Should I buy MIL a Dooney & Burke bag from QVC for her birthday?

canyongirl

O.G.
May 7, 2009
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My MIL does not have a nice handbag. I think the nicest bag she has she recently bought from Kohl's. Her birthday is coming up and everytime I ask her what she wants she says "nothing". We usually get her jewelry, but I was thinking she might enjoy a new handbag.

She is fairly old-fashioned, but likes to feel fashionable (haha.. if that makes sense). And she only knows very mainstream designers, like Coach and Dooney & Burke. So, do you think she'd like a D&B bag from QVC? Or, should I drive down to the Coach outlet and try to find her something there?

Here are the D&B bags I'm considering. Let me know your thoughts.

Donegal Tote w/Accessories
Either RED or NAVY
$204
http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail/params.cm_scid.WISH.item.A86154

Leather Satchel
Either BLACK or TAUPE
$288
http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail/params.cm_scid.WISH.item.A11117

Crescent Tote w/Accessories
Not sure what color? I would say Black, but it's on waitlist. Maybe white?
$241
http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail/params.cm_scid.WISH.item.A90071

Thank you for your help! :biggrin:
 
I think the satchel would be a nice choice. And it being QVC, its completely returnable. Not sure how old your MIL is but the crescent tote gives a younger vibe. Whatever you get, you've clearly put a lot of thought into it so I hope she appreciates it!
 
I think those are all absolutely lovely bags. Can't imagine anyone not liking any of them.

Buying a purse is a pretty person thing for most women, as you can tell by the messages in this forum. Everyone has their own nits and preferences. I bought a Dooney for my mom who, like your MIL, rarely buys a purse from anyplace other than Kohl's. She claimed she loved it, but I've yet to see her carry it. She's a tiny lady, a size 2 if that, and very fussy about purses being too big or too heavy for her. I bought her a Dooney letter carrier, which is a small bag, just large enough for lipstick, comb and wallet, with a cross-body strap. She's awful worried about getting her purse swiped while shopping so I thought that might be something she could carry without fear. When I gave her the bag the first thing she did was cut the strap in half with a scissors. Said she would never wear a cross-body--"Yuck!"--and wanted the purse snug beneath her arm. O.K. That was the last I saw of it.

I've tried to give her some of my hand-me-down bags, the small ones, but she never likes them for one reason or another. So I've given up on purses as gifts for her.

But I think all your bag choices are gorgeous and can't imagine anyone not liking them (well, except for my mom ;)). One thing I have discovered is that when it comes to gifts it's hard to go wrong with a tote. Everyone loves (and needs) totes. No matter how inexpensive or pricey they always seem to go over well.
 
^^I agree, it's really a personal thing. I've bought my mom a purse and make-up as gifts, but I take her shopping with me. I don't tell her I'm going to buy her something, in fact, I try to go sometime when it's not her birthday or a month or so before Christmas so it's a surprise. Then I just wait and see what she really loves as we're looking around.

Sometimes I'll come back later and get what ever she liked, but I like the dramatic effect of grabbing it out of her hand and marching over to the cash register right in front of her!

So if this is something you want to get for your MIL, maybe have a girl's day of lunch and shopping.
 
A while back a gal posted a pic of a bag she was thinking of buying her mom for her birthday. After everyone said "Oooh-ooh, cute!" and "Yes, yes, buy it for her!" she emailed the pic to her mom and her mom said "No, no, no." So sometimes it's truly hard to gauge what someone else will like.

I like the idea of the mother-daughter shopping trip. Thing is my mom will never even look at anything over $10.
 
I would be inclined to follow your idea about going to the Coach outlet. Coach has some pretty classic designs and their leather bags wear very well. You could get her a fabulous bag there for less than what you'd spend on a Dooney - with more Brand "wow" factor.

I bought a Whiskey Vachetta Leather Satchel (Legacy Line) at my Coach Outlet in late July. The bag was $600, and after all discounts, I pd $140. It is gorgeous!

BTW - this weekend Coach is doing another of it's 20% off coupon things.
 
Thank you girls for your suggestions! It really helps.

I am going to go to the Coach outlet and see if anything jumps out at me (especially since they have 20% off). If not, I might do one of the D&B bags.

I know purses are very personal, but I know she likes big bags with lots of storage room and compartments. :smile:
 
If she wants a big bag with lots of storage room and compartments, I would think outside the Coach-or-Dooney box. There are only a couple of bags in each brand that even come close to what I consider big and neither is famous for interior pockets. It's why I only own one Coach and a couple of Dooney.

What might work is a B. Makowsky (QVC, Macy's, Nordstrom, TJMaxx and the bay) which come in a range of sizes and are great for interior organization.
 
Tha DB crescent tote is really pretty big and kind of heavy empty, so that's a consideration--and I'm one who hauls a lot around, so usually the weight of the bags doesn't phase me, but it's the first thing I noticed about that bag.