This post is a combination of What Fits, What’s In My Bag, Purseonals all rolled up into one, meaning this is the mother of all bag reviews on this specific Prada bag. You’ve been asking for a while for me to share which bag I’ve ended up using as my baby bag, and this post is long overdue. Truth be told, things with Millie have been a little crazy as we still work to figure out what is going on with her gastrointestinal issues (I’ve shared about it here and here if you missed it). But because this post is delayed, it also means that I’ve really gotten to use this bag a lot to share every little thing about it.
A bit over a year ago, Prada sent me this bag with my initials on it. I loved it immediately. Prada Nylon bags were actually one of my first handbag true loves, and the bag I carried during college was a different Prada Nylon Messenger Bag. I started using this bag when Prada sent it and loved how deep it is and how easy it is to carry a lot of things inside it. I changed my bags out a few times, but wound up deciding to use this bag right after Millie was born (even though I have an actual Prada Diaper bag I’m planning to switch to soon—can you see a pattern here?!).
This Prada bag became by everyday bag for both myself and Millie, and it has worked out really well. I had so much amazing advice from all of you on what to do about a baby bag, but here’s what I’ve used the first five months—let me break it down for you below!
Aesthetics 
I give this bag a 3.5 star rating on aesthetics, and really could be rated a bit less because there isn’t anything super special about a north-south black nylon bag. What makes this bag stand out is my initials on the back—I really like that aspect. Sometimes when I throw the bag over my arm, I’m not sure which side is facing out, but it’s pretty cool that it’s my initials (the MMD is for Meaghan (Megs) Mahoney Dusil, I kept my last name along with Vlad’s). My initials were added in different colors on the back of the bag and I really love them. They’re large—placed in the lower right hand corner—and it makes this bag truly my own.
And while the majority of the bag doesn’t look super special, I think that’s what makes it attractive. It’s understated, which is the goal of most of Prada’s nylon bags. The double top handles and other accents are in black leather, which looks nice with the nylon. Overall, I appreciate the simplicity of the bag, and while it’s not a huge statement-maker, it’s a bag that can be carried daily and for years without ever going out of style. This isn’t the bag you get if you’re looking for a major impact design, but instead, it’s a bag that will be a workhorse in your collection and probably one of the most practical you own. Everyone needs those bags in their collection.
Usability + Functionality
Here’s where you are going to get tons of info. This bag is pretty large, and the interior is deep, which can make finding items difficult. But the usability and functionality of this bag changes when you are using it as a workhorse, and that is what a baby bag needs to be. I’ve learned which essentials I need with me at all times for Millie, and this bag holds them easily.
I am still only nursing Millie (and she won’t take a bottle), so that means my baby bag habits will change when she begins eating solids. (I know, I know—many babies are eating solids at five and a half months, but they’re holding off with Millie until her gastro issues are figured out a bit better.) I don’t need to carry bottles or food with me yet, so expect a new bag review when I hit that stage.
Right now, in my bag at all times are about 3-5 diapers, wipes, diaper cream, a changing pad, a teether toy and one outfit change for Millie. Those items are always with me, and I am pretty religious about making sure my bag has them at any given time. The reason I love this bag is it has one massive ‘pocket’ that has a snap closure that spans the entire back side of the bag, a smaller zip pocket on the front interior of the bag, and the main compartment.
The main compartment is the section where my Millie essentials live. I love that I can separate them and have them in their own area. It means Millie’s diapers and toys aren’t touching my random money and receipts flying around my bag, and I like that aspect because the snap pocket compartment seems ‘dirtier’ with the items that are being thrown inside of it.
Millie’s items aren’t actually that heavy unless her wipes are super full, which I try to avoid a brand new wipes package because it takes up a bunch of space and is really heavy. Her stuff just takes up more space, and I like that this bag has enough room that I can easily put everything inside and still see down to the item I need.
The snap pocket is used for my items. I have my wallet in there, a couple snacks, typically a water bottle, and, let me be honest—receipts are flying around in there. There’s my inhaler, hand sanitizer, some cash and other random items as well. Like I said earlier, this bag is quite deep, and I think if it were a few inches shorter, it would be easier to reach in and be able to find everything more easily.
The smaller zip pocket is where I keep my lip gloss, cell phone, and car keys. I love this pocket. I never zip it up and my items never fall out. This is where my smaller essentials go, and the pocket isn’t deep so it’s easy to find everything. If I accidentally drop my phone or keys into the main compartment, it ends up taking me quite a while to find them, so I try not to do that.
Overall, the usability and functionality of this bag is greater if you are able to wisely use each interior area. I think this would also make a great work bag or travel bag, but if you don’t carry many items around, you probably wouldn’t need one this big. The shoulder strap is adjustable and long enough to wear cross-body if you’d like, which I definitely do at times.
You can see what I carry in my bag, but I’m planning to follow this up with a post that shows in greater detail items that you could fit (even a computer) if that’s what you were looking for.
Quality + Construction
I have put this bag through the ringer, and it’s held up beautifully. While I might have made it sound like I always have my bag edited down, that’s not the case. It’s easy for this bag to get really heavy because I didn’t look inside and end up having, like, two water bottles and a fresh, oversized package of wipes. Even with that, this bag has barely shown wear.
This bag has been flung over every chair, next to me in multiple bathrooms while I change Millie, and is lugged from the car to the stroller to wherever I need it. The nylon long shoulder strap doesn’t even have fraying, and that’s pretty amazing.
The bag is made well and has held up better than I anticipated. If I sit it in water accidentally or spill something on it, it wipes off super easily. All of the stitches on the leather handles are intact, and the bag looks quite new, even though it’s been carried for a while non-stop and not treated gently. This bag reminds me why I love Prada nylon bags, so much and I would recommend one to you any day. It’s that good.
Value
One could argue that the price of Prada nylon bags is still high for non-leath, but I would argue that the price is great for what you get. This bag has been practically the only bag I’ve used day in and day out for over five months straight, with a couple of changes here and there for specific events. While this bag was a gift, I’d say that the price is right in line with what I’d expect to pay for it.
I have to note that this exact bag isn’t available, but there are other Nylon travel bags that can be have Prada lettering added (more info at the bottom of the post). If you love this design, I found a similar versions here and here.
Staying Power
Amanda and I have been saying it: Prada Nylon bags are making a comeback. I think everyone loves a great leather bag, but the simplicity and athletic touch that the nylon lends is very on-trend right now, and Prada offers plenty of nylon options from casual to dressy. You can’t go wrong with a black nylon bag, and I only marked this bag down a bit because the shape isn’t the trendiest, but man, it’s still so good!
Total
This Prada bag quickly turned into one of the most important bags I’ve ever carried. The long, adjustable shoulder strap is thick and comfortable to carry the bag over your shoulder or cross-body, and the body of the bag offers ample storage and compartments if you choose to use it as a baby bag like I did. When it comes to a baby bag, a nylon bag that is durable with easy interior separations has made these five months easy for me, bag-wise, and this design will always hold a special place in my heart.
If you love the Prada Nylon Lettering that my bag showcases, this service is still available at select Prada stores worldwide. There are twenty-six patches for the personalization on select Nylon travel items, including four backpacks and three pouch styles. Once you place your order, delivery is approximately two weeks plus shipping time from date of order.
The pricing ranges from $345 to $1540 depending on the product and right now you can order in person at Prada Short Hills, City Center and Vancouver. Prada Lettering will be traveling around the country to different markets and if you really want one of these bags, you can also call Prada to place your order. My bag costs $1,200, including the letters (however the lettering project is limited to 2 letter now).
Shop Prada bags online at Neiman Marcus, Net-A-Porter and Bergdorf Goodman, and Prada online.
