2008 Leather- Hoping for info.

[BPC]

Yesterday I took out my 2008 GSH Marine, and 2011 GSH Black to compare colors.
I also happened to notice the huge difference in leather. For one, my 2011 black is absolutely stunning. Thick, soft, pliable. Just beautiful. My 2008 Marine looks fake by comparison. It's smooth, and looks like plastic.

In fact, I got it into my paranoid head that maybe it is plastic and the folks at Yoogi's were duped. So I googled how to check for real leather. It passed some of the tests, most notable, that real leather absorbs water, while it just rolls off plastic.
Anyway, I digress per usual..

So I've read here that 2008 leather is supposed to be good. Can someone who currently owns 2008 bags, or has and remembers what the leather was like, let me know it's characteristics? Mine is smooth, stiff and feels like plastic. It's also a bit dry.

You can see the difference a bit in this pic. The Marine is stiff. It's also three years older, and with more wear than my Black so you would think it should melt into a puddle of leather when it's sitting- but nope.

So calling all 2008 ladies that have or had them at one time, is this normal? Is it season dependent? Or was 2008 a hit or miss year?

 

[ksuromax]

It was a year of major change, from chevre to agneau, lots of mixed up batches
I have a 2008 Vermillion WE, thick, supple and smooth leather

 

[ksuromax]

Here it is

 

[Iamminda]

I just compared my 2008 amethyst with 2011 BL. I noticed the amethyst looked shinier and felt like there might be a thin layer/coating of something on top of the leather compared to the feel of the BL. Both were bought in excellent condition so it's not like the BL faded due to use. I don't think the amethyst felt plasticky per se but just not as soft as the BL.

 

[SomethingGoodCanWork]

My one black City is from 2011 (F/W), like yours, and though my Bal leather experience is very limited, I couldn't have asked for lovelier leather. While searching for this Bal beauty I made some notes after obsessively looking at as many posts- and pics- about Bal leather as I could find. These notes for 2008 simply say:
2008 S/S NO!!!
2008 F/W Fine!
These intricate and detailed notes on 2008 probably pertain mostly to black Bal leather (2008 S/S being the infamous season of black Bals allegedly turning into green swamp thangs) so am not sure if they describe other 2008 colours/leathers as well.

 

[BPC]

Thanks for replying guys.

My Marine looks like your Vermillion @ksuromax in that it's shinier and smooth. But mine isn't supple, nor is it thick. My 2004 Pumpkin is on the smoother side, but it's thick, chewy, and oh so supple. My Marine is nothing like that.

I think you're on to something @Iamminda - maybe there is a coating on top of the leather giving it that feel that I consider plasticky. Just doesn't feel like leather to me. It also feels thin.

I did see pics of other bags from 2008 that had the same shiny, smooth look so I guess that wasn't uncommon then. Since I love the color, I'm going to keep it. But I think I may be looking for another one.

@SomethingGoodCanWork mine is F/W 2008. Unless of course it's Officer. Still unsure..lol..

 

[Iamminda]

Yes, forgot to mention my 2008 is thin but don't think it is any thinner than my other agneau bags

 

[BPC]

Yes, forgot to mention my 2008 is thin but don't think it is any thinner than my other agneau bags

Interesting.
Mine felt thinner. But I'm going to check again when I get home.

 

[ksuromax]

My WE is a big bag, i guess that could be the reason why a tad thicker leather was used for it, just to provide durability for its size and purpose. My 2009 Street us also made of thick and smooth agneau, but it's still a hair thinner than WE. I love it!

 

[ksuromax]

Took a couple of snaps outdoors, there are a few wrinkles on the sides, but front and back leather is very smooth

 

[CeeJay]

Okay .. so, here I go ..

As a previous poster noted, 2008 was a year of big change in the leather. I found that quite a few of the 2008 S/S bags had FABULOUS leather that was more reminiscent of the Chevre 2007 beauties .. however, while my Vert Thyme has wonderful leather, my Rouge Vermillion .. not so much. The same with the 2008 F/W leather - not consistent (my Black Cherry & Rubisse - YUMMY, while some others - nope!).

Here's my take .. I have found (and this true pretty much after 2004); something about the color and the dyes that Balenciaga used TOTALLY affects the leather. For instance, other than the early Yellow bags ('03, '04 - where the color saturation is beautiful and the leather remained soft) .. after that, all the yellows that Balenciaga did beyond those early years .. YUCK! The leather was always dry, tough and rather plastic looking. The same holds for some of the Reds .. the Rouge Vermillion was predominantly not great.

I also had the '08 Marine (some years back in a Giant-HW Part-Time) and it killed me to sell that bag because the leather was SUPERB, but I have also seen some where it was more a miss than a hit! I also found that [sometimes] the "batch" determined the leather. Remember, during Balenciaga's heyday, they had to produce the bags in batches and sometimes, the leather that they got was just not great. I oftentimes found that the "first" batch had feh leather; but the 2nd batch was always better (not sure why .. just providing some history).

Alas, I found that the only way that I could truly buy a bag, was to see it in person. Strangely enough, the bags that I have which do not have the best leather .. yup, bought them online.

 

[BPC]

Took a couple of snaps outdoors, there are a few wrinkles on the sides, but front and back leather is very smooth

Thanks for the additional pics. Yours looks smooshy, the way I like my Bals. Lovely bag.

 

[ksuromax]

Thanks for the additional pics. Yours looks smooshy, the way I like my Bals. Lovely bag.

Thanks

 

[BPC]

Okay .. so, here I go ..

As a previous poster noted, 2008 was a year of big change in the leather. I found that quite a few of the 2008 S/S bags had FABULOUS leather that was more reminiscent of the Chevre 2007 beauties .. however, while my Vert Thyme has wonderful leather, my Rouge Vermillion .. not so much. The same with the 2008 F/W leather - not consistent (my Black Cherry & Rubisse - YUMMY, while some others - nope!).

Here's my take .. I have found (and this true pretty much after 2004); something about the color and the dyes that Balenciaga used TOTALLY affects the leather. For instance, other than the early Yellow bags ('03, '04 - where the color saturation is beautiful and the leather remained soft) .. after that, all the yellows that Balenciaga did beyond those early years .. YUCK! The leather was always dry, tough and rather plastic looking. The same holds for some of the Reds .. the Rouge Vermillion was predominantly not great.

I also had the '08 Marine (some years back in a Giant-HW Part-Time) and it killed me to sell that bag because the leather was SUPERB, but I have also seen some where it was more a miss than a hit! I also found that [sometimes] the "batch" determined the leather. Remember, during Balenciaga's heyday, they had to produce the bags in batches and sometimes, the leather that they got was just not great. I oftentimes found that the "first" batch had feh leather; but the 2nd batch was always better (not sure why .. just providing some history).

Alas, I found that the only way that I could truly buy a bag, was to see it in person. Strangely enough, the bags that I have which do not have the best leather .. yup, bought them online.

Thanks for weighing in, CeeJay.

I'm glad to hear that there were indeed many duds in 08, and it wasn't just my terrible luck.

I absolutely agree with being able to see a bag before purchasing to choose your leather. Unfortunately, those of us late to Bal can't get some of the older colors without buying pre-loved, so choices are limited
Just wish it wasn't with one of my fave colors.

 

[muchstuff]

Thanks for weighing in, CeeJay.

I'm glad to hear that there were indeed many duds in 08, and it wasn't just my terrible luck.

I absolutely agree with being able to see a bag before purchasing to choose your leather. Unfortunately, those of us late to Bal can't get some of the older colors without buying pre-loved, so choices are limited
Just wish it wasn't with one of my fave colors.

I have an 08 marine day and a courier, both with super soft smooshy leather, the day a little more so. One of my fave colours as well. I'm sure there were good and bad leathers every year. But another thought...it could also be the way a bag was stored and the climate it was stored in, no?