05 and 06 Choco Paddington comparison

[Serenity Now]

I've been thinking of getting a chocolate in the standard Paddington and was wondering about the differences in the 05 and 06 chocs. I know the cotton lining colours are different - beige for 05 and dark brown for 06 but what about the leather colour? Are there any differences? Like does the 05 have more of a reddish tinge, or is the 06 darker, richer brown, etc?? I know a girl locally who may be wanting to sell her 05 choco Paddy but I don't know if the colour is as deep and rich as the 06.

 

[roey]

I think I can answer this for you having gone through several chocolate Paddingtons!

Both seasons have a red undertone but the 05 season is much stronger than 06, at least from my experience. You can especially see the differences in natural light. My 05 satchel looks reddish-brown in natural light and under flash but under florescent lighting and on cloudy days, it takes on more brown than red.

I bought and then returned an 06 chocolate satchel that was a darker brown than the 05. It had a very subtle red undertone. The leather was stiffer too; the bag almost looked fake because the leather was not soft and slouchy.

My 06 chocolate bowler is a rich brown with the slightest tinge of red. All the chocolate shades have this red undertone, but it appears to be less in the 06 bags, and could quite possibly vary per bag. The best thing to do is compare several until you find one you like.

 

[annabelle]

Does anyone on this forum have a 2005 choco paddy pic that they can post so we can compare the slouchiness of the leather? I posted a pic of my 2006 from LVR but it still had the tissue in it. It just completly deflates without anything in it. Also, I returned two 2006 choco paddys to Nordy's and one of them was a lot more pebbly and slouchy than the other so I'm thinking there is just a slight variation in the leather...my LVR choco is a very rich, deep brown color indoors but out in the sun it has a very slight burgundy undertone...

 

[style101]

Does anyone on this forum have a 2005 choco paddy pic that they can post so we can compare the slouchiness of the leather? I posted a pic of my 2006 from LVR but it still had the tissue in it. It just completly deflates without anything in it. Also, I returned two 2006 choco paddys to Nordy's and one of them was a lot more pebbly and slouchy than the other so I'm thinking there is just a slight variation in the leather...my LVR choco is a very rich, deep brown color indoors but out in the sun it has a very slight burgundy undertone...

To be honest, I don't think pics will help in this particular instance. Roey stated it perfectly above: the chocolate's seem to vary more in tone from bag to bag than they do from 2005 to 2006 season. I've done some in-depth comparisons on these just as Roey has with my own bags - although the red undertone is maybe a "hair" more subtle in the 2006 bags, it's still there. The difference is more apparent in the leather - more of the 2006 bags are stiff. So while you can definitely still locate a softer, pebbly one, the majority do seem to be stiffer, smoother leather. Bottom line, examining isolated pics of 2005 vs. 2006 just isn't going to answer the question - it's more individual variation from bag to bag.

 

[Serenity Now]

Wow, thanks everyone!!! Great explanations . Yeah, I'm getting a good picture of the differences from what's been said. I kinda had that inkling too that the 06 choco is somewhat of a deeper choc with a bit less red in it. I prefer that. I like a rich chocolate mudcake colour, lol!! Agree that pics won't be too helpful in this situation as lighting, camera settings, etc can affect the pics and it's not a vast difference b/n the colours, just very subtle shade ones.

Thanks again!

 

[pseub]

I have an 06 Choco paddy, and was surprised when I saw one at Barney's a couple of weeks ago how much different the leather was from mine. Mine is much more rough and pebbly and smooshy, that one was smoother and felt a little stiffer. And both were 06 Choco. I think the bags must vary from one leather lot to another.

 

[loren]

Mine is an 06 that I got in January so maybe it's an early model 06 and it is very soft smooshy leather and pebbly and it has a lot of red undertones, so maybe spring 06 is different than late winter 06. I love my choco paddy

 

[Serenity Now]

Thanks Pseub and Loren!

Hmm, it's got me thinking..
Those of you with the 06 choco paddy, are all your linings in dark brown or are there any 06's with beige lining, depending on the season?

 

[tod]

My 06 choco has a dark brown lining.

 

[doulosforhim]

To be honest, I don't think pics will help in this particular instance. Roey stated it perfectly above: the chocolate's seem to vary more in tone from bag to bag than they do from 2005 to 2006 season. I've done some in-depth comparisons on these just as Roey has with my own bags - although the red undertone is maybe a "hair" more subtle in the 2006 bags, it's still there. The difference is more apparent in the leather - more of the 2006 bags are stiff. So while you can definitely still locate a softer, pebbly one, the majority do seem to be stiffer, smoother leather. Bottom line, examining isolated pics of 2005 vs. 2006 just isn't going to answer the question - it's more individual variation from bag to bag.

i agree

 

[roey]

Oh, yes, the lining. The 05 has an off-white/beige lining and the 06 has a dark brown lining. On the 06 I returning, the lining was much stiffer, which contributed to a more supportive base (and possibly the stiffer feeling of the leather) - the bag stood more upright with nothing inside.