I have a confession to make. As a (very) early-thirties millennial living in a big city, I often forget how old I am. And no, I do not think that 30 or above is old by any means, nor do I think that women (or men for that matter) should feel the need to follow timelines or conform to societal standards.
However, when I leave NYC for the suburbs or scroll through my Instagram feed, I’m reminded that I am a fully grown (at 5’9, I sure hope so anyway), fully functioning adult. A baby announcement here and an engagement there and weddings upon weddings, oh my! Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the Instagram post of the little girl I used to babysit for’s Sweet 16. Wasn’t I just changing your diapers like, yesterday?
And yet, nothing slaps me straight into a full-blown existential crisis wherein I cry myself to sleep at night and wonder if I’ll ever truly understand my purpose in being on this earth quite like TikTok. The dark black hole that is TikTok is both fascinating and truly terrifying at the same time, and nothing makes me feel my age quite like it. Sure, TikTok is full of all ages, posting everything from workouts and random dance routines to recipes and even current events. But somehow, it seems my homepage is full of young twenty-somethings, usually fashion-y girls and their day in the life vlogs and OOTD videos, and it’s then that I feel well…old.
Recently I was 20 minutes into a scroll when I came upon a video of a girl chronicling everything she had purchased that month. One of her acquisitions piqued my curiosity. It was the Coach Pillow Tabby 18 bag, and suddenly I didn’t feel so ancient anymore.
The Coach Comeback
I’ve had my eye on Coach’s ever-changing assortment for the last couple of years, and I knew they were destined for a comeback. I’ve said to friends, to industry connections, and I’ve said it here on PurseBlog. From a cool collaboration with Champion, to the release of the Swinger bag, and then the Soft Tabby I’ve found myself truly, fascinated with the brand again. Paired with the fact that the ’90s are having a major moment, especially among fashion’s youngest shoppers, the stars were destined to align, and align they have.
One search of the hashtag #coachbag or even #coachpillowtabby yields endless results from unboxing videos to girls showing off their Coach bag collections. It seems that Gen Z is single-handedly making Coach happen again. I love the nostalgia in all of this, as I was a Coach girl myself and feel a nostalgic sense of excitement for the next generation of Coach shoppers. Now I just have one question left to ask…am I too old for a Coach Pillow Tabby 18? Just kidding. *Immediately adds to cart*
I definitely think that Coach is making a turn around from years and years of, let’s just say, interesting design choices. Since the inception of their now discontinued 1941 line, the brand has elevated itself to a place where I think it is now no longer “embarrassing” to wear Coach. They have certainly jumped on the latest bag trends, especially with the Pillow Tabby, but they also have timeless styles that have been consistently a part of their lineup for years and years. I’m excited to see what Coach does next.
I’ve really loved Coach’s stuff the past few years. It’s a beloved American brand that really has no peers in terms of worldwide popularity. I’ve mentioned it before on the blog but there’s no other American brand that comes to mind in the handbag game that has such history or relevance. Tom Ford doesn’t seem that popular, PS really only had one or two hits, and MK has its own public image issues. Plus some of the bags are just so beautiful. I’ve got a kisslock 1948 and the leather is so buttery soft and it’s so well made.
I have a lot of the vintage leather bags. I’m going to see if the Coach (re)Loved will take them off of my hands. I’ve always liked the brand, but the cloth/logo bags turned me off. So, I went to Michael Kors. I was also treated poorly in one of their boutiques. I vowed to not go back any time soon. That was in 2011.
In 2020, I bought a Coach Cassie in Stone Blue which is my most used bag. Recently, I purchased a small, bicolor Field Tote for my anniversary just last week. I also bought a Parker and a Tabby on Poshmark. I like that the brand now has something for everyone (canvas, logos, leather, various sizes). The quality is amazing, and I find myself using these more than my luxury bags.
Oh, and I’m not Gen Z, but both of my sons are.
Whenever i see the old bags back (the old bags not us or are age haha i belong to your age group too) i feel nostalgia like reminiscing the beginnings of my love for bags. I still have some vintage bags i kept from my high school and college days. My favorite ones. The rest i sold already or have given away. I have a bag very similar to the coach tabby. Was a givenchy canvas hobo with the gg fabric. Same handle and same style. I sold it last year which proceed went to my birkin fund. I started my love for bags browsing through the coach website. My favorite bags back then was the multicolor CC pattern (i still kept this with matching sandals) which is also back now and the patchwork hamptons. Although my love for bags started with coach my first designer bag was a burberry bucket bag a going away for college gift from my mom (i still kept this because of sentimental value). As i always say age is just a number.
I was actually just texting my Mom to tell her my newfound appreciation for Coach again. They truly did themselves a disservice with the opening of all the outlets and the aggressive sales. However, a classic Coach bag is a classic Coach bag.
Then, I was moving my bags around and found one of my original Coach bags my parents got me when I went to college in ‘03. Think I might take it in and see if they can spruce it back up.
Agreed ! Coach outlet is the worst! If you do a comparison between a bag from coach and coach outlet (without knowing which was from where) you can definitely tell the difference.
I recently passed down 2 Coach bags to my 20 yr old daughter much to her delight!
I recently bought a kate spade, a Furla and a coach, actually a few Coaches. The Coach bags are fabulous. The Furla is awesome. Kate spade well I Love the design but the leather is so so. Coach rocks and I left that brand for a long time because they got away from their roots.