I very recently read the newly released Welcome to the OC: The Oral History. One of the things that stands out to me about the iconic aughts series is the influence – some say chokehold – that both the female and male wardrobe design had. It was the first place I saw pleated minis, Lacoste polos worn ironically, and Uggs, though a later rewatch of the original Beverly Hills 90210 proved that the Australian brand made headway in the states by way of wild teenage surfers circa 1991, long before The O.C.
Mischa Barton, aka Marissa Cooper, was emblematic of the style of the time. I distinctly remember that she was the face of the first Dooney & Bourke It Bag. The OG It Bag was released shortly after the original Louis Vuitton Murakami bag; the influence of the latter is clear in the rainbow hued brand initials, the white background, and the vachetta leather. But the OG It Bag also had a beautiful candy colored zipper that really made the design.
Soon after I had the come-to-Jesus realization that I was never going to own a Louis Vuitton Murakami bag in the choice colorway of white. Does anyone else recall how that bag was harder to come by then an Hermes Birkin or Kelly circa these days? With the new availability of the Dooney & Bourke iteration in the spring of 2003, I went out and bought an It Bag instead, only for the zipper pull to pop off that beautiful colorful zipper within the first 24 hours of owning it. Cut to me I marching that handbag back to McRae’s (remember McRae’s, before Belk bought it?) and exchanged it for another – the barrel bag – style as the one I originally picked was no longer available. I went on to carry the barrel bag for a solid three spring / summer seasons thereafter.
While my Dooney & Bourke It Bag inexplicably yellowed in the depths of my closet, I was able to offload it via eBay circa 2013. As the bag has long been discontinued twenty years post-release, the secondary market is where you will exclusively find iterations of the It Bag these days. After the jump, marketing collateral of the first generation Dooney & Bourke It Bag, featuring the teen queen of The O.C. herself.
