I heart J.Crew and their preppy items. They can do no wrong. The
J.Crew Tillary Tote in canvas stripe (
sold here) is the perfect example. Not long after
Elle's review,
five six of us came out of the closet, all saying we got bit by the bag bug. It's a wonderful circle of enablers we've got here, lol.
What drew me to the bag were the colors. All the regular-sized bags I own are
solidly neutrals. White, gray, black, brown, I've got it all covered. I found the Tillary tote to contain the perfect mix of bold red that isn't overwhelming for someone who apparently is scared of an all-colored bag. The colors against the canvas texture makes it great for casual work environments and weekend use, both of which I plan on taking advantage of.
I won't go into details about the bag (see Elle's thorough
review), but wanted to offer opinions on two issues that gave me pause: size and weight. The size was an initial concern of mine after seeing it on
Vicky, but then I remembered I'm bigger than her. For anyone smaller than me, wear the bag like you own it; don't let it wear you. Elle warned me of the heavy weight, which
Gigi measured at 2.8 lbs. I didn't have a scale handy, but my
RM MAM felt heavier than 3 lbs, so I figured if I can handle that, I should be ok. I'll admit that I don't reach for my RM as often as I used to, because my
Bal City is so much lighter.
In the end, I decided the bag was worth risking at final sale. It's much too pretty to pass up at $70. To my surprise, the size and weight weren't issues at all when I received the bag (time to start setting my expectations low from now on?) To sum it up, I simply adore it. Using a crude method of measurement by holding a bag in each hand, I would say the Tillary is a tad lighter in weight than my RM. Personally I think the bag looks best hand-held at the sides, but it also fits ok over-the-shoulder and at the crook of my arm. I already know I'll be reaching for this bag often, without a care to matching my outfit.
I also ordered the
J.Crew Viv stripe flats in navy ivory, size 6 (
sold here) because the bow and stripes combination had me at first sight. I love how proportioned the width of the bow looks with the pointed toe.
I ordered these in my usual size but found them to run at least 1/2 size small. My past experiences with J.Crew flats have always been true to size, but I should have expected sizing differences due to the pointed toe.
The flats are made of canvas material, similar (if not the same) as the Tillary tote. I can see them requiring a lot of upkeep as the white canvas would dirty easily. Due to the material used, the flats are quite stiff when worn and would need time to be broken in. I love the look, but these flats are definitely for fair weather use only. I'll be returning this pair because they're too small for me, but will be reconsidering if they make it to sale season.
