A Tale of Two Taupes – Vintage AWL Dooney & Bourke

One of the most popular All Weather Leather colors in the vintage Dooney & Bourke (Made in USA) line of handbags and wallets was Taupe.

Look how these two bags in taupe look so different with their respective trims.

If your eyes are like mine, the taupe in the bag with the Burnt Cedar trim looks very brown !

While the taupe with the British Tan trim almost looks a little brighter and rosier!

They are both the same taupe – Its a trim trick !

Vintage Belt Bag
Style B700 Taupe with Burnt Cedar trim

Vintage Belt Bag
Style R700 Taupe with British Tan trim

Paula

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Accessory Week at Horsekeeping’s Dooney & Bourke Store

This week I gathered all those precious accessories that we used INSIDE our favorite Dooney & Bourke handbags.

Vintage All Weather Leather Dooney & Bourke accessories have a embossed label on the inside that says “Dooney & Bourke Made in USA”

If the Made in USA portion is missing, well that tells you it was not Made in the USA ! Whether it is an authentic Dooney & Bourke item, will depend case by case.

Here are a few examples of some authentic vintage Dooney & Bourke All Weather Leather, Made in USA accessories with the item number and official name indicated.

W09 Organizer

W21 Checkbook Cover

G03 – Secretary

WB 77 – Eyeglasses Case

Paula

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Maxi Week at Horsekeeping’s Dooney & Bourke Store

This week we rounded up all the big boys or girls as it were – everything from totes to briefcases to shoppers – the big daddies that hold tons of stuff. So here they are:

R 41 Shopping Tote

R12 Legal Brief British Tan

P 12 Legal Brief Black

P 307 Small Bucket Bag from the Metro Collection

Paula

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Mini Week at Horsekeeping’s Dooney & Bourke Store

I rounded up all the cute small bags we had not yet listed, so dubbed this MINI WEEK at our Dooney & Bourke store.

Here are three examples of the R 134 Mini Drawstring Bag

R134 Mini Drawstring

B134 Mini Drawstring

R134 Mini Drawstring

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although the Small, Medium and large drawstring bags appear in the earliest catalog I have, 1987

Summer 1987 Dooney & Bourke catalog

It isn’t until the Fall/Winter 1994 catalog where I spotted the Mini Drawstring but it was only available in the Teton.

1994 Fall Winter Dooney & Bourke Catalog

The first time I spotted the R134 Mini Drawstring was in the Fall 1997 catalog.

1997 Fall Dooney & Bourke Catalog

There it is described as available as :

R134 Tan Trim

P134 Matching Trim

B134 Burnt Cedar Trim

8″ Height

6.5″ Length (or side to side)

3.75″ Width (or depth at base)

It has an adjustable strap but the strap is affixed permanently to the bag, unlike its Small, Medium and Large cousins which have buckle-on shoulder straps.

The strap drop length is 20″

There are no pockets inside the bag.

The drawstring runs through holes that are reinforced with metal grommets.

The bag sold at retail for $98 in 1997.

If any of you fellow Dooney enthusiasts have an earlier catalog where the mini appears, please let me know. Thank you !

Paula

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Fir Week at Horsekeeping’s Vintage Dooney & Bourke Store

This week I have rounded up all the fir bags we had waiting to be listed.

What says Dooney and Bourke better than a Vintage All Weather Leather Made in USA Fir and British Tan handbag??

R28 Small Satchel

R74 Cavalry Body Bag

R19 Classic Zip Top

R751 Vintage Flap Bag

R26 Small Essex

R25 Medium Essex

That’s all the wonderful Dooney green I could find.

Paula

Vintage Dooney & Bourke F31 Large Madison Clutch

Authentic Dooney & Bourke Wallet with Equestrian Style Closure

For years I called this wallet an Equestrian Wallet because it has the same closure as the famous Equestrian Hand bag.

Example of Authentic Vintage Dooney & Bourke Equestrian Handbag Closure

But I finally got my hands on a 1992 Dooney & Bourke catalog that showed the actual model name and number.

Style F 31

Large Madison Clutch

Length 7 1/4 inches

Height 4 1/2 inches

Thickness 3/4 inch

F31 Large Madison Clutch

The interior has

– 1 slip pocket for vertical tablet or organizer
– 5 credit card slots
– 3 Bill compartments
– 5 full-length slip pockets
– checkbook holder with pen loops (and pen when new)

Interior of F31 Large Madison Clutch

Interior of Large Madison Clutch

– ID slot with clear window

ID Window

The exterior has one full length slip pocket

Exterior Slip Pocket

It retailed for $165 in 1992.

Vintage Dooney & Bourke Made in USA

There are others in the Madison collection and I’ll list those when they come in over the transom.

Paula

Bone Week Continues at Horsekeeping’s Dooney & Bourke

More newly listed Bone Week bags for spring and summer in our Dooney & Bourke store.

Here they are with their official names and numbers:

Small Carpet Bag
Model R47

Vintage Organizer W74

 

R720 Zipper Clutch

 

R26 – Small Essex

 

R29 – Classic Satchel

 

R04 – Small Norfolk Case

 

R191 Small Flap Bag

And one white one snuck in !!!

R147 Carpet Shoulder Bag

Paula

Bone Week at Horsekeeping’s Dooney & Bourke

It is Bone Week in our Dooney & Bourke store – I am listing over a dozen bone bags – all vintage AWL Made in USA – some new and some Grab Bag and everything in between. Here are the first 3

 

Dooney & Bourke All Weather Leather ® Small Dover Drawstring Style: R08

Dooney & Bourke Over & Under – R50

Medium Shopper

Dooney & Bourke Leather Colors from a vintage catalog

This is the oldest Dooney & Bourke catalog that I have. There is no date on it but it does say Volume IV on the front.

From the models inside and the pricing note on the order form, it seems like it was printed in July 1987.

These are the colors and their names from 1987 – as you read the color names, note that the second photo should be next to the first one………..so………….

In the first photo the top two are Ivy and Rouge

then in the second photo, the top two are Wheat and Olive Brown.

And so on………..

I hope this is of interest and is helpful.

Paula

I hope to get back to the blog soon.

I was so busy up to and through Christmas……..I was hoping to get back to blogging……but the store hasn’t slowed down.

This must be our new normal.

Still, I hope to be back to blogging soon. Paula