Can I be obsessive again about Brooke?

toby11

O.G.
Feb 23, 2009
4,961
9
I haven't returned my Quartz Brooke yet, but I was out shopping today and saw a number of Quartz Brookes on display at the mall and looked at all of them. And what I noticed is that the leather varies quite a bit from bag to bag. One bag looked hardly pebbled at all, it was almost smooth, while others had varying degrees of pebbling, some with "larger grain" (not sure if that's the right phrase, lol) and some with smaller. I know pebbled leather can vary, but this seemed like quite a bit of variation, and it really changed the look of the bag to me. The one that hardly looked pebbled was especially gorgeous, the smaller-grain ones were still quite beautiful, but some of the "larger grain" pebbled leather looked a bit faded and dry - the Brooke I got looks this way, and I think this is part of why I wasn't thrilled with it. I may be able to get over the hardware, but not both hardware and leather.

So now I'm thinking instead of returning my Brooke, I may take it in to my boutique and make them bring out all of their Quartz Brookes so I can pick the best one. If they don't have any good ones, I have 3 or 4 other boutiques within 30 minutes, so I can make the rounds. The really beautiful one I saw was at Macy's on display, but at FP I'd prefer to buy from the boutique because of the return policy, and I don't like to buy display bags.

Am I too obsessed, or is this just normal for a Coach addict? :P
 
I noticed the same thing! I saw a Brooke in Eggplant at Macys and didn't care for it so much but at the Coach boutique they had one that was almost smooth leather and it slouched much better! And, it had a beautiful shimmer!

I think you should exchange it for a smoother version!
 
Me too, still undecided about mine. It looked to me like the type of leather that would vary. I would not feel funny about doing so....I think if the hw is not a problem for you, that you should be able to find one in the leather you like. My leather is quite nice I think. The one on display (for only a day) in my boutique had that dried out look.
 
I noticed the same thing! I saw a Brooke in Eggplant at Macys and didn't care for it so much but at the Coach boutique they had one that was almost smooth leather and it slouched much better! And, it had a beautiful shimmer!

I think you should exchange it for a smoother version!

Thanks! I hate to make the SAs go through this exercise with me, but I guess it's that or a refund. They know me pretty well by now so hopefully they won't mind too much. It bothers me way too much to keep the Brooke I have.
 
For the amount these bags are, I don't think they should have so many variations in the same style of bag.

ITA, I don't like that the bags vary like this. The Parker Hippie leather, for example, seems to be all the same (except for those weird spots on some of the lighter colors). But if I find a really nice Brooke it will be worth it! :biggrin:
 
For the amount these bags are, I don't think they should have so many variations in the same style of bag.

ITA! I can't imagine why Coach would allow them to be so varied. It sounds like some of them should be "seconds." Which, not to hijack a thread, is what would typically end up discounted in an outlet (rather than MFF bags, etc).

I haven't seen the Brooke IRL yet... but was really looking forward to it. Now I wonder just how happy I will be when I do see it.
 
ITA! I can't imagine why Coach would allow them to be so varied. It sounds like some of them should be "seconds." Which, not to hijack a thread, is what would typically end up discounted in an outlet (rather than MFF bags, etc).

I haven't seen the Brooke IRL yet... but was really looking forward to it. Now I wonder just how happy I will be when I do see it.

Hijack away! Though I don't want the faded/dried-out Brooke even at outlet price, lol.

Just make sure you look at several so you get a good idea of which "variation" you like. It really does change the look and the color as well.
 
I never really noticed that before! Good eye. I just saw the Brooke IRL at the Macy's and thought they were all beautiful, but I didn't look that closely at the details mentioned. Now I feel motivated to look at them more closely when PCE rolls around.
 
I really think it a good idea to bring bring out the Brooke and let you choose.. At my boutique they do that for me since they know I'm very OCD about it.. One time it took over 30 min to look over the purple Garnet.. Garnet have smooth leather, the second one it smooth but some tiny tiny scratches on it, and the 3rd one is smooth leather but with one fist size it's pebble leather.. If I'm going to be paying money for it, I want the best if not near perfect bag..
 
I'm so glad you said that, I thought it was just me being way too picky (as I can be!)! I ended up with the signature because at the boutique all of the leathers in the color I wanted seemed like what you're describing, yet the other colors seemed very smooth and shiny for lack of a better word. If you like the bag itself I wouldn't hesitate to have them let you look around for one you like, it's a big investment! If you get a good SA they'll understand. Good luck!!
 
Toby11, I definitely think that you should ask the SAs to bring out all of the bags for you to examine. I do that with all of my bags, but esp., the Brookes, which, as you indicated, have such variability in terms of the leather. I always feel a bit guilty, but most of my SAs have been soooo kind and understanding.

Good luck! Hope you end up with a Brooke that you love!
 
Quartz Brookes sound gorgeous... You are a normal shopper. When I pay for any item I want to get the item I really want and if I discover that it is not what I truely want I will change it.. You are spending your money on it and it should me to your taste.