OMG, this bag is brown! Rehab reveal!
- Thread starter katev
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I recently purchased a vintage Coach bag at the Salvation Army Thrift Store. The bag was in pretty good shape but it was an odd, dull, red color which I called "maroon". Hyacinth and DemRam kindly authenticated the bag as a Court bag and said that was made in the late 1980s or early 1990s; but they told me that although this bag had been made in a "Red" color it had never been made in a "Maroon" shade.
Intriqued by my mystery bag I set about rehabbing it. First I gave it a bath in Woolite and warm water. As soon as it got wet I was astonished to see it had turned into a rich, dark brown color with reddish undertones! What a surprise!
After it dried (although it looked cleaner and brighter) it changed back to the dull reddish maroon color. I wondered if it had faded due to sun exposure but then I noticed that even the inside of the bag was maroon so that couldn't be the problem.
But after 2 applications of Leather Therapy oil the bag was magically restored to its beautiful, original mahagony brown color!
I can't believe the difference! No dyes or polishes were used but the color is so much nicer now. I think that the leather was so dried out - it just looked dull and red - but after the leather had the opportunity to drink in some therapy oil - it's almost like new again!
I'm not a great photographer so I haven't captured the colors perfectly but hopefully you will be able to see the difference. Here are the before (maroon) pictures and I will post the after (mahagony) pics attached to a separate message. I'm really pleased with my new (brown!) bag!
What a gorgeous bag! My mom and older sister started carrying Coach in the 80s, and I love how simple and elegant their earlier styles were.
Question: How did you clean this bag w/Woolite? (My apologies if there is already a thread regarding detergent and cleaning.)
I was thinking about that but the brown court has stronger red undertones than the willis bag so I'm not sure if it will look okay or weird. I have to check it out.
Just a note of explanation, Beebpurse and I shop for vintage bags at the same SA store and I recently picked up a brown willis bag in great shape for only $9 but it is missing the strap.
The older, unlined coach bags can be dunked and they come out great! You can even turn many of them inside-out to get the entire bag nice and clean. You need to use a dye and fragrance free soap like Ivory or Woolite.
I soaked it in woolite and warm water for about 45 minutes, then rubbed it down with a soft cloth and gave it a vigorous bath, paying special attention to the dirtiest areas. Then I soaked it in warm water for about a half hour and rinsed it well.
I let it drain in the sink for a bit and then stuffed the bag with old towels to reshape it and let it dry on another towel for 24 hours. Then I took the towels out, rotated it periodically and let it continue to dry over the next few days.
When it is almost completely dry you should apply a leather conditioner. Most Coach bags respond well to Apple Leather Conditioner that is available at Burlington Coat Factory stores. But occassionally you find a bag that needs more intensive leather care. In such cases I use a product available from a local equestrian riding store called "Leather Therapy - Restorer & Conditioner" that claims to be "a blend of rich, replenishing oils formulated to transform dry, hard leather to original flexibility".
The label says that it will NOT darken leather and that it will work on both hard and soft leathers. It is also supposed to inhibit mold and mildew!
Whatever leather product you decide to use, be sure to check the label and contents. You don't want anything that contains petroleum distillates, silicones, waxes, dyes, or perfumes/fragrances.
The only problem with the Leather Therapy is that it is expensive. The riding store only had big, 16 oz bottles that cost $26 but I have already used it on a few bags and it has worked well for me so I am okay with the price. Here's a link to a site that sells the stuff online (NMA):
http://www.leathertherapy.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=190
After the conditioner dries you need to rub the bag with a soft, clean cloth to buff it. If the leather still doesn't look good you may want to repeat the conditioning process. When the bag is almost done, use wenol or brasso or other metal polish to shine up the hardware. Try not to get the metal polish on the bag but if you do - just quickly wipe it off with a damp cloth and it should be fine.
There are other products and technigues for different issues and bags. Lexol leather wipes, alcohol to remove ink marks, etc.
My advice is to look for an inexpensive "test bag" that isn't in terrible shape at a thrift shop, garage sale, ebay, etc. Post pics of it in the authentication thread first to make sure that it is genuine because you don't want to invest all this work in a fake, and then try restoring it! Good luck!
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I love this color. Not sure but the photos makes it look more like burgundy more than a brown. Nevertheless I love it. For me this would be the perfect color with dark colors!! Great job!
It's hard to capture in flash photos but it's almost cordovan; brown with reddish highlights.
Wow, katev, you did a spectacular job. You are becoming one of our in-house "experts" on leather rehabbing! I learned a lot from this and love what you did to care for this bag! I have a willis and a willis city bag and think I will "love them up" using your ideas and see how they look when done. I'lll never be able to part with them as they were my first coach bags--and they are so classic, as is the Court bag you have! Thanks again, and enjoy!!!
