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Updated: Feb 11, 2021 89 Comments · by

Coffee Break: Saffiano Zip Satchel

Coffee Break

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I love this Saffiano leather satchel from Dooney & Burke for its simplicity. It looks like customers love it too — it has lots of great reviews. 

It has several nice features: a detachable, adjustable strap; protective metal feet; pockets inside and out; an inside key hook; and a top snap closure. I think the pinstripe lining is classic and fun. 

It's available in a ton of colors, ranging from sedate neutrals to “mint” (which turquoise on my screen), “bubble gum” (a fun light pink), and “light mauve” (lavender on my screen). I especially love the dark, rich green of the “ivy” color. (Other D&B Saffiano leather items have the same colorways.) 

The bag is $268 at Dooney.com. 

Sales of note for 10.10.24

  • Nordstrom – Extra 25% off clearance (through 10/14); there's a lot from reader favorites like Boss, FARM Rio, Marc Fisher LTD, AGL, and more. Plus: free 2-day shipping, and cardmembers earn 6x points per dollar (3X the points on beauty).
  • Ann Taylor – Extra 50% off sale (ends 10/12)
  • Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything plus extra 25% off your $125+ purchase
  • Boden – 10% off new styles with code; free shipping over $75
  • Eloquii – Extra 50% off a lot of sale items, with code
  • J.Crew – 40% off sitewide
  • J.Crew Factory – 50% off entire site, plus extra 25% off orders $150+
  • Lo & Sons – Fall Sale, up to 35% off
  • M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
  • Neiman Marcus – Sale on sale, up to 85% off
  • Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
  • Talbots – 50% off 2+ markdowns
  • Target – Circle week, deals on 1000s of items
  • White House Black Market – Buy one, get one – 50% off full price styles

Sales of note for 10.10.24

  • Nordstrom – Extra 25% off clearance (through 10/14); there's a lot from reader favorites like Boss, FARM Rio, Marc Fisher LTD, AGL, and more. Plus: free 2-day shipping, and cardmembers earn 6x points per dollar (3X the points on beauty).
  • Ann Taylor – Extra 50% off sale (ends 10/12)
  • Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything plus extra 25% off your $125+ purchase
  • Boden – 10% off new styles with code; free shipping over $75
  • Eloquii – Extra 50% off a lot of sale items, with code
  • J.Crew – 40% off sitewide
  • J.Crew Factory – 50% off entire site, plus extra 25% off orders $150+
  • Lo & Sons – Fall Sale, up to 35% off
  • M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
  • Neiman Marcus – Sale on sale, up to 85% off
  • Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
  • Talbots – 50% off 2+ markdowns
  • Target – Circle week, deals on 1000s of items
  • White House Black Market – Buy one, get one – 50% off full price styles

And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

About Kate Antoniades

Editor of Corporette since 2014, Kate Antoniades lives in her hometown of Rochester, NY. A cat person and Oxford comma loyalist, she loves thrift shopping and has too many craft supplies.

Comments

  1. cbackson

    Wow, it has been ages since I’ve actually made a comment here related to fashion, but are we really in a structured ladylike purses moment? Admittedly, during WFH the only purses I see are the ones on the arms of the neighborhood moms, but those all seem to be slouchier bags.

    • anne-on

      I would LOVE to be carrying a structured purse right now to go with all of my dinners out, shopping trips, brunches, etc.
      At the moment I am just shoving the bare minimum into the pockets on my utility jacket and calling it a day. Sigh.

    • Anon

      I think for utility purposes structured purses will always be in style in one way or another, even if only in “career woman” fashion because we have to carry computers, ipads, folders, etc.

      • cbackson

        Ha, right now I only have to carry my computer and my iPad from my kitchen table to my home office, so it’s hard for me to see this as of the moment.

    • Anonymous

      I love a ladylike purse (Rear Window’s Kelly bag), but after this morning I would be all in on a Olsen Twin giant bag revival. I am using a Lo & Sons Seville as a purse / laptop bag these days and honestly could go larger, especially with a padded cross-body option.

      • anne-on

        I found the Dagne Dover Allyn to fit slightly more than the Lo & Son’s Seville. Much larger than that and I think you’d want to go with a backpack. The Dagne Dover was my go to travel bag as I could also cram my kindle/smaller clutch/personal stuff in there and then have my roller bag as my overhead bin bag.

        • Anonymous

          I had heard that DD bags were heavy (not true?). When on travel, I use the Seville nylon shell with sleeve and found it cram-able. But my heart always tries to go larger (while my shoulder is happy with the Seville).

          • Anon

            I found the DD extra heavy, and I am not usually a lightweight bag carrier. But this one was so heavy I sent it back.

          • Anon

            I have a DD canvas tote (the original one) and it is on the heavier side, but not too heavy for me to carry around. I imagine leather would be heavier. I traveled a ton with that bag (platinum at multiple hotel chains) and it really held up.

          • anne-on

            I have an older version of the Allyn, and yes, it IS heavier, but the leather holds up SO well. I’ve shoved that bag under countless airplane seat bottoms and it still looks brand new. I have literally had women stop me in airports to ask who made the bag, and it looks much more expensive than it is (people usually guess it’s Prada or Celine). Some of the weight is due to the internal padding in the laptop portion, which is nice as I don’t need to use a sleeve. I have a big clunky 15in Dell, so my work tote selection is limited and this is one of my nicest ones. For my day to day commute I would leave things at the office (mouse, water bottle, etc.) and I didn’t find it overly heavy unless I really had it crammed full.

      • Anon

        I am now so sad I donated my early 2000s Hayden Harnett slouchy bags. I loved them back in the day. Although the bigger ones really were black holes.

    • Anonymous

      I gave up purses before the pandemic except when I’m traveling in Europe (when I don’t want to use a backpack the way I do for work). It’s hard to find women’s clothes with functional pockets, but I love not having to carry anything extra.

    • anon8

      I love this style of bag and had a couple in a similar style that I used frequently pre-pandemic. These days I use a cross-body that is washable.

    • Cat

      I love the look but handheld bags drive me batty IRL – shoulder or crossbody only please!

      • Anon

        This one has a shoulder strap! I like this bag, though I wonder if the edges would peel just as soon as cheaper Saffiano or if the durability would be better.

    • Anon

      I bought myself a structured, ladylike Kate Spade on a black Friday sale in November and put it under the Christmas tree for myself. (My husband laughed.) Then again, in my world, gorgeous purses go with everything.

    • Anon

      No thoughts on the structure, but Dooney & Burke always reminds me of my ex’s mother, who exclusively shopped at the Belk in their one-stoplight town.

      • Anonymous

        My family was in there with her on weekends, when they had to drive from their no-stoplight town. Except their nearest Belk was in an area too poor to support D&B. We were all there for the gift-with-purchase from Clinique :)

      • Senior Attorney

        My late mother in law used to buy me and my sister-in-law Dooney & Bourke bags for Christmas. They were my first “fancy” bags and I loved her for the bags and also for treating me the same as her own daughter.

        • Anon

          I graduated college in 1986. We all wore handbags to class (I don’t really understand that in hindsight). I felt pretty fancy with my Liz Claiborne purchased with my JC Penney employee discount, but the really fancy preppy girls carried Dooney & Bourke.

          • Senior Attorney

            Ha! That’s exactly when this was — mid-80s. I was in my late 20s and felt VERY FANCY!!

    • Anon

      I loved this morning’s handbag discussion, which led me to the real real, which led me to pick up a Longchamp bag I ogled in Paris and did not buy because it was close to $1000, and I just got it for $140 plus shipping. (A leather Longchamp, not the Le Pliage, which seems to be an american thing)

      • Anon

        Bought a vintage Celine last week for $200. Know I won’t use it for awhile but I’m trying to will the pandemic to end through retail.

  3. Anonymous

    I am familiar with MZ Wallace and found Caraa through a colab with Athleta. Does anyone have both or recommend one vs the other? I am looking for a fancy fabric bag (vs leather) to keep it lightweight. I am outside a lot this year and tend to outpack the pockets on my coat. Leather doesn’t seem right in the woods — more like nylon I can’t easily ruin for all my junk and also dog supplies (snacks, poop bags, water bottle).

  4. pondering

    I read a couple of the mornings posts but gave up – wow I didn’t realize how many posters here were quite this judgy.

  5. Anon

    Thank you so much to the person who recommended the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser hand held vacuum last week! It is perfect and exactly what I was looking for to use on my couch. I realized that this one packs a punch (over my previous hand held vacuum) because it has a motorized brush head!

    • Sloan Sabbith

      That little vacuum is awesome. My dog had pretty much wrecked my car seats (including knocking an entire venti mocha onto the driver seat one time and peeing on the seat as a puppy) and with that vacuum plus the help of Kids and Pets cleaner, my seats got back to looking…well, not perfect, but 10 times better.

  6. Anon

    I need to clean the leather of my white Tory Burch bag. As far as I can tell, she doesn’t sell a leather cleaner. I’ve never done this before – any brand recommendations? There is no specific stain, but it is looking dingy from wearing it with a black coat for over a year.

    • Anon

      Not exactly what you asked, but I take my bags to a cobbler/leather cleaner for a touch-up.

    • Anon

      I was recommended Coach leather cleaner on here previously. I ended up not buying it because who cares what my stuff looks like sitting in my house, but eventually I will probably follow through.

    • Anonymous

      I like the Coach leather cleaner. Follow the directions to test on an inconspicuous area. And don’t use it on leather with prominent stitching, it can catch in the stitches.

    • Anon

      I use Saphir MDO leather cleaners and conditioners. They made huge difference to the appearance and longevity of my leather & suede shoes. I have used the same products to clean and condition my leather handbags successfully, there are hundreds of YT videos showing how to do it, give it a try.

  7. Elder Care Question

    My parents are almost 80. My dad unilaterally pulled my mom out of her memory care facility last spring. She has dementia and is 95% immobile. He is a medical mess with virtually every COVID co-morbidity out there except obesity (immune compromised, etc.). His doctor has said that he should not take the vaccine yet.

    My dad is understandably losing his ish from the strain of caring for my mom by himself. He is bitter, angry, and spiteful. He screams at me when I offer ideas of how to help. He doesn’t want anybody to come into the house, so paid help is out of the question. There is no good time to talk to him. He watches the news all day and fills my ears with the admittedly poor state of affairs in politics, virus control, etc. He rants that even if his doctor approves him for the vaccine he will not want to take it, because his doctor will just “be toeing the medical establishment line.” My dad is the opposite of a Trumpster incidentally. It feels like he is completely out of control.

    How do I help him? I work a highly demanding job to pay for their living expenses. I am reluctant to trigger FMLA yet because then I might use it all up just as things get worse – like dad ends up in the hospital and it is just ME that needs to care for mom 24/7.

    • Sloan Sabbith

      No advice, just wanted to say how sorry I am- sounds like an exceedingly stressful situation for everyone. If you were to provide N95 masks, would he be OK with someone coming into the house?

      • Cornellian

        +1, nothing to add, but very sorry. I know in some areas there are underutilized government services that help connect folks to resources for elderly family members. If you’re comfortable posting your location, maybe we can help, or you could just google yourself.

        • Flats Only

          Seconding this. When elderly people aren’t able to care for themselves/spouses there are social service agencies that can help. I know someone responded with a horror story last time a question like this came up, but I do think it’s worth calling around. You can always make calls now and find out what resources exist without committing anyone to anything. Think about what end result you would like – whether it’s your mom back into her memory care facility, your dad living independently or in a facility, etc. It sounds like they have no financial resources, which in the end might make it easier to get them care because they’ll be eligible for government assistance. Keep in mind too that if your dad gets sick and leaves your mom for you to care for, you can set that care up however is best for you and her, so back to memory care, extra helpers, etc. are all options, not just you having to take leave to care for her 24/7.

      • Elder Care Question

        Thanks Sloan. No, I don’t think so. I have suggested that a medical worker could come 1 day per week, enter through front door while he exits out back and/or keeps to himself upstairs. With mask, etc. He will not hear of it. Everything is NO and if not for my mom being there then I would be tempted to just give him a ton of space. I am tired of feeling like a whipping post.

        • Bon

          Gently, it must be nearly impossible (if not impossible) for him to care for his wife appropriately under these conditions. He’s stressed & she may be under-cared for or neglected … what do you think will happen if this situation deteriorates any further? Could that inspire him to accept help vs an unpalatable alternative? Do you have to wait for an emergency before you intervene (is there a plan) or can anything be done now?

    • Jessie

      Could your mom get immunized and then return to the memory care facility? Could you write an email or letter to your dad explaining all your feelings and worries about him, and just tell him you want to ease his burden but cannot think of any way to do so with all the restrictions he’s imposed? It may not do anything but probably won’t hurt. I’m sorry you all are going through this.

    • Anonymous

      Are you his backup for her healthcare durable power of attorney? If so, talk to her doctor and get a vaccine recommendation for her and then try to talk to him about getting her vaccinated.

    • Long time lawyer

      Also no advice, but I feel so sorry for you and your parents. Mine are also almost 80, and the situation is nothing like this, but I feel for you. It’s so hard. I’m going to guess that you are still comforting them, even if it feels like you can’t change the situation. I’m surprised his doctor said no to the vaccine though — my parents & their peers are thrilled to get it. Hugs.

  8. Anonymous

    Legit fancy bag question. I have a mystical bag and I think that I will get it in 2021. Locally, there is a N-M that could get it for me (like order it from another store; may be helpful later if there are issues with it; not sure they’d stock it locally). I think it is maybe slightly not what Nordstrom carries (would check there first if so).

    I used to go to Miami / Vegas / NYC for work — plenty of places that sell luxe bags. Buy locally? Buy in NYC (will need to see parents soon — has been almost 2 years and they should be getting shots by summer since they are 75+).

    WWYD? It’s not a cost issue, it’s a who’d you buy from decision. Mail order seems so . . . anticlimactic.

      • Anonymous

        It’s a Balenciaga city bag. One of the vanilla ones. I’ve had a crush for about a decade (during which I hit some milestones, but am not a get-a-present sort of person).

        I guess if in NYC there is also a store there, but I am always in Midtown and don’t ever tend to be by the stores I’d want to go to (the stores, not a departmetn store in midtown stocking the item — i guess I want to see where things really come from). The brand probably makes out better with a direct sale.

        • Cat

          I’d buy from your local NM. Easier to handle any customer service issue than if you bought at a Balenciaga flagship, I imagine.

    • Anon

      If this is a $5,000+ handbag, I would wait until the end of 2021 when everyone is vaccinated, fly myself and my parents to Vegas or Miami, enjoy a vacation with them (they’ll enjoy the warmth coming from NYC), and buy the handbag.

      If it’s a $1,000 handbag, I would visit the parents in NYC once they are vaccinated and buy the bag there.

      • Anonymous

        It’s a little over 2K. Not helpful!

        FWIW, I don’t otherwise have even fancy bags, just a Lo & Sons Seville and OG and then an All Saints black bag that was (to me) Balenciaga-esque (and quite good for the $ — <$300?). I use a lot of free logo totes from when I used to go to conferences for work. But the black nylon laptop totes were all I needed before lockdown started.

        • Anon

          Buy it when you visit your parents. You’ll remember it as the bag you bought when you first saw them after the pandemic.

    • Anon

      I do love the in-store experience of buying a bag, especially if it’s pricey and you get that great pandering customer service. But it’s not worth any more covid exposure than necessary, so I’d go for mail order right now. Maybe spring for gift wrapping if you want a glamorous unboxing experience.

    • BeenThatGuy

      I recently bought myself a pair of Cartier earrings. I’m in North Jersey so it was going to be no big deal to pop into the flagship store. But Covid has me extra cautious so I purchased online. I clicked the gift wrap button. The unboxing process was amazing! Not anticlimactic at all. I even had my son and boyfriend watch and they were impressed (not easy to impress a 12 year old boy).

      My advice, life is short, buy the bag now.

      • Alanna of Trebond

        Yes, I just bought a vintage Cartier Tank Americaine to celebrate my first big bonus last year, and it was very special unboxing the red box at home! Plus I got a great deal on it!

    • Senior Attorney

      I went to London to buy my Burberry bag from the flagship store a couple of years ago. It was super fun. So if buying your mystical bag from the fancy store is an option for you, and you don’t mind waiting until it’s safe, I recommend that.

  9. Anonymous

    Has anyone else ever had CNS fatigue from exercising too much? Any tips (aside from decreasing the amount of workouts)?

    • pugsnbourbon

      You are going to work out less, right? CNS is one of the ways the body protects itself from injury. Rest! If you’re getting into an endurance sport, it might be good to see an RD and make sure you’re getting the nutrition you need. But rest is the most important thing.

    • Whoop Band

      Check out the Whoop band! This has been huge for me. It helps you monitor this incredibly well.

    • Anon

      This seems like a good question for primary care. I’d expect them to ask you about your diet and your sleep and maybe check some vitamin levels and general inflammation levels.

  10. Flats Only

    Seconding this. When elderly people aren’t able to care for themselves/spouses there are social service agencies that can help. I know someone responded with a horror story last time a question like this came up, but I do think it’s worth calling around. You can always make calls now and find out what resources exist without committing anyone to anything. Think about what end result you would like – whether it’s your mom back into her memory care facility, your dad living independently or in a facility, etc. It sounds like they have no financial resources, which in the end might make it easier to get them care because they’ll be eligible for government assistance. Keep in mind too that if your dad gets sick and leaves your mom for you to care for, you can set that care up however is best for you and her, so back to memory care, extra helpers, etc. are all options, not just you having to take leave to care for her 24/7.

  11. Friday

    Accounting job interview update: the current accountant is someone I worked with previously. She is nice, but can be difficult and has a tendency to make things more complicated than they need to be. That explains why she’s booking X in the same time frame I would book 10X. So I think the job will be a pass. How do I politely withdraw my application? Or should I just keep quiet until/if I hear back from them?

    • MagicUnicorn

      Just keep quiet underlie unless they contact you. At that point you can let them know politely that you are no longer interested.

  12. pumpkin eater

    I am in a long-term relationship with a man I love but who is not very present for me. He is both someone who needs/likes a lot of alone time and someone who travels for work several days a week. We talk on the phone every day without fail, often for more than an hour or even two, but I often only see him once a week and occasionally once every two weeks. I would be happy with twice a week, as I am not really looking for constant companionship, but consistently less makes me sad, frustrated, lonely, and feeling rejected. Last night, I was with my small group of friends. At the end of the night I was left with two close guy friends and we all had a fair amount to drink. When we got to the home of the first guy, who I kissed once years ago shortly after meeting and when my BF and I were “on a break” (BF knows this; our friends group does not), he tried to get me to come inside. I declined. When I dropped off the second guy, we kissed. I am not totally surprised second guy made the move, but it is the first time in over two years, so I was not totally expecting it. I did not rebuff him. I think I am feeling very lonely. I don’t want to pursue a relationship with anyone except my BF (though if he left me, a fling with first guy and a relationship with second would probably be on the table). What do I need to do here? Do I need to stop hanging out with my friends group altogether? I need to talk to my BF about needing more time with him, but do I need to tell him about the kiss if I don’t think it will happen again?

    • Anon

      I would not tell BF about the kiss. The purpose of telling him would be to unburden your soul but all it would do for him is hurt him. There’s no gain for him here, especially if it was a mistake that won’t happen again.

      You need to decide whether you really want to be with your BF independent of what possibilities exist with other men. If these men didn’t exist, would you still want to be in your current relationship?

      • pumpkin eater

        Thanks. I don’t feel a need to unburden my soul. I’d rather never speak of this but sometimes I worry that I am maybe an outlier on this and, not having had a lot of monogamous, long-term relationships, perhaps I just don’t know the rules.

    • Anon

      I think you need to break up with your BF because this relationship is not giving you what you need and from what you’ve written here seems unlikely to change.

    • Anon

      There’s no worse feeling than feeling lonely when you’re in a relationship. It’s so much better to be single.

      • Senior Attorney

        +1 Ask for what you need and if he can’t/won’t give it to you, time to move on.

  13. Anonymous

    Positive news…. in my county over 15% of the population has first doses of the vaccine & over 3% is fully vaccinated. Rollout has not been entirely smooth, but people are getting the vaccine… Looks like they are reaching people for first doses at about 1% of the population per day.

  14. Anonymous

    Kat, the Dooney link is flagged by my browser as redirecting to a fraudulent site.

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