Dagne Dover Axel Lunch Box: First Impressions

I'm hiding out from COVID-19 right now, but I'd like to at least share my initial impressions as well as some comparison shots. I'll update this post with a review once I can test these out in the real world! Stay safe, everyone.

The Small and Large Axel Lunch Boxes were recently released as part of Dagne Dover's Spring/Summer 2020 collection and are available in core colors as well as two seasonal colors, Lime and Pomelo.

• Small Axel Dimensions/Price: 8.5" L x 3.5” W x 6.5" H, $55
• Large Axel Dimensions/Price: 10" L x 4” W x 7" H, $75

I already have a lunch box I love, yet rarely use—a $4.99 NWT Goodwill find covered in cats with a kid's name already written in it—and I work from home, so I'm going to get creative with functionality here.

I think both sizes can do more than hold your lunch—particularly the Large. A few functions that come to mind are:

• Shoulder bag (more on this later!)
• Supply kit (particularly for art supplies/projects)
• Makeup/hair product kit 
• Entertainment kit for young kids (snacks/book/tissues/small toys/etc)

The Large Axel was visible in a sneak peek picture posted to Instagram a while back, and I assumed it was a camera bag up until SS20 launched. My plan was to use the Large Axel as a camera bag and the Small Axel as a shoulder bag (and borrow the chain novelty strap from the XS Landon in the same color).

Small Axel

It turns out my small collection of camera supplies fit much better in the Small Axel! I like it, but I don't have too much to say about it. It is indeed small, and I don't think I would have much use for this particular size/shape beyond using it as a camera supply bag. If you pack light for lunch, this would fit well inside many of Dagne Dover's larger bag styles. (Scroll toward the end of the post for reference photos!)

Stitching imperfections

I knew I wanted to use the novelty resin chain strap (exclusive to the XS Landon and Epic Crossbody in Lime) with the Lime Axel. It's everything I hoped it would be appearance-wise, but a heads up: the sound of the chains moving is like—how do I put this delicately?—a squeaky, tortured mouse symphony.

I'll try to capture the sound on video one of these days!

Large Axel

Is this lunch box worth $75? I don't know. What I do know is that this bag has the potential to be more—much more! Out of all the bags I purchased from the SS20 collection, this is the one I'm the most excited about using once I can leave the house. My photos really don't do it justice.

I plan to leave the top unzipped, which means the zipper placement is important—the goal is to be able to reach in and add/remove items without additional adjustments.

Items like the Scout Pouch or Mara Phone Sling could be used as handy interior organizers, and you could even jazz up the outside with a twilly, keychain, and/or novelty strap. (I couldn't tell you where I found the blue scarf—I've had it since middle school—but the keychains are String Doll Gang keychains by Kamibashi.)

I've packed the body of the bag with an iPad Mini, a small water bottle, and a camera. The zippered mesh pocket has a Mara in Block Party Print to hold my AirPod Pros, hand sanitizer, and lip gloss in a more organized fashion. I placed the Accordion Travel Wallet and my phone in the back slip pocket for easy access.

If you want to use this as a shoulder bag, I'd consider this a fun (albeit less practical) alternative to the Micah.

Size Comparisons

Small Axel in Lime / Large Allyn in Poppy

Small Axel in Lime / Medium Allyn in Oxblood

Small Axel in Lime / Small Allyn in Haze Camo

 Small Axel in Lime / Small Landon in Quartz

Accordion Travel Wallet, Mara Phone Sling

Micah in Heather Gray / Large Axel in Pomelo

XL/L/S Scout Pouches, L/S Axel Lunch Boxes

Color Comparisons

Pomelo vs. Sienna

I'm looking forward to putting the Large Axel to use as a shoulder bag, and I'll update this post with a review once I've done so. In the meantime, I hope these photos help you make a slightly more informed decision before the Lime and Pomelo versions of the Axel sell out for good!

. . . . .

Did this post help you choose a Axel Lunch Box? 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 Piper and Mara Phone Slings: First Impressions

I'm hiding out from COVID-19 right now, but I'd like to at least share my initial impressions as well as some comparison shots. I'll update this post with a review once I can test these out in the real world! Stay safe, everyone.

The Piper Phone Sling and Mara Phone Sling were recently released as part of Dagne Dover's Spring/Summer 2020 collection. Both styles are available in core colors; the Piper is also available in Pollen, and the Mara is available in Pollen Airmesh, Lime, Pomelo, and Block Party Print.

• Piper Dimensions/Price: 3.75" L x 1.25” W x 6.5" H, $115
• Mara Dimensions/Price: 7.5" L x 1.5" W x 4.5" H, $65

Personally, I feel the price points of both are high for what these items are—I figured would be something around a $75-$95 range for the Piper and a $45-$55 range for the Mara based on the price points of other styles. (I assume the higher price point is meant to offset future markdowns/the use of discount codes?) Now, on to the individual styles!

Piper

I don't think I've seen a silhouette like this before, and I LOVE it! The design is clever, and there are plenty of sturdy slots and compartments for things like credit cards and hand sanitizer. It's structured and well-made.

With hand sanitizer

Weird creasing

If you have a bulky phone grip on your phone case, you might find fitting essentials into the other pockets to be a tight squeeze. This is my only real gripe with the Piper (besides the price point) so far—I'll let you know how it works out in action.

Next up: the Mara!

Mara

I'm conflicted about the Mara based on my first impression, particularly the Pollen Airmesh version. Here are some of the reasons why:

• The interior slip pocket/card slot material is cheap and flimsy (less obvious in the Block Party Print)
• Does not work well with bulky phone case grips

It's also worth noting that the crossbody clip locations are asymmetrical and that the zipper hangs a bit awkwardly.

I've been a huge fan of DD's past airmesh releases, but the Mara in Airmesh feels...cheap. I hope it will grow on me.

(It arrived with a small chunk missing from the "D") 

Alas—back to DD it goes!

I have a bulky phone grip on the back of my case, so it doesn't fit in the Mara as well as I'd hoped. It either limits what I can put in the main compartment or bulges out if I have the screen facing the pattern instead of the air mesh.

Pictured with iPhone 7

Test-packed with phone, hand sanitizer, and AirPod Pros

The Mara's silhouette felt reminiscent of the Coach Double Zip Crossbody when I saw it online, so I wanted to share a size comparison. (While I intend to sell the smaller yellow one, the larger Coach Skull Bandana Crossbody is an absolute favorite of mine—I suspect the Mara won't be able to top it!)

Personally, I think Block Party Print or Heather Gray in particular would both be safe bets if you're considering a Mara!

Color Comparisons

Pollen / Pollen Airmesh / Sol Airmesh

Block Party Print vs. Pure White—as you can (hopefully) see, the block shapes are more of a taupe color!

I'm looking forward to putting the Pollen Piper and Block Party Print Mara to use once the snow melts—after all, walking outdoors is still an option! I'll update this review once I've done so; in the meantime, I hope these photos help you make a more informed decision before the seasonal versions of these styles sell out for good. (I'll post my initial impressions of the Small and Large Axel Lunch Boxes soon as well!)

. . . . .

Did this post help you choose a Phone Sling? 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's Sample Sales / Warehouse Sales: An Overview

Dagne Dover typically holds 1-2 online Sample Sales every year. Sample Sale items are steeply discounted and include (to my knowledge) a mix of "second-quality" items, returns, and excess stock. To quote the disclaimer on their website regarding Sample Sale items, "items may have one or more of the following: color variations, scuffs, scratches, dents, bent handles, zipper issues, snap issues, creasing, loose threads, or other imperfections."

Some general tips for shopping the Sample Sales:

• Quantities are extremely limited for many items (especially out-of-stock seasonal colors), so don't wait to complete the checkout process!
• Sample Sale items are final sale and cannot be exchanged
• DD doesn't allow additional discounts on Sample Sale items (with the exception of gift cards, gift cards earned from the old Rewards program,  and Dagne Rewards points).
• If you are a new customer who intends to use the $20 off offer on a non-Sample Sale item, complete that purchase first before purchasing from the Sample Sale (where no additional discounts are allowed)—otherwise, you will no longer qualify for the new customer discount!
• Check the Sample Sale page often for additional and/or restocked items!
• The Sample Sales have gone by a couple of other names: the Warehouse Sale, the Second Quality Sale, and the Refresh Sale.

I've purchased fifteen items through Dagne Dover's Sample Sales and have only had one "bad" experience, and that particular experience is absolutely not the norm—more on that one later. All of the other items I've purchased during past Sample Sales arrived in good to new condition; any flaws were purely cosmetic.

I pulled some pictures of past "flawed" 2018 Sample Sale purchases from my phone to include for reference.

Part One of the Great 2018 Sample Sale Haul

Base slouching—I wasn't thrilled with this, but it's a common issue with the Ava bags

Stubborn smudge/discoloration next to logo

Slight pilling

I was able to remove most of the gunk!

Uneven stitching

Teeny tiny blemish and a slight crease near the emblem—otherwise in fantastic condition!

The other two Elle Clutches were also Sample Sale buys and arrived with no flaws

The dud

The previously mentioned "dud" was a heavily-used Small Hunter in Quartz from the 2018 Sample Sale. I cleaned it up and kept it because the color was so hard to find, but I have yet to bring myself to use it. In the highly unlikely event you receive something in a similar condition, let DD's Customer Service know! 

Out of the twelve Sample Sale items I currently own, I'd say five were in 'new' cosmetic condition, three were in 'great' cosmetic condition, three were in 'good' cosmetic condition, and one (the Small Hunter) was in 'poor' cosmetic condition. I also have three 2020 Sample Sale purchases on the way and will update this post once they arrive!

Update 2/12/2020:  It's been nearly two weeks since the most recent sale started and many customer's orders (mine included) have yet to be shipped. DD sent out an email after Week #1 announcing an additional seven-day delay due to an influx of orders.  Past Sample Sale purchases shipped same/next day in my experience.

Update 2/15/2020: I've seen multiple comments on social media indicating customers are receiving the wrong items—some of the issues include right size/wrong color, right color/wrong size, right color/wrong item, etc (although it sounds like the items they did receive are generally in great condition!). Many orders placed on or around 1/30/2020 still have yet to be shipped.

Update 3/23/2020: I forgot to update this post with my 2020 purchases! I ended up placing three orders during the Sample Sale—two on January 30th and one on February 8th. The first January 30th order (Ace Fanny) arrived on February 18th, the February 8th order (Large Lola) arrived on February 20th, and the second January 30th order (Medium Weston/XS Landon in Dune) arrived on March 4th. DD stated in an order update email that all Sample Sale orders would be fulfilled by February 20th, and although I did receive tracking information for the latter order that day, it took over a week for the package to actually leave their facility. (The items themselves were all in great condition with no signs of wear whatsoever, though, so no complaints there!)

Update 2/24/2021: I ordered a bunch of Scout and Parker pouches in SS18 colors from the "Refresh Sale" today! I'll let you know how those look when they arrive.

Were you happy with your Sample Sale purchase(s)? Please consider sharing your experiences below!

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!