Hi all,
Today I'm visiting the store to see the Neverfull and Pochette Metis in empreinte noir in real life
. I'm curious if and how the leather with the 'bigger' logo's such as the NF and OTG differs from the leather with the smaller logo's on the Pochette Metis.
How do both leathers hold up, is on softer or more durable than the other etc.
I've read about fading of the embossing on the PM when it's not printed deep enough, which I'm a bit worried about. Will this risk be less with the bigger embossing?
Any thoughts or experiences are more than welcome!
The big empreinte pieces are still "new," around a year old, if I'm remembering correctly. It's hard to compare longevity with the smaller and older empreinte print imo.
Anyway, from what I've noticed, the larger empreinte pieces tend to have more supple leather than regular/small empreinte. The press tends to be deeper on larger, but that could also just be a trick of the eye. Since you see bigger logos, it could just be tricking our brain to see it as deeper and more defined.
The larger empreinte comes in two sizes, medium (empreinte neverfull and the bicolors) and large (on the go GM and maybe MM?). The leathers are very nice, but the neverfull leather isn't as supple as the larger empreintes. I'm thinking that for a tote bag, LV intended to go with a sturdier and slightly less supple leather for the purpose of holding its shape + durability.
I dont have a PM, but I do have other smaller logo empreinte pieces. I make it a point to get the deepest press possible, and I haven't really noticed any softening of the leather. Imo it makes sense for the PM to soften over time and lose its press, especially if people use it constantly and/or stuff it a lot. Leather does have give, so if you keep stretching it, it will soften and lose definition. I rotate my bags, and its helped in minimizing wear and tear.
If you're not a fan of softening leather and you intend to use your new bag everyday, I would stay away from empreinte as a whole. I'd suggest you get something in epi or a capucines instead. Epi is stiff, and capucines are made to be soft leather structured bags.
Another thing to note is that most new empreinte pieces will look dull. Over time, the leather will have a sheen to it as it ages and gets "dirty" from use. If the leather doesn't look as nice as it does in other people's photos and videos, it's probably because theirs are older.
I suggest you go with the bag you will get more use out of. I use my empreinte pieces in all weather, and I can confirm that they've all held up well and still look new. Unless you keep a daily record of how your bag looks, I really don't think you'll notice a difference of the embossing 1 week to 2 years later. Appearance and aging is relative to what you have to compare it to. You would have to bring home a new empreinte piece to see what X years of a difference is.
