my old bag

January 10, 2009 1:05 PM

Please help me restore the shape of my Coach bag.

I've had this Coach bag for over 10 years now. It's time I cleaned it and tried to restore some of its original shape. The bottom is bowed out a bit from the weight of stuff inside, and the front is curved in and the back is curved out, from being stored on its side for extended periods of time. I don't think this is the kind of thing I should send it to Coach to repair ... or is it? Should I just put sturdy cardboard inside, fill it with tissue paper and stand it upright while storing it? Or is there a better way? Thanks in advance for your advice.

posted by happy scrappy to clothing, beauty, & fashion (4 answers total)

I'd overstuff it to the gills with paper to fill out the correct shape and let it sit, upright, for a couple of weeks.
posted by jgirl at 1:21 PM on January 10, 2009

I've had a bad experience with sending things to Coach for repair--I needed a zipper replaced, and, after taking my $20 or however much they wanted to repair it, they unceremoniously returned the bag to me with a letter claiming they were unable to repair the bag to "Coach standards". (Which, incidentally, have been slipping lately--my most recent Coach bag is only 2 years old and is already falling apart at the seams.)

Anyhow, that was a very long-winded way of saying that the company probably won't be able to help you, and you should ask your shoe repair guy what to do.
posted by Lycaste at 3:40 PM on January 10, 2009

The shoe repair guy will definitely help you, and will charge much less than Coach would.
posted by brina at 6:45 PM on January 10, 2009

The Shoe Guy in the mall said that filling it with newspaper and standing it upright for a while is probably the best thing to do. I'll also cut cardboard to fit the bottom, so it doesn't sag. And I'll rub it down with moisturizer beforehand to make it extra supple.

Thanks for the suggestions.
posted by happy scrappy at 1:02 PM on January 13, 2009