Bag Handbag

Where can I go to check if the serial number on a Coach handbag indicates that the bag is authentic?

Is there a place on the Coach website online? Or do I have to take it to a Coach store?

there isn't a place on the COACH website but what will help you out is the serial no. looks like this ****-***** the last digits after the dash are the style no. go to google and type in COACH and then those digits click search and look at the images....and just compare pics......BUT be precise look at every single thing make sure stiching it lined up correctly...and on your bag the C's will shimmer like glittery if you have a pic i can help ya out good luck

Prada Tote Bag BR3254 Black $309 *Color: Black *Signature woven nylon with leather trim handles *Signature insignia plate at center front *Extra front pocket *Top zip closure *Logo jacquard lining with interior zip pockets *Measures approximately 17.5 inches at widest x 11 inches tall x 6 inches deep *Certificate of authenticity included *Made in Italy

Prada Messenger Bag VA0769 Black $289 *Color: Black *Signature tessuto nylon with polished silvertone hardware and saffiano leather trim *Jacquard logo on flap and triangular logo insignia at side *Zip pockets along front and back *Front flap with lock closure *Adjustable sliding buckle shoulder strap *Logo jacquard lining with zip pocket *Measures approximately 9 inches wide x 7.5 inches tall x 4 inches deep *Certificate of authenticity included *Made in Italy

Prada Messenger Bag VA0771 Black $299 *Color: Black *Signature tessuto nylon with polished silvertone hardware and saffiano leather trim *Jacquard logo on flap and triangular logo insignia on the back *Exterior flap pocket with lock closure *Inset top zip closure *Adjustable sliding buckle shoulder strap *Logo jacquard lining with zip pocket *Measures approximately 10.5 inches wide x 9.5 inches tall x 2.5 inches deep *Certificate of authenticity included *Made in Italy

Prada Shoulder Bag BR4261 Black $499 *Color: Black *Signature woven nylon with goldtone hardware *Rope graphic trimmed logo print at front *Buckle straps down sides *Zip top closure with metal pull tag *Double handles and removable ID tag with removable shoulder strap *Logo jacquard lining with zip and patch pockets *Measures approximately 15 inches at widest x 9 inches tall x 6 inches deep *Certificate of authenticity included *Made in Italy

Prada Messenger Bag BT0687 Black $269 *Color: Black *Signature woven nylon with goldtone hardware *Logo lettering at center front *Front flap with zip close slip pocket in front exterior and dual buckle closure *Top zip closure with adjustable side straps *Extra front and back zip pockets *Adjustable strap *Logo jacquard lining with interior zip pocket *Measures approximately 10 inches at widest x 9.75 inchs tall x 4.5 inchs deep *Certificate of authenticity included *Made in Italy

Prada Messenger Bag BT0742 Black $239 *Color: Black *Smooth nylon with saffiano leather trim and goldtone hardware * Triangular logo plaque at center front *Zip closure pocket at front exterior *Top zip closure *Adjustable strap *Logo jacquard lining interior with zip pocket *Measures approximately 13 inches wide x 8 inches tall x 6 inches deep *Certificate of authenticity included *Made in Italy

Prada Shoulder Bag BR4391 Brown $469 *Color: Brown *Pebbled leather with goldtone hardware *Logo lettering at center front *Top snap closure *Top handles and removable ID tag; removable leather shoulder strap *Four metal feet at base *Logo jacquard lining with zip & snap pockets *Measures approximately 15 inches at the widest x 11.5 inches tall x 7 inches deep *Certificate of authenticity included *Made in Italy

Prada Tote Bag BR4696 Gray $179 *Color: Gray *Signature woven nylon with saffiano leather trim; polished goldtone hardware *Raised logo applique at bottom corner *Saffiano leather handles with adjustable/removable saffiano crossbody strap *Zip top closure *Four goldtone feet at base *Nylon tessuto lining with zip pocket *Measures approximately 15.5 inches widest (12 inches at base) x 14 inches tall x 6 inches deep *Certificate of authenticity included *Made in Italy

Prada Messenger Bag BT6671 Black $239 *Color: Black / Brown *Signature woven nylon detail with crocodile leather *Front flap with zip close slip pocket in front exterior and dual buckle closure *Classic insignia at center front, zip top underneath *Front pocket with zip closure *Logo jacquard lining with interior zip pocket *Measures approximately 12 inches at widest x 9.5 inchs tall x 4.5 inchs deep *Certificate of authenticity included *Made in Italy

Prada Shoulder Bag B4695C Black $609 *Color: Black *Soft, ruched nappa leather exterior with polished silvertone hardware *Flap front *Decorative leather pushlock at front with raised logo lettering and hidden magnetic disc closure *Large slip pocket at back with magnetic disc closure *Chainlink and leather shoulder strap measures 26'' long with 12'' drop *Logo jacquard lined interior with zip pocket and organizational pocket *Measures approximately 13.5 inches at widest x 8 inches tall x 4 inches deep *Certificate of authenticity included *Made in Italy

Prada Shoulder Bag B4695C Cammello $609 *Color: Cammello *Soft, ruched nappa leather exterior with polished silvertone hardware *Flap front *Decorative leather pushlock at front with raised logo lettering and hidden magnetic disc closure *Large slip pocket at back with magnetic disc closure *Chainlink and leather shoulder strap measures 26'' long with 12'' drop *Logo jacquard lined interior with zip pocket and organizational pocket *Measures approximately 13.5 inches at widest x 8 inches tall x 4 inches deep *Certificate of authenticity included *Made in Italy

Prada Tote Bag BR4697 Gray $179 *Color: Gray *Signature woven nylon with saffiano leather trim; polished goldtone hardware *Logo plate and zipper pocket at front *Saffiano leather handles with adjustable/removable saffiano crossbody strap *Zip top closure *Four goldtone feet at base *Nylon tessuto lining with zip pocket *Measures approximately 20 inches widest (15 inches at base) x 12 inches tall x 7.25 inches deep *Certificate of authenticity included *Made in Italy

Prada Shoulder Bag BR3310 Black $189 *Color: Black *Signature woven nylon finished with silvertone hardware *Signature insignia plate at center front *Double shoulder straps with adjustable side straps *Two front buckle pockets *Two open compartments and one top zip compartments at middle *Logo jacquard lining with interior zip pockets *Measures approximately 14.75 inches at widest x 10.5 inches tall x 5.5 inches deep *Certificate of authenticity included *Made in Italy

Prada Messenger Bag BT8994 Brown $219 *Color: Brown *Signature woven nylon detail with crocodile leather *Logo plage along center *Front flap with zip close slip pocket in front exterior and buckle closure *Front zip compartment under flap *Adjustable strap *Logo jacquard lining with interior zip pocket *Measures approximately 9 inches at widest x 9 inches tall x 3.5 inches deep *Made in Italy

Prada Messenger Bag BT8994 Black $219 *Color: Black / Brown *Signature woven nylon detail with crocodile leather *Logo plage along center *Front flap with zip close slip pocket in front exterior and buckle closure *Front zip compartment under flap *Adjustable strap *Logo jacquard lining with interior zip pocket *Measures approximately 9 inches at widest x 9 inches tall x 3.5 inches deep *Made in Italy

Prada Messenger Bag BT1738 Brown $139 *Color: Brown *Signature woven nylon detail with crocodile leather *Insignia plate at center front *Front flap with zip close slip pocket in front exterior and dual buckle closure *Two front zip pockets *Logo jacquard lining with interior zip pocket *Measures approximately 14 inches at widest x 11 inches tall x 4.5 inches deep *Certificate of authenticity included *Made in Italy

Prada Tote Bag BR4696 Black $319 *Color: Black *Signature woven nylon with saffiano leather trim; polished goldtone hardware *Raised logo applique at bottom corner *Saffiano leather handles with adjustable/removable saffiano crossbody strap *Zip top closure *Four goldtone feet at base *Nylon tessuto lining with zip pocket *Measures approximately 15.5 inches widest (12 inches at base) x 14 inches tall x 6 inches deep *Certificate of authenticity included *Made in Italy

Prada Messenger Bag BT6671 Brown $139 *Color: Brown *Signature woven nylon detail with crocodile leather *Front flap with zip close slip pocket in front exterior and dual buckle closure *Classic insignia at center front, zip top underneath *Front pocket with zip closure *Logo jacquard lining with interior zip pocket *Measures approximately 12 inches at widest x 9.5 inchs tall x 4.5 inchs deep *Certificate of authenticity included *Made in Italy

Prada Tote Bag BR4697 Black $329 *Color: Black *Signature woven nylon with saffiano leather trim; polished goldtone hardware *Logo plate and zipper pocket at front *Saffiano leather handles with adjustable/removable saffiano crossbody strap *Zip top closure *Four goldtone feet at base *Nylon tessuto lining with zip pocket *Measures approximately 20 inches widest (15 inches at base) x 12 inches tall x 7.25 inches deep *Certificate of authenticity included *Made in Italy

Prada Messenger Bag BT1738 Black $249 *Color: Black *Signature woven nylon detail with crocodile leather *Insignia plate at center front *Front flap with zip close slip pocket in front exterior and dual buckle closure *Two front zip pockets *Logo jacquard lining with interior zip pocket *Measures approximately 14 inches at widest x 11 inches tall x 4.5 inches deep *Certificate of authenticity included *Made in Italy

Miche Bag Designer Handbag with 4 Shells and Strap/Handl...

5 Ways to Spot a Great Handbag

One of the key aims of the bags & handbags online magazine is to find & bring great quality handbags to you that are extremely good value for money, so we though that a great way to start this section of the magazine would be to give you our top 5 tips on spotting a great quality handbag.

 

This is of course especially important as we approach Christmas - if we’re going to send the men-folk out on a shopping expedition for our Christmas presents, then we want them to come back with something at least half decent. Just point them here & they’ll be good to go.

I remember my mother telling me that good quality handbags (meaning leather handbags) would always come with a dust cover to keep your bag protected when not in use, but I’ve found that this rule of thumb isn’t really practical.

We’ve found a good few excellent leather handbag manufacturers who don’t provide a dust cover with the bag (they must only cost about 20p to make, so heavens know why they don’t), and on the other hand we’ve found some quite cheap mass produced synthetic bags that do.

Clearly mother doesn’t always know best!

So, just how can you tell whether a bag is well made & worth the money or not? Here are our top 5 tips to spot a great handbag:
 

1) Does it have Feet?

All good quality handbags come with little metal feet or studs on the underside to protect the bottom of the bag when you put it down. There are usually four, one in each corner, & without them the underside of the bag will become dirty, tired, & worn - imagine putting your gorgeous new handbag down only to realise it had been on a damp or wet floor - the feet help to keep the material off the floor, keeping the handbag in tip top shape.

2) Check the material

Okay, so this is a little subjective, but you need to feel & look at the material that the handbag is made from to see whether it’s a good quality synthetic or leather, or whether it’s something you’d rather cover your kitchen floor with. Good quality fabrics & synthetic materials are pretty easy to spot, they should feel nice, look nice, & not be wafer thin, they should feel & look like they have some substance to them.

Leather is a bit more tricky, although the rules are pretty much the same, and it can take some time to train your eye & touch. However, you’ll be able to tell if your handbag is made from poor quality leather when it get wet - dark patches, a change in colour, & smears indicate that it isn’t made from the best leathers.

3) Check the Stitching

Usually the stitching to the outside of a bag will be pretty good, after all, that’s the side that the prospective customer is going to see, so it needs to at least look nice - if it isn’t, for example, if there are loose threads, uneven stitching, or even missing stitching (yes, it happens & you need to look closely - as an example, compare the 4 handle terminations where the handle joins the bag - you can sometimes find 2 or 3 stitched & the others not!), then steer clear.

The stitching that you need to pay the most attention to is inside the bag since this is what holds the bag together, & if tthe bag has been made without care then this is where you’ll see it. Check the stitching around the trims, & even how the lining is stitched into the bag too, a good handbag will look as well made on the inside as it does on the outside.

You don’t want it falling to pieces just as you’re running for the bus!

4) The Lining

Following on from checking the stitching inside the bag, & the outer materials, check the lining too for pretty much the same things. Does it feel & look like a good quality material? Is it carefully stitched together & into the bag? Does it look like it fits the bag properly? The answer to all of these things should be a resounding “yes!“

5) Look at the fittings

By the fittings we mean the metal hoops, links, rings, etc that you might find adorning your potential new handbag, and also look at the zips or other fasteners too. What you’re looking for is good quality fittings that have some substance. If they feel like they’ve been made from tin plate, don’t sit nicely onto the bag, & just have a cheap feel & look to them, then personally I’d avoid it.

Zips can be another bone of contention. We’ve had bags that look great & tick most of the boxes, but then you look at the zip & it looks like it belongs on a pair of £7.99 jeans. Remember that your handbag is going to be zipped & unzipped quite regularly, & if the zipper isn’t up to the job it’ll break in no time at all.

Other fasteners need to have a similar inspection, with care taken with bags that have magnetic fasteners - is the magnet really powerful enough to keep the flap snugly shut?

There are of course other considerations that you can make.

I like to look for little features in the handbags that just help to make life that little bit easier, for example, does it have a nice little pocket to keep your mobile phone safe?

One of my favourites is the little clasp that you find inside some bags to clip your keys onto - how many times do we stand in the rain fumbling through the essentials we keep in there to find the car or door keys?

What clever handbag designers!

About the Author

Suzanne has a strong interest in fashion, particularly in handbags & writes for Bags & Handbags Magazine