older bags, older leather, older colors

[chigirl]

i think the new bags are definitely an improvement on the '06 but i am not seeing the comparisons to the older bags. the older leather just offers so much more texture and variation. the bags just have that vintage feel IMHO. even the colors seem to be more natural. i am not saying anything negative about the newer bags because i think they are very nice but just that i know there are many of us who just prefer the older bags, colors. i really do think that the manufacturing process has changed. i may be wrong but i think that the leather is different as is the process whereby they color the bags.

just because i am feeling sick today (and therefore bored), i have decided to post some pics. these are mostly for those of you new to bbags. the first few are of my '04 anis city and my '04 marron twiggy. the leather on these is the silkiest and best of them all. next is a s/s '05 black city. next is '04 black first. and finally my caramel flat brass.

 

[chigirl]

more

 

[chigirl]

last ones

 

[opnjmprs]

Really love the look of the leather on your Marron twiggy. YUMMMY looking.

 

[lulublue717]

I love love your caramel flat brass ~~What a beauty~

 

[esile]

chi, your collection is gorgeous! i definitely agree with you! the old leather (05 and earlier) is just more textured and dimensional. late 06 and new 07 is an improvement from the early 06, but it just doesn't compare. although the leather is not shiny like before, the way the color is processed....it just looks flat. making it far less interesting imo.

btw, hope you feel better.

 

[chigirl]

thanks!

even better pictures of anis leather:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=013&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=230103679323&rd=1&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...MEWA:IT&viewitem=&item=320095722769&rd=1&rd=1

and marron:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Authentic-BALEN...094287347QQcategoryZ63852QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

none of these are my auctions (and two are done already). i did own that anis purse at one time but sold it to LP. LOVE it but couldn't justify two anis. the marron twiggy is a lot like mine. it is definitely my favorite brown (unless you count caramel). marron and anis are most definitely my favorite bbag colors (except for '03 olive, which i don't have....yet). both have gorgeous leather as did my '04 grey. i guess '04 leather is my favorite.

 

[chigirl]

chi, your collection is gorgeous! i definitely agree with you! the old leather (05 and earlier) is just more textured and dimensional. late 06 and new 07 is an improvement from the early 06, but it just doesn't compare. although the leather is not shiny like before, the way the color is processed....it just looks flat. making it far less interesting imo.

btw, hope you feel better.

thanks! i had a crazy week at work so i think mental exhaustion just created physical exhaustion. i have a crazy week coming up but after that things should quiet down.

good to see you posting again! i feel like so many of us have stopped visiting here (me included).

 

[stylefly]

Glad to have you back- I missed your posts, both of you esile and chigirl !
I completely agree about the older leather. My '04 Black City is the loveliest thing ever. I must say that last year was the most disappointing year ever for the leather. What I don't understand is why, when they KNOW how wildly popular the silky, fluffy leather is, don't they simply recreate it? Are they using cheaper leather to be able to produce more? Or...

 

[NWpurselover]

Chigirl, your marron looks fabulous. I think many of us have never even felt an 04 so that we don't know what we are missing out on.

 

[hmwe46]

Great thread!!

I love taking pcs of my bags, so here is my 05 Black City, the leather is so glossy and squishy:

 

[robyn]

Beautiful!

And I agree about older bags, I LOVE the leather on the 05 bordeax -- thanks again

 

[firstclass1]

Totally agree chigirl - thank you for start this thread !!! I am, and I'll be it for ever, a lover of the 'older' bbags ! I've had bbags from '03 and my first classique from '01 - my current 'older' bags are: purses from '04, '05 and '06 and a city '05 . . . I must say, that I LOVE and prefer all leathers and colors mostly from the year 2004 !!!!!!! Those was the best collections from Balenciaga IMO !

my orange (pumpkin) purse from 2004:

the seafoam purse from 2004:

the caramel purse from 2005 :

the turquoise city from 2005 :

 

[LouiseyPeasey]

Wow, firstclass, that orange purse is a knockout!! Gorgeous!

stylefly, my understanding is that they are using different leather not because of cost but because of supply - there simply isn't enough of the kind of leather they used to use available for the level of production they are doing now. I think the different type of leather has required a different coloring process, which makes the colors look different - more uniform and "flat". So if the variation and movement of the color was one of the aspects that you liked about the bags, then .

 

[stylefly]

Wow, firstclass, that orange purse is a knockout!! Gorgeous!

stylefly, my understanding is that they are using different leather not because of cost but because of supply - there simply isn't enough of the kind of leather they used to use available for the level of production they are doing now. I think the different type of leather has required a different coloring process, which makes the colors look different - more uniform and "flat". So if the variation and movement of the color was one of the aspects that you liked about the bags, then .

That's really interesting...and makes a lot of sense. It's a shame because I do really love the older leathers but by the time people have used them and put them up for sale, the condition is usually pretty yucky unless it's from a true Bal-lover...even then, it's simply too hard to keep them in pristine condition. The '07 leathers look pretty good though and I am curious to see how they will look in a year or so when the glazing wears off.