Today, I dropped off 6 of my precious Chanels to Leather Pros and so far, I'm impressed by Mark, the craftsman and owner. He's been repairing / refinishing Chanels for over 25 years and his knowledge of Chanel is impressive.
First - a vintage alligator flap. I carried this bag for 4 days in Paris and the side gosset riped from stress. It broke my heart and, based on recommendations here, I contacted Leather Surgeons in PA. Their response was "can't be fixed, bag is ruined." When I emailed Mark the photos, he replied quickly and said he wanted to see it in person but thought yes, he could find a solution. And today, he said absolutely, he can repair it.
Second - 1 beige and 1 turquoise flap that had been previously dyed by my shoe repair guy. Leather Pros will strip the dye and then will refinish both bags. Will they be as baby soft as the original lambskin? No, but they'll not feel plasticky or crack
Third - 1 off-white mini flap. This will be refinished to its original off-white glamour.
Fourth - 1 red mini flap. Also refinished with a touch up to one of the corner
Fifth - 1 electric blue jumbo. I bought this from a vintage shop in Japan and the previous owner had the strap shortened. I'm having the strap returned to its proper length.
Sixth - 1 lime green camera bag with the bijoux strap. I had a oil spot on this bag and put cornstarch to absorb; instead I was left with white spots and a stain. This will be refinished back. Mark suggested I keep this bag forever, as Chanel is no longer using the bijoux chain.
He was more anal with my bags than I am and scolded me for how I store the straps while showing me how to store them properly. He offered to get all of them done and returned to me in 2 weeks but I can't pick them up until 10/15 so no rush.
Attached are some photos of my alligator flap and off-white mini-flap. I'll post after photos when I get them back.
First - a vintage alligator flap. I carried this bag for 4 days in Paris and the side gosset riped from stress. It broke my heart and, based on recommendations here, I contacted Leather Surgeons in PA. Their response was "can't be fixed, bag is ruined." When I emailed Mark the photos, he replied quickly and said he wanted to see it in person but thought yes, he could find a solution. And today, he said absolutely, he can repair it.
Second - 1 beige and 1 turquoise flap that had been previously dyed by my shoe repair guy. Leather Pros will strip the dye and then will refinish both bags. Will they be as baby soft as the original lambskin? No, but they'll not feel plasticky or crack
Third - 1 off-white mini flap. This will be refinished to its original off-white glamour.
Fourth - 1 red mini flap. Also refinished with a touch up to one of the corner
Fifth - 1 electric blue jumbo. I bought this from a vintage shop in Japan and the previous owner had the strap shortened. I'm having the strap returned to its proper length.
Sixth - 1 lime green camera bag with the bijoux strap. I had a oil spot on this bag and put cornstarch to absorb; instead I was left with white spots and a stain. This will be refinished back. Mark suggested I keep this bag forever, as Chanel is no longer using the bijoux chain.
He was more anal with my bags than I am and scolded me for how I store the straps while showing me how to store them properly. He offered to get all of them done and returned to me in 2 weeks but I can't pick them up until 10/15 so no rush.
Attached are some photos of my alligator flap and off-white mini-flap. I'll post after photos when I get them back.
