I'm walking in the rain, and taking my new Coach bag along for a swim.

Poster in the window of the Coach department, The Hudson's Bay Company, Vancouver, BC

Poster in the window of the Coach department, The Hudson's Bay Company, Vancouver, BC (Detail)

She's out in the rain and getting soaking wet. And she has a lovely Coach handbag under her arm. (And it is getting soaking wet too.) Ah to be young and adventurous and not care about the weather.

But what message is this poster sending to the customers? Is the leather waterproof? If I take my expensive new Coach bag out in the rain will it be ruined? If I use Coach's promotional materials as my guide, I'd say that the leather is waterproof and rain will not damage the bag at all.

I hope that is true, for Coach's sake. Otherwise there may be some unhappy customers trying to return waterlogged handbags.

Coach's defense may be that this is artistic license. But it is a risky practice to show your product being used in a way that will damage it, and then express surprise when your customers do exactly the same thing.