Frugal Friday: Club Monaco vs. Maiyet – Which One Will You Keep Tabs On?

Earlier this month, I was taken with Maiyet’s gold-accented camera bag ($1,850), a pull-tab design that’s as satisfying as it is simple. But at nearly two-grand, it’s not for everyone.

Enter Club Monaco’s collaboration ($225) with genius street-style photographer Tommy Ton. Just launched, the observer-extraordinaire was inspired by his own needs as an on-the-go shutterbug, as well as looking at “friends and people on the street!” The messenger is an obvious style for a quick-paced lifestyle, and this one has the same feel as Maiyet’s leather version. Sure, it’s canvas, but this navy bag has leather trim which amps it up.

The pull-tab closure reflects Maiyet’s inspiration; it lacks the over-the-top quality of gold hardware, but you still you get the same refined feel.

At 11” by 13”, the size is a bit odd and oversized. These are school-bag dimensions, but there’s a definite market here: a frugal bag for the starving student – or the busy photographer who packs it all in!