Dagne Dover Small Indi Overview

As part of the FW20 collection, Dagne Dover released two new Indi sizes—Small and Medium! I've filmed an in-depth look at the new Small size, and it includes a general overview, packing examples, side-by-side size comparisons, and fit tests for DD's smaller items. No modeling shots in this video—sorry! Motherhood has truly brought out my inner slob, and I didn't want to immortalize it. 😆

Dagne Dover Skye Essentials Pouch & Rae Roll-Top Dry Bag: First Impressions

Dagne Dover launched their Made For Summer collection on July 20th, 2020 and debuted four new styles: the Vida Tote (two sizes), the Skye Essentials Pouch, the Rae Roll-Top Bag, and the Tavi Cooler. (More info here!) Here are my initial thoughts on the two items I was most excited about from this collection—the Skye and the Rae.

The Rae

• 5.25” Diameter x 1” - 11”H
• Waterproof nylon material
• MSRP: $25.00

Evidenced by my first impressions post about the Axel Lunch Boxes, I don't always use bags for their intended purposes. The Rae is designed to be used as a dry bag, but I wanted to use it as a shoulder bag to take on walks; something fun that could protect my phone during a sudden downpour.

To give the bag some support, I left the circular foam packing insert in the bottom and added a neoprene water bottle holder from another Dagne Dover tote. Unless you add a taller item to the bag (like a Slim Wallet), the top will slouch over and protect the contents when the bag is set down.

You can use just about any strap with the Rae as long as you add two attachment points; zip ties, thick hair ties, tiny carabiner clips, or even Dagne Dover key clips will do the trick. The two clips I used are from the Neoprene Heather Skye pouch and a Quartz key leash.

Using the Rae for its intended purpose as a dry bag is simple—just pinch the top corners of the bag closed, roll down, and clip.

I knew from the first promotional image that I would like this bag, and I was right! I can't wait to use it.

Verdict: buy it! It's fun, versatile, and $25.

. . . . . . . 

The Skye

• 6” L x .5” W x 7.5” H
• MSRP: $35.00

The Skye bridges the functionality and style gap between the Scout Pouches and the (discontinued) Elle clutches, and the interior air mesh phone slip pocket is a welcome addition! It also has two card slots, a key clip, a lipgloss loop, and a velcro slip pocket.

Skye Essentials Pouch in Neoprene — Heather Gray

I'd say neoprene is the way to go! I had a chance to use the neoprene Skye when I left the house for a doctor's appointment. I packed my Accordion Travel Wallet, a small bottle of hand sanitizer, my phone, and a nitrile glove (and I could have fit another slim item or two if needed). I used the short strap from an Original Clutch Wallet to turn it into a wristlet, although the stretchy key leash from most of DD's neoprene bag styles would work just as well.


Skye Essentials Pouch in Natural — 100% Organic Cotton

I was excited about the introduction of the 100% organic cotton material to the Dagne Dover line-up, but now that I have my hands on it...the cotton isn't for me. The color is great and the pouch is well-made, but it's lumpy compared to its neoprene counterpart and it attracts pet hair like a magnet. Based on my own experience and after seeing other customer's photos of their Vida totes covered in lint and pet hair (even after being treated with scotch guard), I can't recommend this material unless you plan to use it in an animal-free environment.

• Vida Tote Thoughts: I hoped to purchase a Small Vida tote eventually, but for the reasons mentioned above, it isn't meant to be. (I also wish the bag had the brand's signature logo—the design feels incomplete without it!) I hope DD will release the Vida in neoprene and/or leather in the future. It's a great design full of features I know I'd love if it were made of just about any other material.

What I like about the Skye: It fits an Accordion Travel Wallet and has a variety of internal pockets/organizational features (including a cell phone slip pocket).

Things I don't like about the Skye:

• The interior card clip pockets are made of a thin/flimsy material, and I wish they were thicker! (This is something I don't like about the Mara Phone Sling as well.)
• The velcro interior pocket closure—personally, I'd really prefer a magnetic closure (like the closure on the Micah's back slip pocket, but smaller and weaker).

Verdict: it's practical! If you're buying the cotton version, though, proceed with caution.

Skye Size Reference Photos

Skye vs. Essentials Clutch Wallet 2.0

Skye vs. Small Elle Clutch (discontinued)

Accordion Travel Wallet in the Skye Essentials Pouch

Skye / Scout / Elle / Mara

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Did this post help you choose a Made for Summer item? Let me know what color you got! Leave me a comment here or on Instagram (@totesdagne).

Please let me know if you have any questions or requests for additional comparison photos—I'll do my best to help. If you decide to make a first-time purchase through Dagne Dover, please consider clicking this link for $20 off your first $100+ purchase! (If you make a qualifying purchase, Dagne Dover will gift me $20 in spending credit as part of their new Dagne Rewards program!) The link will take you to Dagne Dover's home page, where a unique $20 off code should pop up after a few seconds. 

If you're looking to buy used Dagne Dover items, please consider using my Poshmark, Mercari, Tradesy, and/or thredUP referral codes to receive sign-up bonuses for yourself AND to support me and my shopping habit. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Dagne Dover Micah Crossbody Overview

Dagne Dover dropped a new bag silhouette during their FW19 release—the Micah Crossbody! The seasonal red color "Siren" has already sold out for good according to the website, but the core colors are just as nice. The video contains information about the bag's layout, size comparisons with the XS/S Landons and Medium Andra, DD wallet fit tests, a few "modeling" shots, and an awkward voiceover from yours truly. 🙈 The Micah Crossbody retails for $95.

• Micah Crossbody: 8 ¾” L x 3” W x 7” H
• XS Landon: 9” L x 4 ¾” W x 6.25” H (for comparison)
• M Andra: 9 ½” L x 3 ½” W x 6 ¾” H (for comparison)

Also: Dagne Dover has a BEAUTIFUL promo video for this bag, and it's what convinced me I neeeeeeded one in Heather Gray.

A few size comparison/reference shots from my own video:

Poppy vs. Siren

Small Landon vs. Micah Crossbody

XS Landon vs. Micah Crossbody

Medium Andra vs. Micah Crossbody

Did this post help you choose your new Dagne Dover Micah? Let me know which color you got! Leave me a comment here or on Instagram (@totesdagne).

Please let me know if you have any questions or requests for additional comparison photos—I'll do my best to help. If you decide to make a first-time purchase through Dagne Dover, please consider clicking this link for $20 off your first $100+ purchase! (If you make a qualifying purchase, Dagne Dover will gift me $20 in spending credit as part of their new Dagne Rewards program!) The link will take you to Dagne Dover's home page, where a unique $20 off code should pop up after a few seconds. 

If you're looking to buy used Dagne Dover items, please consider using my Poshmark, Mercari, Tradesy, and/or thredUP referral codes to receive sign-up bonuses for yourself AND to support me and my shopping habit. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Dagne Dover Landon and Hunter Size References

Wondering which Hunter would fit best inside your Landon? Here are some size reference pictures for the Small, Medium, and Large Landons using the Small, Large, and XL Hunter toiletry bags. 

Small Landon

Medium Landon

Large Landon

Please let me know if you have any questions or requests for additional comparison photos—I'll do my best to help. If you decide to make a first-time purchase through Dagne Dover, please consider clicking this link for $20 off your first $100+ purchase! (If you make a qualifying purchase, Dagne Dover will gift me $20 in spending credit as part of their new Dagne Rewards program!) The link will take you to Dagne Dover's home page, where a unique $20 off code should pop up after a few seconds. 

If you're looking to buy used Dagne Dover items such as the Hunter or Landon, please consider using my Poshmark, Mercari, Tradesy, and/or thredUP referral codes to receive sign-up bonuses for yourself AND to support me and my shopping habit. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Review: Small Dakota in Heather Gray

I recently bought what can only be described as a small "haul" from Dagne Dover's FW18 collection, and one of the many things that had piqued my interest about the FW18 collection aside from the small Allyn was the announcement of the small Dakota. I don't use my regular-sized Dakotas often—just for travel, which I haven't been doing much of this year—and I remember wishing there were a smaller version I could use more often. Ta-da!

The contents of my small Dakota include a Dagne Dover travel wallet, Dagne Dover Lola pouch, sunglasses case, and a bottle of water. I put my phone in the front zip pocket sometimes (and/or shove receipts in there when I leave the post office 🙈); as for my keys, I either clip them to the outside of the backpack or stuff them into the adjacent small zip compartment on the back side. I carry the backpack by one strap over my right shoulder (unless I'm on a long walk) and still find it unobtrusive. The side slip pockets are also a decent place to tuck an external battery pack or a regular iPhone/similarly sized phone, although doing so might require two free hands and a surface since it's a snug fit.

6x9 paperback (in main compartment)

5x7.5 paperback (in main compartment)

I'm very impressed with the small Dakota—it's everything I hoped it would be. I particularly like that the small Lola and Travel Wallet fit inside comfortably, and I appreciate the overall ease of use. I even have a second small Dakota in Dune lying in wait with my neglected Avas (which is a shame because they, too, are excellent bags)! 

Hand sanitizer, external battery pack

A heads up: my "ideal for/not ideal for" breakdown of the small Dakota is similar to the one I did for the small Allyn.

• Specs: 9.5" L x 5” W x 13" H, 1.8 lb weight

Ideal for: everyday use (errands, casual settings)

• This smaller backpack size is great if you're looking for something that can hold a few larger items (like a water bottle) in addition to your essentials. If you have small humans or pets to wrangle, the backpack style is even handier than the cross body option on the small Allyn!

Not ideal for: toting large quantities of supplies/documents around, carrying larger/unsecured valuables around in high-crime areas

• This is by no means a work or school bag. The small Dakota technically fits a 12" macbook sans case, but it needs to be tilted (lower front to top back) to prevent the corners from creating indentations at the top of the backpack—reference photo here. While I don't think I'd recommend it, it could technically work if you won't be carrying much else along with it (although you might want to take a look at the Ryan and Weston laptop bags that were recently released as an alternate smaller-bag option).

• Depending on how you carry/zip the backpack, you can also minimize the risk of having your possessions pick-pocketed. For example, there's a larger interior zip pocket toward the bottom half of the bag that would be great for stashing wallets/valuables, and because the interior zipper stops right around the base of the exterior zipper, it would not be an easy zipper for a thief to find, let alone grab hold of/manipulate without you noticing. (The travel wallet fits in this pocket, FYI.)

Please let me know if you have any questions or requests for additional comparison photos—I'll do my best to help. If you decide to make a first-time purchase through Dagne Dover, please consider clicking this link for $20 off your first $100+ purchase! (If you make a qualifying purchase, Dagne Dover will gift me $20 in spending credit as part of their new Dagne Rewards program!) The link will take you to Dagne Dover's home page, where a unique $20 off code should pop up after a few seconds.