Adventures in Copyright Oct 15, 2008 @ 11:21am

Adventures in Copyright: Coach Wishes

by Britt Aboutaleb

prada coach rip off.jpg The one nice thing we consistently say about Coach is, “Well, they use really nice leather.”

But we don’t care if they use the nicest leather in the entire world, (which they don’t, because Rick Owens does), if they’re going to cut it up and paste it into this nauseating Prada rip-off.

They’ve scalloped, or at least waved, the edges of the strips of leather just like Miuccia, left out a single strip of magenta, added some extra gold hardware and their ridiculous little wagon plaque to make sure everyone knows you’re not carrying just any Canal Street knock-off, but a genuine seven-hundred-dollar Coach issued fake.

If you prefer your copies more subtle, go for the pea-soup colored one, because only the girls who looked beyond Sasha’s ads will probably recognize its Prada roots.

Then again you‘ll know, because we just told you.

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posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 11:27AM

The bag is ugly, and certainly Prada inspired. But you wouldn't mistake it for a Prada. I guess I don't see the problem with it being Prada inspired. Happens in fashion all the time. They aren't diluting the brand because the bags are completely different shapes. Also I had a bag with strips of multicolored leather many years ago, and it was ugly then too.

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 11:32AM

the coach one looks better made too, unfortunately

actually, it just looks nicer all around

i always thought the prada bag looked plasticy

posted by Tricky

Oct 15, 2008 11:34AM

It's total junk. Coach should have been more creative with the shapes of the leather stips and maybe had made it a bucket bag instead of some lame ass soccer mom or hockey mom purse. Puke!! More junk the world doesn't need. xo

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 11:36AM

both of those bags are hideous!!

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 11:55AM

can we get some content other than knockoff coverage? this is making your blog incredibly boring.

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 11:57AM

your fashion week commentary was great. Mainly because it brief, honest and dare I say fresh..

you really voiced your opinion and I thought it was great. I liked the amateur pictures too. And it wasn't condescending like Cathy Horyn.

But the tone of this post just has too much hate. All expensive bags are ridiculous, should I feel sorry that a luxury house which madly overcharges for often ugly items that for some reason people think are so innovative is being copied by another brand, which is also annoying and overpriced. I realize they're both in a different league.. but honestly.

Does it bother you that much that Coach made a bad rip-off? The jokes on them.. and on you for talking about it.

Take it back to the old days when this blog use to surprise and inspire me to have fun with fashion.

posted by Peter

Oct 15, 2008 12:05PM

To me, the statement Coach bags make are
"Look at me! I'm an upper middle class American!"

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 12:18PM

Though I don't care for either of these bags, I find the Prada bag, truly hideous, the Coach bag? Moderately tolerable.

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 12:23PM

UGH, Coach needs to be destroyed. I live in Dallas and way too many people carry these monstrosities. Talk about a "status bag". Tacky!

posted by Tricky

Oct 15, 2008 12:44PM

lol!! Coach a status bag? Come on! Coach, just the word itself spells it out for you ECONOMY class. It's funny to see all the suburbanites when they come to NYC in herds of cattle with their coach bags (even better when they are faux). I know they think they are making a statement. They just don't really know what they are saying to everyone who actually knows fashion. Losers! Get a real bag! Or atleast go for the Prada, even if it does look like a piece of chewed gum. At the very least you'd still make the proper statement. xo

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 12:44PM

sorry but i think Coach one looks better :)
i wouldn't buy the prada bag don't event take my attention...

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 12:59PM

Yikes! I guess I better stay out of NYC with my Coach bags. I like Coach becuz it's an American brand (tho sadly not made in the USA anymore)and has good products that are affordable to me.

But those must be my midwestern values showing. Apparently to live like a NYer, I've got to go bankrupt buying over-priced designer bags that I can only carry for one season - or else!

posted by Tricky

Oct 15, 2008 1:04PM

Well, you would. You're from Dallas.

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 1:23PM

Oh Tricky...pathetic. You are clearly one of those people who moved to NYC a few years ago (from a suburb in some remote town) and think you're proving your NYness by making stupid and rude comments like the above. Take it from a real NYC girl - you're not fooling anyone. And spending money on ANYTHING that you don't like just to make a statement isn't only stupid - it's trying waaaay too hard sweetie

posted by Cynthia C

Oct 15, 2008 1:33PM

Usually, I only find Coach tacky if it's those bags with their logo all over. However, I find the colouring in this particular one horrid.

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 1:37PM

Tricky:
Coach bags are "status" bags. Sure, they aren't even a fifth as good as Prada, and pretentious people like you look at them with disdain. However, the majority of people who buy the Coach bags buy it for the brand and not design. Making Coach bags status bags.
I'm sure the idea of SUCH a low quality bag having any status whatsoever may seem ludicrous to you, but so is the whole concept of "it" bags.

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 2:03PM

Referring to Coach bags as "status bags" is like calling Wal-Mart a place to be seen.

posted by Tricky

Oct 15, 2008 2:07PM

Status they are then. Pretentious I'm not. Most definitely not a newcomer to Manhattan or any of our other fashion cities for that matter. Clearly, I have made a statement today. xo

posted by Tricky

Oct 15, 2008 2:14PM

By the way "real NYC girl..." This is all hypothetical. I would never condone such a frivolous purchase just too show off a bag. Thanks for the sweetness and your insight. It was eye opening. xo

posted by Tricky

Oct 15, 2008 2:16PM

By the way "real NYC girl..." This is all hypothetical. I would never condone such a frivolous purchase just too show off a bag. Thanks for the sweetness and your insight. It was eye opening. xo

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 2:28PM

coach should have never ripped this bag off becasue they are both SO UGLY. but why is it that you make it seem like prada is SO MUCH better then coach bags becasue they are SO MUCH more expensive? id buy that coach purse before the prada any day. BTW TRICKY you probably cant even afford a real prada bag so march your ass down to canal street cause your such a "REAL NEW YORKER" and make a statement there. idiot.

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 2:37PM

So now I'm really confused. The midwest now contains Dallas?

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 2:44PM

well if you are going to bust Coach's chops then you have to Prada's because I own a vintage black and gold striped bag that looks very much like the Prada version, down to the stripe size and color. Let's not forget where the "high end" designers are getting their inspiration from.

We would all go into cardiac arrest if they actually came up with something that wasn't made before and they just enlarged the print or changed the color.

I'm so confused by label whores who can't get past believing that even if two bags are made in the same chinese factory, just because it says Marc Jacobs it is worth more. No, that just makes you a stupid consumer.

posted by leia

Oct 15, 2008 2:45PM

Guest at 2:37: ZING!

I'm from Dallas, and I have amazing style and taste, so maybe little Miss Tricky needs to head on down here for a visit.

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 2:49PM

you girls are getting more ridiculous by the day. If they look remotely similar you swear to goodness its an adventure in copyright. Honestly? Both of the bags aren't worth being reported on and they have few similarities besides the berry hued patchwork. This is lame Fashionista. I honestly expected more, but then again your site is how I waste my coffee break not where I actually take my style cues from.

posted by Tricky

Oct 15, 2008 2:49PM

I beleive "real NYC girl.." is the self proclaimed "REAL NEW YORKER" in this discussion. This is about the bags 'guest 2:28pm" not about anything else sour grapes. xo

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 2:54PM

I own a few coach bags. I think they are okay. I consider them pretty standard or Lowest Common Denominator of a purse that I would use. I have Marc Jacobs, LV, Dooney, Kate Spade, Fendi and Longchamp bags, too. Coach is my least favorite, but wearable and better than carrying something plasticy.

Regarding this post, the Coach bag is ridiculous.

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 3:12PM

Now, I wouldn't spend a cent on either of them, but I like the Coach one waaaay better.

Just saying.

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 3:12PM

This is rather interesting...I linked it to my latest blog...

http://platformmag.blogspot.com/

-Whitney T.

posted by Shalom

Oct 15, 2008 3:14PM

prada? coach? is this serious....ive seen chic-er bags on 6th-graders. xo

posted by Glamazon Huntress

Oct 15, 2008 3:19PM

I have the Prada one in the blue version and I love it :) The leather is really soft. It's a great party purse.

The Coach one is obviously a rip-off but I still think it's cute. I wouldn't pay $700 for it though.

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 4:02PM

Um, if you all haven't noticed, Coach is just trying to be more "fashion" from their latest ad campaign to the sunglesses and fragrance and jewelry. Clearly this bag is not that great. Maybe if it were solid black or a smoke gray leather. And Coach does do great leather I will give them that, though I wont givethem my money. I am a chanel girl.

the prada bag also is terrible. I saw it at barneys and no offemce to the poster who has this bag, its so a "one season bag" thats going to be all over the next prada warehouse sale.

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 4:08PM

i swear, the commenters on this site read the title, look at the picture and jump to comment. imagine how interesting discussions would be if y'all actually read the posts in their entirety.

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 4:48PM

i remember when this blog used to be entertaining, innovative, and somewhat informative. it has now gotten so lame, boring, and pretenteous. get over yourselves and your "new yorker" mind set. and by "new yorker" i mean low-income wannabe´s. if you were a little more opened minded and real, then just maybe your blog will be interesting again, not to mention widely visited again.

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 4:50PM

i also have the prada one in blue, like glamazon, and can attest to it's buttery soft leather and definate NON-plasticy quality (what post #2 said). I'm in college in atlanta and every 3rd person i see is either carrying a LV, LV knock off, Coach or coach knock-off. Those two brands are definately considered "status symbols" to people that don't know the details of the fashion world, unlike most of the posters on this site. unfortunately it's is normal for women to feel that thy have to buy these mass produced, low quality labels to show how awesome they are- as opposed to honing in on their individual style and really experimenting with all different labels and price points.

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 5:54PM

i just love how the comments drift further and further from the actual post until they start referring to things that past commenters have said but not the actual writer of the post. see guest 34 for the best example of this.

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 6:54PM

I hate the whole "It bag" thing. "Oh, this is the new 'it' bag, it's $2500 and aaaaaaall the cool kids are carrying one!" A week later. "That bag is SOOOOOOO over! We never want to see it again!"

I skip the whole scene. I own four or five bags, all of which cost less than $40. My favorite is a slouchy red one in a great material. I bought it with damaged hardware, which I replaced myself. I constantly get, "Is that the new Chanel/Vuitton/Coach/What-Have-You?" No, actually, it's a cheap no-namer from a department store... why?

So if the "It" baggers want to scuffle and steal and point fingers... so what? It's all silly anyway. A bag is a bag. It holds all the junk you cart around, and that's that. Like clothes, what's stamped on it doesn't actually matter. Some people just think it does.

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 7:12PM

Coach is just funny. Little middle school girls, to house wives of middle class America lust over these bags, and carry around that hideous monogram like it means something... If you are spending hundreds of dollars on one item, you might as well go to a nice shop.

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 9:47PM

I own three coach bags, but they are both without the tacky C design. I just own a simple black bag, and a straw one with bumblebees, along with the plaid CLOTH wristlet.
Personally, those are the only three coach bags I will truly cherish.
However, I am going to put my input in about both bags. They are ugly, and look like the fake of a fake. Right now, at Green Dragon [this fake supercenter. ugh.]there are horrendous Dolce and Gabbana fakes that have multicolored "leather" strips, and many of the "new" designs are much like both of them above.
Tacky.

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 10:17PM

I don't understand why Coach bags are status bags- is it just because the C print on them is so recognised?? It's not recognised everywhere in the world. Why does no-one complain about the LV symbol all over bags then?? Or Gucci, or Burberry or a lot of other brands?? The C isn't even that bad. In my part of the world, in the Southern Hemisphere, I have a little Coach messenger with navy blue C's and everyone always says how cute it is and they don't say it because they know it's Coach (because they have no idea). So, people do buy Coach bags for the design. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with being sensible and deciding against spending $2000 on a handbag. That's just ridiculous for upper-middle class.

posted by guest

Oct 15, 2008 10:55PM

when did new york become the fashion capital of the world? new york is great. but new york girls aren't the most fashionable girls in the world.

the most haughty? maybe

it should be design and quality that speaks for the product and not the brand.

posted by Tricky

Oct 16, 2008 9:01AM

This topic completely lost its heat. Lets talk about something else. See you in the next discussion.. xo

posted by maw_photo

Oct 16, 2008 10:28AM

Give me a break--the COACH is far from an exact copy--it's just wavy stripes in a similar color scheme, but a totally different shape and hardware. You can credit Prada, perhaps, with leading a trend with these colors in stripes, but the COACH is hardly the kind of nearly-exact replica you better spend your time chastising in your war on designer rip-offs.

If one designer did a dress of navy with white polka dots and another designer did a completely different style/shape of dress using the same style fabric, would you say that is also a "knock-off"?

Of course not...you need to re-draw your line in the sand on this one because I'm just not buying it as valid criticism. Prada does not OWN wine colors nor wavy stripes.

posted by guest

Oct 16, 2008 7:22PM

Guest 27: if all you wanted to do was brag about all the designer bags you have, maybe you could have spared us all your post?

posted by WithLove

Oct 18, 2008 3:09PM

Gross both bags are tackly and horrendous, REGARDLESS who made them.

posted by guest

Oct 22, 2008 5:29AM

Coach is so overrated, it's not even funny

posted by guest

May 06, 2009 11:14AM

Coach used to be great -- when it was a small US company that made it's leather bags in the US. I have a few leather bags from way back in the early 90s and a couple of leather and fabric bags made more recently in China. Everything is different -- the leather isn't as nice, the workmanship isn't as good. Going into a Coach store now may be fun, but it isn't like it used to be -- you could smell the leather as you walked in the door -- now it's just fluff and junk. Scraps (Leftovers!!) of CCC fabric sewn together to make a "patchwork" -- yuk. Kind of like Scrapple handbag... And the prices have tripled!! Plus, you see someone carrying one on every street corner -- young, old, fashionable, not... Fuggetaboutit... Time to move on, girls...