It honestly doesn't look too bad. It looks like very soft leather, I'm sure with use as you stuff it with your belongings, more to it's left, it will begin to straighten out. Don't be sad, enjoy it if there's nothing you can do about it now. Classic flaps are harder to bring back to form since the flap portion has hard material in it, but I think with softer leather it will be easier to do. Which style bag is it? Is it a classic mini? I can't tell.
Chanel’s Rise & STALL: Defects, Difficulties & Deflection (formerly the 19 tote saga thread)
- Thread starter TraceySH
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I have taken it out of the box. You are right, the leather is good. The replacement they offered was inferior. The local boutique packed and stuffed it correctly. I am planning on returning it today. I should not have to talk myself into loving a $7000 purse and that it is okay. It just surprises me and I am disappointed. Hopefully there will be something good that rolls around in the next six months or so.
Update: I spoke with the boutique manager and she was able to get me a credit for this WOC at the new updated price. Now what should I get with the credit ♀️
Reality is that leather is not an expensive substance. Leather is inexpensive. If you compare the price tag of a fabric bag (classic or 19) to the price of a leather bag (classic or 19) the price tag is virtually the same! So the price you are paying is absolutely irrelevant to the materials you are getting. Obviously this is different when it comes to exotics, which we are not discussing at the moment.
The new leathers are obviously treated. Now, with technology, leathers are mixed with treatments and products to either prolong their wear, protect against scratches, rubbing of corners, and/or achieve different finishes that were not previously possible.
Is this cutting costs? Being cheap? Or trying to be innovative? All these different finishes, colors, textures that we have been seeing in the past 7-8 years were not previously possible.
I loved watching the lady rub Clorox and acetone on her 19. It made me feel more confident about abusing my 19 more. These are bags, not museum pieces. They need to be worn and not babied. I like the fact that Chanel is working at making something so expensive more durable.
How is this new “treated leather” that everyone is referring to different from spraying your bag with a leather protector? Isn’t it the same slippery slope? A gateway level of protection that leads down the rabbit hole of stronger and stronger chemicals to “ protect” the leather ? If I put a layer of protection on my leather, does that make my leather fake?
It’s clear that Chanel doesn’t make their leathers the way they used to. If you compare an old caviar bag to a new caviar bag, it is totally different. And what is the caviar finish? It is actually an engineered finish that Chanel has been using for years! No natural leather has that finish! This is exactly why caviar bags can’t be refinished.
Long story short: leather is cheap. It is not a limited resource. It is not rare and is easily found and produced across the globe. The cost amount of leather in any purse, even in a birkin is a micron fraction of the total cost.
End Ted talk
The new leathers are obviously treated. Now, with technology, leathers are mixed with treatments and products to either prolong their wear, protect against scratches, rubbing of corners, and/or achieve different finishes that were not previously possible.
Is this cutting costs? Being cheap? Or trying to be innovative? All these different finishes, colors, textures that we have been seeing in the past 7-8 years were not previously possible.
I loved watching the lady rub Clorox and acetone on her 19. It made me feel more confident about abusing my 19 more. These are bags, not museum pieces. They need to be worn and not babied. I like the fact that Chanel is working at making something so expensive more durable.
How is this new “treated leather” that everyone is referring to different from spraying your bag with a leather protector? Isn’t it the same slippery slope? A gateway level of protection that leads down the rabbit hole of stronger and stronger chemicals to “ protect” the leather ? If I put a layer of protection on my leather, does that make my leather fake?
It’s clear that Chanel doesn’t make their leathers the way they used to. If you compare an old caviar bag to a new caviar bag, it is totally different. And what is the caviar finish? It is actually an engineered finish that Chanel has been using for years! No natural leather has that finish! This is exactly why caviar bags can’t be refinished.
Long story short: leather is cheap. It is not a limited resource. It is not rare and is easily found and produced across the globe. The cost amount of leather in any purse, even in a birkin is a micron fraction of the total cost.
End Ted talk
I really, really agree with this.
Chanel is a fashion house that built its prestige thanks to its haute couture collections. Its bags are, before anything else, fashion bags that were never really intended to be used for the working woman of the 21st century. The original 2.55, worn by Coco Chanel on a number of photos, wasn't even made out of leather but in either jersey or satin - materials that wear very easily in bags and accessories. These bags were always meant to be enjoyed for leisure.
This doesn't excuse the defects in their leather bags. But I'm not sure Chanel is the best choice if you're looking for a bag that can withstand a lot of wear - even the leather ones, whether in caviar or lambskin, wrinkle, flatten around the edges and lose their puffiness when used regularly (all of the pristine vintage bags that are on for sale just weren't used that often or were taken care of to such an extent that I have doubts about whether the previous owner actually enjoyed them properly).
If Chanel is using different treatments and/or materials to prolong the esthetics of a bag (because I hate using the word "durability" when it comes to having the bag look as new as possible for as long as possible - for me, "durability" means that the bag won't fall apart), then why not? Isn't that the biggest complaint from most shoppers, that their bags have scuffs, wrinkles and tears? Unfortunately, leather is leather - even if it's much more resistant than satin and jersey, it doesn't matter if it's the highest grade possible, leather will scratch and lose its shape with use. Without use of some sort of treatment/finishing and/or synthetic materials, leather will continue to wear.
There's an overall trend these days where people think that "natural" and "handmade" mean "luxury" and that everything "synthetic" and "natural" is not. Would it surprise you to know that the mentality was completely different, for example, during the 1950s-80s when using the best that industrial sewing machines could provide and testing new synthetic materials were all the rage? In haute couture, for example, some of the stitching wasn't all done by hand - corseting inside of jackets and dresses, for example, was often made by industrial sewing machines because it was much more resistant than handmade ones. Lurex, a synthetic film, was and is still often used by the big houses like Chanel and Dior instead of solid gold and silver thread because gold thread is way too fragile, deforming with wear, and silver rusts!
But I do understand that if you've saved up and decided to buy a Chanel bag that you would expect the best quality. Thankfully, you can always exchange if there's a notable defect like an un uneven flap, stitching that's off or damaged hardware. Just know that even brands like Hermès have problems with their handmade leather bags - I had to exchange a Gold Constance 18 in Evercolor once because the white contrast stitching was so crooked and off everywhere! (And no, this isn't because it was hand stitched - a leather craftsman is capable of doing clean and consistent stitching, this is because Hermès bags, even though handmade, are produced on an industrial scale; the craftsmen have to respect deadlines and that shows in the finishings).
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The list goes on, we can debate natural vs synthetic in all domains: wood flooring, diamonds, hormone therapy…
Hopping in to share my quality issue experience. This was a lambskin Sweet Camellia seasonal flap bag that started peeling after 3-5 wears/3 weeks. My SA first told me this is normal wear and tear for lambskin, but eventually, I was able to get a store credit.
I've always been curious if this might be evidence that the bag was bonded leather. I'd love to hear opinions if anyone has any!
I've always been curious if this might be evidence that the bag was bonded leather. I'd love to hear opinions if anyone has any!
Hi,
How do we know then beforehand that our items bought from the Chanel boutique is or is not bonded leather?
I bought a seasonal flap and I am really scared
Me too. I’m glad I pushed back when they tried to brush it off. It was a long process to get a credit and so much trouble, but I’m glad with the outcome!
May I ask you when did you buy this bag. Unbelievable that this happens after 3 weeks of wear.