Exclusive: A Tour Of The Coach Archives (Vintage Handbag Lovers, You’re Gonna Want To Spend Some Quality Time Here)

I have a thing—a big thing—for classic Coach bags. (Just look in my closet and you’ll see all my vintage favorites piled up in there.) There’s something about their unembellished design, color saturated leathers and sleek, fuss-free shapes that imply that the woman carrying them knows how to drive a stick shift, can make a mean bolognese, tells a good dirty joke and was on the varsity something when she was in high school. In other words, a cool, preppy badass.

Now, while sadly I only share 1.5 of what I imagine to be Coach girl characteristics (growing up in New England you had to learn on a stick and play with a stick–my grade school sport of choice was field hockey), but the love is all there, and has been, for quite some time. So when the leather handbag gurus at Coach unveiled their recent Legacy Collection–100-plus pieces inspired inspired by the house’s 70-year-old design history–I was pretty jazzed to have the excuse to poke around their ridiculously tidy archives and snap some photos of some old school styles that inspired the Legacy line.

Ready to come take a pseudo tour with me? Good. (Now just don’t touch anything. They’re serious down here.)

The archives are located on the basement floor of the Coach US H.Q. (Fun fact: the current headquarters are on 34th street, in the same location as the house’s original factory lofts.) But dusty, it is not: the archives are meticulously maintained; to look at anything in the bright, airy space you’ve got to pop on at least one of these Michael Jackson gloves, to avoid the oils and dirt from your hands mussing up the old leathers. (See what I mean? No touching!)

In the center of the room, there are huge flat files filled with small leathergood pieces…

Coach Leather Zip Envelope, circa 1950’s-1960’s

..while the larger pieces are kept in pristine glass cabinets, organized chronologically.

*Women’s Handbags in Archive Cases, 1960’s (left side) and 1970’s (right side)*The cases go on for feet and feet–I opened up all of them and snapped a few of my favorite pieces, just for you lovely ladies. (And okay, for me too.)

Men’s Coach Leather Zip Envelope, circa 1950’s-1960’s

Water Buffalo Booklet (explaining how leather is tanned) 1980’s

“;Chunky” Coach Satchel, 1966

Fashion designer Bonnie Cashin came on board in 1962, staying at the house until 1974, during which she developed some of Coach’s key signatures. The simple turn-key fobs, piped seams and pop-y colors? All classic Cashin.

Commemoration hangtag, 1968 [the year Bonnie Cashin for Coach awarded American Handbag Designer of the Year by Leather Industries of America]

Assorted Federal Bags, 1972

Great Seal Checkbook Holder, 1972

*A very stately checkbook. (Wouldn’t this make you take your finances extra seriously?)

Madison Satchels, 1986

Assorted Classic Handbags, 1992

The Winnie’s identifiable shape inspired many of the new styles in the Legacy Collection….

Winnie Top Handle Bags, 1997

…while the clean shapes and vibrant hues from the Ergo design pop up again in the Legacy Collection.

Assorted Ergo Mini Satchels, 1997

Straw Lily Hangtag Basket, 2007

Here’s where things get more playful, with the recent collaborations and limited editions:

Limited Edition Re-issues of Mini Safari Tote for Bleecker Street Store Opening, 2008

Poppy Chan Violette Cosmetic Case, 2010

Poppy Sequins Backpack, 2011

Hugo Guinness x Coach Small Leather Goods, 2012

And thus concludes our mini tour of the Coach archives. Pretty sweet, right? I love looking at the original pieces—you can see pretty quickly where all the design references in the new Legacy line come from, now that you’re a vintage Coach expert and all:

More Coach…

Now I have to ask you something hard here, ladies: Which of these bags is your favorite? I’m talking both old and new. There’s no wrong answer here (but I’m gonna claim the Winnie as mine, I think). And is anyone else as obsessed with vintage Coach as I am?

Since we’re on the topic of the most perfect handbags out there in the fashion universe:

• Opening Ceremony just launched handbags and these 4 are our favorites

• OMG Alert: Jil Sander’s $630 Lunch Bag

• Get in on big fall trends via these amazing bags. (You’ll thank us later.)