Coach Celebrates 75 Years of Americana Cool

First off, who can believe that Coach, the symbol of fresh-faced American youth, is well into its 75th year? As part of its celebrations, the brand is hosting a global online auction of forty-eight unique vintage bags that will benefit The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The auction runs now through October 28th. In addition, Coach has released a 336-page Rizzoli coffee-table book. Coach: The Story of New York Cool—which was written by Joel Dinerstein, a Tulane University scholar on the topics of American race, film noir and popular music—includes a forward by singer Debbie Harry of Blondie. The scrapbook-style layout was designed by art director Fabien Baron and traces the brand’s seven decades of merchandise and advertising campaigns as it moved from six-person leather shop into full-fledged fashion brand with over 17,000 employees worldwide. This tome includes more than 800 pictures of such American icons as Joe DiMaggio, Fred Astaire, Lauren Bacall, Robert Redford, Ali MacGraw and Madonna. Think of it as a time capsule on American culture, only prettier.

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