Leather/weave differences?

[B. Jara]

It's been a while since I posted in here.

Back in April I ended up with a large Veneta in nero (??black). I love it and want to possibly get the same bag in Ebano for Christmas.

I have looked at about 4 of them, and they all seem to be subtle differences in the leather. Only one of them had a weave like my nero, which is very tight, and the edges of the strips seemed to be all facing downwards....not curling up. None of them were actually curling up....but were the edges were certainly more "up" than "down." It was a brand spanking new bag...so being used already was not an issue. Also, on the leather braid around the perimeter of the bag, the edges of that leather, some were lighter and some were darker...almost to the point that the "good" one matched the bag, and the other(s) looked faded out.

How does this happen? They were all the same priced bag...so I am assuming they were all the same types of leather. Is the "curling" up one have maybe a touch thicker leather than the other one that blends down, because it's thinner (and thus lays flatter)? Also, the one that lays flatter seemed to have a bit more sheen to the leather. Not a super noticeable difference...but if you sat there and looked back and forth, one would notice.

How does one wear vs. the other? Or am I the only one who noticed this? :shame::shame:

 

[armcandyaddict]

hi b. jara, i've taken a close look at the weave of all my bv items, and the weave appears to lie perfectly flat regardless of the colour or the item (i've got an item each in ebano, carmine and corallo and brass). none of the edges of the leather strips curl up or down, they are just flat.

as for the braid along the perimeter of the veneta - well, the colour of the leather is uniform throughout and matches the colour of the leather on the rest of the bag. it seems odd to me that it should be darker on some parts and lighter on others.

how about posting some pics so that we can see exactly what the problem is? hopefully i didn't misunderstand you.

 

[B. Jara]

hi b. jara, i've taken a close look at the weave of all my bv items, and the weave appears to lie perfectly flat regardless of the colour or the item (i've got an item each in ebano, carmine and corallo and brass). none of the edges of the leather strips curl up or down, they are just flat.

as for the braid along the perimeter of the veneta - well, the colour of the leather is uniform throughout and matches the colour of the leather on the rest of the bag. it seems odd to me that it should be darker on some parts and lighter on others.

how about posting some pics so that we can see exactly what the problem is? hopefully i didn't misunderstand you.

Ok, I'll do that. I have two here with me now that I can snap a few of, and then I have a pic from April when I was deciding between the two colors for my birthday.
I returned a PERFECT one today....but it was a medium, so it was too small.

I have one more from Saks coming...hopefully it will be THE one. Otherwise, I'll point out which one will be runner up number two.

Thanks!!!!

 

[B. Jara]

how about posting some pics so that we can see exactly what the problem is? hopefully i didn't misunderstand you.

I was able to find what I wanted to depict in the pics that were already on my computer from April of this year. YAY! A bit quicker to show you all, anyway. LOL

Pic number one is a closeup of the Ebano...see how the edges are not suuuuper flat, like the second picture's weave is, which is of the Nero one? (This is the one that I kept back then, BTW)

Third pic is of the braid, showing the edging, and how it looks lighter. It seems to be hit or miss...but like I said, the one that I saw that was perfect in Ebano was a medium, not a large.

 

[armcandyaddict]

hi b. jara, i have to say you really have an eye for detail. the edges on the 1st pic look like the weave on my ebano after several months of (fairly rough) use. even at the bv stores the weave on the display pieces tend to look like this after going through many hands. the 2nd pic was what my ebano looked like when it was brand new. to be honest, i was a bit taken aback by the colours on the 1st and 2nd pic - they look more like camel or limo as ebano should be a rich, dark brown colour.

as for the braiding in the 3rd pic, it looks normal to me. unless the leather occurs naturally in the dark brown shade, it's quite difficult to dye the entire leather strip throughout into another colour.

to me, all 3 weaves look good. however, if you are not happy with them it's best to return or exchange them for something you're happy with.

let's see if any other tpfers have something to add - there are quite a few bv veterans here who might have their two cents' worth.

 

[B. Jara]

hi b. jara, i have to say you really have an eye for detail. the edges on the 1st pic look like the weave on my ebano after several months of (fairly rough) use. even at the bv stores the weave on the display pieces tend to look like this after going through many hands. the 2nd pic was what my ebano looked like when it was brand new. to be honest, i was a bit taken aback by the colours on the 1st and 2nd pic - they look more like camel or limo as ebano should be a rich, dark brown colour.

as for the braiding in the 3rd pic, it looks normal to me. unless the leather occurs naturally in the dark brown shade, it's quite difficult to dye the entire leather strip throughout into another colour.

to me, all 3 weaves look good. however, if you are not happy with them it's best to return or exchange them for something you're happy with.

let's see if any other tpfers have something to add - there are quite a few bv veterans here who might have their two cents' worth.

Oh, they are rich, deep colors. The first one is Ebano, and the second was was Nero. It's just my picture taking skills.

What is confusing to me is that both of these bags were brand spanking new....never displayed.

 

[kopibaby]

jara - gosh! you really have an eye for details...
i dont analyse the leather sooooo deeply

 

[lawbabe]

Well, I once returned a large nero veneta because one of side of one stripe seemed to be wrongly cut- small stripes were coming off. The BV store replaced it (though they said they can not see the problem). If I look at the replacement really close, I can see the same thing on the second bag too, but I do not care any more -I just love it as it is...I suppose the return calmed me down..

 

[annie9999]

B. Jara- i do see the difference between picture 1 and 2. i don't have the veneta so i'm not sure about the differences of the braid.
the only thing that could account for the differences is if one was umbria. but i don't think ebano or nero are umbria colors.
i guess it just proves that they are hand made and thus have slight differences from bag to bag. there isn't the uniformity of mass produced goods.

 

[Syma]

^ITA with annie9999 that handmade bags do vary from bag to bag, and if your paying $$$$$ for them then you should of course find THE ONE that is perfect for you! Having said that, it may be the way the bags are stored that is causing the bumps in the weave??? The edges on the braiding are probably showing because when BV leather strips are cut I don't think the edges are sealed, this is the same as the tassles on the balenciaga bags which end up splitting eventually and also show pale coloured edges compared to the rest of the bag.

 

[B. Jara]

^ITA with annie9999 that handmade bags do vary from bag to bag, and if your paying $$$$$ for them then you should of course find THE ONE that is perfect for you! Having said that, it may be the way the bags are stored that is causing the bumps in the weave??? The edges on the braiding are probably showing because when BV leather strips are cut I don't think the edges are sealed, this is the same as the tassles on the balenciaga bags which end up splitting eventually and also show pale coloured edges compared to the rest of the bag.

This could be it.....maybe some are laid flat, and some aren't, which would cause the leather to not lay as completely flat as it could. ush:

I know I am suuuper picky...I wish I wasn't. But when you have bag a in one hand, and bag b in the other, it's hard not to notice the little subtleties.

 

[blugenie]

All interesting ideas. I agree the individual weave, storage and nappa vs nappa umbria play a role. Here's a thought that also popped into my head - I've heard it said about other bags but not specifically about BV so I don't know if it really applies or even if it's an urban myth >

When leather is dyed extreme colors whether lighter, darker or unnatural leather shades, it stiffens the leather. More natural colors are softer bags because they haven't received as much "treatment". My ebano Veneta is very similar to yours - it is by far my softest, most delicate BV in terms of fraying, curling, etc. Even brand new the Ebano Veneta wasn't nearly as firm and "flat" as other colored Venetas in Nero and Carmino which I've tried, for example. So I'm thinking this could also be a trait of Ebano which probably gets less of a dye-process and is not waxed like nappa umbria? Oh, and the lighter shade on the edge of the braiding - mine is just like that too - it's a more natural look than the uniformness of the black veneta., for better or worse

 

[B. Jara]

All interesting ideas. I agree the individual weave, storage and nappa vs nappa umbria play a role. Here's a thought that also popped into my head - I've heard it said about other bags but not specifically about BV so I don't know if it really applies or even if it's an urban myth >

When leather is dyed extreme colors whether lighter, darker or unnatural leather shades, it stiffens the leather. More natural colors are softer bags because they haven't received as much "treatment". My ebano Veneta is very similar to yours - it is by far my softest, most delicate BV in terms of fraying, curling, etc. Even brand new the Ebano Veneta wasn't nearly as firm and "flat" as other colored Venetas in Nero and Carmino which I've tried, for example. So I'm thinking this could also be a trait of Ebano which probably gets less of a dye-process and is not waxed like nappa umbria? Oh, and the lighter shade on the edge of the braiding - mine is just like that too - it's a more natural look than the uniformness of the black veneta., for better or worse

Makes sense to me! I have one more hopefully coming tomorrow ...I'll have two to choose from for the final selection.

 

[B. Jara]

B. Jara- i do see the difference between picture 1 and 2. i don't have the veneta so i'm not sure about the differences of the braid.
the only thing that could account for the differences is if one was umbria. but i don't think ebano or nero are umbria colors.
i guess it just proves that they are hand made and thus have slight differences from bag to bag. there isn't the uniformity of mass produced goods.

Which is a good thing!

 

[armcandyaddict]

hi b. jara, it looks like these differences can be attributed to several factors:
(1) venetas are handwoven and handstiched
(2) the leather is cut and dyed by hand
(3) the dyes used on the leather are natural vegetable based dyes
(4) leather reacts differently depending on the colour of the dye

i'm generally quite pleased with how my large ebano veneta as "matured" with use - i think the curling and rippling of the leather weave adds character to the bag. and i like how the bag has gotten slouchier with use. all these changes are like "trademarks" of my ownership of the bag, and i guess these same attributes are what make my veneta special to me.