Yeah I will do that. Only will resort to stickers if I cant get mix the right shade of paint or it looks too obvious. I hope I can save her!
Coach Rehab and Rescue Club
- Thread starter greenpixie
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I missed out on a black one last week but a red one is even better!
At last my little Gracie is complete - or as complete as I can make her and I am finally content.
I found a Gracie bag at the Salvation Army for $2 more than 7 years ago. The bag was made in 1994 and originally cost $242. The color of the bag is Beechnut with brushed gold hardware. It was my first encounter with the Madison bags that Coach made in Italy the early 1990s and I liked it a lot.
The bag was in very good condition and didn't need much rehabbing but it was missing the strap. It is such a tiny bag that I've never wanted to carry it as a satchel because it would look ridiculous, like carrying Barbie's Pocketbook! But I would love to carry it like a small swingpack, but I'd need a strap to do that.
The strap for the Gracie bag is unusual, there are no traditional connectors for the strap. The 2 ends of the strap feed under the flap, through 2 loops, and then snap together out of sight. I've have looked for years to find a genuine strap or a suitable replacement but without luck.
I even took the bag to a cobbler to ask if he could make a custom strap but he said that it would be impossible to match the pebbled "Coach caviar leather" and the strap would look bad. I've tried to adapt straps from other bags but nothing looked right and so little Gracie has been sitting in her dustbag in my closet for a long time waiting for a chance to shine.
Here's an example of the genuine strap attachment for the Gracie Bag:
I found a Gracie bag at the Salvation Army for $2 more than 7 years ago. The bag was made in 1994 and originally cost $242. The color of the bag is Beechnut with brushed gold hardware. It was my first encounter with the Madison bags that Coach made in Italy the early 1990s and I liked it a lot.
The bag was in very good condition and didn't need much rehabbing but it was missing the strap. It is such a tiny bag that I've never wanted to carry it as a satchel because it would look ridiculous, like carrying Barbie's Pocketbook! But I would love to carry it like a small swingpack, but I'd need a strap to do that.
The strap for the Gracie bag is unusual, there are no traditional connectors for the strap. The 2 ends of the strap feed under the flap, through 2 loops, and then snap together out of sight. I've have looked for years to find a genuine strap or a suitable replacement but without luck.
I even took the bag to a cobbler to ask if he could make a custom strap but he said that it would be impossible to match the pebbled "Coach caviar leather" and the strap would look bad. I've tried to adapt straps from other bags but nothing looked right and so little Gracie has been sitting in her dustbag in my closet for a long time waiting for a chance to shine.
Here's an example of the genuine strap attachment for the Gracie Bag:
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When Coach recently started making novelty straps that you can switch to personalize your bag I kept wondering if they would offer something that might work for Gracie - because I would like to use a genuine Coach strap for her if possible.
I was intrigued by gold and silver link "curb chain" straps that Coach was selling through the online outlet store but the pictures were terrible and they were a little pricey so I hesitated. But recently the Coach online outlet was selling the metal-link "curb-chain" straps for only $15 with no shipping fee - so I figured "why not give it a try?"
I decided to order both the gold and silver straps - because missing straps are the nemesis of purse rehabbers and I figured that I would find a use for them eventually - and if I didn't like the look of them I could just return them to the outlet store.
I have received the gold strap and am still waiting for the silver - but I do like it a lot. It is a nice size (46 inches long) and a good, medium weight and I think it would work well with a number of different bags.
Here is the pitiful picture of the curb-chain gold strap F31126 IM GLD that I ordered from the online outlet store for $15 (MSRP = $50):
I was intrigued by gold and silver link "curb chain" straps that Coach was selling through the online outlet store but the pictures were terrible and they were a little pricey so I hesitated. But recently the Coach online outlet was selling the metal-link "curb-chain" straps for only $15 with no shipping fee - so I figured "why not give it a try?"
I decided to order both the gold and silver straps - because missing straps are the nemesis of purse rehabbers and I figured that I would find a use for them eventually - and if I didn't like the look of them I could just return them to the outlet store.
I have received the gold strap and am still waiting for the silver - but I do like it a lot. It is a nice size (46 inches long) and a good, medium weight and I think it would work well with a number of different bags.
Here is the pitiful picture of the curb-chain gold strap F31126 IM GLD that I ordered from the online outlet store for $15 (MSRP = $50):
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And here are some pictures of my beautiful little beechnut Gracie 4413 with her new, gold strap! It's not a perfect match because the bag has brushed gold hardware and the strap is shiny gold - but I think that they look good together and I am finally planning to carry little Gracie this weekend!
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Great solution! I wish those FOS pictures weren't so pitiful. I would have bought one too.
I know, they looked flimsy or cheap or something, but they are actually very nice. If they show up again at a good price then try to grab one. And they have a small, coach hangtag near one of the dogleash clips, so it is nice to know that it is a genuine coach strap even though it is a substitute.
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It looks marvelous! It is a shame those straps get separated because they’re so specific. The Gracie I had for a while was missing the strap as well. Good on you for finding a solution!