If we had to pick one brand most likely to launch the next it-girl bag at any given moment, our money would be on Coach. Their leather goods savoir-faire is a given, but combine it with an undeniable Gen Z cool, and it gives them a secret weapon in the race to create the newest accessory obsession. They did it once with the Tabby, beloved by Gen Z starlets like Elle Fanning and i-dle’s Soyeon—and it was at their most recent New York Fashion Week showing, with Tabby-clutching young fashionistas in the front row looking on, that they did it again. Meet your newest bag obsession: the newer, slimmer Kisslock.
Don’t bother trying to get your hands on the piece just yet. Coach did make a small number of pieces from their Fall/Winter 2026 collection available to shop online following the runway show, but the newly reimagined Kisslock was among the quickest to sell out.
The silhouette itself is a Coach classic. It traces its roots back to the Cashin Carry, an archival tote style from 1969, named after Coach’s lead designer Bonnie Cashin. It was then reinvented to be the Kisslock we know today, featuring a vintage-inspired coin purse closure and a supple leather body. On the runway this week in New York, it underwent yet another makeover: models carried an all-new, ultra-thin version of the bag as a makeshift clutch, nonchalantly bunching it in their hands as they strutted down the runway.
While the accessories tend to steal the headlines at Coach, there’s equally as much to say about the clothes. Coach’s hold on Gen Z is well-documented, so it’s no surprise that their Fall/Winter 2026 collection drew ample inspiration from youth counterculture. Slouchy plaid overshirts, chunky leather boots, distressed denim cutoffs—the Coach woman of Fall 2026 wouldn’t have looked out of place at a Hot Topic in 2005.
What is surprising, though, is learning that creative director Stuart Vevers’ inspiration for the collection struck when he was watching the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz with his children. It isn’t a very literal interpretation of the film—no blue gingham or ruby slippers to be seen. Instead, the film’s narrative vision guided the collection, through the silver screen glamour of high-necked silk dresses, Peter Pan collars, and evening gowns with cinched waists. The most clever callback to the film came in a parallel that saw each grungy, greyscale piece from the first half of the collection find a counterpart in vivid colour as the show went on. Dorothy, welcome to Oz.
The collection also mirrors The Wizard of Oz in that it’s a distinctly American story resonating globally. The Varsity jacket, a Coach staple and an immediately recognisable symbol of American masculinity, was shown in leather and wool, as well as full shearling for the first time. Leather baseball catchers’ mitts were fashioned into bags, and washed-out vintage jerseys were tucked into crisp checked skirts. As the collection statement puts it, it’s “a combination that evokes the romance, optimism, and creativity of youth, while suggesting that all these pieces speak to a shared global vocabulary that today’s generation continue to evolve.”
Whether you call it a touchdown, a home run, or a skip along the yellow brick road, the message is clear—with this latest collection, Coach has fully earned their seat at the cool kids’ table. Ahead, get a closer look at the standout moments from their Fall/Winter 2026 collection.
This story first appeared on GRAZIA Singapore.
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