Hey everyone, I just got my first vintage Chanel from the early 90's. It's a classic double flap and I have a question regarding the stitching of the 2nd flap to the back of the bag. These stitches seem to 'sprout' I don't know any other way to describe it, they just loosen up. I hate the way it looks, it's like my bag is coming apart. I was wondering what best to do? I don't want to go to the Chanel store since I was mistreated there last time I came in...
Chanel Lambskin - how do I clean it/care for it?
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I really think the bag is absolutely beautiful. Can you post another but of the entire front and back? I used a very small dab of Cadillac cream and that worked well.
I actually love the look of your bag, what a beautiful color
Sorry for the delay; my internet is in and out 10 times an hour at best. I put my answers in with your questions in purple. Hope it helps.I get about the recommendation of the car shoes-I generally don't drive- I take public transportation wherever I go so thats really not a problem for me- but the SA at NM just really talked about the shoes as if they were really delicate and placing them comparable to suede when it came to durability.
I don't know why your SA said they were so delicate as to treat them with kid gloves and only wear them inside, but if a knowledgeable SA every told me that I could only wear a pair of shoes inside and only touch them with white gloves, I'd walk out empty handed. Shoes are for wearing, whether satin or patent or whatever.
Again I get that leather does show creases, but when I tried on Louboutin's they showed no wear, no nothing at all
except they will, if they are patent just like your aforementioned Ferragamo, and they will get nicks or scratches, and the red sole will not stay red unless you only wear them indoors. I've had Louboutin shoes made of patent, smooth leather, woven materials (plastic/leather, who knows), satin, satin/leather with crystals, you name it, and they have all pretty much worn the same.
(and it wasn't their patent heel)- again going back to the fact that lambskin is a softer leather compared to other designer leather shoes on the market.
I know I have quite a few pairs of Dior shoes made of lambskin; I'd check the other designers, but the shoes are still boxed up. I also have alligator and snake shoes; same thing as with any shoe. They are meant to be worn. Will I wear the alligator shoes walking through 3" of rocks? Probably not, but I will wear them on city streets and the like. Again, any shoes I buy are made for wearing, and if they can't do that, they aren't really shoes, they are just decorative objects.
The only nice designer leather shoe I have- my other two are patent, Lanvin and Ferragamo, is Cole Haan. Cole Haan is calfskin (I believe)
Cole Haan makes shoes of varied materials. The key here is that you were able to have them fixed by a cobbler. Far as my experience goes with cobblers, a good one can fix all kinds of things. I once had a cat who had an affinity for leather. I forgot and left out my brand new Judith Leiber shoes and went I went back in the room, half of one of the straps had been eaten. My cobbler fixed it so you really can't tell unless you look hard and closely; he even did the paint inside the strap to the right color. So a good cobbler is your feet and shoe's dearest friend. They can work on bags, too.
and I love the wear on it- I had a nick on it last year and a cobbler was able it fix it for $5- so I know shoes can be fixed, but calfskin compared to lambskin just seems much more durable , because its not as supple (I think thats the adjective I'm looking for...). Thats what started up this whole fiasco
The definition for supple is: bending and moving easily and gracefully; flexible. I'd say lambskin fits that definition. Is calf more durable than lamb? Yes, but that doesn't mean lamb is meant for only sheep to wear.
So how do you care for your Chanel lambskin pumps? Do you just wipe them with a soft cloth once you're done wearing them? Put anything special on them?
I treat them by wearing them. Only this year have I actually put any treatment on some of them, which is the same as I put now on some bags. I do wipe dirt off them, but I don't live where it snows and they put salt on the snow. If you do, then you should clean them more carefully and use products that will keep the salt from damaging the shoes; you might also want to waterproof them. There is much information in this thread about treating lambskin and much on the Hermes forum by Docride about treatment for exotics and calf.
Thanks so much for the advice!
Hi All:
I would like to tap your brains on the problem with my bag.
I just bought a preloved vintage classic flap (2 series). The lambskin leather looked 'dry' and has a brittle/whitish on the surface.
Did you try to determine what this brittle/whitish substance on the surface was? Could it have been mold? Was it raised or sunken or flush with the leather surface? Did you treat the white substance with anything before you began?
{ Kind of like my skin during winter} I thought the leather needs nourishment badly. So, thinking that I had learnt enough from the forum here, I went ahead with my rescue project. My partners-in-crime are the Cadillac Boot & Shoe Care and Meltonian Delicate (170).
As always advised by tutu, I did a patch test on a small area inside the flap and waited. An hour later, it looked fine.
It's always best to wait 24 hours, as that allows the leather to dry, and the full effects of the substance you are applying to finalize, so that you'll see the results fully. I'm glad that you did try the patch first, though, just give it longer.
And so I went ahead. Here are pictures I took with my iPhone. The first two pictures were the BEFORE and the rest are AFTER. As you can see, the bag has turned a shade darker. This is fine with me and the leather feels smoother too. BUT, if you look closely the last 5 pictures, the color distribution seem uneven.
Look closely at those first two photos again. I see uneven color distribution. Was this bag previously dyed or touched up in any manner? I see so many bags on ebay that are either fully dyed a new color or else patched up to look more "new."
And it is prone to scratches too - the 5th pic was a marking made by the chain strap and no matter how I massage that spot, it is still there. And the last picture next to CC demonstrates the original problem.
Any leather is going to be "prone to scratches" but with lamb, you can usually rub them out (not so for calf [i.e. caviar)]. That last photo has me again thinking that your bag may have had some kind of coating, whether mold or salt or something. Where did it come from?
What do you think I should do now. Give it another one over of Meltonian Delicate? Send it to a Spa? I don't want a dye work .. Try another product e.g. LMB?
The first thing you need to do is find out what that whitish coating is on the bag, and that will determine the next step. If it's mold, that has to be treated, as it won't go away and will come out from under anything you put on top.
OR maybe this is how vintage lambskin behaves?
No, it's not, and should not behave this way. I have a vintage white series 1 bag, and it doesn't do this.
Any input will be greatly appreciated. Thank you
Again, sorry for the delay; my internet is not reliable at all plus I don't get notifications. I hope this helps even though it's coming late. Your bag really is quite lovely.
A photo is always helpful in these situations, but without seeing it, and hearing that you don't want to take it to Chanel, ask the high end stores in your area that sell shoes and bags and ask them for the best cobbler in the area and go there with the bag.
Are you asking about the perforated silver (is this metallic) on the outside or the metallic satin on the inside of the bag?
The metallic satin on the inside. The outside is actually in really great condition but the inside is stained in a few spots.
That's a tough one, as satin stains so easily from liquids. Have you thought about asking your cleaners for suggestions on this (I know you can't have the lining dry cleaned, but they might have some great suggestions for you to clean it in situ, or even offer to do it--you really have to trust your cleaner to do this). Do you know what caused the spots? Are they dry and not going to affect anything you put inside the bag?
They are dry and definitely won't affect anything in the bag. Although I'm not sure where the stains came from because I bought it that way. I will definitely try my cleaners though and see if they have any suggestions!
Tutu, I saw from Docride thread that she suspect meltonian all purpose cleaner might have silicon so I am not sure if I should go ahead and buy the cream, afraid there is silicone inside. Mine is a 80s vintage lambskin flap.
She also don't suggest OB on lambskin, in this case, how should I waterproof the bag?
She also don't suggest OB on lambskin, in this case, how should I waterproof the bag?
I don't know which product you are referring to as OB; is it Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP? I've only used that on calf personally and would never recommend that for lambskin. You mention the Meltonian all purpose; the one I usually recommend is the one in the little jar, the 170 Delicate which is not the same product or composition as the lotion, but that's not for waterproofing. If you wish to waterproof, I use Collonil or Cadillac, same as the Chanel SA's use.
Hihi, thks for your reply! Yes, OB heavy duty LP! Thks for the heads up on Cadillac!
I'm so sorry, of course pictures would help. I made some, hopefully it clears my problem up a bit. My first thought is to simply cut it off, but I don't know werther that is the best thing to do.
http://i61.tinypic.com/2ic4i3d.jpg
http://i62.tinypic.com/2qsyskn.jpg
Apologies for not quoting, my mobile browser did not provide quotes.
http://i61.tinypic.com/2ic4i3d.jpg
http://i62.tinypic.com/2qsyskn.jpg
Apologies for not quoting, my mobile browser did not provide quotes.
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