weathered leather

Hey, remember when Dooney & Bourke made classy, durable leather bags instead of overpriced bullshit like this?

Yeah, me either, but before Lindsay Lohan was even born, they totally made gorgeous stuff. Lately I’ve been seeing some awesome old bags on Etsy that are way cheaper (and less likely to be passé after one season) than this initial-encrusted bullshit. Some examples:

Personally, I prefer the bags without the duck logo, because I hate big logos, but the leather duck is still way better than the all-over initial print.

I’m not the type to have any kind of brand loyalty, with the possible exceptions of L.L. Bean and Doc Martens, but I am dismayed that brands that initially became popular due to craftsmanship and timeless style are now popular just for being popular. The bags I posted above would be covetable even if all the logos were removed. The same cannot be said for most of Dooney & Bourke’s recent bags.

if you removed the logos from this bag, you'd be left with just handles

Coach has had the same problem in recent years. Can you believe that the people who brought you these multicolored monstrosities:

…also created these gorgeous, buttery soft purses?

 

Everything I’ve posted here is less than a hundred dollars, some of it way less, and that’s just for these two brands. There’s so many more awesome vintage and handmade handbags on Etsy alone, not to mention stores like Find, Material Objects, Good Cause Thrift Shop, Ferdinand, and Goodwill.

So let's give shit like this a rest, okay?