Still Buying with the Outlet Coupon - But for Somebody Else This Time!

katev

katev

"The Bag Whisperer!"
O.G.
Dec 18, 2009
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#1
Several years ago (Christmas 2012) I gave my husband the gift of a beautiful, black leather Coach briefcase from the boutique store. I got the Transatlantic Commuter Briefcase 70303 SV BK for him, see the pics below. He appreciated and uses it - in fact he uses it very hard every day!

I am not complaining because I am glad that he likes it, but at first it gave me some twinges to see his rough handling of the bag. I tend to baby my bags but to him it is just a tool to use and toss aside without thought.

He constantly overstuffs it and dumps it on the floor (any floor!) at every opportunity. It came with a nice, thick, padded shoulder strap but that disappeared years ago. He takes it to construction sites and dumps it in the dirt and muck so that it has marks and scratches. He carries it in all-weather and never worries about pouring rain or heavy snow. I have given umbrellas to him but he never uses them.

He hasn't broken the zippers yet but that is because he never zips it closed, and by some miracle the hangtags are still attached!

But I was surprised the other day when he suddenly exclaimed with shock and indignation "You won't believe this but my briefcase is falling apart already!"

Already! I think that it is a testament to the fine quality of Coach leather goods that the poor thing still looks pretty good. He showed the bag to me and sure enough, the leather on the corners is completely worn through and the piping is sticking out. He said hopefully "Maybe it can be fixed?" (and I am a rehabber) but I think this bag is a goner.

His birthday is next week and I have been struggling to find a nice gift for him, so I decided to get a new briefcase. I will post pics of "his next victim" with the next message.
 

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#2
I was glad to find something that he needs but I wish that he had mentioned the damage to his briefcase sooner, so I could have been on the lookout for a great bag. I checked Coach.com and they have some beautiful briefcases for $400 to $600 but I just don't want to spend that much on a bag that I know will constantly get beaten up.

Happily I still have the tiered outlet coupon and this gave me another excuse to go shopping! I headed back to the outlet in Aurora, IL yesterday to check out their selection of briefcases. The SA told me that they recently had some FP delete briefcases but they sold them all out over the weekend, darn! He said that they are expecting more items for the men's inventory in about a week but I needed to get a gift now.

I examined the MFF briefcases and they had many nice bags. I know that my DH will prefer a bag that looks like a briefcase and not a messenger bag or a tote so I concentrated on the selection of more traditional bags, but I wanted to get something a little different from his last bag.

The line that caught my eye was called the Bond Briefcase in pebbled leather. It was the most expensive MFF briefcase in their inventory. It came in several nice colors (navy, oxblood, saddle, mahogany, etc.) but then I remembered who would be carrying it - so I wisely selected a black bag - although I did get a little daring and picked a black bag with saddle accents. It was marked $595 but the outlet price was $299 and with the 25% off coupon I got it for $224. Here are some pics of "the next sacrifice" F55409 FD7.

What do you think of my choice? I like the soft leather of his first bag, but this one is stiffer and maybe it will hold up a little better.
 

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#3
katev said:
I was glad to find something that he needs but I wish that he had mentioned the damage to his briefcase sooner, so I could have been on the lookout for a great bag. I checked Coach.com and they have some beautiful briefcases for $400 to $600 but I just don't want to spend that much on a bag that I know will constantly get beaten up.

Happily I still have the tiered outlet coupon and this gave me another excuse to go shopping! I headed back to the outlet in Aurora, IL yesterday to check out their selection of briefcases. The SA told me that they recently had some FP delete briefcases but they sold them all out over the weekend, darn! He said that they are expecting more items for the men's inventory in about a week but I needed to get a gift now.

I examined the MFF briefcases and they had many nice bags. I know that my DH will prefer a bag that looks like a briefcase and not a messenger bag or a tote so I concentrated on the selection of more traditional bags, but I wanted to get something a little different from his last bag.

The line that caught my eye was called the Bond Briefcase in pebbled leather. It was the most expensive MFF briefcase in their inventory. It came in several nice colors (navy, oxblood, saddle, mahogany, etc.) but then I remembered who would be carrying it - so I wisely selected a black bag - although I did get a little daring and picked a black bag with saddle accents. It was marked $595 but the outlet price was $299 and with the 25% off coupon I got it for $224. Here are some pics of "the next sacrifice" F55409 FD7.

What do you think of my choice? I like the soft leather of his first bag, but this one is stiffer and maybe it will hold up a little better.
Click to expand...

Very nice bag! I think the brown handles change it up a little bit from the previous bag. Good price for a bag that is obviously used quite a bit. Well worth the money!
 
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#8
whateve said:
Very nice! I like the look of the new bag. Don't throw away the old one. Consider it a challenge to learn how to fix corners!
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I won't! And I have worked on repairing corners that have the piping exposed but only a few times and with limited success. My technique is to stabilize the area with a thin application of leather glue and then use heavy acrylic paint (the kind that comes in tubes not little bottles) and apply multiple thin layers to build up the area; letting it dry between applications. Do you have other tips for corner repair?

I am looking forward to giving that poor old bag a dunking, and it would be great if I could find the missing strap. I asked my husband about it and he said vaguely "I'm sure it's around!"

But I am being tough on my DH, I have seen bags in much worse shape than his old briefcase.
 
#10
Miss Krys said:
Well, at least your hubby is actually (ab)using his bag instead of ignoring it and shoving it up in a closet:tup:
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Yes! I am very pleased that he likes and uses it because it is difficult to figure out what to buy for him. I just have to try not to cringe when I see the way he handles a beautiful, well-crafted, expensive bag.
 
#12
katev said:
I won't! And I have worked on repairing corners that have the piping exposed but only a few times and with limited success. My technique is to stabilize the area with a thin application of leather glue and then use heavy acrylic paint (the kind that comes in tubes not little bottles) and apply multiple thin layers to build up the area; letting it dry between applications. Do you have other tips for corner repair?

I am looking forward to giving that poor old bag a dunking, and it would be great if I could find the missing strap. I asked my husband about it and he said vaguely "I'm sure it's around!"

But I am being tough on my DH, I have seen bags in much worse shape than his old briefcase.
Click to expand...
I also use leather glue. Instead of the acrylic paint, I've used fabric puff paint. It is easier to build up the corner and get a smooth edge. If you can't find an exact color match, you can do the final coat in acrylic paint, possibly with a little gloss varnish added to get the correct sheen.
 
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#13
whateve said:
I also use leather glue. Instead of the acrylic paint, I've used fabric puff paint. It is easier to build up the corner and get a smooth edge. If you can't find an exact color match, you can do the final coat in acrylic paint, possibly with a little gloss varnish added to get the correct sheen.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I think the bag will look great with a bath and conditioner but the corners are challenging.
 
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