A few years ago I picked up the Madison North South Tote in Zebra Print 26633 LI BMC at the outlet for $99 (the retail price was $298). I was a little iffy about the bag at first because it is fabric and I prefer leather, and it is animal print and I have never been a fan. To tell the truth I bought it only because the price was so good.
But this has turned out to be one of my favorite bags. It is great for traveling. It is large, versatile, and light-weight and I use it a lot. So I was lucky to find it so cheaply!
Today I had an errand in a mall that includes a Goodwill store so I stopped in to see what they had on hand because I sometimes enjoy rehabbing classic bags. In the "locked case of expensive merchandise" they had the zebra print Madison Convertible Hippie 51086 LI BMC for $24. This is a smaller version of my beloved tote and it originally sold for $178 in the Winter of 2013. The Hippie was absolutely pristine with the tags attached, the cardboard inside, and the Coach care brochure in the pocket. And it was a nice size, larger than a swingpack but smaller than a hobo.
I really would have liked to pick up that hippie for such a cheap price. It would have made a nice companion piece to my tote and another great bag for traveling. But there was a woman ahead of me asking an employee to unlock the case so that she could look at the purses. She immediately focused on the zebra hippie and seemed to fall in love with it on the spot, but she seemed uncertain about buying it so I said "I have that exact same bag in a larger size and I love it".
She eagerly said to me "Can you tell if it is genuine? There are so many fakes out there! " So I examined the bag and everything about it was right. It was easy to recognize as genuine, especially since I already own a bag in this line and pattern, and so I assured her that that it was real.
She looked thrilled and thanked me and then told the GW employee that she would take it. She put it on crossbody and asked me how it looked? I told her truthfully that it looked great.
The "evil twin" in the back of my mind had urged me to plant the seed of doubt in her mind and then swoop in later to buy it for myself! But I have a lot of bags and this lovely lady seemed so happy with her new bag - so I hope that it gives her a lot of joy! And the enabler in me hopes that I've helped another woman to become a Coachie!
But this has turned out to be one of my favorite bags. It is great for traveling. It is large, versatile, and light-weight and I use it a lot. So I was lucky to find it so cheaply!
Today I had an errand in a mall that includes a Goodwill store so I stopped in to see what they had on hand because I sometimes enjoy rehabbing classic bags. In the "locked case of expensive merchandise" they had the zebra print Madison Convertible Hippie 51086 LI BMC for $24. This is a smaller version of my beloved tote and it originally sold for $178 in the Winter of 2013. The Hippie was absolutely pristine with the tags attached, the cardboard inside, and the Coach care brochure in the pocket. And it was a nice size, larger than a swingpack but smaller than a hobo.
I really would have liked to pick up that hippie for such a cheap price. It would have made a nice companion piece to my tote and another great bag for traveling. But there was a woman ahead of me asking an employee to unlock the case so that she could look at the purses. She immediately focused on the zebra hippie and seemed to fall in love with it on the spot, but she seemed uncertain about buying it so I said "I have that exact same bag in a larger size and I love it".
She eagerly said to me "Can you tell if it is genuine? There are so many fakes out there! " So I examined the bag and everything about it was right. It was easy to recognize as genuine, especially since I already own a bag in this line and pattern, and so I assured her that that it was real.
She looked thrilled and thanked me and then told the GW employee that she would take it. She put it on crossbody and asked me how it looked? I told her truthfully that it looked great.
The "evil twin" in the back of my mind had urged me to plant the seed of doubt in her mind and then swoop in later to buy it for myself! But I have a lot of bags and this lovely lady seemed so happy with her new bag - so I hope that it gives her a lot of joy! And the enabler in me hopes that I've helped another woman to become a Coachie!
Attachments
Last edited:
