Looking WAY Ahead: Puffers and Handbags - YouLookFab Forum

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Looking WAY Ahead: Puffers and Handbags

Ginger

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I wish I could write a real fall/winter planning post, but I'm not nearly as organized as Jenn! Mostly I'm trying to not be grumpy about the continued heat by focusing on enjoying my summer clothes and sandals. (Picture #1 is the 10 day forecast.) However, I did do a wardrobe edit over the weekend, and one of the results was a fairly long list of shoes and boots to shop for. The other thing that came to mind was my handbag situation for the winter.

My current bag is the Patricia Nash London saddle bag. I love it to bits! But it doesn't work with the Glorious White Puffer. Crossbody bags and giant furry hoods are ridiculously awkward to wrangle every time I step out of the house and in/out of the car. Plus, the warm cognac isn't my favorite choice with the bright white and cool gray of the puffer.

I really prefer crossbody styles because I have narrow shoulders. I literally get a cramp, and then headache, if I try to keep a bag on my shoulder. And clutches just aren't quite big enough for my needs. I want a bag as small as possible, without having to fight to arrange everything. Last year I got a pink quilted velvet bag, which did work pretty well. I just know it won't last forever.

So now I'm slowly starting to look for another bag. I think I want a structured satchel style, with either two handles or a single handle that is fixed on the bag itself, not on a flap. Plus an exterior pocket. I'm thinking of white, true gray, or silver/pewter in color, and in leather, with no gold or brass metal. Price is always a consideration, especially since I have a lot of footwear on my list and it won't be cheap. The only reason I have the Patricia Nash is because I found it on Poshmark in good used condition. That's also why I'm looking now, since I can shop eBay and Poshmark patiently when I know what I want.

Over to you! What do you prefer to carry when wearing a puffer?

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Patricia Nash Heritage Collection London Saddle Bag

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Laundry By Shelli Segal Faux-Fur-Trim Down Puffer Coat

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18 replies

Latest reply was from bj1111

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

Now that I think about it...I don’t think I do carry a bag when I’m wearing a big puffer. I usually just load up the pockets. To be honest, though, I probably wouldn’t wear a puffer like you show unless I was planning to be outside for more than an hour and the temp was below 20ish°F, so it’s not a winter staple for me.

JAileen

Veteran

Your puffer is adorable. And I love your bag, too. But I see what you mean colorwise. How about a seatbelt bag? Not leather, but still nice quality.

I nearly always use a bag with a long strap to wear cross body. How about a tote with handles and a long strap? Then if it’s just a few minutes (walk from car to office) you can carry your bag by the handles, but if it’s going to be longer (grocery shopping after work) you can use the longer strap. Wrestling with the hood is definitely a pain!

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Lauren

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Hi Ginger! I know nothing about puffer jackets (we don’t need them here), but your saddle bag is cute!
Agree something cooler tone would look great.

Runcarla

Veteran

Finding a bag that worked with my puffers was an issue that I resolved with my Harvey's Seatbelt Bag. The fabric worked better than leather (IMHO) and the bright black and white stripes work with my black and red puffers.

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Runcarla

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I see that I posted with my seatbelt bag mentor!

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

I so agree with you on bags—the size, exterior pocket, and how to carry!

My only suggestion is to let the purse sit next to you, on/in the center console when you drive, so you don’t have to wrangle the hood through the strap every time. Either that or get a puffer with a removable hood and carry the P Nash.

Style Fan

Veteran

You look gorgeous in your puffer! I spend a lot of time in puffers. I tend to carry the bare essentials with me in my pockets but I am not a bag person. What activities do you do in your puffer? The seatbelt tote looks useful if long walks are not on the agenda. If I need a bag with my puffer I carry a tote.

Bijou

Veteran

I like my hand held Kate Spade Cameron Street Large Lane satchel (blush and black are currently on sale on the Kate Spade web site) and this bag comes with a cross body strap if you prefer to use it like that. I would imagine that you could get one of these second hand. It really is the Tardis of bags - looks small but holds a lot and is my favourite everyday bag. They come in a huge range of colours....Of course my Kate Spade owl bag matches your puffer beautifully, just not quite so practical!

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Anonymous

I use cross body bags, but just over one shoulder not diagonally. Admiring those happy kate spade bags though!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I LOVE that puffer.

Ginger, I have narrow shoulders too. Don't prefer shoulder bags (unless they are VERY dainty). High five.

I have two puffers - and one in a hold zone that I don't wear. I wear crossbodies and satchels. Here are some examples with satchels.

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Short Anorak With Hidden Hood

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Soia & Kyo Water Resistant Hooded Down Walking Coat

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Furla Furla Elena Saffiano Leather Large Satchel Bag, Stucco Beige

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Furla Furla Women's Metropolis Medium Satchel

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DeAnna

Your weather forecast looks just like mine, I am so over the heat and want to wear sweaters and booties, but no. Will be another month or more before that can happen. I also use a satchel with a cross body strap with my puffer in the winter.

Ginger

Veteran

Jenn, just using the pockets is so practical, particularly for your context. I know the puffer is overkill for people who get significant winter. But our short winters do get cold, they're windy and damp, and I don't handle cold well. I also walk about a quarter mile from after I park my car at work; if it weren't for that, I would be fine without a puffer.

JAileen, where do you find seatbelt bags? That blue is really beautiful. I don't want a bag as big as a tote, but a similar shape would be great. Having a long, removeable strap would be ideal - exactly as you said, for the grocery store!

Thank you, Lauren! Yes, even I can't imagine using a puffer where you are. But they're wonderfully lightweight if you end up traveling to someplace cold.

Carla, that is so interesting! I don't remember seatbelt bags coming up much at all in the past. The black and white is terrific with your red. Why was seatbelt material better than leather? Are they fairly waterproof?

That's an interesting idea Fashintern. I tried setting my bag on the console once, but I wear the bag on my left side. Swinging it around to the right, plus dealing with the actual seatbelt, was as much trouble as taking it off completely.

Style Fan, the puffer is fairly nice/smart, not gear-ish. It's my primary winter coat. So car time, walking to and from work (~ .25 mile each way, carrying an additional tote), greeting at church for 30+ minutes on Sunday mornings, shopping, errands, visits. I don't change bags, so this will be used 7 days a week, both with and without the coat.

Bijou, the owl is so cute! I'm not sure I'd want to use it daily, though. That Lane satchel is a great style, and a Tardis bag is just up my alley. Thanks for the recommendation. KS is on the list to research.

suntiger, I can keep a strap on my shoulder in summer for a few minutes, but it doesn't balance very well. The squishiness and slick surface of a puffer means it's practically impossible in winter! Oh, well.

Angie! Those bags are just the sort I'm looking for, although just a couple inches smaller. I've learned I WILL fill up a bigger bag, and then my shoulders ache.

DeAnna it's so hard to be patient sometimes! I'm just waiting for the day I can wear long sleeves and not sweat all the way through my clothes after work. That .25 mile walk (and superheated car) is tough in summer. My previous puffers have very simple hoods without trim or much structure, and I remember the crossbody bag worked fine then.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I love that white puffer on you!!

The seat belt bags are really interesting looking but I find them heavy. No one else has mentioned that, though, so maybe it is just me. https://shopharveys.com

I love the shape of the Furla bags Angie has! My current hunt is for a bag with silver hardware rather than gold.

I think leather can work with a puffer well especially if the puffer is a bit dressy, as yours is. But at the same time, the style of the bag and the colour are important. I wouldn't want white, myself, with a white coat, simply because I like a bit of contrast. A metallic could be good. Or red, pink, navy, etc.

JAileen

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Zappos also has the seatbelt bags. There are two styles of manufacture: where the webbing is woven (picture #1), and where it’s sewn together (picture #2). The woven ones are heavy. The other kind isn’t. The other thing is they’re washable! I took the bag in #2 to Seattle a couple years ago, and it got kind of grimy. When I got home, I hand washed it with Dawn dish soap and it was as good as new.

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Stagiaire Fash

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Those seatbelt bags are tempting!

I still think you should be looking at different jackets as much as at different bags, because it’s the pairing, not any individual piece, that’s the problem

Ginger

Veteran

Thanks, Fashintern, but the jacket is one of my very favorite wardrobe items. It's not leaving over what is honestly a pretty minor issue.

Ginger

Veteran

Suz, I'm definitely going to look for silver hardware, or at least pewter. The pink velvet has gold, which is tolerable because the velvet itself is so luxe and the gold suits it. I think a silver or pewter bag would be lovely. Red would be awesome, but I wear so much burgundy in the winter, and I don't enjoy that level of color clashing. A pink blush would work as well.

JAileen, thank you for clarifying about the bags. It makes sense that the woven ones are heavier; they take twice the material. And good to know that they're on Zappos as well! Both sites have different items on offer.

bj1111

Veteran

Have you tried fashion backpacks?