This post could also be called “Researching the BeJezzus Out of my Thrift Finds”
It starts like this; I find something awesome at the thrift store.
I can tell that it’s awesome because of how it feels (or fits), but I’m not necessarily familiar with the brand. So, I do a quick google search while standing there in the aisle.
This just gives me a ‘heads up’ on whether it’s a fancy brand or something cheap that I shouldn’t pay a bunch for secondhand. {I’m not saying I’d never buy a less expensive brand, but if an item was originally $10, I’m not going to pay close to that to purchase it at a thrift store.}
In this case, I found a leather hobo handbag with the logo/name “Andrew Marc”. In a sea of plastic-y pleather and rigid cheap leather purses, by the first touch I knew this bag was something special.
Then, I did something that you typically NEVER want to do in a thrift store…
I held it up to my nose and took a big sniff.
I know, kinda scary.
But I was rewarded for my bravery… the bag smells like expensive leather. Like REALLY expensive leather. The kind I love from afar, but can’t actually afford.
So, I googled a little more to make sure I wasn’t wasting my money. The bag was marked “up” at $29.99… so I wanted to make sure I was paying up for a reason!
And that is when I fell down the rabbit-hole of internet stalking.
I just wanted to know MORE!
I like having more information about stuff!
According to Wikipedia: Andrew Marc is an American luxury fashion brand that originated as a leather goods label established in 1982.
Here’s where it gets tricky, every time I would click on a handbag from Andrew Marc, the logo on the bag would say “Marc New York by Andrew Marc” and not just his name with the “AM” logo. So, I dug and dug and dug a little deeper and it seems that anything marked with the AM Andrew Marc logo is much more expensive (especially the leather jackets), which leads me to believe that Marc New York by Andrew Marc is a diffusion line.
So, I put on my detective hat (I don’t actually have a detective hat, but if I had one, I’d totally rock it. Probably with a dress…) and fondled the purse again.
The leather is super incredibly buttery soft.
The chain is heavy and the clasps are in great condition.
There are no signs of wear on the inside or outside of the purse.
Each zipper pull is heavy-duty and has the Andrew Marc name on them.
These are all good signs that the bag could be worth paying up a little bit.
Then, I found this:
So, the brand is known for their superior leather and luxury products… that’s another good sign.
After a ton of searching, I found some other Andrew Marc bags with the proper logo, for sale on a few sites like Tradesy and eBay. All of them list the ‘retail prices’ of the bags between $450 – 650. Which sounds pretty awesome, but can I really trust random sellers to be honest? As much as I search, I can’t find any current Andrew Marc handbags on the big store websites, like Nordstrom, Saks, or Bloomingdales. Even the ones on the Andrew Marc website are all branded with “Marc New York”
Then, I turned my stalking up on high and looked through the Andrew Marc Instagram account. After scrolling and scrolling, I finally found an Andrew Marc branded handbag posted in February 2014.
Finally, I used the chat feature on the Andrew Marc website to try and get to the bottom of things.
Of course, after the chat I checked both Macy’s and Nordstrom’s again… only to find NO Andrew Marc bags with the proper logo.
So, I’m stumped!
The bag is gorgeous and great quality, so I’m happy to own it. I just wish I knew a bit more about it! Are you familiar with the Andrew Marc brand? Have I gone off the deep-end of my internet stalking?