Dooney FLORENTINE Clubhouse!!
- Thread starter MiaBorsa
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Viv: I find the quality of D&B bags to be the same, no matter where I buy them.
I've bought in D&B boutiques (before they closed most of them), on the D&B main site,
from ILD, from D&B outlets, and from QVC. Also at times from major dept stores.
I buy mainly leather handbags (Florentine and Alto and pebbled leather), but also
have a few Dooney nylon (quality of older collections was amazing) and fabric handbags.
To say i have a ton of D&B handbags, would be an understatement. But that's
a discussion for another time. In general the quality is excellent. but at times, I've found
a flaw (and I'm picky about stitching, etc.) even in the boutique. Of course, shopping in person lets you screen out a bag you don't like and never buy it. When you order...
on line or on the phone, you only get to see the bag when it arrives. so if you are
the unlucky person to get the 1 defect in a thousand handbags, you still got
a bag that wasn't up to your standards.
I try to remember that we are dealing with mass produced products. And current
manufacturing methods do not include inspecting each item, rather sampling
a few items in a batch to be inspected. Same applies for handbags, electronics,
and almost anything else. The internet seems to be filled with people complaining about
the quality of Chanel handbags.
There is the situation where a store or warehouse puts returns back in stock, to
be sold to another customer. Even if they 'inspect' a return, the personnel are
rarely trained or given the time to find the kinds of issues that we, as collectors,
might spot. This is a common complaint lodged against the shopping channels
and sometimes dept stores and ILD.
And lastly , I try to consider the price I'm paying (and the discount) when deciding
if a defect is serious enough for me to return the handbag. If it's functional,
like a zipper not working, or missing stitches, or major scratches, then it goes back.
But if the defect is a minor scratch on the back or some pebbling or uneven texture,
I try to evaluate if it will bother me whenever I look at the bag or if i won't really
notice it when the handbag is in normal use. Everyone has different approaches
to this, and that's OK. It can also depend on my mood or how disappointed I am
when I get a particular handbag.
I don't hesitate to buy from ILD and almost all of the bags are very high quality...
whether nylon, coated canvas, pebble leather, Florentine, or Alto. And yes,
I expect a higher level of perfection the higher the price of the collection!
I never buy online if the item has a no return condition. Sometimes, for special
sales at deep discounts, some handbags are final sale. This is not the norm on
ILD, but it makes sense to check the rules on special online events.
I've bought in D&B boutiques (before they closed most of them), on the D&B main site,
from ILD, from D&B outlets, and from QVC. Also at times from major dept stores.
I buy mainly leather handbags (Florentine and Alto and pebbled leather), but also
have a few Dooney nylon (quality of older collections was amazing) and fabric handbags.
To say i have a ton of D&B handbags, would be an understatement. But that's
a discussion for another time. In general the quality is excellent. but at times, I've found
a flaw (and I'm picky about stitching, etc.) even in the boutique. Of course, shopping in person lets you screen out a bag you don't like and never buy it. When you order...
on line or on the phone, you only get to see the bag when it arrives. so if you are
the unlucky person to get the 1 defect in a thousand handbags, you still got
a bag that wasn't up to your standards.
I try to remember that we are dealing with mass produced products. And current
manufacturing methods do not include inspecting each item, rather sampling
a few items in a batch to be inspected. Same applies for handbags, electronics,
and almost anything else. The internet seems to be filled with people complaining about
the quality of Chanel handbags.
There is the situation where a store or warehouse puts returns back in stock, to
be sold to another customer. Even if they 'inspect' a return, the personnel are
rarely trained or given the time to find the kinds of issues that we, as collectors,
might spot. This is a common complaint lodged against the shopping channels
and sometimes dept stores and ILD.
And lastly , I try to consider the price I'm paying (and the discount) when deciding
if a defect is serious enough for me to return the handbag. If it's functional,
like a zipper not working, or missing stitches, or major scratches, then it goes back.
But if the defect is a minor scratch on the back or some pebbling or uneven texture,
I try to evaluate if it will bother me whenever I look at the bag or if i won't really
notice it when the handbag is in normal use. Everyone has different approaches
to this, and that's OK. It can also depend on my mood or how disappointed I am
when I get a particular handbag.
I don't hesitate to buy from ILD and almost all of the bags are very high quality...
whether nylon, coated canvas, pebble leather, Florentine, or Alto. And yes,
I expect a higher level of perfection the higher the price of the collection!
I never buy online if the item has a no return condition. Sometimes, for special
sales at deep discounts, some handbags are final sale. This is not the norm on
ILD, but it makes sense to check the rules on special online events.
Viv: I have 2 D&B Florentine handbags in light taupe. I like the color. It's a cool
light color neutral. IMHO it's a million times nicer than elephant.
The light taupe is a soft color, but doesn't look muddy. Light taupe seems to go with
just about any other wardrobe color. Light taupe reminds me of the color called
taupe from decades ago.... not a brown, not a grey, just a pleasing mix with
a lot of white to make it a soft neutral shade. In the 'olden days', when one
was supposed to match shoes and handbags to clothing, and the colors were
supposed to be exact matches, taupe was often the perfect alternative....
a 4 season color that went with everything. Today's version of Dooney light
taupe is lighter than the long ago taupe, and also lighter and more neutral
that the Dooney color taupe of a few years ago. That Dooney taupe had more
brown undertones.
I really like the Olivia and barrel bags, in general. I have the Dooney Olivia in pebbled leather. I hand carry my handbags, so the wide base and shape of a barrel handbag isn't an issue for me.
I'm not sure how this style works as a shoulder or crossbody bag.
Of course, you can always swing it to the back, as many people do for larger bags.
And the Flo leather is soft, so you can squish the bag under your arm if
it's not overfilled.
Check the dimensions on the Olivia. It's a relatively large barrel bag. I think it's
a perfect size. In recent years, other Dooney barrel bags have been much smaller,
and I think they were too small. Olivia is a perfect size.
Also, consider the length of the zipper opening. Some ladies get frustrated with
zip top handbags where the zipper is not extended past the top of the bag.
The handles on the Flo Olivia do fold down, so the access to the top is not
restricted, as it is on some other styles.
As for the Dooney Flo handbags on QVC....??? I notice in the photos
that the leather on many of them looks very textured.... not exactly
pebbled, but not smooth either. I don't know what they look like in person.
I've gotten Flo bags from ILD that have the same textured look, and
it doesn't appeal to me. If I'm paying full price, I have certain expectations
for how I want my Flo leather to look.
D
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Elephant is a love hate for me, some days I love it, other days it looks like MUD. I would love a denim color back, but I have an issue with denim turning a brown shade when it patinas? Anyone else know why this happens? Is it due to conditioning? Maybe if I don't condition the bag it won't turn that brownish shade?
Thanks so much for your insight! I couldn't bring myself to buy the Olivia last night. It would have come out to about $400 even with their discount and my $15 off as a first time QVC customer. That seemed a bit much. Instead, I bought 2 Flos on ILD this morning, and it came out to just over $500 for both. The Flo satchel in denim and the Flo satchel in light taupe. If the Olivia comes down to about $250, I may consider it. I don't know. I do love the Olivia look (maybe my favorite of all I've seen of D&B), but $400 is just too much. For that price, I could get a great used YSL duffel 6 (barrel bag) - which retails over $2K new and is made in Italy with super high end leather. I always keep resale in mind when I buy my bags. Thanks for pointing out the zipper opening and the size. I actually LOVE that the Olivia is a bit larger and I don't think the zipper opening would bother me. I feel like the opening issue on the Flo satchels is more dramatic, and I work around that. Very much looking forward to a lower price on that bag soon!! I think I could justify up to $300 for it, but not more. Nothing in the world like D&B's Florentine leather!!!!!!!
D
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I put them both in my cart and about an hour later, ILD sent me a coupon for another $20 off.You just read my mind, I want that Denim or Light Taupe
Indecision is beneficial sometimes I guess lol.PF: i haven't had a problem with Flo denim color changing over time.
I've been lucky. I never conditioned them. I don't know if the chemicals
or oils in the conditioners are interacting with the dyes and causing the problem
in some bags.
I've been lucky. I never conditioned them. I don't know if the chemicals
or oils in the conditioners are interacting with the dyes and causing the problem
in some bags.
PF: I've been thinking about the Flo denim and earlier Ocean Blue.
It seems they had color issues with the Ocean Blue years ago,
and they discontinued it. The color wasn't consistent even in newly
manufactured bags, dye lot to dye lot. And there were also reports of
fading and discoloration. I thought (they thought) they fixed it with
the denim color. Guess not.
I know that color can be affected by lots of things, including substances
used to dye the leather, the dying process itself, and the leather tanning process
(and the substances used). As consumers we don't control those things, nor
do we have much info.
Then once we get a handbag, it can be subjected
to different storage conditions (temperature and humidity) and also substances
applied (conditioners, soap/water, misc. accidental sprays like perfume). And then there
is the question of whether storage in plastic bags/boxes (or synthetic materials
used in some dust bags) affects the dye and/or the
leather.
Add in the element of luck (and chance if it's a resale item), and it's a wonder
that any of our handbags last for a long time. And that's before we handle them
and treat them to normal wear and tear and daily hazards.