Briefcase, Messenger or Satchel? Five Outlets Name Andy Sachs’s Bag
The bag is black leather with a buckled top flap, and its pattern dates to 1987. Anne Hathaway carries a worn, secondhand example as Andy Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada 2, which reached theaters on May 1, 2026 and had earned $677 million worldwide by late June, according to Variety’s Australian edition. Photographers caught the bag on set in the summer of 2025, months before the film opened.
Outlets have used three different words for it, and the difference matters to anyone shopping for a women’s briefcase. A briefcase, a messenger bag and a satchel are three different tools. Shoppers meet all three terms in the same listings.
The Bag on Set and in the Film
Marie Claire reported on July 23, 2025 that Hathaway had been photographed with a vintage Coach Metropolitan Briefcase, a black leather bag with a buckled top flap, first made in 1987. Used examples were selling for upwards of $250 on secondhand sites. Coach had put the same style through its Re(Loved) program at $895, and according to the outlet that listing sold out in minutes.
WWD gave the sighting a headline of its own. Its post on X, below, names the vintage Coach briefcase in a roundup of the sequel’s handbags.
After the film opened, W Magazine described the bag as a worn, secondhand black briefcase that Andy carries at the start, before the story moves her into a quilted Chanel bag once she is back in the Runway world. Grazia reads the same bag the other way: as proof that Andy has grown from fashion intern into industry insider, and as a reminder that “the best style is the one with history behind it.” The two accounts point in different directions. Only the film settles which is right.
The film also pokes at the brand. W Magazine reports that Emily Blunt’s character, after being pushed out of her job at Dior, lands at Coach, and that she greets the news with “Coach is fine, I mean, it’s fine.”
Three Names for One Bag
Five outlets covered the bag, and their vocabulary splits.
| Outlet | Date | How it names the bag |
|---|---|---|
| Marie Claire | July 23, 2025 | Vintage Coach Metropolitan Briefcase, described as messenger-style |
| Woman & Home | August 4, 2025 | Large leather satchel; also a black messenger bag; not called a briefcase |
| Backstage (costume designer Molly Rogers) | April 30, 2026 | Coach messenger bag |
| W Magazine | May 1, 2026 | Worn, secondhand black Coach briefcase |
| Grazia Daily | Undated | Vintage Coach Metropolitan Briefcase, also called a satchel |
The split is not pedantry. Marcellino NY’s comparison of briefcases, messenger bags and laptop bags draws the line at structure. A briefcase stands upright whether it is full or empty and is carried by a top handle. A messenger bag is soft, closes with a flap and rides on a long strap across the body. The Coach pattern, as these outlets describe it, takes from both: a top handle, a shoulder strap, a buckled flap and gold hardware.
Which word fits depends on how rigid the body is, and a photograph of a worn bag does not show that. Rigidity comes from the leather. English bridle leather is vegetable-tanned cowhide filled by hand with wax and fat, one of the firmest options available, and it holds a box shape. A softer hide slumps into a messenger.
What the Costume Designer Chose
Costume designer Molly Rogers, in an interview Backstage published on April 30, 2026, said “Annie’s Coach messenger bag was really important for a reporter to have.” She chose it from three or four prop options. Once Hathaway wore it, Rogers says, it looked as though the character owned it.
Looking owned is a matter of wear, and wear takes time. A new bridle leather briefcase starts stiff. Marcellino NY’s own break-in account puts the first stage at six to eight weeks, with creasing at the flap spine and the base of the handle continuing for years afterward. It also keeps two things apart: break-in is structural, a matter of how the leather moves, while patina is the change in colour and surface over months and years. A vintage bag arrives with someone else’s record already on it. A new one starts its own. A separate post covers how buyers price original wear against restoration, starting from a $495,000 auction gap.
A 1987 Pattern at 2026 Prices
The resale figures change with the source. Grazia says older Metropolitan Briefcases in good condition are almost impossible to find, and that they usually sell for £200 to £500 depending on wear and colour. Marie Claire’s figure is upwards of $250. Khaleej Times called it the most sought-after bag of the season on August 22, 2025, and reported that searches for similar vintage Coach satchels rose after Hathaway was photographed with one.
None of the outlets documents specific sales. Treat the numbers as ranges, in two currencies, from different months, rather than a market price. The one fixed figure is the $895 Re(Loved) listing, and it comes from a single article.
Why the Briefcase Fell Out of Fashion
PurseBlog’s January 14, 2026 piece asked whether the briefcase could be the year’s hottest accessory. Its argument ties a revival to the return of workplace dressing, a runway and street-style taste for suits and corporate looks, and a Gen Z cohort the piece projects at 30 percent of the workforce by 2030.
It also lays out how poor the briefcase’s reputation had become. The piece lists films that gave the bag a bad image, including Working Girl and Beauty and the Briefcase, and points to a 2007 Vogue feature that dismissed it as a dull black cliché from the supply warehouse. A separate post here looks at what a three-day office week asks of a bag.
Choosing a Women’s Briefcase That Holds Up
Start with structure. A case that keeps its shape empty or full protects a laptop better than a soft bag, because the shape resists crushing. Its fixed interior also holds paper flat, which suits contracts and drawings, and it does not sag or bulge when packed unevenly. The trade is flexibility: a soft bag swallows one more thing, and a briefcase does not.
Size is the second question. Marcellino NY’s comparison gives a typical leather messenger as roughly 35 to 40 cm wide, 25 to 30 cm tall and 8 to 12 cm deep, enough for a 13 to 15 inch laptop, a notebook, chargers and a water bottle through a working day. Use that as a baseline and test any briefcase against what is actually carried. After that, four checks:
- Carry. A top handle reads formal. A detachable shoulder strap spares the arm on long walks, which a hand-carried briefcase tires.
- Construction. Straps stitched through instead of glued on, hardware in solid brass, and full-grain hide. The guide to buying an English bridle leather briefcase covers each of these.
- Fit. Measure the laptop and the thickest folder carried, then compare them with the interior dimensions, not the outside ones.
- Break-in. Expect a stiff bag for six to eight weeks. That is the leather settling, not a defect.
Short Answers on Women’s Briefcases
Is a messenger bag a briefcase? By Marcellino NY’s structural test, no. A messenger bag is soft, closes with a flap and is worn across the body. A briefcase holds its own shape and is carried by a top handle. The bag in the film sits between the two.
Does bridle leather need oiling before use? No. Per the bridle leather explainer, the fats are already inside the fibre structure.
Why does a new bridle leather bag look dusty or waxy? That is wax bloom. Oils and waxes migrate to the surface and solidify, most often after a drop in temperature, and a horsehair brush removes it. It is not mould and it is not a failure.
How long does a made-to-order briefcase take? Marcellino NY makes its briefcases to order, in English bridle leather, and the lead time is about six months.
You Might Also Like
- Patina Is a Record, Not a Flaw
- What Makes or Breaks a Leather Bag: A Five-Point Inspection
- The Briefcase Didn’t Die. It Retired.
- Bridle Leather vs. Harness Leather: A Head-to-Head for Briefcase Buyers
Sources
- Variety (Australia), The Devil Wears Prada 2 streaming dates and box office
- Marie Claire, Anne Hathaway’s vintage Coach bag (July 23, 2025)
- WWD on X, Devil Wears Prada 2 designer bag roundup
- W Magazine, Devil Wears Prada 2 fashion easter eggs (May 1, 2026)
- Grazia Daily, the vintage Coach Metropolitan Briefcase
- Backstage, interview with costume designer Molly Rogers (April 30, 2026)
- Woman & Home, Anne Hathaway’s satchel bag (August 4, 2025)
- Khaleej Times, vintage bags and the Coach Metropolitan (August 22, 2025)
- PurseBlog, Could the Hottest Accessory for 2026 Be the Briefcase? (January 14, 2026)
- YouTube, Vintage Coach Eyecandy, the Metropolitan Brief bag
