the undertone and it's a soft shade, but not pale and not pastel. I find it works with almost every other color I can think of.
I like Dooney turquoise, but usually it's a very intense and bight turquoise. The Calypso blue is a little lighter, but still a lovely turquoise shade. As for Calypso vs. dusty blue.... the calypso is much brighter and the dusty blue is softer and more neutral.
I love red handbags and pinks too. But for reds and pinks the undertone can be a key factor in coordinating with clothing.... for the pinks especially the amount of orange undertone (or peach), versus the amount of purple undertone can make a big difference. I have lots of different Dooney pinks, but the undertone can make pairing with other colors (especially other pinks or purples) a little more challenging, if you are particular about such things.
Dooney does beautiful reds, but not all red is the same... some are true reds with a blue undertone, and some skew more to a warm red ( orange or brown undertone). I think the current crop of red in Florentine and pebbled leather are true red as they are using other names to designate some of the other shades (like cranberry, or salmon or persimmon).
And of course, red is a 12 month of the year color.
Strawberry varies quite a bit depending upon the leather collection. In pebbled leather I think it has a pink undertone... sort of a red/pink mix.
In Florentine leather the strawberry was a lighter red with orange undertones.... a totally different shade. I like the pebbled leather strawberry shade a lot. I have a satchel in that shade, from years ago. The color is deep enough to be an all season color, even in the northeast, but bright enough to be a pop of color and look great in the August heat.
One of the considerations in selecting color is what else is in your handbag wardrobe and also are you looking for an everyday use bag or one that you will rotate either for the season or with other handbags you already own.
Also, the lighter the color the more it will show dirt and wear if you carry it everyday. Pebbled leather can be cleaned with a little soap and water to remove general grime. That said, if you use a light color handbag every day you need to pay more attention to maintaining it than with a handbag of a slightly darker color. I spot clean very light colored handbags if I carry them for a week. (It takes a minute with a wet wash cloth and a little soap to go over the bottom of the bag and the corners if they have picked up any dirt or any other areas that might have gotten a coffee splash). You can't expect to have a light colored handbag returned to pristine condition if you let grime build up for months. I'm not into extensive handbag restoring or treatments or anything like that....I don[t want a project or multiple steps.... I just want my handbags to look good, clean and neat, pristine.... a minute of maintenance done regularly works well for me and my handbags.
