My bag story didn’t start with Louis Vuitton. It started at Filene’s… with my grandma… and a little bit of audacity.
Two Christmases. Two separate mall trips while I was in college. And both times, my Grandma (and mom) bought me a Dooney & Bourke like it was nothing.
But I knew it was everything.
One was my OG classic Dooney. A perfect mid-size tote with brown leather trim and rolled handles with decorative tassels.
The other? A pastel multicolor coated canvas monogram barrel bag with vachetta leather trim and a little heart tag—very much a moment.
And I didn’t fully realize it then… but those weren’t just bags. Those were experiences. The kind that quietly tell you, you’re growing up… and stepping into something new.
And then… there was the red one ❤️ An all-weather pebble leather dream with cognac handles and the classic Dooney emblem front and center.
I was home in Bermuda for the summer, watching QVC live on TV—and I saw her. A red Dooney. Immediately I’m like… yeah, that’s mine. So I call my grandma and say, “Can you order this for me and it’ll be ready for when I get back for my final year?”
And what do grandmas do? They say yes. Every time. Easy Pay helped. #iykyk
And listen—I’m not spoiled 😂 But I am loved. And there’s a difference.
That bag was waiting for me when I got back, and in my mind? I was walking into senior year like a whole professional. (Meanwhile… I was still very much figuring it out.) Then came the moment.
After college graduation back in Bermuda. And my dad asks me—so casually: “Do you want a diamond… or Louis Vuitton?”
Sir… respectfully… be serious 😭
Because I don’t play.
Of course I chose the bag. A 2006 Louis Vuitton Monogram Trouville—from the Bermuda store too, so yes… tax free. My great aunt Roz worked there at the time and she made sure it was an extra special experience.
And that bag? She wasn’t just a bag. She carried me through my first job. Held my OG 9-inch iBook—aka the Barbie computer 😭 Showed up for me in my “I’m a professional now” era… even when I had no idea what I was doing. And I held onto her for almost 15 years.
That’s not just a purchase—that’s a whole chapter.
And like we all do, I went through phases. Different bags. Different styles. Every season it was like—this is who I am now 😌
Until it wasn’t.
I was buying, switching, selling…trying to keep up with a version of myself that kept evolving. And somehow I spun the block.
Back to Coach.
Back to Dooney.
Back to researching vintage Louis from an era that meant so much.
But this time? Different energy. No proving. No chasing. No “what’s next?” Because if I’m being real? It was never about Louis.
Or Dooney.
Or any label.
It was about the moment. The memory. The version of me I was becoming.
Some bags you outgrow.
Some you upgrade.
And some?
You carry them through entire eras of your life, and they quietly carry you too.
✨ Because it was never just about the bag. 👜
