Hey Guys!

Grab a cold drink and listen to this saga.....

Well, I have been LUSTING over a Latte rocco with rose gold hardware for ages. Of course, it's sold out everywhere, so I was so excited to see one listed on ebay about a month ago. It was quite dirty, so I emailed the seller to ask about the condition, and she said it was used for a few months, and it got quite dirty. I found out she lived a few blocks from me in NY, so she sold the bag to me, and dropped it off the same day! I was so excited!!! When I got it, I noticed the leather was dull and dirty. I did some research, and found out there was this amazing place called Hallak Cleaners here in NYC that does an amazing job on cleaning leather bags. Here is a link to their reviews:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/hallak-cleaners-new-york-2

Anyway, I decided to bring the Rocco to Hallak cleaners to be cleaned and conditioned, instead of sending it to Loving my Bags because with Hallak cleaners, the wait time was only 2 weeks, and cost $175 dollars.

Well, I got my bag back after 2 weeks, and it was CLEAN. They got rid of all the dirt. PROBLEM IS......the leather looks chalky, it has NO SHINE to it whatsoever, and it looks lighter then I think latte should look. I was looking at it, and I was thinking that the color just looked off. It didn't look like my Latte Diego at all. So, I took out my Latte Diego and compared the leather to my newly cleaned Latte Rocco. Well, there is definitely a difference.

I have posted lots of photos for you to see. I think it's great that Hallak Cleaners got all the dirt off the bag, they did a great job with that, but I am afraid they also got rid of the shine of this bag completely. As for the color, is it possible that they actually lightened the bag when they cleaned it? The entire bag looks lighter to me. I am afraid I made a mistake sending the bag to them and that I should have sent the bag away to Loving my bags. I feel like Babara would have taken more care with the leather and the bag would have come back shiny, and not lighter then when I sent it.

My QUESTION IS: Do you think I can restore the shine to this bag? I know Loving my Bags has a product that puts shine back in leather, and it's used for Balenciaga handbags. Here is a link to that product.
http://www.lovinmybags.com/shineenhance.html

I know I can't change the color of the leather if it's been lightened by a cleaner, but I was wondering if there was anything else I can do to fix this? I am really sad about this. I LOVE THIS BAG but the leather is so chalky now, with no shine at all. Compared to my Diego, you can see the difference.

Anyone else have this problem with Latte, or any other light Alexander Wang colors? Can you see the huge color and shine difference between my Rocco and Diego?

And by the way, I haven't had time to reveal either of these new bags! I love the Diego in this color combo, such a stunning bag!!!

Anyway, sorry for such a long post! I took photos with, and without flash. You can see the huge color difference between the two bags, and I am afraid it was caused by the cleaner used on the Rocco. I am upset over that, but even more upset over the loss of shine completely on this bag. I know the Latte leather is more matte in general, but it usually has a little shine, as you can see on my Diego. Ugh what should I do? The Diego looks so much warmer right? The Rocco looks washed out and dull now, and I am afraid it was a result of the cleaner they used at Hallak cleaners.

Ok I will shut up now. Here are the photos. THANKS in advance for any help or advice!!!!

Here are two more photos:
YOU CAN REALLY SEE THE COLOR DIFFERENCE HERE......

So sorry to hear about your situation. :( I also sent a AW wang to get cleaned and was unhappy with the results. Could it be that many leather bag cleaners are unfamiliar with the care for this bag? I know so many spas that do a great job with luxury brands but with AW... not so much.

When I sent my bag in it actually came back a darker color. My bag was a rocco luggage and while it was darker, it came back shiny and very soft (except for the straps that were a little bit dry). I'm a perfectionist so I was pretty upset that it wasn't exactly the same but I think that given your problem you could give LMB a try. Is it beyond what you wanted to spend to just send it in to get conditioned? I think that the conditioner may darken it a bit, though I'm not sure if it will get it back to the original color.

Originally Posted by Magda5

So sorry to hear about your situation. :( I also sent a AW wang to get cleaned and was unhappy with the results. Could it be that many leather bag cleaners are unfamiliar with the care for this bag? I know so many spas that do a great job with luxury brands but with AW... not so much. When I sent my bag in it actually came back a darker color. My bag was a rocco luggage and while it was darker, it came back shiny and very soft (except for the straps that were a little bit dry). I'm a perfectionist so I was pretty upset that it wasn't exactly the same but I think that given your problem you could give LMB a try. Is it beyond what you wanted to spend to just send it in to get conditioned? I think that the conditioner may darken it a bit, though I'm not sure if it will get it back to the original color.

Thanks, you are right. Maybe if I condition it, it will darken the leather a bit. Also, I want to try that shine treatment, maybe it will add shine and moisture back to the bag? Maybe I can buy the conditioner and the shine treatment and try it myself. I have to look at her price list and see if it's worth it for me to send it away for her to do it, or if I can just buy the products and do it myself? I will definitely give the LMB products a try, after all, it can't hurt right? The bag is already clean, I just want it to be conditioned and shinier. Thanks for your advice!

I actually think that the Rocco looks like a lovely colour and i think it is nice to be not so shiny, although i understand where you are coming from when comparing it to your Diego. I use LMB cleanser, moisturiser and silk protectant on my Rocco and i have noticed that everytime i use the products then it gets a shine to it, so perhaps you could try the moisturiser and protectant and it they will add a coating and a shine back to the Rocco? I hope that you find a resolution. Good luck.

Originally Posted by platinum_girly

I actually think that the Rocco looks like a lovely colour and i think it is nice to be not so shiny, although i understand where you are coming from when comparing it to your Diego. I use LMB cleanser, moisturiser and silk protectant on my Rocco and i have noticed that everytime i use the products then it gets a shine to it, so perhaps you could try the moisturiser and protectant and it they will add a coating and a shine back to the Rocco? I hope that you find a resolution. Good luck.

Thank you girly! I agree with you, I was looking at the LMB site, and I think the silk conditioner and shine product will work wonders on my rocco. Thanks for your advice!

^Awww no problem hun, please do let us know how it turns out. PS your doggy is adorable

First off, congrats on your RG Rocco Latte! I think a good conditioner/moisturiser and a shine restore treatment like the one at LMB will bring back some life to it. I think it will also make the bag a little bit darker so it'll match the colour of your Diego.

I think both bags are stunning, shine or no shine. GL with conditioning your Rocco, but it is gorgeous, nonetheless.

Originally Posted by rdgldy

I think both bags are stunning, shine or no shine. GL with conditioning your Rocco, but it is gorgeous, nonetheless.

THANK YOU! I am talking with Barbara now about restoring the shine and color to this bag, hopefully I can at least condition it and add some shine. it doesn't look so bad in the photos, but in real life it's chalky and lacking shine. The leather on the Diego is so much more vibrant ya know?
But thanks again for all your advice and comments!!!

OMG I miss my bag now that I see the pics of it!

I know I'm not much help here, but I actually like the lighter version of Latte better. (both are gorgeous, btw)