First Balenciaga Reveal Need Your Opinions Please

[ksuromax]

Thank you Ksuromax for your reply. It is because of all of the kind and knowledgeable replies from all of you that I'm not a wreck right now over this thin papery leather. I'm a total newbie about this brand and the leather used through the years. What really got me nervous about the condition of the leather was when I first took the bag out of the box and opened the bag by holding the tassels one ripped off in my hands like it was made of tissue paper. The tassels are really dry and fragile so I feared that the bag was as well.

tassels take the most abuse on them and in those good years they used to include spare ones for each and every bag.
i have 2005 bag with tassels still in good condition plus spare ones and i have a later year bag with completely removed/cropped/madeover tassels, when it's an 'oldie' it's a matter of previous use/owner really, some baby their bags, some don't.
And it's you to decide when buying a pre-loved one, if she is in "ok" condition, or carry on your search for "that, one and only Holy Grail"
i totally understand how you feel, when i had my first chevre (oldie) bag i was also surprised how 'thin' she felt to me
i floated to Bal coast after Bottega Veneta, after Prada and Mulberry, all are famous for their THICK and durable leathers, so i did feel the difference!!
start slowly and don't worry, you'll come to the point of understanding and appreciation but beware, it's a slippery road

 

[Conni618]

Thank you Squidgee for your reply, as I said I am so grateful to all of my fellow TPFrs for all of your kind and knowledgeable posts. I have read and reread all the posts on rehydration and it seems that ironically everyone seems to not like the moisturizer that Bal makes which should have been the best one. It seems that Leather Honey and Apple Guarde seems to be the favorites. Thank you so much for your post and sharing your experience with your 05 Caramel Bal. I love the color and it's great to know that it won't darken if I use the leather honey.

Leather Honey is very risky to use on light colored goatskin. It can bring up dark stains that are impossible to remove. Spot testing is not the answer, because these mystery stains only show up in certain areas of the leather. They seem to me to be a characteristic of the leather that doesn't show until the viscous L.H. penetrates. There are many safe alternatives for refreshing older dry leather.

 

[louisprada25]

Leather Honey is very risky to use on light colored goatskin. It can bring up dark stains that are impossible to remove. Spot testing is not the answer, because these mystery stains only show up in certain areas of the leather. They seem to me to be a characteristic of the leather that doesn't show until the viscous L.H. penetrates. There are many safe alternatives for refreshing older dry leather.

Hi Conni618 thank you so much for your reply. Now that I know this is the nature of the leather I am going to hold off doing anything for a while. I've always used LMB for my LVs and their products were wonderful for both the vachetta and the canvas. I wonder if LMB has the right formulation for goatskin leather Bals. What are your thoughts? I guess the products success is dependent on the color and nature of the leather. Thank you so much to all for their input, it is so greatly appreciated.

 

[louisprada25]

tassels take the most abuse on them and in those good years they used to include spare ones for each and every bag.
i have 2005 bag with tassels still in good condition plus spare ones and i have a later year bag with completely removed/cropped/madeover tassels, when it's an 'oldie' it's a matter of previous use/owner really, some baby their bags, some don't.
And it's you to decide when buying a pre-loved one, if she is in "ok" condition, or carry on your search for "that, one and only Holy Grail"
i totally understand how you feel, when i had my first chevre (oldie) bag i was also surprised how 'thin' she felt to me
i floated to Bal coast after Bottega Veneta, after Prada and Mulberry, all are famous for their THICK and durable leathers, so i did feel the difference!!
start slowly and don't worry, you'll come to the point of understanding and appreciation but beware, it's a slippery road

Ksuromax, thank you, that is exactly how I felt when I first touched my bag. It doesn't look how it feels if that makes any sense. I'm so used to thick supple leathers and to me that meant durability. This thin dry papery silky leather made me think it was ready to split in half. I did worry when the tassel ripped like paper in my hand but as you say they take the brunt of the beating. Thank you and everyone so much for taking the time to teach this newbie the joys of this brand.

 

[ksuromax]

Ksuromax, thank you, that is exactly how I felt when I first touched my bag. It doesn't look how it feels if that makes any sense. I'm so used to thick supple leathers and to me that meant durability. This thin dry papery silky leather made me think it was ready to split in half. I did worry when the tassel ripped like paper in my hand but as you say they take the brunt of the beating. Thank you and everyone so much for taking the time to teach this newbie the joys of this brand.

I was the same newbie not long ago

 

[muchstuff]

Ksuromax, thank you, that is exactly how I felt when I first touched my bag. It doesn't look how it feels if that makes any sense. I'm so used to thick supple leathers and to me that meant durability. This thin dry papery silky leather made me think it was ready to split in half. I did worry when the tassel ripped like paper in my hand but as you say they take the brunt of the beating. Thank you and everyone so much for taking the time to teach this newbie the joys of this brand.

If it's the tassel on your front zipper that you're talking about, it looks like it was split when you received it. This is characteristic of a lot of the tassels on the older bags, the two layers come apart, making the tassel more susceptible to breaking off. I simply use a leather glue to glue them back together again. If you look carefully at it, you'll see it's really only one tassel that has been looped through the ring on the zipper, and, when new, would have had the two ends dangling down. If you see four, the tassel is split.