Towards the end of March, I finally got around to purchasing a Coach Quilted Tabby in the 20 size.
This has been one of the hottest bags this year and for good reason too.
Having both a classic silhouette and a more affordable price point compared to other luxury brands, the internet has gone wild for this one.
Since their release in late 2023, Coach has released this bag in a range of sizes, colors and prints.
While black, denim, lip print and now dragon fruit have been very popular choices, the daisy print stole my heart the moment I laid eyes on it.
I’ve said it a million times over now, but Coach makes the best flower prints
I knew immediately that I needed to have this in my collection and picked it up as soon as I tracked it down.
On this blog, I normally like to do a first impressions first, as it’s difficult for me to give a good review after only wearing the bag a few times.
However, in the few months that I’ve had this bag, it has traveled all around North America with me (from Canada to Mexico and from West to To East coast and everywhere in between) and I feel like I have a pretty good handle on how this bag operates.
So for today’s blog, we will be doing a blended review/ first impression of the Coach Quilted Tabby 20, going over the pros and cons of this bag, what fits inside as well as its over all functionality.
Feel free to use the table of content down below to skip around this post!
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Table of Content
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Coach Quilted Tabby Comparison Video
Feel like watching a video instead? I got you! Watch my Quilted Tabby/ Chanel Mini comparison+ what fits inside video down below!
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Coach Tabby History
The history of the Coach Tabby can be traced back to archival designs for the brand back in the 1970’s
Now reimagined nearly 50 years later by Creative Director Stuart Vevers, the Coach Tabby expertly blends modern and vintage American aesthetics.
Officially launched in the Fall of 2019, the Coach Tabby was relatively well received for the brand and helped to aid in its revitalization.
However the release of the Pillow Tabby in February 2021 arguably fast tracked this style to iconic status. Showing that this style could easily blend heritage architecture with modern trends and at a more affordable price point, the Tabby quickly became an ‘it’ bag.
Coach proved that they could keep the Tabby relevant once again in the fall of 2023 with the drop of the Quilted Tabby, which sent fashion lovers running to the shops to grab them up.
Shop Coach Quilted Tabby Markdown at Neiman Marcus
Quilted Coach Tabby
The Quilted Coach Tabby is a slight departure from the standard Tabby design, almost classifying as a new handbag entirely in my opinion.
The bag is given texture with slanted diamond quilting present on the front and back, with straight stitching down the sides and bottom.
Most noticeably for me is the removal of the detachable top handle and straps, replaced with leather woven chains. A back slip pocket was also added to the design and a flap was added to the interior front pocket.
In many ways, the newly designed Quilted Coach Tabby feels more like Chanel Classic flap bag, but it is still distinctly Coach.
Much like the Classic Flaps and the Tabby’s before, the Quilted Tabby’s come in a variety of sizes.
From the smallest size: a wristlet to the popular mini size the 20, followed by the 26 and finally the largest size, the 33; there’s a size and a color for everyone.
My specific Coach Tabby
Coach made sure that we had all the options when it came to colors and patterns for the Quilted Tabby.
I purchased the 20 size in the Daisy print at Neiman Marcus for a total of $337.50.USD after rebates and coupons.
Neiman Marcus currently has the Daisy print in the 20 size marked down to $315.00 USD before any coupons or Rakuten rebates, so if you’re interest, now may be the time to shop.
It is crafted from Napa leather with a leather and textile lining. It measure up to be 7.75″ in length, 4.25″ in height and 2.75″ in width with a 21.5″ chain drop at its longest setting.
Functionality, usability and durability
Eye candy is nice, but what good is a bag if I’m not going to use it?
When I do my reviews, I like to cover functionality, usability and durability because it gives a pretty good idea as to how the bag fits into my life style as a whole.
With functionality I explore how usability the hand bag is with intended wear. Usability looks at how well the bag wears the body and durability considers the hardiness of the hand bag as well as wear and tear.
I generally find this hard to do when I have only owned a bag for a short while because I think lived experience is important for reviews like this. However like I have mentioned earlier, this bag has traveled over 24,000 miles with me in just under 2 months, so I feel like we got some time to get acquainted.
Functionality
I’m a huge fan of the Chanel minis because of their practicality. So any bag that is similar in design is something that I’m going to love.
I feel like in some ways, the Quilted Tabby improves on the Classic Chanel design. For example the back exterior pocket is much more user friendly than the Mona Lisa pocket on the back of the classic flaps. And while I still wouldn’t use it to hold anything much, it at least can fit a phone and I’m not as worried about parking tabs or receipts fall out of that space.
And while I think a turn lock would have been a better option here as far as closures go, the snap closure isn’t bad at all.
I have seen several people coma pin about issues with their snap closures, so that is something to consider. but I have never personally experienced this.
Generally, I like a bit of organization in my bags, as it makes it easier to find things. However, I think the 20 size could benefit from a little less structure.
Because it’s so small in size the center divider takes up a lot of real estate that could be better used to squeeze in an extra thing or two.
And while I have made use of the front pocket, it is very small and I think most people would be happier if it was incorporated into a main cavity for the bag.
When it comes to the closure of this bag, I have personally not experienced any issues. However I had hard of a few people who have had issues with the snap button closure.
Usability
With multiple ways to wear, this bag is a breeze to use.
I really enjoy wearing this bag crossbody. With a max strap length of 21.5″, the bag fall at a good length at my hips. I’m an average height at 5’5, so I think this length will work for most people.
I also like wearing this as a shoulder bag. There is enough of a drop to where the bag can swing easily behind my arms and not get squished when it wear it short.
I have noticed that the chain strap on my bag is a little stiff compared to the straps on my Parker or on my Chanel bag. This can be a little annoying as you have to tug a bit to get the straps to move.
However, this does make it easier to wear the bag in a 3rd way–using the chain to create a top handle.
I love this option as it’s so easy to just pick up and go. And because of its smaller size, it very comfortable and easy to wear.
It’s also really easy to get in and out of the bag when worn this way too.
Durability
While I don’t live a crazy life style, I do prefer my bags to be able to stand the test of daily wear and travel.
With the Napa leather being so soft on this bag, I find that it is prone to scratching. This bag with it overlapping color is especially susceptible.
I chipped a little of the paint off with the side of my nail by accident one day while I was closing the bag in a hurry.
Some people will also notice pitching in the leather around the buckle. I bring this up because it’s a natural artifact of the leather being pulled and not necessarily an issue with integrity or durability.
My bag also had an issue with a popped stitch. This worried me a little because I didn’t want the stitching to unravel and ruin the bag.
I was able to have a client advisor look lover the bag and they assured me that the way in which the stich was popped, that it shouldn’t become more undone if I were to keep that particular bag (which I did).
While the pop stitch is definitely a quality issue, the fact that I haven’t had any other issues with the stitching while traveling with this bag is also a testament to its durability.
The leather and the paint are areas of weakness for the bag, and I will touch on the quality issue in a section below.
But besides these issues, the bag is well structured and won’t loose it shape easily.
This bag has traveled in my luggage and in my carry on for about 2 month straight when I was traveling and it didn’t loose it shape or any of its puffiness.
This bag has also been knocked around in crowds and while the corners are prone to paint wear and scratches, the integrity of the bag itself is fine.
We will see how the bag continues to wear with use over time, however I would say that the durability is moderately decent.
Minor annoyances
As mentioned above, there seems to be some quality issues with some of the Quilted Tabby’s coming out from Coach.
Between my popped stitches and chipped paint and others who have mentioned issues with their bags as well, I wonder if Coach is pushing out products a little too quickly.
I’m not use to Coach putting out subpar quality, so I hope these issue will be fixed soon.
This bag also gets dirty incredibly easy. It’s just the flowers that seem to get dirty so think the issue is inherent to the color.
The chains are also a minor annoyance. I mentioned this earlier but the chains do feel a bit stiff and I have to tug some to get them to move.
But for the most part these are minor issues that I have with the bag and are easily taken care of.
What fits inside?
- -Small hand sanitizer
- -Travel perfume
- -Lip gloss
- -Lip Liner
- -Pill bottle
- -Eyedrops
- -Wet wipes
- –Rosalie Coin Purse
- -Small Chanel Hand Cream
- -Pen (from my shop!)
- –Chanel Mirror and Nail file
- -Card holder
- -Airpods
- -iPhone 13
This is a small bag so you shouldn’t expect to fit much in it. I prefer to carry minis with me when I have this bag with a few exceptions.
The Rosalie Coin purse fits in this bag very well and I like to use it because it can carry things such as cash, coins and extra keys that I might need with me.
A full sized card holder also fits in this bag. You could possible save some more space if you choose not to use it, however I like to keep my cards organized.
Because of the limited space, I think this bag is best used for running errands, short trips around town where you don’t need accesses to things or for dinners/date nights.
Final thoughts
Despite a few issues with the Quilted Tabby, I really enjoy using this bag!
It’s a great size to travel with and easily fits into carry on luggage.
And while the leather may be more easily scratched, the boxy structure is pretty robust.
In many ways the Quilted Coach Tabby reminds me of the Chanel Classic Flaps which gives the bag a very timeless look.
But unlike the Classic Flaps that are starting off at over $10,000.00 USD right now, a Quilted Tabby will only cost you $350.00 USD starting.
With everyone being a lot more conscious of budgets and looking to get the most value for their money, Coach is continuing to carve out its own lane within luxury fashion that is more accessible.
While I do wonder if this quick rise in popularity has led to some production issues, over all the quality at Coach seems to remain consistent and I hope in the future it remains that way.
But I would love to hear your thoughts! Let me know what you think about the Coach Quilted Tabby 20 down below, and don’t forget to follow us over on Instagram and Youtube!
Love,
Monnii Bee
