Coffee Break: LouLou Leather Shoulder Bag

115 Comments

1. as much as i would like things to get back to normal (myself, my husband, my kids – we’ve all missed out on so much and seeing so so many of our family and friends) , it seems like the CDC cannot seem to decide what their role is in keeping people safe vs. encouraging vaccines.  by saying that vaccinated people don’t need to social distance or wear masks – how do I know if the people I am near are vaccinated or not?  what do i do about my unvaccinated children? an article i read said there has been pressure on the CDC “to model the perks of getting vaccinated” – are there really people who will now decide to get vaccinated bc they no longer have to wear masks? i don’t understand the implementation of this. it’s like they are just passing the buck to individual businesses.  it’s not like your vaccination status is tattooed across your head.

   1. Unfortunately public health isn’t an exact science. They’re basically making a guess about group psychology in the time of social media. It’s really hard and unprecedented times when the general public no longer respects science or intelligence. They’re doing their best given their audience.

   2. So you think the CDC should just not let us know what the science is?

      1. of course they should let us know what the science is, though I’m not sure that is what transpired under the previous administration. the CDC should also offer guidance that can be implemented/enforced

   3. i totally agree. people who aren’t getting vaccinated at this point either don’t want to deal with the side effects of the vaccine and/or don’t trust the vaccine since it hasn’t been around for very long and was granted under the emergency use authorization (you should see what people post on this local mom’s facebook group page about how it’s your body, your choice, and CPS should be called on people who want to vaccinate their kids)

   4. My question exactly. I’m vaccinated, DH is vaccinated, and our kids are not (too young). Where does that leave us? And the people who are anti-mask also tend to be the same people who don’t want to get vaccinated … I give up on trying to understand any of this.

      1. Practically, I think this leaves you masking your kids and avoiding scenarios where your kids will be in crowds, especially indoors, of people unknown to you. You may still have to model masking for your kids to comply, which sucks, but maybe this also means that schools and camps will be open and babysitters will be a regular thing again and you can sometimes go places without the children without masking.

         1. Schools and camps were open with full masking rules.

            Getting rid of masking rules just means that kids younger than 12 will be exposed to more risk doing anything inside. Everyone (especially the non vaccinated) wearing a mask protects unvaccinated children a lot better than if just the children wear masks. Adults who choose not to be vaccinated aren’t going to keep on wearing masks when they’re not mandated for everyone.

            Kids sacrificed so freaking much for the health of adults during the pandemic. The least we can do is keep mask rules for a few months until there’s a vaccine available to kids under 12.

   5. So what do you the CDC to do? Mandate that everyone that is vaccinated gets a “V” tattooed on their forehead? This is a pandemic caused by a new novel virus. Knowledge grows over time and may change as it grows. And all health guidelines balance a number of factors. It is unrealistic for them to put out guidelines that say get vaccinates, social distance, wear a mask, and quarantine. Yes, that is safer, but not realistic. Similar to yearly mammograms, we would detect more breast cancer if it was monthly, weekly, or daily. But a lot of factors were balanced to make the yearly recommendation.

      1. The CDC should be recommending that all people, vaccinated or not, wear masks in indoor public places until community transmission is under control. We’re not there yet.

         1. There’s a lot of things that “should be” but are not. Shoulds are going to win us anything. I think there is a major psychology to getting vaccinated from the population that has opted out thus far. Showing benefits of getting the vaccine are real. In MA we had no deaths yesterday for the first time since June 2020. Things are improved, and meaningfully so. Full stop. The psychology of it has to come in to play to help compel the lagging unvaccinated few across the vaccine finish line.

            1. Allowing people to appear in public unmasked is not going to motivate anyone who is not already vaccinated to get vaccinated. They will just quit wearing masks and remain unvaccinated.

            2. The CDC’s entire job is to tell us what we SHOULD do to protect public health.

            3. Disagree. I have multiple family members telling me they aren’t getting the vaccine because “if they are so effective, why is the CDC still recommending masks and social distancing”.

            4. 4:22, now those people are going to say “See, we don’t need masks anymore so the pandemic must be over. No reason for me to get vaccinated now!”

            5. Actually not – at least one I texted the news alert to and she told me she was going to make an appointment to get vaccinated.

            6. Hard disagree. ALL of the people I know being stubborn as h e l l are holding out because a vaccine has side effects they’d rather not endure and getting it otherwise ‘doesn’t change anything’ aka mask wearing.

               I recognize this isn’t true for ALL of the unvaccinated people, but it’s a portion of the population. We will never get to 90%, let alone 100%. Incremental increases only help.

            7. I’m hurrying up my kid’s vax to this weekend. Too many COVIDiots already. Was going to wait for her high-stakes testing to be over in 2 weeks.

            8. “Lagging unvaccinated few” is so far from where we are. So, so far.

         2. But that is not following the science. Why tell stop at telling people who are vaccinated to continue to wear masks? Why not tell them to stay home except for critical trips? That would be safer yet. Where do you draw the line and why?

      2. i’d expect them to wait until we have a bit more knowledge about variants and until vaccines are available to everyone age 0+

   6. Yes, literally, there are lots of people who got vaccinated because they want to see an end to social distancing and mask-wearing. That is the actual point for most people, along with removing the risk of COVID.

      If you are uncomfortable, you keep wearing a mask or you don’t go out.

      1. I just don’t buy the argument that lifting mask requirements are going to incentivize anyone to get vaccinated, though! The people who are anti-mask are by and large the same people who refuse to get vaccinated (in my area, at least).

         1. Yeah, I don’t know what to do about this. In my extended family–so, people whose vaccination status I can actually know for sure–the same people who aren’t getting the shot, aren’t masking either. As with other vaccines, it seems “skeptics” just want to benefit from other people getting it, without making any sacrifice from opting out themselves.

            1. If they’re not masking now, what is actually changing?

            2. Nothing’s changing, it’s just more ongoing risk when we’re trying to reduce risk.

            3. People who have not been risk reducing all this time are not going to start now

            4. Exactly! We are saying the same thing!

         2. +1
            Can we just incentivize people with $$$$ already and hurry this along?

            1. Like Ohio?

            2. This is clearly a case where throwing money at the problem would expedite the desired result.

            3. Yes, let’s just add to the inflationary risk. Sigh.

   7. My concern is that the anti-maskers who chose not to get vaccinated are going to take this news as a pass to not wear their masks anymore. Yet they are the ones most likely to catch and pass on Covid variants, which our vaccines may not protect against. Not to mention only ~40% of the US population is vaccinated. It all feels too sudden and soon.

      1. Mask mandates were not really making those people wear masks anyway. Maybe they put them on their chins to go into stores. I don’t think much is going to actually change.

         1. +1 there are plenty of people in my area wearing masks wrong or not at all, even where they are required.

      2. 20% of the US population are kids though, so they weren’t eligible until today if 12-15 to even get the vaccine (my 12YO will probably go on Sunday; will get kid-vax spouse over the hump probably; spouse is half-vaxxed and I am done with shots; other kid is still too young but her age group should get the go-ahead over the summer / before school starts).

         The unvaxxed adults at this point — play stupid games; win stupid prizes.

         1. I wish we could just write it off like that. But unvaccinated people do carry risk for some vaccinated people with special vulnerabilities, let alone to each other with the impact that has on public health, hospitals etc.

      3. Those people already are not wearing their masks.

   8. I don’t get what is the problem here. If you don’t know whether a stranger is vaccinated, assume that they aren’t and act accordingly. Your unvaccinated kids are a risk factor, and more so if they go to in-person school. Presumably you as a family or household have found a way to deal with this fact sometime in the last 14 months? The equation has only changed in so far that vaccinated household members have dramatically reduced risk.

      1. +1 Keep wearing your mask if you are concerned and get vaccinated. If you can’t get vaccinnated for healthy/safety reasons, I’m so sorry, this absolutely sucks, but at the end of the day wouldn’t you already be treating people like they are carriers and haven’t been vaccinated for your own safety?

         1. didn’t the CDC say that masks really help protect others. so if the unvaccinated people don’t wear masks, we aren’t being protected from them

            1. Yea I get that, but if people aren’t going to wear masks and aren’t going to get vaccinated, they aren’t going to wear masks and aren’t going to get vaccinated. The CDC saying that we can go indoors without them if we are unvaccinated isn’t changing that.

            2. They said that last year, then decided “your mask protects you” was the winning statement.

      2. yes the way we have dealt with it by wearing masks in places where others also wear masks – since masks are most effective when both parties wear them. now if no one is going to wear a mask, what are we supposed to do?

         1. You just keep wearing your mask. How hard is this? You don’t need persmission.

            1. Actually in my state you do need permission. It’s illegal to wear a mask here.

               And other people’s masks protect me as least as much as my own does.

            2. Where is it illegal to wear masks?

            3. In NC they made a point of suspending the anti-mask law (it is an anti-KKK law) when they put in state mask mandates. I doubt you have to really worry about this. Truly.

            4. All over the south.

            5. It’s not. That’s BS. I think in one or two states the R governor has made it illegal for businesses to require them (Florida?) but no one has made wearing a mask an illegal activity. Come on.

            6. These statutes have been on the books for decades, some as a way to discourage labor protests and some to fight the KKK.

            7. That is the point—the anti-mask statutes were suspended while there was a mask mandate. When that mandate ends, so will the suspensions. Our school district, which once tried to ban leggings because they were “distracting,” will move immediately to ban masks in its dress code.

         2. The new guidelines are not overwriting everything that came before. Unvaccinated people should still wear masks. This has not changed.
            I don’t know if your expectations around the CDC guidance are realistic. They say what is safe in accordance with the science. Whether to have mask mandates, or require a negative test before boarding a flight, whether to make you work from home, or whether to check your forehead temp before walking into H&M, that hasn’t been the domain of the CDC all along. They advise.
            You are right that we can’t tell whether a stranger is vaccinated, so I’d hope that states, counties and businesses continue with indoor mask mandates until they see sufficiently high vaccination rates. If you are in an anti science state, then it doesn’t matter anyway what the CDC says

            1. +1 to all this. I don’t get what the poster wants, the CDC to lie? If it is safe for me and my spouse (both vaccinated) to be indoors without masks or precautions with other vaccinated people, I want to know that! I’d be really upset if the cdc withheld that information

            2. The CDC has not made one recommendation based purely on science since this whole $hitshow began.

            3. Forgive me for using a shorthand. There is medical science (already not a very exact science) and then there is also the best practices around public health, compliance, human behavior and strategic communication.

         3. 100% of the population will never be vaccinated. Is your view that we should all wear masks forever?

            1. I’m beginning to think that more than one poster here wants exactly that. Or is just uncomfortable with any amount of risk and should probably give up all their other more risky activities like driving.

            2. Until community spread is very low and everyone who wants a vaccine can gets it.

            3. No, of course not. But we’re at, what? A 40% vaccination rate?

   9. I’m vaccinated and feel safe. I’m happy to see them dispense with the mask requirement. I behaved myself during the pandemic – masks, social distancing, etc. I’m ready for it to be over. I truly do not care about people who choose not to get vaccinated. At some point, it’s on them. I plan on having my children wear masks in public until they can get their own vaccines. I’ve also enrolled them in a vaccine trial for Pfizer.

      1. I’m super curious about how one presents the opportunity to participate in a trial to their children … I imagine you/medical professionals try to inform them & get their consent as much as possible. Any insight into how this conversation goes?

      2. +1. And as to kids, in my house it’s not a conversation, I’m still in charge.

      3. 100% this. I, my family, friends, and most of my peers have acted responsibly, masked up, stayed home, got vaccinated when eligible, etc. and we deserve a break. If the people who never took COVID seriously continue to stake their position in the “culture war” and put themselves at unnecessary risk, so be it. I’m done wasting mental energy on their welfare.

   10. My thoughts (as a fully vaccinated person):

       The CDC is late telling/allowing vaccinated people to go outdoors/indoors without masks. I fully support masks on planes/trains/busses, in hospitals/nursing homes.

       Today’s announcement will sway some people to now get vaccinated because they have benefits from getting vaccinated.

       Other people will now say that since ~140million people have been vaccinated and there have been very few deaths or side effects, then hey maybe I’ll get vaccinated.

       To the OP, it’s a risk/benefit decision about your kids. Your kids have a higher risk (in a normal year) of dying from the normal influenza than dying of covid now, given reduced community spread. But if you feel more comfortable with your kids wearing masks indoors with people whose vaccination status is unknown, feel free. Bonus is less influenza and common colds. Maybe wear masks at a playground when near other people. But outdoors walking or hiking or playing with known friends/family, no – I would say that is a 1 in a trillion chance that they’ll get covid outdoors and they should go maskless. All of this assumes that your kids are normally healthy, have normal immune systems and aren’t on medications for cancer or RA or whatever that lowers the immune system.

       There’s risk in everything – riding in a car, airplane, train, bicycle, skateboard, wakeboard, skis, going to school/day care in a normal non-pandemic year, swimming in a river or lake, hiking, walking down the sidewalk, crossing the street, going to a concert. This is normal 21st century risk. As a parent, you should be cautious but clear eyed and rational and determine the risk level with which you are comfortable.

   11. I am absolutely thrilled! No more masks! No more masks! My state hasn’t changed its guidance yet, but I’m sure they will soon. As someone who has been fully vaccinated for more than a month, no more masks! Yay!

       1. Same here. I just SMH at the commentary here sometimes.

          1. Really? I’m just so used to it. Off outside, slip it on if I go into a store, etc. it’s just the new normal and I’m fine with that. I feel that I have been appropriately Covid conscious and compliant throughout this whole thing and I won’t really apologize for being over-cautious at times.

2. I am a CPA and volunteer on a 501(c)(3)’s board. I just got a call from the board’s lawyer – apparently one of the high ranking employees has been accused of bad conduct, it was reported to the lawyer who hired a neutral investigator, and the investigator is going to deliver a report and findings to my committee next week. I am processing both this “whoa” moment and also trying to figure out what the report and findings might mean? I did a couple Google searches but can’t find what this would look like. Am I expected to make decisions next week? Is this something I’ll get in advance? Any idea what this looks like?

   1. You should talk to your lawyer about questions not us.

   2. no real idea but if the lawyer is the lawyer to the board or the org, they really should give you some outline of next steps. I would expect you’ll have to terminate the bad actor, have some PR/messaging in the can for your stakeholders and you’ll have to figure out if the bad actor’s bad actions have implications for the organization – do you have liability exposure, will you get sued, do you have to make disclosures, etc. Goal is to guide the org and you shouldn’t have to go at it alone. If a report is being made to your committee, your org board may be expecting you to make some recommendations. If you are a CPA and the report is to your board, the actions may have financial implications for the org.

3. You’d have to pay me $2090 to carry this in public.

   1. That’s all? I’d need more than that.

4. I tend to want a new bag every few years so don’t drop serious $$ on them. And for this past year I’ve been Team Phone and Credit Card In Pocket and found it very freeing!

   1. Agree. The pandemic forced me to pare way down in what I leave the house with, and it has been so freeing.

      1. How so? Because you were going fewer places, like you’re just going to the grocery store and all you need there is a wallet and cell phone? I just think that as we get back to normal, which is going to include being away from the house a lot more, we’ll get back to carrying more things with us that we want during the day. Maybe more thoughtfully than before, but there was probably a reason you weren’t just carrying your phone and wallet before and that reason is going to come back.

         1. I’ve gotten more comfortable with less stuff. I’ve realized I don’t need lipstick and my purse-size brush and a snack and a water bottle and gum and a baggie of medication physically on me at all times. I don’t pay cash for anything and all my rewards cards are on my phone now. If it’s a sunny day I just tuck my sunglasses on my head or on my collar when I go inside.

            For a full day out of the house sure I’ll use a purse, but for 4 hours walking around running errands or going to brunch, nah.

            1. Reposting bc I used a bad word…

               I’ve gotten more comfortable with less stuff. I’ve realized I don’t need lipstick and my purse-size brush and a snack and a water bottle and gum and a baggie of medication physically on me at all times. I don’t pay cash for anything and all my rewards cards are on my phone now. If it’s a sunny day I just tuck my sunglasses on my head or on my c-ll-r when I go inside.

               For a full day out of the house sure I’ll use a purse, but for 4 hours walking around running errands or going to brunch, nah.

            2. Ha! You used the c-word! Naughty.

   2. I got a wallet case for my phone (holds a credit card and my license) a couple years ago, and it is life-changing. I almost never carry a purse anymore. (And if I do, it’s really just for kids stuff, so even more almost never a nice one.)

   3. Yes! I am ruthlessly purging my closet of things that do not have phone-friendly pockets and it is so lovely to just walk out the door without a shoulder tangled in purse and bag straps.

   4. Similarly, I got in the habit of using a wristlet when I was commuting, because I couldn’t juggle both a laptop wheelie and a separate bag, but I needed something for errands on the way home because my professional clothes have no pockets. Now that I can leave directly from my house, it’s simpler to just slip a CC in my jeans pocket.

   5. Same! This no-purse strategy also encourages me to wear real pants (which I see as a positive), in order to have pockets for my keys and phone.

5. I just got a great bag on sale from All Saints that is big enough for an iPhone (in Otterbox) and keys and tissues / chapstick / sunscreen stick / mask / reading glasses. Their packaging (if you buy direct from them) is soooo fancy (to me). And it was . . . $119. I am very, very happy with this purchase.

   50% of the time I’m fine with a phone, but if I need to read a menu or instructions or calculate a tip, I’m going to need my glasses (and probably coming by car) and I hate trying to juggle all this now that it’s not winter and I don’t have coat pockets to help.

6. I live in a small town without much cache. The only time I’ve seen someone with one of these bags was at a sceney restaurant. She was maybe 20 and was snapping pictures with her friend with the bag’s logo front and center – quite obviously showing off her high fashion. Not really for me (or, I imagine, many ‘rettes).

7. Does anyone have this bag and like it?

   1. I received it recently as a gift and love it. The leather is so, so soft. The materials are all quality.

   2. I have a Tory Burch bag very similar to this and I love it. It was $500. I’ve been using it for a few years now.

      https://www.toryburch.com/handbags/shoulder-bags/kira-chevron-convertible-shoulder-bag/58465.html

8. I am a size 14 pear with a generous mummy tummy (thanks, kids). I’m trying to find a rash guard that won’t ride up over my belly. I’ve tried 2 – one from Athleta and one from LLBean – and neither worked. I could size up but then it would be really loose in the chest area. Where else should I look?

   1. Lands End. Their swim tees come in petites, so probably also in talls, since they do a lot of long-torso suits.

   2. You need a really tight one from a surf brand that will stay put like a swimsuit. Athleta and LL Bean ride up because they are designed to be loose.

   3. Do you want one that fits loosely for hanging out on the beach, or a serious one that stays put in the water? Any rash guard will ride or float up in the water if it’s loose. I like my Lands End rash guard for beach walks; fit is slightly roomy in my normal mall size.

9. There is nothing youthful about this bag. It is hideous and frumpy and tacky.

   1. I am an actual old lady and it’s too old ladyish even for me.

   2. Really? I think it’s so pretty but I would never in a million years pay this much for a bag.

   3. I hate quilted and puffy bags as a whole, so I’m no judge whether this is better or worse than others in those genres. But this gray does seem particularly ill, maybe the greenish sweater is throwing it off? I think a bluer gray is nice.

   4. I like the bag but I wanted it like…four years ago. This isn’t new fashion. I was actually surprised it was featured here.

      1. I feel like this YSL bag has had its day – I see it in upscale consignment shops, and among twenty-somethings whose moms cleared out their closets and gave it to them. Different look, but sort of like how I feel about Louis Vuitton monogram bags in general.

   5. They style and the color scream old lady to me. I’m 56, so Old Lady-adjacent. :-)

10. Speaking of bags, I wonder if someone would like to do some vicarious shopping for me. I’m looking for a nice crossbody bag that is big enough to carry a checkbook sized wallet, iPhone, glasses case and maybe a small cosmetic bag (or has a built in pocket for that.)

    I tend to buy my bags from the real real, not because I’m into designer (in fact I would veto any logoed bag) but because I usually appreciate the quality. I’m carrying a Fossil bag right now and it is not doing it for me. Too slouchy, and the quality is low.

    So many cross bodies are tiny and won’t work because I really do need to carry around my glasses case, and it’s a bigger one because I can’t have my prescription sunglasses get crushed.

    Open to any color but black.

    1. That’s too much stuff for a crossbody bag imo.

    2. That is kind of a lot to ask of a crossbody — I mean eventually you go from “crossbody purse” to “messenger bag.”

       Maybe a “camera” style bag would work?

    3. I was actually looking at this one (I’m OP) which I think would fit everything. By cosmetic case I pretty much just mena lip balm, lip gloss, a mirror, and a mini sunscreen.

       https://www.cuyana.com/bags/crossbody-bags/double-loop-bag/10010346.html?dwvar_10010346_color=ecru

       1. Wow, that looks so fresh to me! Love the olive and the blue!

          1. Hmm you may be giving me the external justification I need to just order this, especially because I was wavering between the olive and the blue. Hahaha

          2. I agree, I like that bag! Olive would get my vote because it’s really a neutral and looks great year round…

       2. Highly recommend cuyana for quality (and lack of logos!). You may also like their medium carryall tote. (I’m in my 2nd!) It can be worn as a x-body and comfortably fits a smaller MacBook / kindle / other needs.

    4. I have an MZ Wallace cross-body that I love and which fits a lot.

    5. A cross-body saddle bag? Something like the Mulberry small Amberley or Rebecca Minkoff Megan in terms of size?

       Saddle bags often have more structure.
       Or if you don’t mind about not having lining or zippered pockets, the Cambridge Satchel Company ones come in lots of colors, like the very cheerful yellow Daisy one.

    6. Gucci Horsebit small shoulder bag in light blue or Gucci Marmont small shoulder in dusty pink

    7. Travelon makes one specifically for travel. It has spots where you can clip the zippers shut. I find it is the perfect size for exactly what you are describing. I use it as my everyday purse.

    8. Clare V has some larger cross body bags that might be the right size for you. Check out the Gosee Clutch

       https://www.clarev.com/products/gosee-clutch-cognac-pablo-cat-suede

    9. Roots has some beautiful ones. The are leather and on the casual side. I have had a few and the one i use now would carry what you listed.

    10. I have nylon Tumi Capri that I used on trips. Fits a ton (can squeeze in a scarf or small water bottle) and light weight.

11. I would love an Hermes Lindy 26, but way over (like, 10 times over?) my budget :/
    https://www.hermes.com/be/en/product/lindy-26-bag-H073428CC2Z/

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