name that leather...

#31
Thanks Oops! I was really glad I had something to share that I know so much about. Sabrinas aren't my forte, but that's okay. It's time I let others share the spotlight. Why should I be so greedy, eh? ;)

Yeah, you and me both--head off into the sunset with our older thick nice leathered Coach bags hanging off the spiked clubs as we saunter down the hill with the leopard print wrap blowing in the wind.

Time for me to enjoy the rest of the day outdoors too!
 
#32
lol! have fun outdoors. I just remembered, Amazonian women warriors live without men. darnnit!! Guess I'll just be a damsel in distress. no. too weak. I'll have to think it over...
 
#34
oopsididitagain said:
lol! have fun outdoors. I just remembered, Amazonian women warriors live without men. darnnit!! Guess I'll just be a damsel in distress. no. too weak. I'll have to think it over...
Click to expand...


Hmmmm, I always thought that they hijack a good-looking guy on his boat, use him to fertilize all the women, and then dump him back in the raft to go on his merry way. That's okay with me except that I would be one of those who would choose to guard the group and not get pregnant. Maybe that's how Wonder Woman's mother and family of all-women on a small island did it. Maybe they were more nefarious and did away with the guy once they've done with him. I wouldn't want to off the guy unless he's one of those nasty fellas like Ted Bundy. Actually, that would be bad because all his offspring would be psychopathic killers. How about cloning?

I'd probably be okay without a guy, but my BF would not be happy. Oh well. :P
 
#35
aml716 said:
i've missed out on the convo. :sad: thanks for the great read during my commute home.
T-girl do you have pics of your collection? i'd love to see!
Click to expand...

Wowee, you've got some great Internet connection going home. Technology still amazes me.

I have some pictures in my homepage album but I haven't got a chance to take pictures of all of them--just dribs and drabs here and there on some threads. Sorry, but partly due to embarassment, I just haven't gotten the nerve to do a full collection picture. The best way is to search for threads I've created and you'll see a large majority of my collection.

All my bags range from 2006 to 2008. I have bags from each of the lines: Ergo, Soho, Hampton, Legacy, Bleecker (including Zoe), Carly (not sure which line that belongs to), MFF (made for factory), and a few Madison (Crossbody and 2 wristlets). I've got a few scarves, jewelry (a few bangles, costume and silver jewelry (including necklaces and chokers, and rings), lots of pursefobs and keyfobs, and schedulers. I think that basically covers it.
 
#36
I was just browsing the Coach website and drooling over the new Parker colors, and I noticed that Coach describes the Parker leather as "soft gelato leather." Sounds like a food item to me :biggrin:
 
#37
Soft Gelato leather? Yikes! I think I'll stick with solid foods. :nogood:

I went to two Coach boutiques and checked out the Ali line. The bag colours and subtle styles are lovely but the leather is significantly thinner--which affects the prices (less expensive) and probably the weight (less heavy) of the bag. I've decided to dubb the Ali as 'the Coach Recession line.' ;) The Ali as really reduced the amount of hardware on their bags. Even though the Ergo line has minimal hardware, the leather is heavier and softer, the Ali leather is much thinner and more delicate and not as supple. The Ali even has pebbled leather but it is no where near as dense as the Ergo pebbled leather.

I am now realizing why the Carly is heavier than the Zoe. It's not really the hardware that makes the Carly heavier because both have the same amount of hardware if not more on the Zoe. It's the heavier weight of the leather on the Carly that makes all the difference, I truly believe.

This thread really helped open my mind on questioning different leather thicknesses and quality--and how Coach has been changing their types of leather over the past year. Especially in the case of the leather on the Carly because it is different from the leather on the Zoe. When they decided to create the Zoe 'in place of the Carly,' I believe they chose a thinner leather (unbeknownst to most Coach consumers because there is hardly a significant difference between the two) to create this newer Zoe line. The prices for the Zoe and Carly were marked the same regardless of the leather weight and content.

Wow, :wtf: I am addressing the issue here by comparing and contrasting the two, and I am sure this has not been discussed anywhere else on the thread. H. Mackerel! That's a 'groundbreaking discovery' for me in terms of my appreciation and understanding of Coach, their choice of leathers, and how they respond to the changes in the social economy.
 
#38
T-Girl, you are so right. The leather from Coach previous collections cannot compare to the leather being used right now. I have a few Legacy 65th Anniversary, Bleekers and Ergos and they cannot be beat. I do have the new Ali Flap and don't get me wrong the bag is beautiful in it's styling but I wish they had used a more substantial leather for this bag.
 
#39
ITA LizCordova! I went to see the Ali yesterday at the boutique. I love the simple hobo style and the flap is so adorable. I especially love the C-print medallion, but what halted me was the thinner leather.

You've got a beautiful handbag and the colours and style are fantastic. I just wished the leather is a wee bit thicker too.

The deep rich leather was what drew me to Coach. After the Zoe bags, I was surprised that my 'Coach cravings' diminished even though everybody else on the subforum didn't seem overly affected. I realize now that I have been unconsciously buying up the older styles because of this issue.

When the Carly/Zoe comparison was put out (thanks to this thread and aml716), I just couldn't resist. I had to know myself and just started taking lots of pictures and the commentary flowed. The final result shocked me. :wtf: Even with the subtle changes in leather from Carly to Zoe, I noticed something was different. I was surprised I was not as excited about the bag as I thought. I thought the Zoe leather puddling (slouching) was more than what I've seen in previous bags. I thought it was because of the XL size of the Zoe. If you look back at the pictures, the Carly (even though it is one size smaller) does not slouch nearly as much as the XL Zoe. Since I have the Large Zoe in brown, the more excessive slouching is noticeable on the Zoe.

Other tPFers have speculated that the Zoe felt lighter than the Carly but didn't know the reason. They attributed the extra weight on the hardware of the Carly. Probably we refused to admit that the leather was actually thinner on the Zoe--and the underlying fear that Coach is thinning their luscious leather overall.

I refused to accept the 'added hardware' explanation for the Carly. I can see that the hardware on the Zoe appeared more significant than on the Carly and yet the bag felt lighter. There did not seem to be any explanation for the cause. I realized when I was at the boutique yesterday and chatting with a SA that when I mentioned this issue, the SA did not respond and looked worried. Of course he looked uncomfortable: Coach's bottom line relied on sales and a negative (even though accurate) comment like that can be viewed as 'dangerous.'

Yes, Coach does mention that they are using lighter leathers (that is undisputed) but subtle changes such as Carly to Zoe are not noted so it slips through unnoticed--until now. These subtle 'unconscious' (or behind-the-scene) changes are what worried me because my interest in Coach flatlined and I didn't know why. Now I know and appreciate why I fell in love and then fell out of love with Coach--it's all due to the quality of their leather.

So, my question to you is whether this concern is significant enough to warrant concern from the consumers of Coach handbags and accessories. I cannot speak for others, but I know that I've completely lost interest and that is significant to me.
 
#40
t girl -- thank you again for your thorough review and commentary.... it solidified and articulated my sentiments towards the leathers-- I love the functionality and design of julianne and sabtina, but something is lackibg... that butteriness, suppleness and durability of the original coach leather... you can't even use the conditioner and cleaner on the new pieces AND they scratch easily!! with that being said I can also see why coach decided not to use the same leather -- the purses might end up being too heavy resulting in less sales. it's all about economics.. I do hope they reintroduce the old school leather.. the one that caused many of us to fall in love with coach..

sorry for thebtypos (if any) I'm en route to work ..

good morning ;)
 
#41
the comparison shots, detailing on the texture.. wow.. what an effort!
thanks so much for educating me!
i really love learning new things!
u are awesome t-girl!:tup:
absolutely the best!
 
#42
You're right aml716, the older leather is much heavier and complaints about the weight may have shifted their decision to go with the lighter leather. I am guilty for complaining about that too. It took about a year to get used to carrying these heavier bags. I agree that Coach is trying to balance the two.

I guess I had to determine what I liked about Coach and if I was willing to suffer to carry some of those gorgeous leather handbags. Having seen both sides, I believe the answer is, "Yes, I would." I've looked at so many handbags all my life and never liked them because of lack of 'presence' in their materials. Coach leather came across right away as hefty and rugged and yet made so strikingly beautiful. It was like having a rich cheesecake and red wine for dinner everytime I take my bag out. Of course, like cheesecake and wine, you can't treat yourself to that every day and need something less weighty to let your system recuperate. So, I rotate my bags so my body can heal and strengthen. For me, it's switching from signature fabric handbags to leather and back helped and I enjoyed my Coach bags uninterrupted. Even back then with all the heavy leather, there were alternatives in choosing different weights in Coach handbags.

Now that option is removed. They're all light--except some have metal chained straps. The only place to get this older styled heavy leather is through eBay, Bonanzle, or from the outlets. So, even though I've complained (at the beginning when I just joined tPF), I got my wish today, except I didn't realize what I thought I wanted is not what I really want now.
 
#43
jelita78 said:
the comparison shots, detailing on the texture.. wow.. what an effort!
thanks so much for educating me!
i really love learning new things!
u are awesome t-girl!:tup:
absolutely the best!
Click to expand...

Awww, thank you very much Jelita78! :blush::cloud9::hugs:That's very sweet of you! :flowers:

I enjoy learning on this subforum and love to contribute if I know something about the topic. This one has been bugging me since the Zoe line emerged and the questoin of why the Zoe feels lighter than the Carly. It was never answered satisfactorily for me. I am glad I can offer up some interesting perspectives on this Coach brand. I am really passionate about this wonderful company and I feel saddened how things are changing in this short period of time.

Well, Coach seems to be resilient and innovative so I shouldn't really lose all hope and faith that they've made a wrong decision and keep heading in that direction right into a ditch. They could make a turn just as fast. I'll watch on the sidelines for now.
 
#44
This thread has proved to be an important one for me. I've wanted a black Zoe for a long time but now that I know it is made of thinner leather, that changes my prospective. I, too, miss the old school thick Coach bags. I don't mind carrying heavier bags. I do have to switch to something lighter after awhile.
I am glad that I have some of the thicker leather bags in my collection like Gigi, Luci, Bleecker. Thank goodness I happened upon Coach at the right time. I, too, will wait on the sidelines until Coach does a 180 and returns to their thicker, more luxurious leathers.
 
#45
T-Girl said:
Thank you Brooke11! You're 1 million percent correct! The older Coach leathers are thicker. If you love the Carly/Zoe leathers, you'd be drooling head over heels for the older 2007 Bleecker burnished leathers as well as the 2006-2007 Legacy antique leathers too. Even the Soho leathers from early 2008 are lusher. That's why I only bought the crossbody and a couple of wristlets. I never got into the newer lines--Madison, Parker, Bonnie, Cricket...and Poppy. I am glad I have collected the older Coach before they made the big new changes in their new lines and before they're completely gone.
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Thanks T-Girl!! I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed this! Thanks for the info. I love the look of the Madison line, but I really wish the leather was more durable, especially for such a slouchy bag. I haven't used my Sabrina yet because I have this fear that the first time I use it I'm going to bump into a display rack out shopping or someone who brush against my purse and I'll be left with a big scratch! (am I neurotic or what?) I feel like a thicker leather would also give a better shape to slouchy bags like the Sabrina. Do you think that this thinner leather is here to stay? I have been watching the outlets for a Zoe; I'd love to get one before they are all gone! Thanks again for the info T-Girl :biggrin:
 
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