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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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

Vintage All Weather Leather Dooney & Bourke Equestrian Collection – Large Equestrian

From the 1992 catalog

For details on the Large Equestrian, click on this bag

Authentic Dooney & Bourke All Weather Leather R54 Large Equestrian

Any thoughts about authenticity and worth of this Organizer?

Hi Paula,

I have an AWL Dooney planner with never used planner and address pages. Snap closure has “cherry” and a star. Has an area for business or credits cards. Also has a zippered side with pockets, like a wallet. Has a crossover adjustable strap never used. Has trim that looks braided and pinking shear cut. I would call this a 9.5 rating. There is no red and white tag in the inside, but has the duck logo on the outside. Colors black and beige with tan trim and inside. It is a beautiful

Any thoughts about authenticity and worth?

Thanks, Ina

THE FOLLOWING FOUR PHOTOS ARE OF A FAKE – NOT AN AUTHENTIC DOONEY & BOURKE ITEM

THE ABOVE FOUR PHOTOS ARE OF A FAKE – NOT AN AUTHENTIC DOONEY & BOURKE ITEM

Hello Ina,

This is not an authentic Dooney & Bourke item. It is fake. It is a knock off.  In terms of value as a Dooney & Bourke item, its value would be zero  $0.00

What is worse, is that it is not even close to being anything like Dooney & Bourke has ever made. It is an entirely fabricated design. The only thing remotely like an authentic Dooney & Bourke All Weather Leather item is that the counterfeiters put a poor facsimile leather duck seal on it  – similar to the one used by Dooney and Bourke.

Here are some specific tell tale signs:

Dooney & Bourke has never made an item like this.

Braided trim has never appeared on vintage AWL items.

The shoulder strap design is not like any that have appeared on authentic Dooney & Bourke items.

The hardware is wrong.

The snaps are wrong.

It has a nylon zipper rather than a heavy metal zipper.

The interior and some of the exterior appear to be made from vinyl not leather.

The duck seal is not sharp and crisp, the duck is incorrect and the text around the duck is incorrect.

The duck seal is glued on, not sewn on.

If this was an authentic Dooney & Bourke AWL wallet, it would have a leather plate stamped on the inside or stamped and sewn inside that would say

Dooney & Bourke

Made in USA like this

Or like this

Here are a couple of organizers that are authentic Dooney & Bourke. Click on them to see more details.

Thank you for asking the questions and sending photos. I hope this helps you and others determine whether the item you might be trying to sell on eBay, for example,  is authentic or fake.

Best of luck and enjoy the authentic Dooney & Bourke, Made in USA All Weather Leather handbags !

Paula