Splurge Monday’s TPS Report: Dooney & Bourke’s Alto Medium Ashley Bag
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Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
We're loving the sharp, sleek look of Dooney & Bourke's “Alto” line of bags. No crazy logos, no quacking ducks — just simple, well-made bags with a timeless elegance. The medium Ashley bag is a great example — 15″x 6″x 12.5″ inches, it's more than big enough for papers; we love the cell phone pocket inside and the feet on the outside. Lovely. Available at Dooney.com in black, brown, red, and natural for $425. Dooney & Bourke Alto Medium Ashley Bag
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Sales of note for 8/29/25 (I'm bolding the ones I'm checking out first):
- Nordstrom – Summer sale has started!
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your full price purchase, $99 dresses, jackets and shoes, and 60% off sale
- AllSaints (some of the best leather jackets!) – Clearance event, up to 70% off
- Anthropologie – Extra 40% off sale + 25% off designer denim
- A.P.C. – Last days, 50% off!
- Athleta – Up to 60% off + extra 30% off sale – readers particularly love these casual pants
- ba&sh – Extra 25% off Labor Day Sale – readers love these cardigan lady jackets; some are marked down to $190
- Banana Republic Factory – 50%-70% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 20% off everything – readers love this blazer, these dresses, and their double-layer line of tees
- Brochu Walker – Labor Day Sale, up to 30% off
- Everlane – Summer sale up to 70% off – reader favorites include their scoop tee, their ReNew Transit backpack, silk blouses and their oversized blazers!
- Frank & Eileen – Lots in the sale section up to 40% off
- Kaai – 10% off work bags and 50% off Loop bags
- J.Crew – 40% sitewide (readers love this blazer, these pants, these sneakers, this suiting, and their sweater blazers and winter coats in general. Also note that they've expanded their size range up to 3X/24! See our full roundup of what to buy for work at J.Crew.)
- J.Crew Factory – 40-70% off everything and extra 60% off clearance
- L.K. Bennett – Sale items up to 70% off, lots of shoes and more in the sale
- Me + Em – Up to 60% off, online only
- M.M.LaFleur – Save up to 70% Labor Day Weekend – Take an additional 20% off already-discounted items
- Naturalizer – Last call! Up to 70% off
- Neiman Marcus – 15% off select beauty & fragrance including DIOR, Nars, Chantecaille, Victoria Beckham, SK-II, and La Mer (ends 8/30)
- Nordstrom Rack – Clear the Rack, extra 25% off clearance (we recently featured this great $30 sweater blazer, but I think it comes in more colors now)
- Rothy's – Up to 50% off last-chance sales
- Sarah Flint – 25% off sitewide
- Soma – Sale up to 70% off, bras 2 for $65, $6 panties with any purchase (also buy 3 panties, get 2 free) – readers love these PJs and these no-VPL panties
- Spanx – End of summer sale, extra 30% off sale styles with code — reader favorites include these pants in regular, petite, and tall sizes all up to 3X (the very rare option for a plus-size petite!); Nordstrom also has a big collection!)
- Talbots – 70% off markdowns final sale + 25% off regular purchase – readers love this classic cashmere sweater, this classic cardigan, and their suiting (available in petite, regular, plus, and plus-size petite!) (here are all the reader favorites at Talbots)
- White House Black Market – Extra 60% off sale styles for up to 80% off, also $50 off your $200 purchase, and $30 off all pants
And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!
Some of our latest threadjacks include:
- how do I feel less overstimulated at work?
- how can I look more put-together/expensive?
- what's the best out-of-office message to show I'm not working?
- what are some comfortable fashion sneakers?
- what brands have minimalist clothes for a more casual office?
- how to store lots of accessories
- what are good products for sparse brows?
- what do you recommend for gifts for a friend who's eloping?
- what should I pick for our company-branded conference swag?
- what non-sneaker shoes can you walk a mile in?
- I'm 31 and feel like my life is too stagnant…
- which emojis fill you with rage?
- how can I make house guests more comfortable?
- my friend is at her wit's end with her SAHP
- when is it time to quit therapy?
- why is it so hard to stay on top of school communications for my teen?
Wow. Gorgeous and classy.
What is it with buckles on the outside of bags lately. They just stick out and snag things while doing not a lot (imho) to the look of the bag.
Dislike D & B on principle because their lower-end, logo-covered bags are so tacky. But this is a nice-lo0king bag.
There are a lot of promising-looking bags in this line – I wonder how stiff the leather is.
I have something similar and while I love the way it looks, the leather plus a laptop can get VERY heavy on my commute.
I really love this bag, but it’s out of my price range. I’ve been looking for a new bag lately, though and was wondering what people thought about using a dark red or even chocolate brown. Specifically, do you think either could be used every day regardless of one’s outfit. I’m a little worried about the look of a chocolate brown bag with a black or gray suit, but not sure if red (even a dark red) is too flashy. The bag I’m strongly considering is the Coakley Contemporary Classic™ Everyday Tote. Thoughts?
dark red is not too flashy, but for that kind of money you can get a nice leather bag. for example, kate spade’s tarrytown tote is nice & simple and you can get it on ebay for about $200.
M: Don’t fear the wine-colored bags! :) I have a wine-colored briefcase and I love it. Maybe this is more in your price range:
http://www.ebags.com/jack_georges/milano_double_gusset_top_zip_brief/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=9238&productid=31014
I know it’s more expensive than the Coakley, but the Jack Georges bag was one of the best purchases I have made in terms of my professional wardrobe. I went with wine because I wear a lot of black/brown/gray and I really did not like the idea of having a briefcase that did not match those colors exactly. Knowing that the black in my briefcase didn’t match the black in my suit/shoes/purse/etc. would drive me crazy! :)
(FYI, to my eyes the briefcase looks much less red and much more merlot/wine in real life — the picture on the website isn’t great.)
The Coakley bag looks roomy and practical, but it wouldn’t have worked for me — I was definitely looking for a briefcase, not a hold-everything handbag/purse, and to me the Coakley doesn’t fit the bill. (For a purse I have a small black leather Prada barrel bag — big, big investment but perfect for court. It’s pretty small, and it does take effort to fit what I need in there, but it’s simple, practical, inconspicuous and keeps my personal items away from my laptop/court docs — important when I’ve got a partner standing over me asking for one of said docs!).
I LOVE Jack Georges! My current work bag is a darker royal blue leather with cream leather contrast piping by Jack Georges, and I got it at Marshalls for only $59.00! M, I would strongly recommend scouting places like TJ Maxx and Marshalls if you want an expensive bag for a reasonable price. I also rather like the briefbags by Levenger and Barney’s New York label, both of which you can get for around one hundred dollars on sale.
I actually just bought one of the bags from this line — the medium rectangular shopper in cordovan– at Marshalls for $199.00 (probably my best Marshalls find to-date). It is a great bag, large enough for my legal pads and some case law and transcripts along with my usual stuff. I have been getting lots of compliments on it. I highly recommend the cordovan (although I think that color has been discontinued, the dark red is fairly close). It goes with brown, black, and grey, and is very rich-looking. I’ve also noticed that the leather is wearing very nicely after carrying around files for a few weeks. I personally think it’s neater to just have one bag that doubles as a briefcase (and on the weekends, a diaper bag! ah, the life of the working mom) and a purse. Marshalls often has high-quality leather bags like this- you just have to hunt a little.
Not usually a Dooney fan, but I purchased the large alto Zip Zip satchel (the older design which is a little taller than the current) in the “natural” leather color, and it is very luxe. The leather darkens and ages beautifully and the bag looks like it cost much more than it did ($525 when I got mine). I liked my Zip Zip satchel so much that I purchased the large alto Ashley bag for work (I love big bags) and I love it! I can fit legal files and a lap top inside with more than enough room to spare. The craftsmanship of the bag is really impressive. I also hear that Dooney has a great repair service, though I doubt if you’ll need it. My two alto bags are very well made and sturdy. They fit right in with my LV, Chloe, Gucci, and other “higher end” designer bags, and I’ve gotten a TON of compliments on both. I would definitely recommend the Dooney alto line (specifically the Zip Zip and Ashley in the “natural” color) to the discriminating professional woman who fancies high quality craftsmanship; clean, non-fussy, classic silhouettes; and doesn’t care to have designer logos all over her bags. Very nice, Dooney.