Products are independently chosen by our editors, and purchases via our site links may earn us a commission.
Picture this: I am standing in security at Heathrow and I’m starting to put my belongs in the buckets. First there’s my Coach trainers, then my Coach purse, followed by my Coach carry-all and my Coach backpack. My Coach jacket is quickly followed by an iPad in, you guessed it, a Coach sleeve - last but not least, my Coach knit scarf and hat are gently arranged and I think to myself, “Is this too much?”
The simple answer is no, it’s never enough!
I fell in love with Coach as a shy transplanted British teenager, struggling to fit in with suburban middle class New Jersey culture. My mother’s closet was a Mecca, a heaven of endless possibilities and a place I was strictly forbidden to enter without express permission. Ever the rebel at heart, I would steal any opportunity to shoplift from my mother’s closet - the troves of dresses that my fledgling chest wasn’t going to fill out for years, the shoes that I pined after, but my flat feet and bunions forbade me from enjoying, but the bags...oh the bags... they were the Crown Jewels.
From signature Coach logo bags to the classic leather pieces that are timeless, my eyes had Coach-shaped stars in them as I coveted my mother’s style and sense of fun with fashion. I would parade up and down in front of her full-length mirror, my own private catwalk - admiring the way the bags looked on my growing frame, imagining myself as an adult on a red carpet or at a fabulous party and slaying my outfit choices and, more importantly, the accessories that truly make a look. It was with this girlhood fantasy fully intact, I clumsily entered young adulthood and part of my career aspiration was being able to afford to buy my very own Coach bags one day.
I am one of those women who stays as loyal to her favourite brands, and she does her favourite people. There are a few brands that have become staples for me since my teenage years and, although I won’t impart my age here, I have stayed true to them as the years have moved on. Tiffany, Ralph Lauren, JCrew and Coach - all of these brands were high end, but they were affordable luxury for the most part and when I did finally start earning enough money to confidently walk into one of their flagship stores it was with wonder, joy and a sense of achievement. And that’s what Coach represents to me.
These days, whether I’m ordering online or hitting the outlets in Camarillo, my love for Coach and all it’s iterations remains strong. Eyeing the new SS24 collection, I can already pinpoint the pieces I’ve got my starry eyes on, in particular the Cargo Totes in all colours stand out - both affordable and functional, they’re definitely on my wish list.
While I will never be able to pull off the Coach high heels, as much as I have tried to shove my unwilling feet into their dainty proportions, these days I am a collector of their well-made and super chic trainers, but it’s the Alyssa Clog with Quilting that I’m after this year.
And now that I’m no longer just window shopping in my mother’s closet, the Heritage C Leather Dress may not have been her style, but it’s certainly mine.
If ever there was an influencer in my life, my mum reigns true, and I’ve run with the brands that she adored and with my Coach backpack which comes with me wherever I travel in the world, I am proud to be a brand ambassador in my own little way and I am constantly surprised, inspired and excited to see the new Coach collections as they debut and know that I am a Coach gal for life. I pick my almost complete head-to-toe Coach look from the security buckets, each piece makes me smile and I think to myself, “No, it’s never too much.”
