My Bal. It is just so shiny.

#16
Summerfriend said:
Just sittin' there shining and gleaming like J-Lo freshly oiled up for a photo shoot.
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muchstuff said:
I've wondered if there's a product that can help with the coating as well. My 2012 mini pom has a coating, not particularly shiny but I can feel it. For what it's worth the back is now softer and less coated-feeling that the front, so I've been alternating the side that hits my hip when I carry it to try and soften the front as well.
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Seriously, I don't think it looks bad at all Summerfriend!! But hey, YOU need to love it. Hopefully someone else will have some good ideas.
I thought muchstuff was going to suggest you just start beating it....yes, literally beating it up!!! I swear I feel like I remember her saying that about 1 of her bags...???much-???
 
#18
Kendie26 said:
Seriously, I don't think it looks bad at all Summerfriend!! But hey, YOU need to love it. Hopefully someone else will have some good ideas.
I thought muchstuff was going to suggest you just start beating it....yes, literally beating it up!!! I swear I feel like I remember her saying that about 1 of her bags...???much-???
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Haaaaaa!! I was just about to say that myself. I kind of want to . . . beat it. :wtf: LMAOOOOOO. But I mean, it seems like the more you throw these bags around the better they look! :facepalm:

I actually think it's still a beautiful bag. I mean, it would be really hard for a black classic City to look unattractive - the slouch, the drape, the design; it's just so awesome. I'm just looking forward to it being more broken in and comfortable. It looks a little flashy to me at the moment, and what I like about Bal bags is that cool, "I don't care" aesthetic. Carrying this brand-new shining un-broken-in bag feels a little conspicuous and kinda like I'm that girl who's trying too hard, know what I mean? :coolio::blush::giggle:
 
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#19
Kendie26 said:
I wonder if letting her sit out in the bright sun would do anything?! Obviously I know sun fades colors but maybe, maybe just sitting out for a bit & see what happens?? THis is probably a bad idea....scratch that :lol:
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LOL!!!! I love where this thread is going. I'm going to give her a dunk in the whirlpool bath!!!

. . . just kidding. Nobody panic. :lol:
 
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#21
I had a pretty shiny black city from 2015 (I think?). I picked it from a half dozen others because the leather was much, much nicer. But it definitely was too shiny for my taste. The sales associate said it would definitely wear off with time and usage, and said that some people had even brought theirs back to be "re-shined" - I do think it's about usage, though. If it sits in the closet for years, it'll stay shiny.
It looks like a great bag, though! I'm not surprised that you're committed to toughing it out!
 
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#22
Oh, sorry, I missed my key point! My bag is actually matte on the back now, after a couple months of moderate use. But I live in a pedestrian city and walk a lot, so it might not happen as quickly if you are mostly driving... I try to remember to turn it, so the front gets equivalent wear. The sides are still glossier, but it's fine. I love the bag - one of my favorites ever.
 
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#23
alexa9 said:
Oh, sorry, I missed my key point! My bag is actually matte on the back now, after a couple months of moderate use. But I live in a pedestrian city and walk a lot, so it might not happen as quickly if you are mostly driving... I try to remember to turn it, so the front gets equivalent wear. The sides are still glossier, but it's fine. I love the bag - one of my favorites ever.
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Awesome feedback; thank you!!! I am so fired up to just commit to using this as my daily bag for a while. And on my upcoming trip - surely being tossed about on an airplane and being hauled around Vegas will start to scuff her up nicely. The only way out is through, as they say!
 
#24
Kendie26 said:
Seriously, I don't think it looks bad at all Summerfriend!! But hey, YOU need to love it. Hopefully someone else will have some good ideas.
I thought muchstuff was going to suggest you just start beating it....yes, literally beating it up!!! I swear I feel like I remember her saying that about 1 of her bags...???much-???
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Indeed, the very same mini pom in question. I did rough it up one night, sat watching TV while I basically thrashed the heck out of it. I will say that it's one sturdy bag :whut:
 
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#25
Summerfriend said:
Haaaaaa!! I was just about to say that myself. I kind of want to . . . beat it. :wtf: LMAOOOOOO. But I mean, it seems like the more you throw these bags around the better they look! :facepalm:

I actually think it's still a beautiful bag. I mean, it would be really hard for a black classic City to look unattractive - the slouch, the drape, the design; it's just so awesome. I'm just looking forward to it being more broken in and comfortable. It looks a little flashy to me at the moment, and what I like about Bal bags is that cool, "I don't care" aesthetic. Carrying this brand-new shining un-broken-in bag feels a little conspicuous and kinda like I'm that girl who's trying too hard, know what I mean? :coolio::blush::giggle:
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Wear sweats and flip flops and carry it with a certain devil-may-care attitude...:blah:
 
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#26
Umm.... OK now I'm going to be the killjoy in this group of happy-go-lucky city lovers... Watch those corners!! Until it slouches, they'll be sticking out and begging to be scuffed (the bad kind!) After that, I think you're pretty home free.

Not sure about you ladies but for me it's always in those initial days that I can do damage...
 
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#27
alexa9 said:
Umm.... OK now I'm going to be the killjoy in this group of happy-go-lucky city lovers... Watch those corners!! Until it slouches, they'll be sticking out and begging to be scuffed (the bad kind!) After that, I think you're pretty home free.

Not sure about you ladies but for me it's always in those initial days that I can do damage...
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Good point...the great thing about black though is that it's easy to touch up, just a little acrylic leather paint and some sealant!
 
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#30
Your bag looks a lot less shiny than a lot I've seen, but I completely understand where you're coming from. Back in the day before Gilt was owned by Saks and you still couldn't return anything, I bought a gris fossile first. That thing was positively shellacked (see photo-this was NO FLASH in natural daylight!!). It was so outrageously glossy and plasticky that I took a very resistant Gilt to task and convinced them that the bag did not fit the description (or the photo) which described it as "distressed" lambskin or something like that. Like you, I really tried to love that bag for the week that I had it, but every time I looked at it it looked like patent leather to me. Gilt finally relented and in what was probably an historic event, actually agreed to refund me my money after I submitted a thesis-worth of photos comparing leather from bags I owned from the same year that were NOT shellacked, and bags from vintage years that fit the description on the website. Yours looks a far sight better than that little first did... I think there's hope. Unfortunately I can't speak from experience because I knew that little first would never get enough use to "break it in" or reduce the glare. I admire your tenacity!
 

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