The useful time of a coach bag

[Greenone]

I think it depends on when it was made. I find that when Coach went to the thinner leathers and cheaper materials, the quality started to suffer. I saw it start to slip after the signature and factory lines were introduced in the 2000s.
I have bags from the 70s and 80s that are still gorgeous and smell like new leather. They were neither babied or carried everyday but they are still in excellent condition. This one was my mothers and is from about 85 or so so more than 30 years old. It has not been specially stored or treated with anything. Straps are good brass is not trarnished.
It all depends on the leather and the lines. That's why I'm so glad they have gone back to better quality, even with the higher price. I'd pay that to have a bag that would look this good after 30 years.

 

[aguardia]

That is one beautiful bag. I have a nomad hobo in black bought las year at full price, and the gold from the hardware started to go, parts of it became silver, it had spots of silver after only 6 months of use, when i complaint to the SA, they said they would not fix it or exchange it, company policy. After giving them a hard time, they made an exception and exchanged for a new one

 

[aguardia]

I also have a borough bag pebble leather in black and another in burgundy, both with cracked edge paint.

 

[alansgail]

OP, it sounds as if you would be happier perhaps searching for vintage coach. Those leathers are unsurpassed as is the hardware (usually 100% solid brass, not like the 'coated' metals they use today which can rub off).
They also didn't use a lot (if any, experts can correct me) of the edge coating plastic materials they use today. In a lot of the older pieces they would fold over the leather edges and stitch them together giving a very secure edge to the bag.
If you do a search for "vintage Coach bags" on ebay you will see what I mean. Of course some a thrashed because they've been mis-treated but there are tons that are still quite beautiful after all these years.

 

[aguardia]

Thats true, i will look into that

 

[aguardia]

This is how my zoe looks like today.

 

[aguardia]

This is how my borough looks like today

 

[jade]

I have generally found my Coach bags have held up nicely. My light grey Sofia has some handle wear / color change (which makes sense and is reasonable) but looks great otherwise. I think there may be a little bit of loose threads. The ergo hobo looks pristine other than my pen mark. I have the urbane 2, and this looks great and is one of my most used bags. My Kristin shoulder bag had some cracking of the edge paint, but it isn't noticeable since the leather was well dyed and matches.

I also have a Pinnacle clutch - still looks great and I am not super nice to it.

So I am pretty happy with Coach quality, my first bag was from about 2004 of so - that one died but I replaced it with the Ergo hobo whenI got a credit for the price I paid - and that made me a life time Coach fan.

 

[Chiichan]

For me, the coach bags I have purchased have all held up really well. I never treated them or moisturized them either. I wouldn't say I baby my purses but I don't put them on the floor ever and when not in use they stay stuffed in dust bags. What has gotten worn for me is not the leather, but the sateen lining. Now that they don't use it anymore I think they will hold up much better.

I am definitely getting into the vintage-ish bags like the ones from the 90s. I've just started learning how to rehab these purses and their leather is yummy. Thick and unlined but still fairly light. Though I suppose any bag is lighter than a Rogue and it's siblings.

 

[bluesh4rk]

I have my very first Coach purses that I got as a gift and bought a second in a different color from the early 1990s. They were heavily used! But with a little rehab work (especially on the straps) I think they will look pretty good. I pretty much only buy Coach and I've really been getting into buying FP deletes or FP on sale at the boutiques or online so I don't have too many outlet bags, of the outlet bags I do have I am probably only going to keep a couple. But my point is that I typically wear a bag from 1 month up to 6 months if I am really enjoying it and all my bags look pretty good. I could take a little better care of them but I definitely don't thrash them (except for the first two I had! LOL). I do have an outlet tote I bought about 7 years ago that I still use almost every day. It is made of heavy canvas and it has held up well all these years. It is really dirty and getting worn/cracked on the leather piping at the top of it where it folds, etc. But I definitely got my $ worth out of that piece. It is the bag with the starfish on the front and Coach est. 1941 in cursive on the front with a broad blue watercolor looking stripe along the bottom. Here is a pic of it new so you know what I'm talking about. The best outlet bag I've ever purchased!

 

[SimplyB]

I have bags that range from 2 weeks old to 20 years old. Most are still in great condition.

However, whether it's a MFF or a retail bag, subconsciously determines how I treat my bag.

My most recent purchases have been MFF bags for beater/cheap alternates for my premium bags. They still hold up fairly well (time will tell) but they are clearly well used.

My retail bags are least 8 years old (mostly legacy & vintage styles) and because the leather is so beautiful, I'm sure I've been more careful. These bags are still in amazing condition.

So to answer your question, I think MFF have a solid 5 year life span, and the retail lines (like the 1941) will last you closer to 20 years.

 

[pearlsnjeans]

My oldest COACH purse was a hand-me-down from my aunt. I don't really know how old it is but it is all leather, unlined, and made in the USA. The leather is still soft and supple and the brass turnlock and fittings have a beautiful patina. I frequently use this bag for any occasion, even took it out for my birthday lunch!
I have a coach tote bag that I purchased back in 2003; this was when COACH was making bags using fabrics with vechetta leather. It is a Hamptons tote bag in white polyester twill with vechetta trim and hot pink handles. It was my very first Coach purchase for myself. Of course, the white twill polyester fabric is now a bit cream/yellow color and has some jeans stains (I loved that bag!). The stitching on the leather handles had unraveled but since I'm crafty, I repaired it on my own.

Coach does repair leather bags with a fee. I had a white Hampton's where the edges on the handles started to peel. I paid $75 (US Dollars) to have it repaired. My COACH SA and I filled out a form and she packaged my bag up and sent it off for repairs. It came back with all the edges redone and looking fresh. She even cleaned and conditioned my bag for me all for free!

If you have leather bags by COACH, don't hesitate to go to the boutique in inquire about repairs and cleaning services they provide. It will help keep your bag last more than 5 years. Even if you purchased your purse from the COACH outlet, it still deserves to be taken cared of especially if you like to carry it daily.

 

[kells1983]

OP - Do you condition your leather bags? That should help in the future... also, the photos you're showing are mainly of sealant issues (where the leather loops around the rings). Often with certain heavier bags, or if you just carry a lot in your bags, this will wear off. You can search the forum for Edge Kote, which is a product that a lot of us ended up using on our Legacy 65th Anniversary bags that had this sealant issue. Those were extremely heavy leathers and the sealant around the rings needed re-sealing....

I'm sure someone else will chime in who has more experience, but that is what I did with mine. My bags have lasted for years and years, but I condition and maintain them.... also you'll find the wear depends on the bag. Good luck!

 

[highrider9o9]

they say that the lifetime of a fabric bag is 3-5 years and the lifetime of the leather bags are 5-7. Now that is just a general guideline, they can last much longer or not even as long. I've had fabric bags for 10+ years that still look great and leather bags from the 70's that have have been passed down to me, and friends who have had leather bags for only a year before they're destroyed. it's all about how you take care of it as well.

 

[highrider9o9]

and I will add, I find that when a lot of women on this board complain about quality, they're referencing outlet bags, and unfortunately you get what you pay for.