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Posts Tagged ‘Bonnie Cashin’

IMG_20190828_123730It used to be about logo, logo, logo, big name, big name, big name. Now people can easily wear a t-shirt from Zara holding a Louis Vuitton bag. 

Xia Ding, President of the Chinese online retailer, JD.com.

Oh gosh, the whole logo thing. In doing some research on Louis Vuitton and Chanel handbags, I discovered that there are serious collectors out there. Women who buy logo bag after logo bag, wallets, pouches, and apparently LV and Chanel maintain their value while some of the others do not. I watched a few videos of women discussing what to look for in the secondhand market. To see how much these women own was kind of off-putting.  OK, one or two but dozens? We’re talking a lot of money and these women don’t look like Rockefellers.

Personally I like an understated quality handbag that doesn’t scream brand or designer. I’m always switching out my handbags, which vary in size and style. I have a small vintage collection that I use on certain occasions. I do own one well known brand, Coach. I like the older styles that echo Bonnie Cashin’s designs. There are four in my closet, all from the 1990s and none have the Coach logo. One was a gift from my bother. One was a find at TJ Maxx at half the retail price, and another my mother picked up at a thrift store. Then there is the really special Coach bag that I saved up for and bought myself. I appreciate and use each one and I have no desire for another.

To each her own … that’s what makes fashion and style so fascinating.

 

 

 

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Modern luxury, how we define it for ourselves, is about quality and great design, while at the same time offering the customer an emotional experience through great brands, its history and narratives. Modern for us is different from the traditional European groups … it’s about being inclusive, not exclusive based on price. It is not based on a country of origin, [nor] is it made in any specific market as traditional luxury brands are …

 

– Victor Luis, Coach, Inc. CEO

Last week it was announced that American handbag brand Coach, Inc. bought Kate Spade & Co.  for $2.4 billion.

The once classic handbag line, originally designed by Bonnie Cashin, seems to be shifting into a fashion conglomerate having also purchased shoe brand Stuart Weitzman for $524 million in 2015.

(More fashion news – Mr. Weitzman, who orchestrated the sale of his company to Coach, is retiring this year.)

Is Coach luxury? Kate Spade? Semi-expensive brands, yes, but I never considered either one luxury. I guess they are “modern luxury” whereas luxury is old-school European expensive, a la Hermes and Louis Vuitton.

I suppose it’s relative. One woman’s Vuitton is another woman’s Coach. Actually it’s all luxury, because we don’t NEED any of it … says the woman who owns a few Coach handbags herself (the classic silhouettes only).

 

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Bonnie Cashin in 1957.I was wearing boots long before they became popular. I used to buy Haymarket boots in London, regular riding ones. Now that everyone is wearing them, I have a quarrel with the shoemakers. I love things that work but today’s boots don’t work. They let the water in. A boot should be waterproof. I keep telling them.

– Bonnie Cashin (1915-2000), American fashion designer.

Yes! Waterproof! I recall a nasty pair of boots I had as a kid (maybe 8) that let the rain water seep in. Not fun but a thing of the past. It seems the shoemakers did listen to Ms. Cashin.

She made this comment in 1970, when boots were first hitting their stride among the fashionables. Then they went out of fashion for awhile and came back to stay sometime in the 1990s.

Now that it’s officially autumn, boots are out and about. Have you noticed? It seems every style is in, but particularly ankle boots and over the knee.

By the way, September 28th would have been Ms. Cashin’s 101st birthday. Happy Birthday to the first woman of boots!

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My favorite Classic Coach - The Bleeker Bag in tan. Circa 1996.

Speaking of handbags, I read that Coach is reviving five of their old school styles from the 1970s. Limited edition Coach bags designed by Bonnie Cashin will be available exclusively on Net-a-Porter.com starting June 15th.

Coach is a very different brand these days, but it was once known for understated elegance. It started in New York in 1941 as a line of leather accessories for men. In the early 1960s, Coach hired American designer Bonnie Cashin. She created a timeless look in women’s handbags: no logos, no excessive hardware, only the signature turnlock and leather ID tag. Cashin’s designs were the principal Coach look up until the late 1990s.

Coach Classics available on Net-a-Porter.com. Photo courtesy of Net-a-Porter.com.

I favor Coach Classics for the unique style – part preppy, part arty. Like a cashmere cardie or a gold signet ring, a Coach Classic speaks volumes, but quietly.

There are four old school Coach handbags in my collection. I have a friend who has been sporting her Duffel Coach for over 20 years and it’s still going strong – even better, she says. My mom has a Classic Coach and my sis-in-law, too.  

Are you a Coach Classic gal? What’s your favorite style? Do tell.

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