Do you think it’s hard to go back to purchasing other brands after owning Chanel?

[880]

There are actually haute maroquinerie brands, other than Hermes, even more reclusive-exclusive aka the ‘either you know it or you don’t‘ types.

Maroquinerie is now the new buzz word, but most of Hermes and chanel are simply mass made (which I define machine stitched, like Evelynes, picotins and a bunch of other popular bags. A 61 page thread by @TraceySH, with lots of useful info by @ntntgo and others, put to rest the idea that a CF or reissue was made by hand. https://forum.purseblog.com/threads...ion-formerly-the-19-tote-saga-thread.1054427/

I would argue that any premier luxury brand cannot afford to offer only hand stitched maroquinerie bc they have to afford advertising; real estate; and other expenses unrelated to the craft. Of the lesser known (than Hermes) top quality brands, there are lots, including Loewe, Moynat, BV, Delvaux, or others that employ talented niche designers like Ramesh N, JPG, Martin Margiela, Isaac Reina, et al. Many of them were trained as former H artisans or employ former H artisans.

But, the top brands can afford the best and brightest designers willing to work under the label of another (the most famous of all was KL). And I would argue that KL himself defined CHANEL foremost as a fashion house. (I assume though I do not know for certain that Chanel’s emphasis on RTW is one reason why the first (and IMO the best) bags were made of lambskin. Unlike many others here, i find chanel lambskin to be lush and relatively durable. But I don’t expect my bags to look new forever.

I remember an article where he famously said something to the effect that fashion bags, like his, are an expression of the moment, not meant to last forever. I’m in the minority on TPF that has the good fortune not to experience much reduction in quality from my bags from 1990-2020. I simply think that those of us who buy vintage bags, do not always account for the fact that they bought bags that were treasured by their owners and not worn as much. If a vintage bag was treasured and worn for special occasions in its first life, of course it will be in far better condition than a new bag worn every day to reduce cost per wear.

Same bag on my list

There are many brands that are more exclusive than Hermes or chanel, but none as well known or status signifying.

Threads on TPF include the aforementioned threads with bags from lots of TPFers including @Tasha1, @etoupebirkin , @Christofle

Joseph Duclos Thread

OK guys, what do we know? Asking for a friend (who looks like me but with more money) @880 ? @Christofle ? https://josephduclos.com/collections/sac-a-main

forum.purseblog.com

Duret bag

My journey for an exotic bag started a couple years ago. I spent enough time on my research. I found loads of information on this forum and I am very thankful two ladies Tracey SH and 880 who helped me enormously in this journey. The bag that appealed to me was on the Duret site. I liked her...

forum.purseblog.com

“Dream” Come True: Going Bespoke with Atelier Peter Nitz — Instead of Hermes Quota Bag

Last Spring, I inquired with my Hermes home store (Washington, DC) about a 25cm Retourné Kelly to commemorate a major life accomplishment. Since I am no longer the big spender that I used to be, that bag was never offered. Nor will it be. And that’s OK. :) So, what’s a girl to do? Pay crazy...

forum.purseblog.com

but also fifty million unknown craftsmen, mainly introduced to us on TPF by @Christofle in threads like these:

What bags do you consider to be "stealth wealth"?

Fabric shopping bag used by a billionaire to run errands.

forum.purseblog.com

https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/how-has-your-bag-taste-changed-over-the-years.1030734/page-13

Custom and Bespoke Bag Designers/Makers

I've seen several threads discuss certain custom bag makers and love discovering new (or new to me) creators that truly create a bespoke design process for their customers. Who are some of your custom/bespoke favorites? I thought it might be helpful to have this discussion all in one place so we...

forum.purseblog.com

"Flying Under the Radar" great handbags...

I can't wait to get the KMM & Co Mini to compare with my Portland Leather Goods Mini - I know of one difference already - KMM is made from one piece of leather, and PLG is not... Also, KMM & Co is made in Georgia USA and Portland Leather Goods is made in Mexico.

forum.purseblog.com

these craftsmen may also specialize in another money pit rabbit hole: bespoke shoes. No longer for the solely sartorial (pun intended), bespoke can now go in a fashion direction, like Corthay.com. I am relieved that DHs shoes from such artisans represented by Leffot.com etc. cost a lot more than my Birkenstocks Corthay, custom lasted Japanese etc.

So, the very short answer would be chanels quilted bag can be the start of a fashion journey.
Hermes, the big brands; all of them can be the start of leather craft.
And, there are many modern artisans who bridge the fashion and sartorial divide today

 

[redwings]

Maroquinerie is now the new buzz word, but most of Hermes is simply mass made (which I define machine stitched)

Yup. Hence the huge price point difference even between Hermes bags.

I would argue that any premier luxury brand cannot afford to offer only hand stitched maroquinerie bc they have to afford advertising; real estate; and other expenses unrelated to the craft. Of the lesser known (than Hermes) top quality brands, there are lots, including Loewe, Moynat, BV, Delvaux.

Yes, that’s why Hermes plies on the infamous ‘journey‘.

Loewe and Delvaux are both older than Hermes (1922 first produced leather bags) for leather bags.

There are many brands that are more exclusive than Hermes or chanel, but none as well known or status signifying.

Agreed. Those brands deserve some love from us who know them. Speaking of Japanese leather craft - their hand painted embossed leather is awesome.

I just hate the fact that once a darn social media influencer gets a whiff of exclusivity coupled with the tag of luxury then all hell breaks loose…look at what happened to Hermes.

Some of the YouTubers amuse me with their mantra of “Hermes Hermes Hermes“ as some supreme deity of leather bags and their ‘all hail’ SAs as some holy high priest/ess.

Little did they know…

 

[papertiger]

Yup. Hence the huge price point difference even between Hermes bags.

Yes, that’s why Hermes plies on the infamous ‘journey‘.

Loewe and Delvaux are both older than Hermes (1922 first produced leather bags) for leather bags.


Agreed. Those brands deserve some love from us who know them. Speaking of Japanese leather craft - their hand painted embossed leather is awesome.

I just hate the fact that once a darn social media influencer gets a whiff of exclusivity coupled with the tag of luxury then all hell breaks loose…look at what happened to Hermes.

Some of the YouTubers amuse me with their mantra of “Hermes Hermes Hermes“ as some supreme deity of leather bags and their ‘all hail’ SAs as some holy high priest/ess.

Little did they know…

Price is not all about cost, not even at H. Usually, it just denotes what the market(s) will bear.

Chanel bags are not about the cost at all but what the market will bear (CF/Reissue) and brand perception.

Many bags in luxury are a combination of machine and hand-finished, H and Chanel included, machine doesn't make necessarily equate with worse quality, depends on what's better for the item and who's operating the machinery, it's another myth.

 

[tpm1224]

I’ve heard from a few ladies that it’s difficult because they absolutely fall in love with Chanel and the only other option sometimes is Hermes.

Are there any ladies here who only or mostly own Chanel purses?

I went through that cycle. Once I got a taste of Chanel I started replacing my other bags with Chanel but then found that many of the Chanel styles fit my “fantasy” life and not my real life. Lol. But I held onto the bags because I loved them, then I was offered my first H bag and I was hooked. I started to pare down my chanel bags and rehomed the bags I knew I would never carry and kept my classics. Which brings me to today and as I’m slowly acquiring H bags, I have gone back and added some LV bags that I parted with a few years ago and am considering adding back the chanel 19 bag back…

So to answer your question no, i own other brands now after a brief stint owning almost all Chanel. I’ve finally come to a place that when I consider a luxury bag, I look at how it fits my lifestyle regardless of fashion house.

I’ve even been bitten by the lululemon bug and added quite a few bags when I don’t want to carry designer. Lol.

 

[papertiger]

Maroquinerie is now the new buzz word, but most of Hermes and chanel are simply mass made (which I define machine stitched, like Evelynes, picotins and a bunch of other popular bags. A 61 page thread by @TraceySH, with lots of useful info by @ntntgo and others, put to rest the idea that a CF or reissue was made by hand. https://forum.purseblog.com/threads...ion-formerly-the-19-tote-saga-thread.1054427/

I would argue that any premier luxury brand cannot afford to offer only hand stitched maroquinerie bc they have to afford advertising; real estate; and other expenses unrelated to the craft. Of the lesser known (than Hermes) top quality brands, there are lots, including Loewe, Moynat, BV, Delvaux, or others that employ talented niche designers like Ramesh N, JPG, Martin Margiela, Isaac Reina, et al. Many of them were trained as former H artisans or employ former H artisans.

But, the top brands can afford the best and brightest designers willing to work under the label of another (the most famous of all was KL). And I would argue that KL himself defined CHANEL foremost as a fashion house. (I assume though I do not know for certain that Chanel’s emphasis on RTW is one reason why the first (and IMO the best) bags were made of lambskin. Unlike many others here, i find chanel lambskin to be lush and relatively durable. But I don’t expect my bags to look new forever.

I remember an article where he famously said something to the effect that fashion bags, like his, are an expression of the moment, not meant to last forever. I’m in the minority on TPF that has the good fortune not to experience much reduction in quality from my bags from 1990-2020. I simply think that those of us who buy vintage bags, do not always account for the fact that they bought bags that were treasured by their owners and not worn as much. If a vintage bag was treasured and worn for special occasions in its first life, of course it will be in far better condition than a new bag worn every day to reduce cost per wear.

There are many brands that are more exclusive than Hermes or chanel, but none as well known or status signifying.

Threads on TPF include the aforementioned threads with bags from lots of TPFers including @Tasha1, @etoupebirkin , @Christofle

Joseph Duclos Thread

OK guys, what do we know? Asking for a friend (who looks like me but with more money) @880 ? @Christofle ? https://josephduclos.com/collections/sac-a-main

forum.purseblog.com

Duret bag

My journey for an exotic bag started a couple years ago. I spent enough time on my research. I found loads of information on this forum and I am very thankful two ladies Tracey SH and 880 who helped me enormously in this journey. The bag that appealed to me was on the Duret site. I liked her...

forum.purseblog.com

“Dream” Come True: Going Bespoke with Atelier Peter Nitz — Instead of Hermes Quota Bag

Last Spring, I inquired with my Hermes home store (Washington, DC) about a 25cm Retourné Kelly to commemorate a major life accomplishment. Since I am no longer the big spender that I used to be, that bag was never offered. Nor will it be. And that’s OK. :) So, what’s a girl to do? Pay crazy...

forum.purseblog.com

but also fifty million unknown craftsmen, mainly introduced to us on TPF by @Christofle in threads like these:

What bags do you consider to be "stealth wealth"?

Fabric shopping bag used by a billionaire to run errands.

forum.purseblog.com

https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/how-has-your-bag-taste-changed-over-the-years.1030734/page-13

Custom and Bespoke Bag Designers/Makers

I've seen several threads discuss certain custom bag makers and love discovering new (or new to me) creators that truly create a bespoke design process for their customers. Who are some of your custom/bespoke favorites? I thought it might be helpful to have this discussion all in one place so we...

forum.purseblog.com

"Flying Under the Radar" great handbags...

I can't wait to get the KMM & Co Mini to compare with my Portland Leather Goods Mini - I know of one difference already - KMM is made from one piece of leather, and PLG is not... Also, KMM & Co is made in Georgia USA and Portland Leather Goods is made in Mexico.

forum.purseblog.com

these craftsmen may also specialize in another money pit rabbit hole: bespoke shoes. No longer for the solely sartorial (pun intended), bespoke can now go in a fashion direction, like Corthay.com. I am relieved that DHs shoes from such artisans represented by Leffot.com etc. cost a lot more than my Birkenstocks Corthay, custom lasted Japanese etc.

So, the very short answer would be chanels quilted bag can be the start of a fashion journey.
Hermes, the big brands; all of them can be the start of leather craft.
And, there are many modern artisans who bridge the fashion and sartorial divide today

Karl knew a lot about fashion, but he also said whatever he felt like depending on soundbite potential. He wasn't particularly talking about bag quality IMO. As a tradition, certainly under KL, Chanel used to give a CF to its long-serving ateliers as a retirement gift. I don't think they would do that if they thought the bags were a mere 'of the moment' fashion item.

 

[880]

Many bags in luxury are a combination of machine and hand-finished, H and Chanel included, machine doesn't make necessarily equate with worse quality, depends on what's better for the item and who's operating the machinery, it's another myth

Karl knew a lot about fashion, but he also said whatever he felt like depending on soundbite potential. He wasn't particularly talking about bag quality IMO. As a tradition, certainly under KL, Chanel used to give a CF to its long-serving ateliers as a retirement gift. I don't think they would do that if they thought the bags were a mere 'of the moment' fashion item.

@tpm1224 , I love your point about bags for the fantasy life. My Duret bag, while amazing, is meant for a far more glamorous life than I have Actually, most of my bags probably need a more glamorous life.

 

[Joke]

I have 2 classic flaps, but next on my wish list is actually a Loewe puzzle bag.

 

[redwings]

Price is not all about cost, not even at H. Usually, it just denotes what the market(s) will bear.

Chanel bags are not about the cost at all but what the market will bear (CF/Reissue) and brand perception.

Many bags in luxury are a combination of machine and hand-finished, H and Chanel included, machine doesn't make necessarily equate with worse quality, depends on what's better for the item and who's operating the machinery, it's another myth.

Lock stitch and saddle stitch do have some differences. Hand made partially or fully tend to cost more in terms of labor.

The saddle stitch isn’t easy since it requires the physical strength to use the awl to punch through versus threading a needle into the heavy duty machine to sew leather.

The key thing about a saddle stitch is that the threads don’t fray easily if one breaks off.

It‘s like a price differential between oh say, a hand sewn kimono with lining (higher labor costs) and a machine sewn one. Hand sewn 1.5 million jpy minimum (for japanese artisans, not offshore to Chinese artisans which cost less). Machine sewn with lining maybe 70,000 jpy.

Of course, not including the outrageous profit margins that comes with the branding. Once those price margins come in…it goes outrageously high.

 

[Purses & Perfumes]

I’ve heard from a few ladies that it’s difficult because they absolutely fall in love with Chanel and the only other option sometimes is Hermes.

Are there any ladies here who only or mostly own Chanel purses?

No, there are other brands that have designs and styles that I love too, like the Lady Dior for example, or the Celine Box bag or the Delvaux Tempete. I have loved the Antigona for a long time, and am drawn to the Loewe puzzle bag (don't own them due to wanting a streamlined collection). I am especially drawn to certain styles that I find beautiful or that have a distinctive design that appeals to me. Sometimes, it's just what looks good when I pair it with an outfit; I select the bag based on the overall vibe I am going for, and the occasion as well. Sometimes, I get interested in the history of a certain style, or house, and that draws me in as well. So, the answer to the question is that while I adore the Chanel bags I own, I also enjoy some other brands and styles. I have not started exploring Hermes yet.

 

[papertiger]

Lock stitch and saddle stitch do have some differences. Hand made partially or fully tend to cost more in terms of labor.

The saddle stitch isn’t easy since it requires the physical strength to use the awl to punch through versus threading a needle into the heavy duty machine to sew leather.

The key thing about a saddle stitch is that the threads don’t fray easily if one breaks off.

It‘s like a price differential between oh say, a hand sewn kimono with lining (higher labor costs) and a machine sewn one. Hand sewn 1.5 million jpy minimum (for japanese artisans, not offshore to Chinese artisans which cost less). Machine sewn with lining maybe 70,000 jpy.

Of course, not including the outrageous profit margins that comes with the branding. Once those price margins come in…it goes outrageously high.

For sure saddle stitch, blanket stitch or overlocking, it depends what's required. At the end of the day even vintage Kellys can need restitching due to friction and degradation, and as we've seen sometimes the holes on new bags have been placed incorrectly or the stitch has not caught or been knotted correctly, whereas on an Evelyne the leather piping acts as a weather-proofer as well as a reinforcer so the structural stitches are not only unseen but protected from the elements. Different horses for courses .

 

[papertiger]

@tpm1224 , I love your point about bags for the fantasy life. My Duret bag, while amazing, is meant for a far more glamorous life than I have Actually, most of my bags probably need a more glamorous life.

Honesty, is there anyone with literally a 'move star' life? Even KL worked his ar*se off everyday.

 

[MZDesigner]

After I purchased my first Chanel, I sold all my LVs and all of my handbags and totes are Chanel with the exception of a Celine tote that I carried for work and now during travel. I thought about selling it, but the leather quality is so great. Chanel is definitely my go to brand!

 

[purseaddict2021]

I have mostly Chanel in my small collection, but now I am thinking to buy a trendy shoulder bag, from either Prada or Celine, but I feel I am not ready to spend money on them yet, in case I come across a Chanel bag I want to have in my collection LOL

 

[Love Of My Life]

No, I don't think so. At this time with newer & more design houses getting into the
arena of handbags there is much more diversification & price points.
Many of us are now in a more casual lifestyle where getting dressed doesn't require
a "designer bag".
Also think that many of us going in the direction of a "bespoke" handbag where leathers,
details & colors can be made & tailored to our specifications still knowing that quality
& craftsmanship will be remain consistent.

 

[topglamchic]

I just read this thread in it's entirety. I agree with @880 and @papertiger, in fact I agree with everyone.
My only conclusion here....

I just love bags...Chanel, Hermes, "bespoke", all bags...
Chanel...fulfills my fantasy of glamour (@880) and I love your lambskin. But I can't take you everywhere with me.
Hermes...beautiful smell to that leather, but sometimes I just need a bit of humor in my RTW
Gucci...humor, heritage, quality but, sometimes you aren't the right fit
LV...your canvas, but sometimes I don't want canvas

and the list goes on and on and on. If you are a handbag I will find a place for you.