Friday, April 19, 2013

My Water Resistant Matt & Nat Tote from Compassion Couture

My neighbors are on vacation and my mail carrier was recently promoted.  I mention this because these factors, coupled with my recent admiration of a new Matt & Nat tote, all managed to lend themselves to a literal perfect storm that was likely to have ended unhappily.


After much deliberation (including the creation of a paper mock-up in order to best determine the size), I finally placed my order for the coveted tote with Compassion Couture, a vegan company that VM and I had the good fortune of meeting at the Bethlehem VegFest, and who happen to be based out of my hometown!!!  The order went through smoothly and I awaited the arrival of my package.


A few days later, I noticed that my neighbors had received a delivery and I was a little jealous; at that point I was not yet aware that they were on vacation.  That evening there was a torrential rainstorm and the next morning I was so intent on cleaning up around my own front door that I didn't notice whether or not the package was still on their porch.   Late that afternoon, what I can only assume was what I'd originally taken for granted as being "their" package appeared on my doorstep: sopping wet.  So wet, in fact, that I was able to tear the box open with my hands.  It was soaked through; the enclosed thank you card was drenched and eventually dried in this tell-tale form.


The bag, however, was in pristine condition.


Made all the more perfect with the confirmation that it was, in fact, 89-size.


For those of you wondering, it's also beautiful with great usability.  The cork fabric has tiny bits of dark color throughout that you don't notice until they catch the light and offer a faint shimmer. I have a cork board in my house and it does not do that!  Also, it's a great size for a tote: boasting a large, zippered, interior pocket; it's perfect for when you want to secure your valuables- wallet and keys, but still have plenty of room for whatever you might pick up over the course of a day.


A huge thank you to the kind and attentive folks at Compassion Couture.


Were it not for the fact that the tote was sealed within the box in the original Matt & Nat bag, it never would have survived the unanticipated events of the delivery unscathed.


As for 89, she's imagining a life where she isn't subjected to this kind of treatment.


For the longtime Matt & Nat fans out there, this is the first one I ever purchased.  I guess it's true what they say: the older you get, the larger your purse gets.


Suffice it say, 89 can't fit in that one.

10 comments:

  1. Wow, what a story. Cute little 89 can travel in style even after the snafu and rainstorm. Your post is turning me on to Matt & Natt.

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  2. Glad you finally got your beautiful bag. It's either really big or 89 is smaller than I thought. I've always been attracted to cork bags but was wondering how they would hold up, and I'll be interested in hearing about yours after you've had it a while so you should plan a followup post in a few months. :)

    I've got several Matt and Nat bags and my problem with them isn't the size, but the fact they don't have shoulder straps and I like to have my hands free.

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  3. Urban Vegan- I only splurge when I REALLY like one, but I have amassed a few. The best thing about them is that they always elicit compliments. I like having the opportunity to promote a vegan company based on style and, if possible, work in a plug for veganism along the way!

    Andrea, she's long and skinny, but not very big: 10 pounds or so at last count? I'll let you know how the bag wears once Farmer's Market season really get's going again. The inside is lined, so I don't see any trouble there. I only buy long-handled bags at this point; having to hold a short-handled bag makes me useless. Last year I bought a great one: it's purse-sized with a messenger-length strap. AND it unzips to add 2 inches to the depth. It's been sold out for some time and they don't seem to be making it anymore; otherwise, I'd give you a link!!

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  4. looks great. Looking forward to some warm weather outings together so I can see it in person!

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  5. BYOL, you don't give a hill of beans about my bag; you just miss 89!

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  6. Abby,

    The bag looks great and is very stylish. I hope the bag carrying 89ends up in the city at some point. ; )

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  7. Abby, sometimes you can find older M&N bags on ebay for good prices.

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  8. Andrea, the one I'm talking about is called "fella;" see if you can find it anywhere b/c I highly recommend it!

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  9. Hi, just wondering if you're Matt & Nat bag is still good - I'm considering buying a cork bag myself, so I was wondering if it is durable and lasts a long while!

    Thank you (:

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    1. Yes! This one is going strong, but I don't take it out when it's raining. I have a bunch of M&N bags and haven't been so lucky with all of them. Two faux suede ones barely survived a season. The metal insignia fell off of another one and they told me they weren't able to provide me with a new one to glue on, which I thought was odd. I almost always use their wallets, which are great. Hope that helps!

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