For $800, brands like Alexander Wang and Louis Vuitton can be purchased, but right now I am crushing on the Coach Pinnacle Leather Allie.

The leather is sure to be richly textured and the smooth and pebbled combination will give a nice tonal effect. The reason this shoulder bag stands out so much is because of its custom buckles, exotic framing detail, and the leather belting. The bag is quite spacious, 18″ x 7″ x 15″ and has a nice shoulder drop of 11.5″. I see this bag working well for the young professional to the empty-nest mother.

I really like how elegant this bag looks, perfect for those who love the brand but are not looking for a monogrammed bag. But my question comes in about the price. I am not one for sticker-shock but I do realize that $800 is high when many people think about Coach. Is this something that you appreciate as they continue to expand or does it turn you off from the brand? Buy through Bloomingdale’s for $798.

A couple months back we had the privilege to take a first look at the Coach Men’s Collection for Spring. The line mixes rugged and cool with some influences of boxing and baseball.

Particularly interesting was the line of wallets that were made out of old baseball gloves. The gloves were taken apart by Coach artisans and then each wallet was sown together by hand. I like my leather accessories to show a nice patina over time with use, with these wallets you get the rugged shine, smell and touch right from the start.

I never seriously considered Coach as a major contender in men’s accessories until I saw this preview up close. The prices are great and the style is on-point.

First Louis Vuitton, then Dior, and now Coach – the artist-designed handbag doesn’t seem to be a trend that will fade any time soon, and based on the lovely, modern pieces that make up the Hugo Guinness for Coach collaboration, that’s a boon to both the accessories and art worlds. Guinness, a London-born, Brooklyn-based artist, lent some of his drawings to a range of 17 Coach men’s accessories that will debut in stores in February with prices ranging from $68 to $398. Even if they’re meant for the fellas, I’d still line up to get my hands on a few of these pieces. Check out a preview, after the jump.

Yesterday, Vlad, Amanda and I headed west to what seemed like the end of the world, aka the Hudson River. (Geography for anyone living in Manhattan is utterly skewed.) I would gladly walk 6 avenues any day for the chance to preview Coach‘s upcoming collection of bags and accessories, especially when hosted in the Archive at the Coach Carriage House. While we were there to focus on Spring 2012, my eyes continuously wandered to case after case of Coach staples from the past. But that will come another day; today is all about the upcoming collection.

There were many touches of what we have come to know from Coach, like the Kristin line, yet my immediate and constant attention was drawn to the new reincarnation of the Coach Willis. This bag was first released in the early 90s and has been reinvigorated many times. But this take on the Willis won’t have you wondering ‘whatchu talkin’ bout Willis’ at all. In fact, you will most likely be in love. The compact size and ladylike shape is kept current with a long East/West option and colorblocking renditions as well. The classics colors are there as well, focusing on the contrast stitching and quality leather. This year is Coach’s 70th Anniversary and the Willis is taking center stage. Also, the Coach tags that we all love are a major story for holiday and spring as well. Which bag(s) is you favorite?

View the entire collection in our thread on the PurseForum!

We all know that I’m not exactly the kind of girl who’s happy with a closet full of black, tan and chocolate brown bags. I need variety! I need color! I need chartreuse and coral, if possible! Not to mention that a classic shape with a crazy color is just about the freshest thing going in handbags right now. It’s wearable, it’s modern, it’s bold – what’s not to like?

Obviously Coach knows this stuff, so the Coach Classics Collection that everyone was excited about last month has gotten its second wind, this time with fun new colors like lime green, watermelon pink and ivory. (I don’t have a cute fruit description for ivory, so just go with it.) I’m going to continue to wait for the small crossbody to come in colors that aren’t already represented in my bag wardrobe, and if you’d like to find out if you’ll be doing the same, check out the new options after the jump. You can pick up these bags via Coach.com.

There was a time when huge celebrities who largely avoided domestic advertising in order to maintain their pristine images for fans did ad campaigns overseas for big bucks and Americans were none the wiser. That time was before the Internet, and it has very clearly passed. Via Vogue Taiwan, we now have a peek at Gwyneth Paltrow‘s first ads as the international brand ambassador for Coach.

And although these ads were clearly shot in New York and feature a brand that does the overwhelming majority of its business stateside, these shots won’t be gracing the ad pages of American magazines anytime soon, which sort of makes sense from a branding perspective. American consumers already have a vision of Coach and a vision of Gwyneth Paltrow, and those two vision don’t necessarily intersect. And that’s fine, because Coach is already raking in bushels of money on its current, carefully crafted American branding.

But for an overseas audience that’s less familiar with the position that Coach has in the American fashion landscape, the fresh-faced, blonde, blue-eyed actress against a blurry, fast-paced Manhattan backdrop likely reflects exactly the combination of urbanity and Americanness that Coach would like its foreign customers to see when they look at one of the brand’s handbags. She certainly does look happy with her patent leather satchel.

In my experience, most people other adore Coach Poppy Handbags or they hate them, there’s not much of an in-between. And that’s true of most lines that really go for it when it comes to having a point of view – the more personality a bag has, the wider the gulf between the lovers and the haters becomes. With their bright, in-your-face, pink-and-sparkly persona, the Poppy bags were about as divisive as it gets. They were also less expensive than other Coach bags and positioned to appeal to a younger customer, which clearly worried some lifetime Coach devotees.

It looks as though the brand might be trying to establish a little bit of middle ground with the new Coach Poppy Pushlock Collection. (Not to be confused with Mulberry’s similarly named Polly Pushlock bags.) These monotone leather designs are still something of a steal compared to average Coach pricing, but the feel is a bit more chic and upmarket without losing the line’s youthful appeal. More photos of the line and prices after the jump, or you can shop the line via Coach.com.

It’s hard to think of an American accessories brand with as devoted a following as Coach; in fact, the New York-based leathergoods giant might not have any domestic competition in the “ardent fandom” department. Those of you who consider yourself a part of that very large group will be excited to check out the new Coach Chelsea Collection, which features totes, satchels and shoulder bags in a variety of leathers and fabrics. Several more pictures, after the jump.

Click to enlarge.

Check out the entire collection at Coach.com. Prices range from $178 to $1000.

Ok, so this post a little last minute for a Father’s Day gift idea but honestly, I know many of you may be like me and procrastinate. When it comes to both Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, I always try to find a gift that can be sentimental. It gets hard to come up with something year after year, but as much as my dad loves Hermes ties, sometimes a tie gets a little too repetitive.

If you are looking for a last minute Father’s Day gift option, have an accessory from Coach monogrammed.

Coach is offering complimentary monogramming on leather hangtags, luggage tags, and an array of small leather goods at it’s men’s store on Bleecker in NYC and Copley Place in Boston. But don’t fret, if you aren’t in either area, you can place an order by phone (NYC location 212.243.3612, Boston location 617.262.0419).

As far as monogramming goes, you can choose up to three letters with or without periods, in navy, green, yellow, orange, red, white, black, gold, and silver. Get your move on if you would like this done for Father’s Day. Then again, this is a great gift for anytime.

As the Coach brand expands rapidly, offering everything from the youthful Poppy line to the more refined Kristen collection, many fans of the brand still yearn for the Coach Classics. To many, a “classic Coach bag” might mean the small signature Demi Pouch, but the brand became known for their simple and refined leather Heritage collection in the 1970s, long before its logo fabric became a signature touch.

With the current 70s trend in full swing, NET-A-PORTER Buying Director Holli Rogers felt it was the perfect moment to bring back some of the original Coach designs and introduce them to a new generation of women. The five bags of the Coach Classics Collection will be exclusively carried at NET-A-PORTER.com and are sure to sell out quickly.

Shop the Coach Classic Collection at NET-A-PORTER.com

Upon first seeing this collection, I immediately realized how many bags in the current market closely resemble these Coach classics. From the small structured shoulder purse to the larger Coach Field Bag, the design elements of this collection can be seen in many newer accessories offerings.

While Coach offers a wide variety of designs that seems to suit every possible personal style, I’ve heard many women say how much they miss the brand’s classic bags. Those women can stop prowling vintage stores and their mothers’ closets for vintage Coach finds, because now they can have a piece of the brand’s legacy for their very own. The prices are also entirely reasonable, from $298 for the shoulder purse to $498 for the field bag. In fact, I feel the need to add one of these to my collection.

Shop the Coach Classics Collection at Net-A-Porter now!