My love of vintage Coach bags is well-documented on this blog, but I’m not sure if I ever really talked about its evolutions. So, before we get into the actual topic of today’s post, let’s go back. All the way back … to 2006 or thereabouts. I was a freshly minted baby lawyer. One day, one of my co-workers brought in a new bag she’d just got, and I immediately fell in love with it. It was a canvas-and-leather monogram Coach bag, a style that was very popular in the mid to late 2000s, and it was my gateway to the world of Coach. Also, coincidentally, the world of eBay – where I scoured listings for secondhand Coach bags because, at the time, Edmonton didn’t have its own store.
Fast forward a few years, and I discovered the beauty of 90s leather Coach bags; my personal favourites have always been the turnlock bags. At the time, it was relatively easy to find them for very reasonable prices, because they weren’t considered especially trendy. I ended up getting 3 or 4 of them, in different colours, and wore them a lot circa 2011-2014. After that, I started to get into higher end designer bags and kinda forgot about my Coach bags. Actually, no. It was worse than that. I wish I’d simply forgotten about them because that would have been much better than what I actually did, which was to sell them … probably for peanuts. It’s one of my biggest closet regrets. Fast forward a decade or so; I ditched the large fancy designer bags (but have not sold them! I’ve learned my lesson) and rediscovered the beauty of vintage Coach. Too bad that those same bags that used to cost $50-100 now run $200-500 *cries in terrible past decisions*
Luckily, there was one Coach bag that I never sold; instead, I gave it to my mom, who kept it (though she never really used it). When she passed away, I found it at the back of her closet. It felt like finding a gift, from her to me. That bag became the foundation of my Coach collection 2.0. Over the last couple of years, I’ve been fortunate to have been able to rebuild my collection with very lucky secondhand finds and a couple of swapped/gifted bags. All of the bags I’ve purchased have been in the $100-150 range, which is a relatively bargain these days. As a Canadian, I find Poshmark to be the best bet for reasonably priced Coach, but it does require constant vigilance; good deals come up rarely and get snapped up quickly.
Alright, now that we’ve got all that context out of the way, let’s fast forward and talk about today’s topic: the two most recent additions to my Coach collection 2.0. Each one comes with its own little story, of course.
The Lucky Find
One thing I haven’t mentioned yet is the fact that I have never – in nigh on 15 years of thrifting – ever found a 90s Coach bag at the thrifts. I’ve found vintage-ish Coach bags from the 2000s, and plenty of more contemporary ones, but never one of my beloved turnlock Willises, Courts, Stations, etc. The closest I ever came to that was a re-issue Willis bag from the early 2010s (I think) … which I also, stupidly, sold off. But a thrifter’s hope springs eternal, and I have never stopped looking and hoping that, one day, I’d be blessed to find one of the original 90s leather bags.
Spoiler alert:
My best friend was recently visiting from Montreal and, naturally, we went thrifting. The first store we went to is organized in such a way that the bags are very close to the entrance, so that’s where I started my store “loop”. [Bags are not usually the category where I start at other stores.] And lo – the first thing I spot on the first rack … like, literally the first thing … is this bone-coloured vintage Coach bag. I think I actually screamed a little bit, and not just internally. Not only is it the first vintage Coach I’ve ever thrifted, it’s also a colour that I’d been hoping to add to my collection for a while. And, get this: it was $10. And I had a coupon, so I paid $8. Friends, thrifting does not get better than this. [Well, actually, it might: at the same store, I found 2 brand new Smythe blazers too.]
The moral of the story here is that, if you wait long enough, the thrift gods will eventually deliver. It might just take a while … like, “a decade” kind of a while. But it will feel all the sweeter when you find that holy grail.
The Splurge
As I mentioned, turnlock bags have my heart; there is something about that beautifully simple hardware that I just love. I’ve never paid too much attention to 90s Coach bags that didn’t come with the turnlock … until one day, randomly, I spotted a bag that changed that. What I mean by “randomly” is this: I had just started watching the first season of Jonathan Creek, an old British murder mystery show, after seeing it recommended on Reddit. The first season originally aired in the late 90s, so it’s a smorgasbord of retro fashion, most of it not especially memorable. But there was one thing that Maddie, the female protagonist, wore (repeatedly) that immediately caught my eye. It was a large, black Coach duffle bag. Super low key, no logos, no turnlock; I’m not even sure if it had the usual Coach hang-tag. But if you know, you know. And the more I kept seeing that bag pop up in various episodes, the more I fell in love with it.
So, I decided to add it to my wish list.
By now, it won’t surprise you to hear that these duffle bags are very popular now; and, because of the size, more expensive than some of the other 90s styles. I was resigned to be looking and waiting for a long time.
Spoiler alert:
In the end, it only took a few months. I couldn’t believe my eyes when this beauty popped up on Poshmark for only $250. I know, but believe me: “only” is an appropriate qualifier. Much, much smaller bags are currently listed for that much. I figured, from a quantity-of-leather perspective alone, this was a good deal. I debated with myself, and even made a short-lived offer of $225, but then quickly decided this was not the time to try to save $25. So, I paid the full list price … and I have ZERO regrets. Guys, this is such a stunning and classic design — and it looks even better in real life. I also think this colour will be very versatile for my closet, even more so than black. I’m so, so pumped to start wearing it.
And, who knows, maybe it will inspire me to solve a murder or two. Or, at least, to write about it 😉