This bag was a staple in the Coach line for many years; it's fantastic as a briefcase and as a tote bag. It will easily carry lunch, laptop, binders, and 2 quart sized water bottles. You may not be able to close it properly, but it fits! The Barclay Tote is a versatile workhorse of a tote slash briefcase; it's built to be used however you need it to be used. These gems don't come along very often, and when they do, they usually need a fair amount of work; this Barclay was no exception. I jokingly refer to her as my million dollar baby for the sheer amount of time and effort that I have put into restoring her. Read about her road to recovery in the condition report.
~MEASUREMENTS:
16"L x 11 3/4"H x 5 3/4"D
14" Strap drop
~FEATURES:
British Tan glove tanned leather
Brass hardware
Brass springlock tab closure
Dowel rod tops
Non adjustable straps
Zippered pocket inside
Open slip pocket and 2 pen holders on pocket
Reinforced base
Single sided hangtag
Pre 1994 organized serial number (would become #9896): 033-0110
Made in the United States
~CONDITION:
Every end on the dowel rods was completely gone, as were parts of two of the bottom corners. The springlock tab was broken, and a bunch of stitches were popped on one of the strap. To top it off, this poor bag was so very stained and thirsty. I gave it a bath first to assess the damage once it dried and started with a light conditioning because I knew the leather was so dry. Then it was time to tackle the leather loss and wear; matching British Tan is not easy. A dark chocolate kidskin was chosen for the dowel ends (because if you can't hide it, decorate it, right?), and then a closely matched British Tan colored leather was used for the worst of the bottom corner. It was skived around the edges to make it thinner, and tucked under the existing leather, then cemented in place. The other corner was re-moistened and then stretched and cemented into place. Next, I rescued a springlock clasp from a parts bag (rest in peace, parts donor) and replaced the broken one with the "new" one. Lastly, it was time to get out the stitching pony, needles, and thread. After some back and forth on thread color, a light yellow was chosen, and the popped stitches were replaced by hand. It was then that the bag had been returned to a place that it was safe to go ahead and start in with conditioning again and again. There are still scratches on the back and bottom, but it'll probably go through one more conditioning treatment before she heads off to her new home.
This bag has had some real love put into it; it's been well repaired, well conditioned, and is ready for its next stop in life.
Dress form measurements:
5'7" Height
14" Shoulders
37" Bust
27" Waist
36" Hips
13" Laptop
This item is sold from an excellent, highly rated vintage boutique in South Florida.
