1.26.2011

lust and found: the lady bag.


super excited for this to arrive next week. i'm not a fan of the brand today, but i love vintage Coach as epitomized by the minimalist hardware and clean, classic lines. i don't own any very structured bags or have anything in this color in my small bag collection. and i won't lie; watching 4 seasons of Mad Men has colored my vintage radar just a bit...this would be the perfect bag for a night out or days when i'm running around with just the bare essentials.

(newish) vintage Coach leather 'kelly' bag

now some sleuthing for you, dear readers. apparently, in the 1990s coach produced some limited edition handbags that were all made in italy. do any of you know anything about this line? it's so striking how thoroughly different this bag is from Coach bags today...

14 comments:

  1. I don't know anything about Coach's limited edition bags but this is SO beautiful.

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  2. Oooooooh. I love the classic Kelly shape. Don't know anything about the Made in Italy era either but I love the Bonneie Cashin era of Coach and even until say, 5-7 years ago, I would consider buying a nice satchel or hobo from Coach. Now, Coach bags are horrible quality, relatively expensive, and they look like they share a designer with Guess. Tragedy for the legacy.

    You're holding on to something from better times :)

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  3. wow, that's gorgeous. and very much like a kelly. :) I love vintage Coach bags and totally agree that they are so much nicer than their recent designs.

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  4. Man, I love vintage coach. My mom's first designer bag was a Coach bag she got in the 90s and she gave it to me when I was 21. You've got yourself a fine fine bag, ma'am.

    xo Jenny

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  5. I find that more often that not I enjoy the vintage more than the current from brands that are bigger now, such as Coach. An old boss of mine had a vintage coach backpack and I was always slobbering over it!

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  6. kristin & ammu - thanks! :) i did a double-take when i saw it on etsy.

    lin - yes, it's sad! really rare vintage coach from the Cashin or 60s/70s era can be quite amazing. also, was Guess EVER good as a brand? i flip through old Vogues from the late 80s and early 90s and i swear the ads look basically the same as the current ones! :P

    jennifer: it's a damn shame, really. thank goodness for etsy! i do also love the original hermes version, but that's a fantasy purchase at the moment...

    jenny: i love that your mom gave you her first coach bag! do you still have it/use it? you should do a post on it. these pieces are always so much more special when they've got great stories behind them.

    hetterson: this seems to be the case more often than not nowadays. there is some nostalgia at work when it comes to vintage, but overall i feel like it's quite a challenge to find designers and brands that maintain an integrity of craftsmanship. and of course only a tiny % can afford the ridiculously high prices for, say, Hermes.

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  7. i have a similar one, but smaller and in black! i modified the leather strap to a cross-body chain because i thought it was initially too short. the leather is really gorgeous in real life... it's a shame coach doesn't produce more bags like these. oh well, i guess we're the lucky ones!

    my post about my bag is here: http://dahliamorgendorffer.blogspot.com/2010/07/bag-makeover.html

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  8. dahlia: oooh that's really ingenious what you did with your coach bag! :D so glad to hear that the leather is really good. this 'kelly' bag from the 90s is apparently quite rare - we are lucky!

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  9. Wow, this is really pretty. Everyone seems to be making great vintage Coach finds in thrift shops - I'm definitely missing out, but that's what Etsy is for. Looking forward to seeing this guy in action on your blog.

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  10. V - etsy has a great selection of vintage, and i think the prices are a lot more fair than on ebay which tends to be a snipefest...i love that it's still quite possible to get some rare and lovely vintage Coach pieces from the 60s/70s/80s and 'new' vintage ones from the early 90s.

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  11. i love this bag so much i am now stalking ebay for one,possibly my first coach purchase.
    love your fashion style and your blog!

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    Replies
    1. thanks rhian! and thanks so much for stopping by my blog! :D

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  12. I have a Brown one it's Shaped more like an Envelope, but
    I Purchased it in 2003/2004, I love It, it still Looks New.

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