Fashion News

Coach Knows You Are Studding Their Vintage Bags, Wants to Offer You an Alternative

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(Urban Outfitters)

Thrifting vintage Coach bags — especially the classic 70's styles — and covering them with studs has become kind of a thing. People scour secondhand stores for the purses — which, if you're lucky, can be found for about $30 or so — and bedazzle over any wear and tear. The results look like this, pretty much.

(Etsy)

Cute, right? But recently, some higher-end consignment shops started taking matters into their own hands and studding their Coach inventory, selling the metal-covered bags for hundreds of dollars.

(Urban Outfitters)

And then Urban Outfitters got wind of the trend, and placed made-over pre-owned Coach bags on their website for $250. Which is about the cost of a new bag from Coach's lineup of 70's reissues.

So, starting this fall, Coach will offer an alternative to the markup crazyness. The label is rolling out a collection of vintage styles made from new materials, and covered with studs. Like this adorable little tasseled design!

(Caitlin Petreycik/StyleBistro)

At last night's fall 2013 preview, we spotted caramel bucket bags with gold hardware, studded plum-colored carryalls, and sleek black cross-bodies with matching matte embellishments and gunmetal clasps. The brand even specially engineered the studs to be lightweight, which means the metal-covered parts of the purses won't sag.

(Caitlin Petreycik/StyleBistro)

So, if you like the look and don't want to go the DIY route — or if you simply prefer your bags shiny and new — we suggest holding out until Coach's fall collection hits shelves.