Chevre (goatskin) vs Agneau (lambskin)
- Thread starter Oh Donna!
- Start date
I AGREE WITH DEMI. IF YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES AND FEEL THE GOAT AND LAMB, YOU CAN TELL THE DIFFERENCE.
Can you really?
I'm not so sure.
I think much is made of the superior quality of goat chevre leather over nappa lambskin. However, I think it's very misleading as we all know that there are some years - 04/05 - in which produced sumptuous chevre as opposed to 06 (sorry), which most people thought was a really bad chevre year.
The best quality goatskin is kid leather, which is young, supple, glossy, with visible pores, but marks as soon as you breathe on it LOL. I don't think that Balenciaga ever used kid leather in the past. I think they used an older goat. What we all like about Balenciaga leather is the combination of lightness with strength and fantastic distressing.
Nappa leather is amazing, having different characteristics, such as being matt, therefore not showing scratches etc. I believe it's a thicker than goat, with a greater tendency to wrinkle.
I think Balenciaga lovers are too dismissive of lambskin. If lambskin is inferior quality, I don't think Chanel, Chloe etc would used this skin for their finest bags and Lanvin for their pumps. It's not the type of skin that's good or bad, but it's the quality of the skin.
IMHO the F/W08 (nappa) leather Bbags were gorgeous, especially the bigger bags such as the work. I like both chevre and lambskin for their particular qualities. I think it will be a matter of time before we know how well the nappa wears over the years, but I like the idea that the Balenciaga bag is subtly evolving due to the use of different skins.
Can you really?
I'm not so sure.
I think much is made of the superior quality of goat chevre leather over nappa lambskin. However, I think it's very misleading as we all know that there are some years - 04/05 - in which produced sumptuous chevre as opposed to 06 (sorry), which most people thought was a really bad chevre year.
The best quality goatskin is kid leather, which is young, supple, glossy, with visible pores, but marks as soon as you breathe on it LOL. I don't think that Balenciaga ever used kid leather in the past. I think they used an older goat. What we all like about Balenciaga leather is the combination of lightness with strength and fantastic distressing.
Nappa leather is amazing, having different characteristics, such as being matt, therefore not showing scratches etc. I believe it's a thicker than goat, with a greater tendency to wrinkle.
I think Balenciaga lovers are too dismissive of lambskin. If lambskin is inferior quality, I don't think Chanel, Chloe etc would used this skin for their finest bags and Lanvin for their pumps. It's not the type of skin that's good or bad, but it's the quality of the skin.
IMHO the F/W08 (nappa) leather Bbags were gorgeous, especially the bigger bags such as the work. I like both chevre and lambskin for their particular qualities. I think it will be a matter of time before we know how well the nappa wears over the years, but I like the idea that the Balenciaga bag is subtly evolving due to the use of different skins.
VERY well stated. As a Chanel lover and collector, I have several agneau bags that have held up beautifully with frequent use. I happen to love the agneau leather on my 08 Bal bags. I remember shopping at Barneys in spring of 06 and hating the leather on the bbags. They were super distressed, veiny, crispy and dry. I had an 03 caramel first that was so distressed the leather cracked and NM exchanged it for another. Agneau is change, and some hard-core Bal lovers are resistant to the change from chevre to agneau.
I have seven bags from '06 and all of them have DIVINE leather---thick, smooth, smooshy. My Sapin Work and Rouge VIF Courier stand shoulder to shoulder with my 05 bags. I guess I'd have to see these sub standard 06 bags that y'all talk about...none of them belongs to me.
I've got an electric blue makeup (agneau) which is silky smooth, a black cp (chevre) that feels thick and a pre-loved black city (f/w 06 - can I assume it's chevre? - i don't have the tag). The chevre cp (i think it is an 07?) is jet black and feels thicker but it isn't worn in. The used 06 city is faded and veiny but well broken in and very soft - the worn parts almost feel like suede.
Can anyone else confirm 06 cities are chevre? I think either leather's good. I actually like the silkiness of the agneau although it does feel thin I think agneau owners here can attest to it being strong.
Can anyone else confirm 06 cities are chevre? I think either leather's good. I actually like the silkiness of the agneau although it does feel thin I think agneau owners here can attest to it being strong.
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They started using some agneau at the end of 2007 in the Limited Edition Fall/Winter Collection. I have a jaune brief that is agneau and I know that some violet is agneau. I don't think all the bags in that collection, or even all the bags of one color in that collection, are agneau, but some of them are.
Wow! after taking a hiatus from Bal for a while,coming back to it, and reading all 48 pages of this thread I must say that I agree with the ladies who commented on the leather change due to Bal/Gucci group cutting costs and not wanting to alert their consumers due to fear of losing profits. I've been through many bal bags from 2001-2006 and after paying a visit to NM today ladies there is a difference! these bags feel papery, the colours look flat! it's sad really..JMHO
I used to be a chèvre only girl, the 08 S/S bags were a big disappointment for me, the bags i've seen in real life in paris were mostly with flaws and dry leather. then 09 bags seem to look much better. i've seen some really great leather like automne, and my black gsh work! in 08 there were some great agneau bags too, but they were just a few. i picked my charbon GSH pt out of 9-10 bags and mine has a great agneau leather.
some chèvre bags were really bad too. so i guess you need to pick the best leather and be lucky. The best chèvre leather i've ever seen is Vert foncé.
some chèvre bags were really bad too. so i guess you need to pick the best leather and be lucky. The best chèvre leather i've ever seen is Vert foncé.
Hi,
I've been bbag hunting for my HGs and 2 of the SAs I've spoken to (Andrea from NM DC, Michoux from NM SF) swear that Balenciaga has NEVER changed its leather, only the name of the leather on the card. They say it has always been lambskin. They both said that if I walk into a Bal boutique I will hear a similar story from the SAs there. Have you girls been told this before???
Michoux also said that the leather on 09 bags is actually thicker (??) than 07 (at least the 07 that she has) and that extra tassels are no longer included because the tassels now are also stronger/more reinforced. Since I only have 09 bags, anyone care to give their opinion?
I've been bbag hunting for my HGs and 2 of the SAs I've spoken to (Andrea from NM DC, Michoux from NM SF) swear that Balenciaga has NEVER changed its leather, only the name of the leather on the card. They say it has always been lambskin. They both said that if I walk into a Bal boutique I will hear a similar story from the SAs there. Have you girls been told this before???
Michoux also said that the leather on 09 bags is actually thicker (??) than 07 (at least the 07 that she has) and that extra tassels are no longer included because the tassels now are also stronger/more reinforced. Since I only have 09 bags, anyone care to give their opinion?
Oh dear.. there are plenty of threads of Chevre VS. Agneau.
They did NOT always use Agneau, they did use Chevre which is why its so coveted. Goat skin versus Lamb skin...
edit: okay, so where is that one really long thread about Chevre VS. Agneau that almost all of us contributed in...? I can't find it?
They did NOT always use Agneau, they did use Chevre which is why its so coveted. Goat skin versus Lamb skin...
edit: okay, so where is that one really long thread about Chevre VS. Agneau that almost all of us contributed in...? I can't find it?
