Coach Madison Bag Review & Why I’m Returning It!

Coach Madison Bag Review!

Hello friends!!! Today I am back with a Coach Madison Bag Review! This is my latest addition to my Coach bag collection and it’s a real cutie… however… for me, it’s not a keeper and I’m SOOOOO disappointed about it! Today I am going to discuss price, quality, leather, details, how to style, what fits inside and SO much more!!! So get a cup of tea, make yourself cosy and let’s geek out about Coach handbags for a few minutes!!

Madison Bag Details

• Leather exterior
• Fabric lining
• Credit card slots
• Inside slip pocket
• Brass hardware
• Turnlock closure
• Back slip pocket
• Branded luggage tag
• Two ways to wear
• Measures 6 1/4″ Length x 5″ High x 2″ Deep
• Style No. 4870

Coach Madison v Parker Bag

The Coach Madison bag is very similar to the Coach Parker bag. It’s a classic flap style handbag with two ways to wear as the strap can be doubled over so it can be worn at a short or longer shoulder length. Both bags feature the turnlock ‘C’ clasp as well as the turnlock rose clasp and some style variations feature a front slip pocket and some don’t. To be completely honest, I’m a big Coach fan and I know their bags pretty well, but I can’t personally see much difference between the new Coach Madison bag and the older Coach Parker bag. The only slight difference I can see is that the Madison bag feels a little more compact, cute and almost ‘softer’ and more padded, which gives it a more luxe feel. But to be honest, they are very similar bags in terms of the basic silhouette, they just both feature slightly different seasonal tweaks, for example, the Coach Parker never came in this wide quilted finish, there was a narrow quilt, but not this wider more ‘pillow’ style quilt, but the general silhouette is almost identical, in my opinion. Let me know if you see any other differences.

Two Ways To Wear

Much like the Coach Parker bag, the Coach Madison bag has a fixed length chain which can be worn either as a long shoulder strap or doubled over as a shorter shoulder strap.

How To Style The Coach Madison Bag

The Coach Madison bag comes in a variety of different leathers, colours and finishes, some have the turnlock rose clasp and others have more embellishments. It’s a smaller sized bag so I think for most people it might be too small as a work bag, however, it is perfect for weekends, dinners out, running errands and the likes. Personally I was planning to wear my pale pink cutie with a vintage summer dress at the weekends, lunches in cafes, running errands and that kind of thing!

What fits inside the Coach Madison Bag

Admittedly, the Coach Madison bag is a small size bag so it’s not got the most interior space. It measures just 6.5″ across and 5″ wide, so it’s pretty limited with what it holds. Personally I can squeeze inside not much more than a standard size iPhone, card holder, a lipstick and maybe a small portable phone charger and cable. But let’s be honest, some times that’s all you need!

Coach Madison Bag Price

The Coach Madison bag retails for around £350, which I think is a fair price for a beautifully made luxury bag which is made of leather, however, you can spend the same amount and get a bigger bag, not quite a soft and intricately quilted, but still a great mid-sized bag. This madison style bag is very much a mini / micro sized bag, which I’m not sure translated on the website, so something I do want to flag up. So get yourself a ruler and really measure it because it is small, just 6 1/4″ long by 5″ tall and 2″ deep.

Coach bags in general tend to be really well made and last really well, so I always feel confident that not only are they are they a good fashion investment, but if you ever get bored of them, they tend to retain their value well on the resale market. Also if you are new to Coach, it’s worth signing up to their customer mailing list to save yourself 10% on your first order. But with this one, just check the measurements before you buy because it is one of the smallest Coach bags I’ve ever seen, I would argue in some ways it’s smaller than the Callie Folderover Clutch or the Dinky bag.

Are Coach bags high quality?

Yes, Coach bags are very high quality, especially the newer styles in the leather finishes. Coach bags around a decade ago were not such good quality, but since their new Creative Director, Stuart Ververs has been running the show, the quality has gone back to the high quality leathers and craftsmanship which made the brand a household name. I especially love the grainy pebble leathers they use on the Coach Rogue bag.

How to clean Coach bag?

Over time Coach bags might get dirty, of course, you can get it professionally spa’ed, there’s plenty of companies that do this (like Handbag Clinic) but honestly, it can be expensive and it’s always worth trying to clean your bag yourself first. Personally I turn the bag upside down and give it a few taps to get the dirt and dust out of the inside. You can also give it a gentle hoover to get in all the corners. As for the outside, if the bag is made of fabric, I would suggest giving it a wipe with a clean damp cloth – not a cloth which is a colour though, as the dye may run, almost like a white flannel cloth. You can try using just water, or if you are brave like me, dry using a tiny bit of fairy liquid and warm water to lift the dirt. I promise, fairy liquid works wonders, but you might want to try it on a test patch first which is less visible. If you bag is leather, then the best leather cream is Collonil. It’s the best!

Do Coach bags last long?

Yes, Coach bags last very well, especially the leather bags. They tend to use really high quality, thick leathers which can withstand heavy use and wear. The paler colour bags might need cleaning a little more often and it’s always a good idea to polish your bags with leather cream to feed the leather, but rest assured, your Coach bags will last super well and last a long time!

Coach Madison Bag Review

Ok, so the Coach Madison bag is a tough one for me to review. I LOVE this bag so much, but I simply cannot keep it and justify adding it into my already over-stuffed wardrobe. But first, let’s discuss the positives with this bag, of which there are many! First up… the leather is stunning, it’s super soft lambskin, and it’s buttery soft to touch, possibly the softest smoothest leather I’ve ever seen Coach use and Coach are famed for their great leathers. I love the soft blush pink colour too, it’s SO cute. Next, I love the quilting, it’s almost cuddly and cushioned with it’s plush quilting. Finally, I love the gunmetal hardware which is such a stunning contrast against the plush, soft pink leather. It’s a really beautifully made and beautifully designed bag.

However, here is my issue with the Coach Madison bag, and honestly, I kind of blame myself for this one. I never checked the measurements! I assumed this bag was bigger than it is, I assumed it would fit my phone inside.. I assumed it was a mid-sized bag. I guess because I have so many Coach bags, I assumed it would be larger and more in-line with the other bag sizes I have, but actually it’s much smaller. I did a video showing what fits inside and honestly this bag would be absolutely perfect for low-luggage days IF it fitted my phone inside. However, I use the iPhone 12 max pro which is a larger size iPhone and it simply doesn’t fit inside. The standard iPhone does, but the larger size iPhone doesn’t. If I used the regular sized iPhone, this would be sat proudly in my wardrobe right now, but since I use the larger size phone, I just can’t justify it. Which is such a shame as it’s such a beautiful bag, it’s so perfectly made and I would even go as far as to say it’s the best quality Coach bag I’ve ever bought… but for me, I just can’t have a handbag which my phone doesn’t fit inside.

So that’s my review… it’s a STUNNING handbag, it’s perfect quality, a dreamy design but for me, it’s only suitable for those of you who use a standard size iPhone or similar. My advice is to check the measurements and see if your phone fits inside because I really wish mine did! Oh well… onto the next!

Ps. If this exact bag is released in a slightly larger midi-size, I’ll be all over it!

Other Coach Bags You Might Like

If you are looking for a larger size Coach bag, then the Coach May bag is brilliant, it’s a really nice size shoulder bag which fits loads inside, however it is a little more expensive than the Madison and possibly a little more practical. If you want something even bigger and you want more of a slouchy bucket bag, then the Coach Willow bag is SO GOOD!! If you want something a little more ‘fashion’ then try the Tabby bag and if you want something even more ‘fashiunnnnnn’ then try the Coach Tabby Pillow bag.

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