aaah what a perfect first purchase for a young girl! Cute!! and still very desired since I"ve owned and sold a few of them!
Why COACH? Please share your story!
- Thread starter minissha
- Start date
TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others
aaah what a perfect first purchase for a young girl! Cute!! and still very desired since I"ve owned and sold a few of them!
Not only was my family very solidly middle class, (dad worked insane hours so mom could raise 8 kids) but there wasn't a Coach store to be had anywhere within 2 hours of us (Indiana) and I couldn't and wouldn't have known to shop there then anyway (80's). When I was in my 30's, I was living in Ann Arbor MI (still am) and my little sister moved near me, and managed to get a nice job and splurged on a Coach bag and leather fob. I loved that bag (Brit Tan Station bag from 1994) Strangely, she just isn't a purse obsessed gal so it sat in her closet. Eventually, years later, I got it from her. 
Once I started doing a little better financially I still had 30 years of childhood frugality pounded into my head, and wouldn't DREAM of spending $300+ on a bag. It's still hard for me to do EVEN NOW!! My obsession started though, at a thrift shop. I am truly a LEATHER bag girl, and I looked at their nicer bag section, and saw a beat up old scuffed sad looking Willis bag. To this day, Willis, old and new, is my all time favorite Coach "go to" bag. My life was CHANGED when I read Momtok's thread on how to wash and refurbish old bags and I can't thank her enough for that thread!!!! I still won't allow myself to spend the $ to buy a new bag unless I can get it with a huge discount, or as a gift. I own well over 50 Coach bags, and most of those were used purchases. Thanks to thrift shops and ebay I now own almost every purse of my dreams, many of which I fixed up and saved from a landfill. Coach bags are amazingly well made. Especially the oldies. I am SO HAPPY they have re-issued their Legacy and Classic bags and are adding amazing COLORS to the line up!!! I own a couple of subtle siggy bags, but it's LEATHER for me all the way!!!!
Once I started doing a little better financially I still had 30 years of childhood frugality pounded into my head, and wouldn't DREAM of spending $300+ on a bag. It's still hard for me to do EVEN NOW!! My obsession started though, at a thrift shop. I am truly a LEATHER bag girl, and I looked at their nicer bag section, and saw a beat up old scuffed sad looking Willis bag. To this day, Willis, old and new, is my all time favorite Coach "go to" bag. My life was CHANGED when I read Momtok's thread on how to wash and refurbish old bags and I can't thank her enough for that thread!!!! I still won't allow myself to spend the $ to buy a new bag unless I can get it with a huge discount, or as a gift. I own well over 50 Coach bags, and most of those were used purchases. Thanks to thrift shops and ebay I now own almost every purse of my dreams, many of which I fixed up and saved from a landfill. Coach bags are amazingly well made. Especially the oldies. I am SO HAPPY they have re-issued their Legacy and Classic bags and are adding amazing COLORS to the line up!!! I own a couple of subtle siggy bags, but it's LEATHER for me all the way!!!!Well let us know too .... I think that's great!
As mentioned in my story above, YOUR THREAD was the first thing I read on tpf (I think I did some kind of google search on cleaning leather) and it CHANGED my purse life!!!! THANK YOU. I know others had started dabbling in refurbishing at about the time you did it, but your thorough explanations and photos just grabbed me and sucked me in!!! I have amassed a lot of bags, and my rehab supplies have taken over my laundry room
As mentioned in my story above, YOUR THREAD was the first thing I read on tpf (I think I did some kind of google search on cleaning leather) and it CHANGED my purse life!!!! THANK YOU. I know others had started dabbling in refurbishing at about the time you did it, but your thorough explanations and photos just grabbed me and sucked me in!!! I have amassed a lot of bags, and my rehab supplies have taken over my laundry room
Really? Oh cool!
Yeah, I don't do as many rehabs as a lot of members do. I never took it on as a hobby because I just don't feel like I have time to sit down and do the details carefully. (Always feel like I'm running this way or that.) But when I do, by chance, run across one in a thrift store, I do grab it and fix it up. Not because I necessarily need it or even want it -- I might even just give it away to someone who would like it ...... but to not do so brings a twinge like leaving an animal behind at the pound or something.
(Seems to be a theme in my life ... we're up to eight little birdies because most of them just needed homes. Coach vintage is the same type of impulse I suppose. 
)I should probably quick put my story here too. It involves graduate school, a friend, and Rodney King.
.
Really? Oh cool!
Yeah, I don't do as many rehabs as a lot of members do. I never took it on as a hobby because I just don't feel like I have time to sit down and do the details carefully. (Always feel like I'm running this way or that.) But when I do, by chance, run across one in a thrift store, I do grab it and fix it up. Not because I necessarily need it or even want it -- I might even just give it away to someone who would like it ...... but not doing so has a twinge like leaving an animal behind at the pound or something.
I should probably quick put my story here too. It involves graduate school, a friend, and Rodney King.
.
would love to hear that !
My first introduction to the word "Coach" is both very simple, and a memory that still makes me smile.
I was in graduate school in the 1990s, and was friends with another girl in my class ... I'll call her C. We were in physics, and most science nerds tend to congregate
, so most of our socializing was in our own small group. C and I spent a lot of our time together, often wandering through the mall as a break from the books.
Anyway, C came from a huge family with, I think, nine children. Her mother would only carry Coach, so for Christmas/birthday/Mother's Day, some of the kids would get together and buy her a bag. C would often comment on this when we stopped by the Coach counter in Macy's. Well, when the Rodney King incident happened (because of relevancy, I will mention that C was African American while I'm Caucasian), we jokingly hatched this plan. She would start having a meltdown in the middle of Macy's, shouting "Rodney, my brother!! Rodney!!" (Please note, again, this part of the plan was hers, so please no one accuse me of racial things. C and I were great friends, and I now have an inter-racial family..) She was going to fall to the floor sobbing, and during the distraction, I was supposed to grab a bag for her mother. It was just a long-running joke we had, certainly would never have done such a thing, but I guess we were easily amused.
I'd always carried leather bags before that (like Wilson's, or from local leather workers), but that was how I first learned the name "Coach". I still think of C and her mom every time I enter the Coach section at Macy's. Told my daughter the story, and now she smiles about it too.
Sign me, --- easily amused.
.
I was in graduate school in the 1990s, and was friends with another girl in my class ... I'll call her C. We were in physics, and most science nerds tend to congregate
, so most of our socializing was in our own small group. C and I spent a lot of our time together, often wandering through the mall as a break from the books.Anyway, C came from a huge family with, I think, nine children. Her mother would only carry Coach, so for Christmas/birthday/Mother's Day, some of the kids would get together and buy her a bag. C would often comment on this when we stopped by the Coach counter in Macy's. Well, when the Rodney King incident happened (because of relevancy, I will mention that C was African American while I'm Caucasian), we jokingly hatched this plan. She would start having a meltdown in the middle of Macy's, shouting "Rodney, my brother!! Rodney!!" (Please note, again, this part of the plan was hers, so please no one accuse me of racial things. C and I were great friends, and I now have an inter-racial family.
.) She was going to fall to the floor sobbing, and during the distraction, I was supposed to grab a bag for her mother. It was just a long-running joke we had, certainly would never have done such a thing, but I guess we were easily amused.I'd always carried leather bags before that (like Wilson's, or from local leather workers), but that was how I first learned the name "Coach". I still think of C and her mom every time I enter the Coach section at Macy's. Told my daughter the story, and now she smiles about it too.
Sign me, --- easily amused.
.
Last edited:
My first introduction to the word "Coach" is both very simple, and a memory that still makes me smile.
I was in graduate school in the 1990s, and was friends with another girl in my class ... I'll call her C. We were in physics, and most science nerds tend to congregate
Anyway, C came from a huge family with, I think, nine children. Her mother would only carry Coach, so for Christmas/birthday/Mother's Day, some of the kids would get together and buy her a bag. C would often comment on this when we stopped by the Coach counter in Macy's. Well, when the Rodney King incident happened (because of relevancy, I will mention that C was African American while I'm Caucasian), we jokingly hatched this plan. She would start having a meltdown in the middle of Macy's, shouting "Rodney, my brother!! Rodney!!" (Please note, again, this part of the plan was hers, so please no one accuse me of racial things. C and I were great friends, and I now have an inter-racial family.
I'd always carried leather bags before that (like Wilson's, or from local leather workers), but that was how I first learned the name "Coach". I still think of C and her mom every time I enter the Coach section at Macy's. Told my daughter the story, and now she smiles about it too.
Sign me, --- easily amused.
.
OK, that's a great story! And funny..Love it!
As mentioned in my story above, YOUR THREAD was the first thing I read on tpf (I think I did some kind of google search on cleaning leather) and it CHANGED my purse life!!!! THANK YOU. I know others had started dabbling in refurbishing at about the time you did it, but your thorough explanations and photos just grabbed me and sucked me in!!! I have amassed a lot of bags, and my rehab supplies have taken over my laundry room
Could you please provide the link to the life altering "rehab" page? I have a couple of bags that are in need of rehab as well.
Can I just say that I am floored :worthy:, tickled :giggles:, and touchedby the discussions and stories on this thread? Thank you for sharing your experiences...we are all connected by Coach.
http://forum.purseblog.com/coach/two-70s-80s-made-nyc-bags-going-through-658823.html#post17869335
Here ya go
Then you need to go here:
http://forum.purseblog.com/coach/coach-rehab-and-rescue-club-624452.html (where you will spend many hours of your life wading through LOTS of stuff, but there's some truly valuable additions and updates to momtoks above thread-we've learned a lot by trial and error)
Back in high school I wanted a Dooney and Burke Leather Purse, but being a teenager in a single parent household, my mother could not afford one, so a lady who she worked with bought me a fake Dooney for graduation, I carried that bag for a year or so feeling a little less than grand because I knew it was a fake, so I put it down and thought well if that is all I will ever have, then never mind. I married (1994), started nursing school, bought a Jansport backpack (that I still have today, 1996), had a baby... diaper bags... after she was in pre-school I went back to carrying the Jansport as my everything bag, school books and purse essentials. Fast forward to 2003, I moved to Dallas, TX, and bought a couple of small purses (Nine West (tan and brown) and Black Guess), but on a daily basis to work in a corporate office I still carried the old blue Jansport, I look back and cringe now. Fast forward to 2008, I started dating DH and he made fun of me carrying the Jansport until we went on vacation together to Disney World and ole Jansport was a great in the park bag, it holds a lot of souvenirs, water bottles and snacks, LOL. In late 2008 we married and in early 2009 he finished Flight School for the Army and we moved to Ft. Lewis WA. I had seen Coach Bags all over the place and really wanted one. I asked DH for one and he laughed at me and said 'I might think about it if you carried something other than that backpack', I was devastated, I felt like he was asking me to get rid of ol faithful
A few days later he said if you carry a real purse for three months Ill see about buying you a Coach Bag, I said and wallet, you gotta have a matching wallet, he said WHAT? How much is this going to cost me? :cry:
I was determined!! He went to the field for a month and when he came back I had bought a little leather purse from Wilsons leather, I carried it for the required three months and then I asked again. Well a female co-worker of his went to the PX to get a Coach Purse and she drug DH and another male co-worker of theirs and she was so excited when she bought, I guess DH saw the sparkle in her eye and thought I want my wife to have that sparkle (my thought process, I am sure not his), he came home and said I guess I will buy you a Coach Purse, 
because I just bought myself a Mac Book Pro ($$$$), so I chose the Carly Carry All Signature Cs in Khaki and Brown and a somewhat matching wallet from the AAFES website, he ordered it at a 20% discount, it arrived a couple weeks before Christmas, so I told him I want this as my Christmas presents, he said score, Christmas shopping complete, he was extremely happy and he saw the sparkle in my eyes. That was Christmas of 2009, since then I have bought my daughter two Coach Purses with matching wallets one at age 14 and one at age 16, I have bought myself 7 more purses and wallets. I have bought several key fobs and key chains, a pony tail scarf and even a pair of sun glasses that I rock when the sun shines here in Alaska. It is funny though how a parent still tries to please a child by wanting to give them something that the parent remembers their child wanting
Christmas 2012: my mother kept talking about buying me a Dooney and Burke, about how much I wanted one way back when, she even talked to DH about what he thought about her buying me a D&B, he laughed and said Mama I dont think she wants one now, she has about 5 Coach Purses and talks about buying more, but I dont think she needs anymore purses, so get her something else
One night at dinner she asked one more time if I wanted a D&B, and I said Mama not to hurt your feelings but that was almost 20 years ago, I have moved on and I only carry Coach now, I could tell she was hurt, but she took it in stride and didnt mention buying me one but started saying she was going to buy herself a D&B, poor Mama, I love her but I buy what I want now
LOL
Traci
because I just bought myself a Mac Book Pro ($$$$), so I chose the Carly Carry All Signature Cs in Khaki and Brown and a somewhat matching wallet from the AAFES website, he ordered it at a 20% discount, it arrived a couple weeks before Christmas, so I told him I want this as my Christmas presents, he said score, Christmas shopping complete, he was extremely happy and he saw the sparkle in my eyes. That was Christmas of 2009, since then I have bought my daughter two Coach Purses with matching wallets one at age 14 and one at age 16, I have bought myself 7 more purses and wallets. I have bought several key fobs and key chains, a pony tail scarf and even a pair of sun glasses that I rock when the sun shines here in Alaska. It is funny though how a parent still tries to please a child by wanting to give them something that the parent remembers their child wanting
Christmas 2012: my mother kept talking about buying me a Dooney and Burke, about how much I wanted one way back when, she even talked to DH about what he thought about her buying me a D&B, he laughed and said Mama I dont think she wants one now, she has about 5 Coach Purses and talks about buying more, but I dont think she needs anymore purses, so get her something else
One night at dinner she asked one more time if I wanted a D&B, and I said Mama not to hurt your feelings but that was almost 20 years ago, I have moved on and I only carry Coach now, I could tell she was hurt, but she took it in stride and didnt mention buying me one but started saying she was going to buy herself a D&B, poor Mama, I love her but I buy what I want now
LOLTraci
Ohhh...I love this thread!!
I got (heavily!) involved in Coach because of my mom. I remember when I was a little girl, before I was into handbags, I used to try to coax her past the Coach section of the department store because she'd always want to stop and linger. Then I got older, woke up, and started lingering with her. I loved the quality, the gorgeous smell of the leather, the rich textures....
My ex-fiance (looong story) bought me my first Coach bag...a lovely, understated black logo slim tote with slim black straps...and it was like a dream come true. Then my 30th birthday, my mom bought me a lovely chocolate brown Coach with a matching wallet. I've been a Coachaholic since then.
So, yeah...my mom. Coach has given us many topics of conversation...our tastes differ sometimes, but mostly stay the same. I'll spring for the $800 bags once in awhile when I can afford it, but she's wiser and waits for the PCEs to get a classic that will last and last and last....
I could go on, but that's it in a nutshell. Thanks for reading!
I got (heavily!) involved in Coach because of my mom.
I remember when I was a little girl, before I was into handbags, I used to try to coax her past the Coach section of the department store because she'd always want to stop and linger. Then I got older, woke up, and started lingering with her. I loved the quality, the gorgeous smell of the leather, the rich textures....My ex-fiance (looong story) bought me my first Coach bag...a lovely, understated black logo slim tote with slim black straps...and it was like a dream come true. Then my 30th birthday, my mom bought me a lovely chocolate brown Coach with a matching wallet. I've been a Coachaholic since then.
So, yeah...my mom.
Coach has given us many topics of conversation...our tastes differ sometimes, but mostly stay the same. I'll spring for the $800 bags once in awhile when I can afford it, but she's wiser and waits for the PCEs to get a classic that will last and last and last....I could go on, but that's it in a nutshell.
Thanks for reading!
Hah!
You are too much, Emilybug! Love the "antique brass harlot." I completely understand! For me, it was during an outlet trip just before Christmas that I really fell hard for Coach. Up until that point, it was more of a casual flirtation (bought maybe 1 every 2-3 years, when my meager student funds permitted). I found a rectangular soho flap shoulder bag in black leather, and the details knocked me cold- the quality of the exposed white stitch-work, the precisely designed square corners, the retro style of the moon-shaped buckle... It was like a perfectly functional, expertly crafted work of art, and I loved it. It was still expensive on my student budget, but felt so worth it. I wore that bag a TON and it still looked almost new after 1-2 years.
After that, I got my real job and went back to the outlet just around the time FP Legacy (2007) hit the outlets, and that cemented my love of the brand.
I was helpless in the thrall of 2007 Legacy, then obsessed with Madison and Kristin.
Sadly, I'm not terribly jazzed about ANY bag at FP right now.... Which is like a six-year first for me. Not a single one. I keep tabs, though, and keep hoping something new and exciting will pop up.
Until then, I've amassed plenty of bags I love, and I'll be using those. I may finally snip the tags on (gasp!) blue ombré large Sabrina, which has always felt like a summery bag to me.
Love reading all these stories! Nice thread topic, Op.