Regretting Luggage Nano Impulse Purchase

[MidlifeFashionPrincess]

Oh my, what have I done.

I've been cruising around for a pre-loved Luggage Nano and I just bought one from a reputable consigner.

I am such an idiot. I'd looked at this one before and wrote it off as being in too poor of shape even for the very asking low price.

Then, suddenly, there I was bored in the grocery line and I made an offer and it was accepted.

All this happened on my phone. You know, the thing with the tiny screen.

Then, when I got home and looked at it on my computer (the thing with the big screen), I remembered the reasons I'd taken a pass before. This bag is in sad shape. The condition is listed as fair, and there were plenty of photos, but whoa doggie, this puppy needs a mothers love something fierce.

Let's be clear, I know this is my fault.

My local cobbler can do a color restore for $100 and can probably fix the broken off edge paint for not much money, so that's okay, but it will still leave something to be desired.

My specific questions:

1) The alcantara lining is in terrible shape. Marks and pills. Generally gross. Don't think I'd like to touch it. What are my replacement options? Does anyone have a clue what Celine would charge? Do I have other options I should consider? This is my biggest and more valued question. I like a nice, clean alcantara, but I could be happy with something else. I could be perfectly happy with a thick satin lining like Fendi's, or other options. Who would make this happen for me? What would you suggest?

2) If I get it relined, what happens to the interior tags? Will they get transferred to the new lining? What's the protocol here? Do some folks do things differently?

2) The zipper in front is discolored. The fabric part, not the metal. Can that be cleaned? I'm not wanted to spend on a new zipper. Any out-of-the-box ideas? Now I'm just whining.

3) If I get the color restored completely (the whole bag), what happens to the gold foil stamping? Would it be covered? I wouldn't want that. (I know, ask the cobbler. I'm just asking everything here. Maybe someone can share a similar experience).

4) Can I just throw the whole thing in the wash? Certainly not. That would certainly ruin the shape at the very least, right? I know people have washed leather Coach bags, and maybe I'd be willing with a pre-owned Coach, but probably not this. Besides, I like a stiff structure. I should get a smorga. Maybe that answers #1, I don't know. Again, this is me whinging. Someone, shut me up!

Okay, #4 is even dumber than #3. You can ignore the dumb questions. Or all the questions. I'm kind of both griping at myself and asking for ideas in one, big, messy sandwich.

Oh, and...

5) It has a two-line date code. I understand this is the start and completion date. Here are the codes:
S-UP-0191
S-UP-1101

So it was made in 2011. Would that have been drummed or pebbled leather? I cannot tell from the photo.

And, does anyone know the factory codes? So doesn't matter, but I like minutiae.

Okay, that's about it. I should have paid more for the right bag, but this is what I did. I can't ask for a buyer's remorse cancelation, that's just rude. And it would be public on this consigner's website, and that would just be ugly.

An ugly bag is one thing, ugly behavior is all together unacceptable.

Thanks.

 

[A1aGypsy]

Psst. Post some pics.

 

[MidlifeFashionPrincess]

Psst. Post some pics.

Why of course!

I am a little sheepish about it because the seller might be here and I don't want to hurt feelings.

They are attached.

 

[A1aGypsy]

Bah, if they are, they know what they have.

To me, that looks like a bag that needs a good cleaning but is otherwise in great shape. Buy yourself an insert, don’t worry about the lining. Get a good cobbler to either clean it and rehab what he or she can or research and dyi (if you have the stomach for it).

I’m excited for you to receive it. You shouldn’t have remorse at all. These are the best kind of bags

 

[MidlifeFashionPrincess]

You think so? The threadbare, holes, and stains in the lining really turned me off, but maybe with an insert, I'd forget about it. I've never used an insert (I like nice linings), but maybe it would solve everything.

Given the age, I am pretty happy about the structure. Do you think that's drummed? I think that holds its structure better.

I should focus on what is great about it. I really wanted yellow!! I've been holding out for a yellow nano, so that is a major plus!

I've rehabbed a variety of bags (a few LVs, bunches of Coach, and others), but this one looked beyond hope. I thought it looked like it needed a color restore. I've never sent a bag out for rehab, but I am thinking about sending a white Chanel to Leather Surgeons or Purse Rehab. Maybe I'll send both bags at once.

 

[tarheelap]

If you are in the US, I highly recommend Santana Leather Care! They have locations in NC, FL, and GA.

 

[muchstuff]

You think so? The threadbare, holes, and stains in the lining really turned me off, but maybe with an insert, I'd forget about it. I've never used an insert (I like nice linings), but maybe it would solve everything.

Given the age, I am pretty happy about the structure. Do you think that's drummed? I think that holds its structure better.

I should focus on what is great about it. I really wanted yellow!! I've been holding out for a yellow nano, so that is a major plus!

I've rehabbed a variety of bags (a few LVs, bunches of Coach, and others), but this one looked beyond hope. I thought it looked like it needed a color restore. I've never sent a bag out for rehab, but I am thinking about sending a white Chanel to Leather Surgeons or Purse Rehab. Maybe I'll send both bags at once.

I'd try giving it a good cleaning first. I thought it would look much worse from your description TBH. Is the lining attached in these bags? If not you could turn it out and carefully give it a cleaning. It won't fix other damage but at lest you'd feel better using it.

 

[Oni_]

I don't think you should regret your purchase! If you've been holding out for a yellow nano luggage AND you got this bag for a great price then it's a good purchase and you should be excited for it!

If I'm not interested in buying a bag brand new I actually prefer buying a heavily used one at a high discount. I feel like most wear that happens to purses can be easily cleaned either yourself (do your research first on how though!!) or by a cobbler. You could also send the bag away to a bag spa, but that's often much pricier, and I reserve that for only the biggest of problems. Luckily, the leather of your bag looks in overall pretty good condition, so I think it will look SO much better after a simple cleaning and conditioning. Personally, I bought an extremely used black mini luggage last year and my fiancé did a terrific job fixing it up for me with some buffing, leather polish, and conditioner. I also ordered a bag insert from etsy for like $40 and it did a fantastic job of adding shape to the bag. A word of caution though, the gold embossing will 100% rub off if you're not careful. LOL can you tell I'm speaking from experience? My fiancé felt so bad about doing it that he learned how to use gold leaf to fill in the logo again (he's generally pretty handy so I gave him a pass - check out my post history to see a dye job he did for me LOL)! But the new luggage bags have blacked out logos anyway, so I might just rub mine off.

Anyway, feel good about your purchase! At least give it some TLC and then re-evaluate what needs to be done to make it your perfect bag. I think it's a cutie! You can always have it re-dyed, no problem!

 

[MidlifeFashionPrincess]

You know, you are right! It was the yellow and the price that made me buy it while standing in line at the grocery, so--yay me!

I was rash when I bought it; I was rash when I regretted it. You know what helps rash? A little time.

Actually, I'm now ashamed that I fretted so. The price was (I like your wording) a *high* discount, so shut my mouth! It was just that dang lining that got me. I'll get an insert. (Honestly, it still looks kind of gross to me, but for the price...)

Thanks for the heads up on the foil. Your poor fiance, he must have felt so bad! Interesting that he was able to fill in the logo again.

Once I rehabbed a BV. It was born an off-white, and after a long and rough life, I adopted her. After a good cleaning, I leather painted her myself (bronze). She turned out fine. I've never done edge painting and I don't know how to attack the lining, but like you said, I'll clean her up and reassess.

Okay, when it gets here, I'll give you an update! I'll do some before and after shots!

 

[Venessa84]

I was thinking it was going to be much worse...it just needs some TLC and I have a feeling you can enjoy this little ray of sunshine.

 

[MidlifeFashionPrincess]

My fiancé felt so bad about doing it that he learned how to use gold leaf to fill in the logo again

Hi again. How did he learn to do this? I can find videos on how to heat foil stamp originally, but not refill and existing and rubbed off stamp. I bet several of us could benefit from knowing how to do this.

Actually, I have a little beaded bag that I can see is from Italy but the designer has long worn off and it is impossible to read. I'd love to practice on this little bag and maybe solve that mystery at the same time! I'll post a pic in a second. I'm not sure where it is this moment.

 

[posherthanthou]

I've used Leather Surgeon before on a old black balenciaga city with leathers frayed and the color pretty much greyed out. They restored it to about 80% looking gently used. I was floored. It wasn't $100 tho. I think I paid 200 something maybe even 300. I can't remember but it was pretty damn good.

 

[MidlifeFashionPrincess]

That's good to hear. The $100 is probably what my local cobbler would charge. Here are the 2 emails from Leather Surgeons (below). I'm not sure if I want to spend the $300 or not. He didn't sound entirely hopeful. He also seems a little confused as he mentioned flattened quilting.

I am still waiting for the bag. Maybe the deciding factor on wether to choose local cobbler or LS will be the amount of shape loss since LS cannot fix that.

**

This is really a tough one! A bright yellow like this is one of the toughest colors to work with. I would expect compromise in texture, but overall we can make progress. Unfortunately though, there is no way to replace this lining or reshape the bag. The design just makes it impossible. Additionally, since the lining is suede we are pretty limited and will only be able to clean it. Overall it will definitely be one of those "better, not perfect" situations. Would you still be interested?

(and then)
***
Since it's kind of a stiffer bag with a grained leather, the compromise in texture would be a lot less noticeable than if it were a lambskin classic, for example. It's just going to take a lot of pigment since yellows like this have very little "coverage", but yes, we can get a close color match.

***
For our Spa Service, we first hand-polish all of the hardware (though there isn't much of these bags. . Please note that many scratches may remain after polishing, because the polish used has to be gentle enough to avoid removing the finish.

Next, we thoroughly clean the bag, inside and out, before conditioning all of the leather. Finally, we apply pigments (as needed) to restore the original color and luster of the bag, address general fading, and help conceal any remaining stains and wear as best we can.

Of course, we cannot remove every kind of scratch, add puffiness to flattened quilting, or restore texture where the leather has been worn through. Depending on the amount of pigments required (especially in areas of severe staining or wear), there can be some compromise of texture in favor of aesthetics, but we always do our best to find an artful balance of those two priorities.

We would charge $295 for these services on your item. The price includes free shipping within the contiguous US.
**

 

[MidlifeFashionPrincess]

Well! It's been over a month and I finally have the bag in hand. She is delightful!

Yes, a little bent out of shape. Yes, there are patches of edge paint chewed off. Yes, there is a lot of color transfer and what not. But still, what a great bag!

The side gussets are bent in a funny way because she was obviously stored with the strap on and pulled them out of shape. (Note to others, remove the strap and the end of the day). Does anyone out there think it would be best to tuck the gussets securely zipped inside to help retrain them? Does that make sense?

I gave her a clean with a baby wipe, but she needs more. I ordered some Apple cleaner and conditioner and we'll see how that works. The original owner must have used her more of a handheld, which I might as well, so the straps are dirty. I hope the Apple will fix that.

 

[favoritethingshawaii]

I don't usually venture into the Celine forum but saw your thread at the top. I wish you well in rehabbing it as it's so cute! And if you are not aware, yellow is one of Pantone's color of the year for 2021, so you will be completely in sync with this happy color! Post it here when you are ready! https://forum.purseblog.com/threads...e-year-2021-illuminating-yellow-gray.1037753/