New Birkin Lover-Arrived :D

empressjulz

empressjulz

Jetsetter
Jan 15, 2009
130
0
#1
Hi Everyone,

I've been reading the forum for the past couple of weeks and figured hey, join in the fun :wlae:

I'm contemplating a new acquisition in the form of a birkin or a jpg. I believe I have the means to invest in one in the coming months but want to take the time thinking about things carefully, and judging by the level of expertise here, I'd say I'm in the right place to throw a couple of questions if I have any :graucho:

I'll list some thoughts I have right now:

1. I like the look of the box calf but am afraid of the scratches. Also, I do not know what is the difference between the box calf before and after the patina develops. I have experienced this with LV trimmings and handles, but am not aware of the experience on coloured leathers such as this one. What exactly happens?

2. Colours... do I go for a plain classy black a-la-Jane Birkin, or stick to something more colourful like an orange? I do love orange but I fear the versatility.

3. Size.... is a 35 too overbearing for someone with my stature? I'm 172cm, curvy but not fat.

I hope I'm posting in the right place!

Looking forward to enjoying my stay :rolleyes:
 
#3
Hi and welcome.

1. Sorry I can answer your questions about Box, but hopefully others will.
2. Between black and orange, they are both nice AND classic colors, but for me, I would get more use out of Black.
3. 172cm? Thats tall (to me). Im only 158.5cm and I carry a 35cm.

But I just want you to know, when it comes to size and color, its a personal preference. You need to see colors and try on bags in real life to know what you like. Also, H has SOOOO many other great things than just the Birkin and Kelly. There is so much information here on this forum.
 
#4
Hi! Welcome!!
I got my first BBB recently, so I know the rush of questions when you finally decide to get one!
This is the best place to get help on that front.

As I am not too familiar with box (though I find it drool-worthy) I'll let the box experts comment.

Re colours, there is only one rule: follow your heart. You are the only one who knows what you want. It depends on your lifestyle, the colours you like to wear, where you live, and also, ultimately, on whether or not you think this will be the first in a larger collection. I personally prefer what I call the special H neutrals, such as Raisin (the colour of my BBB), Prune, Graphite, Parchemin, Gris T, Etoupe, etc etc. All colours which, without being black, are still extremely versatile. Though I think I will get a black beauty at some point.

Finally size. I am 158cm, US size 4 to 6, and my so far only BBB is a 35. It doesn't feel overbearing at all. It is the perfect size to take all my stuff around and to host my ever-growing H rainbow. Again it is a question of lifestyle, I am a relatively young finance professional and am always running or flying around sometimes dropping to continental Europe for just an intra-day trip, and having the room to fit a laptop and a few A4 folders is very very handy.

Voila. Good luck in finding your baby, it was an amazing experience for me and I made really cool friends along the way here on TPF.
 
#5
Welcome!!

I can really only help you with one of your questions, because size & color are really only decisions that can be made by you, but let me just say that Box leather is fabulous!! Of course, you can see scratches---so if that would make you crazy it is probably not for you---but most of the scratches can be buffed out at the spa & simply become part of the wonderful patina.

The patina, as I understand it, simply means that the surface of the leather acquires a shiny depth to it.

I hope that helps & good luck!!! :smile:
 
#6
Doesn't really matter, just get one then build your wardrobe around it. Trust me, that's where we all end up........ so shall YOU

Considered yourself :mad:WARNED:mad:
 
#8
Welcome!

If you will only have one, I would pick black. But orange is a classic color too in a way. But, as stated by Purse-o-holic, it is soooo personal. It's really fun to go to the store and 'feel' the colors and leathers in the leather book.
 
#9
It depends on your taste and coloring/wardrobe. I have several H bags, and none of them are black! But they are all, as Little H described, H-neutrals: a raisin, an ebene and a gold. Raisin is AWESOME and my favorite of the three. They're also different leathers (clemence, chevre and togo), but I don't like scratches, so I cannot advise on box.

Have fun!
 
#10
Hi Everyone!

What a delightful welcome, I feel at home already, thank you all :smile:

The issue I'm having is... I'm loving about EVERY birkin I see, tee hee hee :nuts:

I even find the bolide, lindy, jpg and kelly all drool worthy :smile:

With regards to the leather the SA at the Petronas Twin Towers store was biased towards togo. She mentioned box calf is succeptible to scratches and customers do not always appreciate that.

I can understand why togo sells big time in Asia as opposed to the other leathers, Asians have a sense of practicality in that sense, if I am spending a bomb I want to make sure I'm getting my money's worth - it's gotta be able to take the punches and last me forever. :boxing:

We should have some kind of an Hermes Leather quiz to help newbies determine what kind of leather suits them best... like a cosmo quiz :tispy:
 
#11
Don't forget to ask yourself do you want a slouchy soft looking birkin or a rigid upright one?That will also determine what leather you want to chose.Don't forget Vache Liegee or epsom (I hope I spelt that right).That one keeps it shape so I hear.
 
#12
another consideration leather-wise is what keeps better in malaysia's humidity....will togo or clemence absorb too much moisture over time??

Another consideration 30 vs. 35 is how heavy the bag will be... for me both 35 and 30 look fine, but I absolutely cannot carry a 35 togo or clemence (even empty) for any length of time.

At your height you will probably find the 30 and 35 work well too, I'd recommend trying the different sizes on to see what feels right to you.
 
#13
hi empress,
i would love a box birkin, but as my first, i opted for clemence. remember malaysia=rain!

in my case, i will venture towards box ( as i'm sure i will if i continue to surf tPF:heart:) only once i'm comfortable with bashing my birks around KL.

color wise..depends on your wardrobe. if you wear blacks/neutrals, a pop of color would look good, but if you wear lotsa colors, a nice neutral would balance it well.

i'm shorter than you, and there was a time i wanted a 30, but in the end, the 35 does look good on me, so i'd guess a 35 would suit you(you're quite tall).

best of luck in finding the ONE.
 
#14
Hi Empress, Welcome first of all :smile: With regards to a box birkin, I own one and live out here in this beautifully hot humid country of ours lol and can attest to the fact that my box is fine and well. Obviously as galileo pointed out, we do get a lot of rain, however I don't really find that to be a problem because we take our cars everywhere and there are basement carparks for almost every shopping mall in KL as we all know lol..

I absolutely love my BBB which I first bought when I was 21. And it has grown with me and just gets better with age and time. The Patina that develops just makes it more special each year with usage. I have some scratches but I feel thats what gives it character and depth :yes:

However, that said I also own clemence and togo in birkins and kellys and they are just as divine. It really depends on your personal taste as well as lifestyle. I do make use of my BBB but at the same time its not a workhorse bag that I throw around everywhere though I am not too careful with it either. I'm sorry, I feel as though I'm not helping! lol

Btw, I also own a JPG and I find that it is not as useful as a 35 believe it or not. Though you can swing it over your shoulder, its quite a tricky one. The turnkey gets in the way of your arm and once its stuffed with things, it doesnt make it any easier to carry it over the shoulder. As someone in this thread said earlier, go to the boutique and go through the leatherbook to get a feel for the different kinds of leather, as well as look at the other bags on display. This is all the fun part and makes for the arrival of your birkin somewhat more special :yahoo: Good luck and do keep us posted!
 
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