Whimsical Wears diaper bag review (with pictures)

[pritchettzoo]

This bag is GORGEOUS! The workmanship is amazing. The fabric is stunning--Kim did a fantastic job of helping me pick it out. The bag feels, I don't know, substantial for lack of a better word, yet the bag is very feminine. I have no fear of stuffing it to its gills with baby stuff! The straps are the perfect length and are securely fastened. It is impeccably finished.

Compared to the Ella bag, well, there is no comparison. The complementary and lining fabric is *much* higher quality, there's a stiffness to the WW bag where the Ella was limp, the pockets are a double thickness of material and completely finished unlike Ella's,...I could go on and on! The bags, although similar in style, have a completely different method of craftmanship. I don't know all of the technical terms, but the WW bag is definitely superior--you could turn this bag inside out and be proud to carry it around. I would totally pick this bag up in a boutique and take it home (hee hee, since I frequent boutiques so often!). Seriously, I am very particular about handmade items thanks to my fantastic granny who made my clothing for many years. This is a well made bag. If you have an Ella bag and like it, this bag would send you over the moon!

Plus Kim is an absolute dream to work with whereas Ella's customer service is spotty at best. She is unpretentious and delightful.

I wish Gracie would wake up so that we could go some place! I'm so upset that the bag came after Gymbo today. I'll have to think of a fun field trip for it to go on... ;)

Pictures are attached. The size is a "3 Peas in a Pod Day Tripper Diaper Bag."

I hope there will be a fall co-op or coupon or something! I might have to buy another one (gasp) full price!

Anna
Mama to Gracie (9/16/03)

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/4556.jpg


http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/4557.jpg


http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/4558.jpg

[c2lane]

Anna ~ your bag is BEAUTIFUL!!!! I love the material/combination. Very stunning.
You have given the best description yet of the quality of Kim's bags and a great comparison too.
I LOVE my bag so much that I'm going to order another one but I'm having a hard time deciding on the fabric and size. I was thinking of going smaller than the Signature that I bought but I've already stuffed mine to the gills but then again, I'm the type of person who will pack as much stuff as my bag will carry.
Thanks so much for sharing!
~Carrie
mommy to Dillan Rose 01/02/04

[bluej]

Oh Anna, that is gorgeous! Stunning fabric! I bet you'll be stopped constantly with people asking about your bag. I can't wait to get mine!

[etwahl]

anna, that bag IS beautiful!!!

i wonder if you could do a favor? could you possibly take a picture of it while you are holding it on your shoulder?

i ordered a backpack in the pre-order, but it looks like i won't get it before the end of the sale period (not kim's fault) so i'm thinking of ordering another...although i had hoped to have mine before i ordered another. but i was wondering what it looked like "on" kwim?

you have great taste. good choice!

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[jasabo]

Anna your bag is beautiful! I LOVE the colors. Enjoy it!

Lisa - mom to 10 month old twin boys

[arcoe]

Your bag is absolutely stunning! The fabric is so beautiful.

Can I ask you a question? Do you think that size bag would be a good choice for me to use as a combo work/diaper bag? I am looking for something that I can throw a few files in, in addition to a few diapers, wipe holder, changing pad, and sippy cup. That way I won't have to carry two bags once DD starts daycare in a couple of weeks. What do you think?

Robin
Mom to Lexy (19 months)

[lmariana]

Okay, now I need one.

Mariana
Mother of Gabriel, 08/14/2003

[mattysmom]

Of course you need one (or two?) - you are my diaper bag expert! I finally got around to ordering mine tonight - have fun picking out fabrics!

[pritchettzoo]

Hmmm...it depends on what you mean by a few files. I stuck a 1" 3-ring binder in mine (it was next to the computer). It comes right to the top of the bag and fills it out pretty well--not sure there'd be a whole lot of room for diapers. I think you'd need a slightly taller and wider bag (or deeper...). Email Kim and tell her what you want to use it for. I'm sure she'll be able to tell you exactly what you'd need.

Won't you want to leave the bag at daycare with your DD? Or would you be taking the diaper stuff on to work with you? I'm not sure I'm answering your question correctly...

Anna
Mama to Gracie (9/16/03)

[pritchettzoo]

Thanks! I love this bag too. It fits sooooooo well on the shoulder. I got 28" straps and they're the perfect length for me. The straps stay up (yay! pet peeve of mine!) and it feels very secure.

I loathe having my picture taken, so here's a picture of DH with the bag (and DD!). He told me that I owe him big time because the bag doesn't match his shoes ;)
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/4564.jpg

Anna
Mama to Gracie (9/16/03)

[khakismom]

Anna, your bag is simply stunning!! I love the fabric you picked out--wow! Your bag will definitely be a conversation piece.

All these great bags are killing my resolve to pass on the WW co-op. Yeah that resolve had just flown out the window... :)

[arcoe]

Thanks!!! I did send Kim an e-mail. I am new to the whole daycare routine. I will be returning to work part time in about two weeks. I was thinking about being able to put the diapers, wipes etc in my bag for when I pick DD up at night. If I already had these items on me, then I wouldn't have to also carry home the "main" diaper bag, which would stay at daycare, and would only come home when items needed to be cleaned or replenished. Does that make sense? I have a back injury, so the less I have to carry, the better.

[Eloise36]

Anna, your bag is absolutely gorgeous!!!

[pritchettzoo]

Have you considered a back pack? There's a picture of one here: http://www.whimsicalwears.com/coop.html and I think there's a recent review of one here in this forum. They look beautiful, would give you lots of room, and would be easier on your back.

I have NO idea about the daycare routine, I've just read posts about people having a daycare diaper bag. I hope I'm not leading you astray!

Anna
Mama to Gracie (9/16/03)

[boys2enough]

Your bag is gorgeous. Thank you for the great review and pictures. and please give our thanks to your Dh for posting for the pic. :) I really appreicate seeing it on somebody because I am considering between that size and the Signature bag.

Could you please help me with some questions:

Are you getting this bag for longer outings? or for everyday?

Do you think it will be way too big for every day? I am very very lazy, I don't want to switch bags if I don't have to. lol. Also, limiting the amount of $ I spend on baby stuff halps maintain my marriage. ;-)

If you have other diaper bags (I am sure you do, lol), could you please roughly compare the size of the 3 Peas in a Pod to your other collections? (e.g. is it bigger than LE DIA? etc etc)

Thank you thank you so much. I know the wait is totally worth it, but I am feeling restless every day because I am so nervous and excited about it. Who knows a diaper bag will get me so exicted??

Cheers, Lin

[kkb99]

I love your bag!

How did you decide your strap length?

Where did you find your fabric? I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the choices.

Thanks for the great review and great pics! I had decided to forgo this co-op, but after reading your post, I am now considering ordering one!

Kristen

[bluej]

LOL Anna! Your DH is quite the sport! I cannot even begin to imagine what my DH's reaction would be if I said 'here, you need to model my beautiful floral diaper bag b/c the gals at BBB want to see what it looks like on'! It looks great btw!

[etwahl]

i agree! he's hilarious :) he really is a terrific sport!!!

do you think the size is great for you? which size ella did you have? the large or extra large? and can you compare it to the size of that? or the ISM if you have it?

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[VickiH]

It is absolutely beautiful!!! I was really trying to avoid the co-op, but now I have to e-mail Kim and get on the bandwagon. You convinced me that I "need" one of these bags!

[papal]

Great looking bag Anna! Glad you found something that you liked finally! And your dh is such a sweetheart for modelling it! And Miss Gracie is looking SO ADORABLE!!! Are you going out to show it off today?? :)

[tigalig]

Anna, I love your bag! I can't wait to get my backpack - so glad I joined the bandwagon on this one. I think we'll all be very happy with our choices. Thanks for posting your review and for the fabulous pictures too.

Ida

[robmab719]

Wow, that is an awesome review and a beautiful bag. I thought I'd talked myself out of the WW coop, but now I am reconsidering. Maybe I do need "just one more" diaper bag. ;)

Thanks for posting!!

[pritchettzoo]

It's for every day, but I CD and am used to large bags (thanks to higher education! I knew something useful would come out of toting around all those gigantic books!). If we go on a long trip, I usually carry an extra bag just with diapers and put a few in the actual diaper bag.

I don't think it's too big, but I'm not a small person. Also, DD's still relatively young, so I carry several diapers (for example, she went through 4 on a 1 hr 45 min trip to Gymboree yesterday). The only other diaper bag that I've actually used is the Ameribag Healthy Back bag. The only other bag I've purchased is an Ella Elaine, which well, you know how that turned out! :P They're pretty similar in size I believe, but this one would definitely hold more as it is sturdy and better made. It's really hard to compare it to that since it's such an odd shape. I think they'll hold the same amount. The WW is definitely less bulky than a freebie formula bag (I'm remembering another diaper bag from Gymbo yesterday). Oh, and I have a cheap bag from Carter's outlet that's supposed to look like the Babystyle bags (I think). The WW bag is larger than that one and has more useful space. I use that bag to tote extra diapers for long trips.

HTH...

Anna
Mama to Gracie (9/16/03)

[pritchettzoo]

I love the size, but I'm not a small person and I CD. You probably wouldn't need one this big, especially since Lauren is older unless you're going to use it for day trips or you're a really heavy packer.

I was supposed to have the Elaine, but it wasn't quite the right size. I think it was in between an Elaine and a Lily. The WW bag is 17" across the top from seam to seam, which means it's not 17 inches across when it's full. It's 6 inches wide and 13 inches tall. The bag tapers down to 11 inches across the bottom, but it's a nice graceful taper and not severe because once the bag has stuff in it, it's really visually tapering from say 14-15 inches to 11 inches.

I guess the best way to compare would be look at the dimensions of the bags you have and like.

Anna
Mama to Gracie (9/16/03)

[parkersmama]

Anna, B is such a good sport! You definitely owe him. ;) And Gracie is a cutie-pie as usual.

And, my goodness, girl you have good taste! I love, love, love the bag! The fabric is *gorgeous*!

[pritchettzoo]

Thanks! :)

Anna
Mama to Gracie (9/16/03)

[houseof3boys]

Good review dear. I am laughing at B with the bag on! That is hysterical. :)

All those moms at Gymbo are going to be so jealous when they see your hip cool bag.

[boys2enough]

Hi, thank you so much! I came back and looked at your bag about 10 times yesterday, I am not kidding. I need to get this bag soon otherwise I am driving myself nuts! lol. Cheers, Lin

[pritchettzoo]

Look at Ryan's new avatar! What a big boy! Sooo cute! :)

Anna
Mama to Gracie (9/16/03)

[toomanystrollers]

OHHHHHHHHHH Anna - love the bag!!! Why did I look???? LOL - off to peruse the WW site.

[ginamlee]

Your post convinced me. I've been discussing fabrics with Kim. Arrgh! I was going to skip this time!

[houseof3boys]

I knew you would break down!!!!! :P

[jubilee]

I don't usually frequent the diaper bag section, because bags haven't been a hot button for me--- until I saw YOUR bag!! It is WOW! I totally missed the co-op and am bummed. Now that you've had the bag for a month, how is it holding up?

[pritchettzoo]

I still LOVE my bag. It looks fabulous still--no problems with seams ripping apart or separating or handles coming off (as I've heard with other "boutique" bags).

I don't think there are any pending co-ops, but there is a current coupon code to celebrate her new website:
www.whimsicalwears.com
15% off Coupon Code valid until June 30th 207040100

Anna
Mama to Gracie (9/16/03)

[jubilee]

thanks for the code!!