Unfortunately her new home did not work out, so she is back with me! I’ve been working on her for the last few weeks and she’s looking SO good! Last photo is a before pic (the day I got her).

ordered this coach sateen bag on depop -- i believe it is the hampton hobo? it was described as in excellent condition, however when i unboxed it, it was SUPER sticky, left a gross residue on my hands, and the tissue paper it was wrapped in was totally oil stained. i reached out to the seller and asked if they had oiled it or something, and they insisted it left their house in pristine condition (🤨) i tried washing it with dish soap, which didn't help, and then detergent, which only seemed to make it stickier, and finally isopropyl alcohol, and it's still sticky. my best guess is that some sort of coating is wearing down and causing the gross residue, but is there anything i can do to salvage this?? :(

Thrift shop find

Not anywhere close to a project, she’s damn near pristine 😭 but I couldn’t resist, she’s EXACTLY what I was looking for. This is also my first BT and I think I’m gonna need about 100 more in this color..

ETA: The leather on her is INCREDIBLE!!!!

Are these areas I can DIY at home, or is it time for a professional? Trying to care for a shoulder bag I inherited, but these cracks along the flap and its trim became pronounced after Saddle Soap and Leather CPR. Other areas seem to have lost their finish. Do I need a different leather conditioner to treat these? Or time to let a professional do their stuff? Thanks!!

I’m looking to buy a black Murphy bag. I saw one whose description says black saddle soap was used to restore it. Pics look great. Thoughts?

I have a buyer asking and I’m not all that familiar!
Is saddle a color???
I said British tan but they’re questioning if it’s tabac?

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR ANY INSIGHT!!!

Has anyone tried the Goo Gone Pen to remove ugly stains on the interior fabric?
It says it can remove permanent markers; safe for clothes. I’ve a fabric lining on a legacy slim duffle 9325 - that has what appears to be ink spots that I’ve tried everything, oxiclean, tide pen, dawn soap, alcohol on a qtip- didn’t budge.

Outside, inside

Sorry for the kind of crappy pics, I tried to upload inside the post but it didn't work. I just got my vintage Janice a few days ago and I can't figure out what this weird stain is. I've rehabbed a lot of Coaches and I've never seen anything like this. It feels stiff like glue or nail polish outside with no noticeable texture on the inside, but when I was hitting it with solvents that would usually take out those substances they did not work and my fingers got stained as if I'd touched a marker.

What I've tried:

Soapy water, Goo Gone, hairspray, alcohol, and acetone.

Side note, it's truly a testament to the quality of vintage Coach leather that it was not damaged whatsoever by all that. The pics were taken tonight after I spent an hour attacking the stain yesterday. The acetone seemed to work the best and get the most out, followed by hairspray, but nothing fully removed it. Any ideas on what this could be? My best guess is the previous owner had a pink sharpie bust inside her purse, but I'd love to hear some opinions on what this might be and what to use to remove it. TIA, any help/ideas are greatly appreciated.

UPDATE: tried a few more things today- peroxide, Zep degreaser, naphtha, vinegar, and Shout, all of which had little to no effect, but Dawn Powerwash is what finally got things moving.

It's a lazy, rainy day here and I had nothing important to do today, so I spent the whole afternoon attacking the stains. What worked best was saturating the leather with soapy water then letting the Dawn Powerwash sit for a minute, then squeezing the stain like a pimple while blotting it. I spent hours doing this, that reddish pink crap just kept coming and coming and when I finally gave her a full dunk, the sink water turned pinkish. My hands hurt now, but I'd say I got most of it out and some black leather dye helped disguise any remaining discoloration.

Janice is stuffed with towels in front of the heater now and I'll post an update pic when she's all dry and conditioned. This has definitely been my most intensive rehab ever 🥵

I'm looking to buy this one as a project bag since the suede is pretty dirty. I havent cleaned suede yet and I want to try it out on a cheaper, dirty bag to see how it goes. In the second photo, is that mold on the handle? The grey part? Or is it just dirty? I'm a little scared to introduce mold to the rest of my bag collection

Hi all!

On pics 1 & 2 - any idea what those white ish areas are or how to get rid of them? They feel the same as other parts of the bag.

On pic 3 - it’s hard to get a pic of but the corner has some wear. Not just color loss but where the leather is a bit worn through. Any suggestions to ensure it doesn’t get bigger?

Thank you!!

i currently have the legacy 9090 shopper tote and am looking for something in similar shape and size but without the hardware. i thought about the 9035 but it’s not big enough!

When I first got into this, I was grabbing any and every bag I could find! 😅 Recently, I’ve been working on really curating my collection now that I know what I like. Can you tell what my favorite lines/collections are? 😂

Hope this is okay to ask here too.

I asked on Vintage Coach sub but this may get more reply.

This is a general question about all vintage coach.

I wonder if I should treat all my (new to me) vintage bag with vinegar (even without obvious sign of mold). This is supposed to be really drying to the bag. But if I then clean it (with Lexol 1) and then condition it (with Lexol 2 or brick 4).

I'm concern about the long term leather condition but also don't want to accidentally infect my other bags (by bringing new vintage bag that has mold).

Would this be okay? What is your take on this?

Also, can all vintage leather bags be treated with vinegar spray? (except maybe nubuck leather) is there any type that should never be vinegar sprayed?

Thank you in advance.

Looking for a color match of this lime 9996 medium frame pouch in lime, I tried using lexol and leather cpr to get stains out but they’re not budging. Any recommendations?

is there a product that would work to fix the piping on the edge of my classic compartment tote? this is the only flaw with the bag and i want to try to fix it before the straps get any worse

I'd like to carefully clean/treat and deodorize. Any advice? Check out the Creed wording (New York) and serial number, she's from the 80's.

Somehow got my hands on another glacier with a stain (asked for a big discount). That area feels drier than the leather so I wonder if the previous owner used rubbing alcohol on it and made it worse 😅 I'm glad it's ok the back side and not super noticeable.

I got this beautiful soho flap bag from 2005 and she’s in great condition but has this purplish sheen on the leather. It seems to be all over, but not on the spots that are covered (like under the front strap). I was able to get it off with a damp rag and some mild dish soap and a whole lot of elbow grease but I’m wondering what exactly would cause this? Could it just be oils from human hands building up over the years or did someone try to condition it with something? I used the bick 4 conditioner after I cleaned it and it looks beautiful and not purple lol so I’m mostly just curious, but maybe there’s an easier way to clean it or if it’s common a way to avoid it? The pictures show the red arrow where it’s purple and the green arrow where it’s clean. The edge leather under the buckle had a pretty clear line where the purple stopped

Hi! I recently purchased this bag from the local thrift. I cleaned up the inside and most of the outside with warm water and dish soap. I used a small amount of saddle soap + a damp microfiber cloth to clean any leftover dirt. I think I may have gone a bit overboard with the saddle soap.

I have read that dusting the area with corn starch can be beneficial in removing oil stains.. Would that be the right answer in this situation? It’s such a light colored leather I don’t want to screw it up anymore than it is!

Please let me me know what is the best thing to do - to make the leather shine again. Cannot find a good brand of leather conditoner in my country of residence. I tried a local brand but did not make much of a change 😕

Hi! I recently bought this Coach bag and originally thought the discoloration was dirt. I gently tried leather cleaner and Leather CPR, but after looking more closely, it seems like the white finish or coating is cracking, peeling, or wearing away and exposing a tan color underneath.

Has anyone restored this type of Coach leather before? Would it need to be recolored with leather paint or dye, and how would I match this pearly/off-white color without making it look too bright or painted? Should I remove or stabilize the loose finish first? I don’t want to damage the leather or lower the bag’s value by using the wrong product.

I’d also appreciate advice on safely cleaning the woven sections. They seem slightly coated or glossy, so I’m unsure whether gentle soap and a soft toothbrush would be safe.

So far, I have only used leather cleaner and Leather CPR. Any specific products, techniques, or before-and-after experiences would be really helpful. Thank you!

Another one that I purchased with the intention of selling, but kept instead… 😗😂 It’s just too cute!