Vintage Coach Photos & Chat

[AggieK]

The growth of discount chains (Target, Walmart) in the 1970s took many of these upscale department stores out.

Goldwater's - sold to May Co. in 1986; dissolved in 1989
Bonwit Teller - bankruptcy, 1989
Dayton's - several incarnations; Marshall Field's in 1990, Macy's in 2004
Garfinckel's - bankruptcy 1990

(Wikipedia entries)

After posting my question I stumbled into a website called the Department Store Museum.. It was fun looking at old charge cards from department stores around the country. Many I had never heard of, but also some I'd forgotten about, such as City of Paris, in SF.

I've mentioned this before, but back in the 80s when my husband was in grad school, he got a parttime job at Neiman Marcus. Back then NM sold Coach. I bought several bags while he was working there, using his 30 percent discount. Even so, they were almost too expensive.

 

[Hyacinth]

After posting my question I stumbled into a website called the Department Store Museum.. It was fun looking at old charge cards from department stores around the country. Many I had never heard of, but also some I'd forgotten about, such as City of Paris, in SF.

I've mentioned this before, but back in the 80s when my husband was in grad school, he got a parttime job at Neiman Marcus. Back then NM sold Coach. I bought several bags while he was working there, using his 30 percent discount. Even so, they were almost too expensive.

Thanks for recommending the Department Store Museum site, reading about Marshall Field's brought back a lot of memories. I still remember fighting the crowds with my Mom when we'd shop the Budget Floor sales on December 26, and what it was like walking through the doors on the north side and being enveloped in a wonderful cloud of fragrances. My Mom would usually stop at the Charles OF The Ritz counter to get her face powder custom blended for her skin tone, and maybe coffee and hot chocolate in the English Tea Room. Of course we'd always pick up a box of Frangos before we left.

http://www.thedepartmentstoremuseum.org/2010/05/marshall-field-company-chicago.html

And I remember when Coaches were much more expensive when compared to peoples' incomes than now too. Usually the only time I'd even think of buying one was if I'd just received my Christmas bonus, or if I had cash in my pocket after winning one of the prizes at the New Model Year Meeting that Chrysler held every year. They were definitely a luxury back then!

 

[whateve]

After posting my question I stumbled into a website called the Department Store Museum.. It was fun looking at old charge cards from department stores around the country. Many I had never heard of, but also some I'd forgotten about, such as City of Paris, in SF.

I've mentioned this before, but back in the 80s when my husband was in grad school, he got a parttime job at Neiman Marcus. Back then NM sold Coach. I bought several bags while he was working there, using his 30 percent discount. Even so, they were almost too expensive.

OMG, City of Paris! I loved that place. It felt like a palace. At Christmas time it took your breath away.
Here's the link: http://www.thedepartmentstoremuseum.org/2012/01/city-of-paris-dry-goods-co-san.html
The site is a little hard to navigate. On the welcome page near the bottom is a list of stores.

 

[whateve]

Oh, the prices slay me! I have three of the four, but two were thrift store purchases. Are any of the stores still in existence? We received a wedding present from Goldwater's department store in 1981. Not a Coach bag, but a Couroc dish with a roadrunner embedded in it, which I used just the other night.

I've had 3 of the 4 too, but I got rid of the duffle sac - way too big for me. I'd love to have the shopping bag. Does that style number say 9510? I don't have that in my files. It looks a lot like style #9565.

 

[AggieK]

Thanks for recommending the Department Store Museum site, reading about Marshall Field's brought back a lot of memories. I still remember fighting the crowds with my Mom when we'd shop the Budget Floor sales on December 26, and what it was like walking through the doors on the north side and being enveloped in a wonderful cloud of fragrances. My Mom would usually stop at the Charles OF The Ritz counter to get her face powder custom blended for her skin tone, and maybe coffee and hot chocolate in the English Tea Room. Of course we'd always pick up a box of Frangos before we left.

http://www.thedepartmentstoremuseum.org/2010/05/marshall-field-company-chicago.html

And I remember when Coaches were much more expensive when compared to peoples' incomes than now too. Usually the only time I'd even think of buying one was if I'd just received my Christmas bonus, or if I had cash in my pocket after winning one of the prizes at the New Model Year Meeting that Chrysler held every year. They were definitely a luxury back then!

OMG, City of Paris! I loved that place. It felt like a palace. At Christmas time it took your breath away.
Here's the link: http://www.thedepartmentstoremuseum.org/2012/01/city-of-paris-dry-goods-co-san.html
The site is a little hard to navigate. On the welcome page near the bottom is a list of stores.

Hyacinth, you're welcome. Thank you for posting the link. I've mentioned NM selling Coach to people and they seem so surprised.

Whateve, I loved going to City of Paris at Christmas time, too. I loved seeing the Christmas tree. Back in those days, we dressed up to go to the City. My mother would even wear white gloves. I think that's why I like Miracle on 34th Street. It seems so familiar, even though it's NYC.

 

[whateve]

Hyacinth, you're welcome. Thank you for posting the link. I've mentioned NM selling Coach to people and they seem so surprised.

Whateve, I loved going to City of Paris at Christmas time, too. I loved seeing the Christmas tree. Back in those days, we dressed up to go to the City. My mother would even wear white gloves. I think that's why I like Miracle on 34th Street. It seems so familiar, even though it's NYC.

We dressed up too. It makes me happy to have someone else refer to it as "the City." Where did you grow up? We were in the East Bay. Our department store was Capwell's.

 

[Hyacinth]

I've had 3 of the 4 too, but I got rid of the duffle sac - way too big for me. I'd love to have the shopping bag. Does that style number say 9510? I don't have that in my files. It looks a lot like style #9565.

Yes, 9510 is the Shopping bag style. Is 9426 a different sized version of the Handle Clutch, I wonder? I think the 13x7 size was 9425 - hard to tell if there's a size difference..

Here are blowups of the 1976 ad, if you want to save them

 

[whateve]

Yes, 9510 is the Shopping bag style. Is 9426 a different sized version of the Handle Clutch, I wonder? I think the 13x7 size was 9425 - hard to tell if there's a size difference..

Here are blowups of the 1976 ad, if you want to save them

Thank you. 9426 might be a typo. It sure looks like the same style as 9425. Most of those older styles ended in zero or five. They changed the size on 9425 between the two ads I have for it and didn't change the number. I don't have a date for the first picture; the second in 1983. Note how the tabs for the handles extend further down the sides on the older, wider version.

 

[Hyacinth]

Thank you. 9426 might be a typo. It sure looks like the same style as 9425. Most of those older styles ended in zero or five. They changed the size on 9425 between the two ads I have for it and didn't change the number. I don't have a date for the first picture; the second in 1983. Note how the tabs for the handles extend further down the sides on the older, wider version.

Yes, I've seen some vintage styles where they made what they probably considered minor changes and only changed the style number by one digit, like adding an underflap pocket.. The styles with 5 digits between 2 versions (usually ending in 5 or 0) are USUALLY different sizes. But, as always, the most consistent thing about Coach is their inconsistency.

Speaking of which - style number 9510 was re-used almost 30 years after that 1976 ad for a Soho Twill Tote made around 2003.

 

[AggieK]

We dressed up too. It makes me happy to have someone else refer to it as "the City." Where did you grow up? We were in the East Bay. Our department store was Capwell's.

I grew up in Marin. We had Roos Atkins, Emporium, and Macy's. Now they have Macy's and Nordstrom. It seems like Macy's bought everyone.

 

[whateve]

Yes, I've seen some vintage styles where they made what they probably considered minor changes and only changed the style number by one digit, like adding an underflap pocket.. The styles with 5 digits between 2 versions (usually ending in 5 or 0) are USUALLY different sizes. But, as always, the most consistent thing about Coach is their inconsistency.

Speaking of which - style number 9510 was re-used almost 30 years after that 1976 ad for a Soho Twill Tote made around 2003.

That's funny!

 

[Bucketbagger]

Been thrifting fobs to gussy up some of my vintage Coaches -- mostly ones that are missing hang tags. (I have gotten some replacement tags from Coach, but somehow it's not the same.)

Here is an Anne Klein telephone fob on a Patricia and a Fleur de Lis one on a Stewardess. The world is full of fun cast-off fobs that can be had for a dollar or three.

 

[maiko1]

Be careful to get them authenticated. I've seen several fakes of this style.

It is very easy to open and close. It looks like a buckle but it is just a magnetic snap. It opens up wide and is easy to close back up. I think it is easier to use than an actual drawstring.

To me, the only drawback to this style is that it only has one tiny pocket inside, pretty common with vintage bags, but this pocket is smaller than most - too small for my phone. It's hard to make a pocket with this kind of style.

Thanks - I'll make sure to get it authenticated before I buy. I can't decide between the drawstring styles and this. Good to know how you open it though.

Either way it'll have to wait awhile - I've bought too many bags this month. I'm on a ban until I sell 1 or 2.

 

[maiko1]

Been thrifting fobs to gussy up some of my vintage Coaches -- mostly ones that are missing hang tags. (I have gotten some replacement tags from Coach, but somehow it's not the same.)

Here is an Anne Klein telephone fob on a Patricia and a Fleur de Lis one on a Stewardess. The world is full of fun cast-off fobs that can be had for a dollar or three.

Love those fobs! I'm so jealous of those who have good thrifting near them.

 

[whateve]

Thanks - I'll make sure to get it authenticated before I buy. I can't decide between the drawstring styles and this. Good to know how you open it though.

Either way it'll have to wait awhile - I've bought too many bags this month. I'm on a ban until I sell 1 or 2.

I know how that is! I'm also on a ban.

Many of the drawstring bags are bigger. I can't recall any that come in interesting colors other than red, except... The Littleton drawstring has great colors but it is very tiny. The Sonoma pocket drawstring might come in some good colors, if you like pebbled leather.