Coach Handbags, 2009 Collections

Coach is one of those borderline handbag brands – some consider it in the top echelon of designer bags, while others see it as the most basic of designer handbags with a style that seldom changes. Coach really hasn’t changed their style significantly over the past decade, with the most popular designs seen on women of all ages being the brown and tan or cream-colored “C” pattern. While something like this would’ve been popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s when brand names were plastered across all pieces of clothing, handbags included, it’s been out of style for a number of years, and Coach, although still keeping the famous “C” design, has switched up their styles and color choices. And, appropriate for the time, they’re also brought back the ‘80s slouch handbag to go with other ‘80s retro fashions like skinny jeans, large Day-Glo earring, and cropped jackets.

Coach’s handbag collection from earlier in 2009 brought the Resort Collection. The title and styles are more appropriate for a summer collection, with such styles introduced as python print with metallic coloring and pink tote styles for both large and small handbags. The “C” logo is still present on many bags in this collection, only the color combination focused on brighter shades, like pink, blues, and light yellow, and, as a result, the “C” logo pops out much better than any tan-on-brown handbags from five years ago. Some examples of these Coach bags include:

Coach’s collection for the upcoming summer, however, focuses less on the shades of pink and leather beach-bag style and, instead, opts for retro-inspired handbags as their strongest designs. These bags use the same old Coach colors, only this season, they’re in metallic shades. The slouch purse style popular in the ‘80s is now referred to as a hobo handbag – here called an “ali hobo” – because of its spaciousness. While many of these are solid colored, some are still printed with the “C” logo in serif and sans serif styles. Unfortunately, as Coach knock-off handbags often differentiate themselves with a sans serif font, the sans serif “C” logo Coach bags resemble knockoffs somewhat. Aside from this aspect, these slouch or hobo Coach handbags can come with a zipper top or a side flap and come in sizes from a clutch to a shoulder bag.

The only questionable handbags in Coach’s summer collection are the Tattoo Canvas Tote bags, all of which bear a strong resemblance to any handbag by Ed Hardy, only with a Coach label, no rhinestones, and washed out colors. If this is one way to compete with Ed Hardy’s styles, Ed Hardy bags still have the upper hand with this tattoo style.

For all Coach designs for this upcoming summer, check Coach’s website for the full product line.