First of all, a great big welcome to all of you who are here because this blog was a Yahoo! Pick!
In the Yahoo! interview it was mentioned that occasionally I rant about the Handbag Industrial Complex (you know, the folks who bring us horrible things like this):
That is ridiculous, isn't it? Just horrible. I can't imagine paying $10 for that, much less the TWO GRAND it actually costs.
And even if you aren't looking at the two-grand end of the scale, lower-end handbags aren't any better. Tiny little handles, so that you can't carry them; covered with nonfunctional locks and useless metal bits and dangling braids and whatnot; branded with logos so large that you look like a mobile billboard. I hate them all.
Which is why I bought an old-skool Coach bag on eBay:
(Don't worry: I removed that stupid hangtag first thing.)
I needed a bag that *wouldn't* hold my laptop -- to prevent me from carrying it everywhere. Something that would hold a hardcover book and a wallet and my treo, but not much else. I wanted good leather, but no huge logos. And I wanted a cross-body strap to keep my hands free, which is IMPOSSIBLE to find in a handbag these days, unless you head to the Magellan catalog and get the ones that scream "TOURIST IN EUROPE -- COMING THROUGH!"
I really wanted green bag, but a weird green -- so this olive is perfect! A green bag works with black or brown, so no switching back and forth -- who has time to do that?
I pretty much hate the modern Coach bags, with their splashy ad campaigns, tacky logos everywhere and (I've heard) quality problems, but the old Coach bags are something else. They have clean lines, neat colors, and even the most beat-up ones have a certain careless chic. In fact, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that old Coach bags are going to be the next big thing. What with the continuing 80s revival, can't you see a bunch of skinny Brooklyn hipsters deciding that these bags have huge ironic potential? You heard it here first.
In the Yahoo! interview it was mentioned that occasionally I rant about the Handbag Industrial Complex (you know, the folks who bring us horrible things like this):
That is ridiculous, isn't it? Just horrible. I can't imagine paying $10 for that, much less the TWO GRAND it actually costs.
And even if you aren't looking at the two-grand end of the scale, lower-end handbags aren't any better. Tiny little handles, so that you can't carry them; covered with nonfunctional locks and useless metal bits and dangling braids and whatnot; branded with logos so large that you look like a mobile billboard. I hate them all.
Which is why I bought an old-skool Coach bag on eBay:
(Don't worry: I removed that stupid hangtag first thing.)
I needed a bag that *wouldn't* hold my laptop -- to prevent me from carrying it everywhere. Something that would hold a hardcover book and a wallet and my treo, but not much else. I wanted good leather, but no huge logos. And I wanted a cross-body strap to keep my hands free, which is IMPOSSIBLE to find in a handbag these days, unless you head to the Magellan catalog and get the ones that scream "TOURIST IN EUROPE -- COMING THROUGH!"
I really wanted green bag, but a weird green -- so this olive is perfect! A green bag works with black or brown, so no switching back and forth -- who has time to do that?
I pretty much hate the modern Coach bags, with their splashy ad campaigns, tacky logos everywhere and (I've heard) quality problems, but the old Coach bags are something else. They have clean lines, neat colors, and even the most beat-up ones have a certain careless chic. In fact, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that old Coach bags are going to be the next big thing. What with the continuing 80s revival, can't you see a bunch of skinny Brooklyn hipsters deciding that these bags have huge ironic potential? You heard it here first.
Love the bag, Erin. I have the same style in taupe, and it gets a lot of use in summer. Mine was a thrift store find (C$6.00, I think), as were most of my bags. The old Coach and D&B were so well made, and are so simple, I can't understand the popularity of the wildly logo-ed, hardware-festooned numbers. And they aren't even all leather!
Posted by: elke | 08/30/2007 at 10:40 AM
i have a question that is entirely off the topic of handbags: i thought i remembered someone saying on this blog that half sizes are for petites is that right? I need a 44b pattern for a friend and she is quite tall actually - - so i'm kinda hoping i heard wrong before....thanks!
Posted by: Kristen | 08/30/2007 at 10:41 AM
Erin, I love the olive green bag! That style is timeless as far as I am concerned. I, too, don't like the new style of purses. They are just clumsy. Of course, I collect vintage purses and most of them are too small to use except for special occasions, but love them all the same. Good find!Marie C.
Posted by: Ladygrande (Texas Marie) | 08/30/2007 at 10:48 AM
Kristen, all I can find on half-size patterns is here:http://books.google.com/books?id=1gSsXUEIJwIC&pg=PA41&dq=half-size+patterns&sig=i3AFWbYgwNH_PH1LK6s5Ube5hEcGood luck!
Posted by: Erin | 08/30/2007 at 10:51 AM
I too have been looking for a classic sort of handbag recently, and as I can't afford a Kelly bag (tragedy, I know), I've been having a really hard time. So many affordable bags are just plain ugly, and they're not even leather. I can't believe I didn't consider vintage bags. Brilliant idea, THANKS!
Posted by: Chiara | 08/30/2007 at 11:07 AM
I'm with you on the Coach bags! The old Coach bags were classic and elegant. And part of the elegance was Coach's apparent philosophy not to display logos or even its name. But now everything has those horrid elongated C's. I'm no skinny hipster, but I might follow your lead and start looking for classic Coach bags on eBay.
Posted by: Ju | 08/30/2007 at 11:13 AM
Nothing wrong with a classic, classy handbag. Paying a lot of money for a handbag is great provided you're going to get a lot of use out of it. What kills me is my students (I'm a college professor) who spend $600-$1000 on a handbag, and nearly $1000 on an iPhone...and complain that they have no money for books. :-P
Posted by: Miss Kitty | 08/30/2007 at 11:17 AM
Fabulous! I own two old-style Coach City Bags (like yours here, but more rectangular and without the little top handle), in black and brown. Bought them new, many years ago, and they have served me faithfully. Wish people would start making bags like those again.
Posted by: oliviacw | 08/30/2007 at 11:18 AM
i agree! i have a little lavender shoulder bag i got about 10 years ago and still feel has such style and quality -- mainly because it is nothing like the coach bags of today. I am much happier with my old skool bag and glad that i had it before the trend. i think you picked a great bag for the right reasons and will be happy with it too.
Posted by: vanessa.e. | 08/30/2007 at 11:22 AM
that's a great bag. i'm having the worst luck trying to find a new purse.
Posted by: melissa joy | 08/30/2007 at 11:25 AM
thanks erin!
Posted by: Kristen | 08/30/2007 at 11:30 AM
Nice score, Erin! That is the very bag my Mom carried all throughout my childhood (hers was black though - the green is even better, but I say that about all green things, thereby ending up with a lot of greens that don't QUITE go together). And I know what you mean about a not-too-big bag, with a strap; I currently have only a messenger bag and a handful of vintage handbags (bought secondhand in a fit of nostalgia, before remembering that I'm a hands-free kind of gal).That other thing--it looks diseased. And $2000!?!?!? It would be funny if it weren't so disgusting. Clearly, some people have too much money, and it warps their sense of appropriateness - we don't just need fashion police, we need Robin Hood.
Posted by: Nora | 08/30/2007 at 11:32 AM
I think it's called, "More Money Than Taste."I like that Coach bag. I like a nice, plain, understated bag myself. My everyday purse is black vinyl: I'm not so big on vinyl but it was $10 on sale and it's got lots of interior pockets. I've also got a cute red leather one I found for 25 cents at Goodwill, but it's too small for everyday stuff. I hate all these overblown, over-ornamented, tacky bags that are "in" these days. They're like overstuffed chairs--they don't hold enough, considering their ridiculous exterior dimensions.
Posted by: Latter-Day Flapper | 08/30/2007 at 11:33 AM
I think you're right about the revival of 80's bags. I've been carrying the same Coach bag since the actual 1980's (the original lasted 20 years, and I've just replaced it with an identical one I found on ebay -- you really have to try to wear the damn things out), and strangers are starting to comment on it and ask me where I got it. Coach does sell some of its "classic" designs on its web site, for those who don't want to buy used.
Posted by: Marie | 08/30/2007 at 11:39 AM
I think I bought this same style of Coarch bag at a charity auction a couple of years ago. Mine's navy but a little small for my current taste.The last bag I bought was at TJ Maxx, some Italian designer that more about leatherwork than fashion. Don't forget them, because I've found some nice upscale bags there that haven't cost a fortune.
Posted by: Nancy (nanflan) | 08/30/2007 at 12:01 PM
I agree that some (even most) of the handbags out there are just overkill with garish, useless doo-dads. I love novelty bags and details of interest, but that Versace bag looks like a someone got hold of toilet seat and a riveter and said, "Let's quilt it and make it into a bag!" The BEST Coach bags in my opinion are the vintage Coach bags by Bonnie Cashin. I have a neat bucket shaped one of hers that was done by Myers that's great. Know why? Kiss lock pockets!My last real bag purchase (meaning one that was over $60 and not vintage) was a mistake. I carried it a lot but I couldn't help but feel I'd bought a Marc Jacobs knock-off even though it really isn't one. I got it on eBay on the cheap, though. It's by Hype in pink and lined in green. I wish the inverse were true. I love green handbags! Thank you for removing the hangtag on yours. Holly
Posted by: lucitebox | 08/30/2007 at 12:14 PM
shhhhhh!! how am I supposed to find one of those classic, beautiful Coach bags when you've got everyone looking for one now? hmmm?? Modern handbags are trash. I havent' even been slightly tempted to spend bunches of money on the trendy bags. ugh. I do however keep getting these urges to make my own. Still tracking down baby pink leather . . .
Posted by: Amy B. | 08/30/2007 at 12:15 PM
My mother-in-law has that same Coach purse in black, and long have I coveted it. I loved this one, but it's just a tad too small. I have a nice plain one that I got at Wilsons Leather or somewhere like that, but the classic Coach bag is so much prettier.
Posted by: Erin | 08/30/2007 at 12:19 PM
I'm against the large logo trend in general. I mean, if I'm going to advertise your brand, should I be paid and not pay you???
Posted by: Anonymous | 08/30/2007 at 12:43 PM
May I suggest a good used Furla bag (more than 200 listed on Ebay right now)? Fabulous Italian style and quality. If you want classy, good quality leather, with a bit more style than a Coach bag, check out Furla. I'm a bit of a bag hag, I must admit, and Furlas are my latest obsession. Unfortunately, this season's bags are disappointing--more hardware and weird textures. So, it's Ebay for me!
Posted by: kim p. | 08/30/2007 at 01:03 PM
I love the color!My current everyday handbag is a brown Chirp Trucker by Queen Bee (the appliqu on mine's not quite like the ones on the website, and I sincerely doubt that I paid that much). I wish it had more interior pockets, but it basically works for meholds neither too much nor too little, and goes with most of the goofy (Brooklyn hipster?) things I wear. And I get compliments on it pretty often, which is a nice bonus.
Posted by: India | 08/30/2007 at 01:08 PM
I love the green bag, I got one just like it on Ebay (in black) for $9.99. I love Ebay.As for the expensive bag, why do I think it resemble a feminine hygiene product with straps?
Posted by: Zoltar Panaflex | 08/30/2007 at 01:10 PM
I love my two old Coach bags in that exact style (which I bought in the mid-90s), but sadly I need an AmeriBag nowadays. I think I'll upgrade to leather rather than microfiber, though.http://www.ameribag.com/catalog/home
Posted by: Jonquil | 08/30/2007 at 01:39 PM
I just purchased the same bag at Salvation Army, but in brown. I love it and it was only $5!
Posted by: Meghann Early - Owner: Pop-Up Vintage | 08/30/2007 at 03:40 PM
"bags that scream Tourist in Europe"--exactly!I so appreciate your perfectly pitched take on contemporary handbags--including Coach and the pictured befurred, befuddled, garish number. I love styles that are all about coloring outside the lines but these are making me queasy instead of covetous.
Posted by: Cecelia | 08/30/2007 at 03:41 PM