Gucci Vintage Information Thread

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#796
cocobean1793 said:
Here is a before and after of the bottom of the vintage Gucci bag I purchased a few weeks ago. I did some improvising.....using a hot brick, a soft cloth and some wooden blocks... And was able to straighten the bottom enough so that the bag sits absolutely straight and upright. I was a bit nervous about doing anything to the bag but it worked fine without even a hint of bother to the leather. Due to the condition of the bag when I got it, I don't believe it's possible to fix it completely. It doesn't look perfect but it doesn't bother me. I doubt anyone but me will look at the base and I simply love this bag. I also added a base shaper that I'm very happy with. I found a seller on eBay that custom makes them to whatever shape/size you need and he ships worldwide. I never used one before but this one is such a high quality product I may add others to my bags:D
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That is close to a miracle, the results are totally amazing, in a way I like it better than if it were perfect, I can't imagine Gucci doing a better job and would love to know exactly how you did it. You are a total wonder :ps:

I wonder if it works for faces and chin lines :thinkin: :p

Could you also do me a favour and PM the details of this person, in Europe there are no base shapers beyond LV NF and Speedys
 
#797
papertiger said:
That is close to a miracle, the results are totally amazing, in a way I like it better than if it were perfect, I can't imagine Gucci doing a better job and would love to know exactly how you did it. You are a total wonder :ps:

I wonder if it works for faces and chin lines :thinkin: :p

Could you also do me a favour and PM the details of this person, in Europe there are no base shapers beyond LV NF and Speedys
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How I wish this worked on face lines!!! I have no idea if this was the right thing to do with the bag but as I was looking at the base, it just seemed crumpled, like a wrinkled shirt, and I was thinking, "oh I wish I could just iron out those creases....." Now obviously I couldnt take an iron to leather, plus I needed to get at it from the inside as well as the outside. I decided to take a brick and warm it in the oven. If you've ever had a massage with hot stones, you know that they retain a gentle heat for quite some time. Once the brick was pretty warm I wrapped it in a soft cloth and placed it in the bag. It was the perfect size, and the weight of the brick pressed the bottom of the bag nice and flat. I then placed 2 small wood blocks under the bag, between the metal feet, so there would be a little pressure on both sides. I just let it sit for a few days. I'm not sure how long the brick stayed warm, but it was at least a few hours. I did use leather conditioner before and after to prevent any drying
 
#798
cocobean1793 said:
How I wish this worked on face lines!!! I have no idea if this was the right thing to do with the bag but as I was looking at the base, it just seemed crumpled, like a wrinkled shirt, and I was thinking, "oh I wish I could just iron out those creases....." Now obviously I couldnt take an iron to leather, plus I needed to get at it from the inside as well as the outside. I decided to take a brick and warm it in the oven. If you've ever had a massage with hot stones, you know that they retain a gentle heat for quite some time. Once the brick was pretty warm I wrapped it in a soft cloth and placed it in the bag. It was the perfect size, and the weight of the brick pressed the bottom of the bag nice and flat. I then placed 2 small wood blocks under the bag, between the metal feet, so there would be a little pressure on both sides. I just let it sit for a few days. I'm not sure how long the brick stayed warm, but it was at least a few hours. I did use leather conditioner before and after to prevent any drying
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Brilliant. It actually sounds like something a crafts person would do. The best thing is it worked :tup:
 
#799
cocobean1793 said:
How I wish this worked on face lines!!! I have no idea if this was the right thing to do with the bag but as I was looking at the base, it just seemed crumpled, like a wrinkled shirt, and I was thinking, "oh I wish I could just iron out those creases....." Now obviously I couldnt take an iron to leather, plus I needed to get at it from the inside as well as the outside. I decided to take a brick and warm it in the oven. If you've ever had a massage with hot stones, you know that they retain a gentle heat for quite some time. Once the brick was pretty warm I wrapped it in a soft cloth and placed it in the bag. It was the perfect size, and the weight of the brick pressed the bottom of the bag nice and flat. I then placed 2 small wood blocks under the bag, between the metal feet, so there would be a little pressure on both sides. I just let it sit for a few days. I'm not sure how long the brick stayed warm, but it was at least a few hours. I did use leather conditioner before and after to prevent any drying
Click to expand...
I don't own any Gucci bags but I popped in to ogle and omg..
That's brilliant! :heart: :heart: I've been afraid to use a shaper because I worried they wouldn't do what I hoped for, but I also never thought to warm and compress the shape flat beforehand. Sounds like a really obvious thing to do now that I've read it.. Thank you for the idea!!! I'll have to try it before I order the custom shapers.
Your bag looks soooo much better and I hope you enjoy it. :hugs:
 
#800
Tsundere said:
That's brilliant! :heart: :heart: I've been afraid to use a shaper, but I also never thought to warm and compress the shape flat beforehand. Sounds like a really obvious thing to do now that I've read it.. Thank you for the idea!!! I'll have to try it before I order the custom shapers.
Your bag looks soooo much better and I hope you enjoy it. :hugs:
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.
I have no idea how professionals would fix creased leather or if there are any potential problems with my method , so proceed cautiously. FYI ~
I made sure to not use the bricks when they were super hot, straight from the oven. After heating them, I took them out, wrapped them in thick, soft dish towels and let them cool about 10 minutes until they were giving off a mild heat.
Kept them wrapped throughout the process to protect the leather
I also made sure there was no cracking or peeling in the bag, as I feared any additional heat might make those issues worse.
And condition before and after
Let me know if it works for you!
 
#801
cocobean1793 said:
.
I have no idea how professionals would fix creased leather or if there are any potential problems with my method , so proceed cautiously. FYI ~
I made sure to not use the bricks when they were super hot, straight from the oven. After heating them, I took them out, wrapped them in thick, soft dish towels and let them cool about 10 minutes until they were giving off a mild heat.
Kept them wrapped throughout the process to protect the leather
I also made sure there was no cracking or peeling in the bag, as I feared any additional heat might make those issues worse.
And condition before and after
Let me know if it works for you!
Click to expand...
It would be for a restoring project so it'll be difficult to make it look WORSE... :giggles:
It's been left clearly flattened for so long that everything I've tried has left the bag still looking squished. We have some bricks outside, some of the right size. The piping has worn down a bit, but a lot has to do with being left squished for who knows how long. It's worth a try, the bag has come a long way for me to leave it squished looking! I'll wrap the brick and keep an eye out. The glass table should be the perfect place for it to flatten down.
I'll place a soft paper towel under the bag to keep moisture away.
Thank you again! :heart:
I'll keep my eye on it to make sure I don't see anything happening other than some awesome reshaping and keep conditioner on hand!
 
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#803
Decided to give the brick thing a try (heated at 250°F and then 355°F, shut oven off, let it sit). Put paint cans on both the front and back to support it standing up straight, tied a thick ribbon around it all to support the sides. Applied a bunch of leather honey prior to putting the brick in so it definitely shouldn't dry out much.
We'll see how this looks, but I'm hopeful so far.
 
#804
Papertiger what a great sub-forum! Vintage Gucci sometimes seems all over the place, so this forum was very educational - just read it - end to end LOLOL! I came across it b/c I was looking for additional info on a vintage gucci that I'm having trouble with. I have a couple that I know are authentic, but I'm puzzeled with a bag just given to me. I know you will not authenticate, but I hope you can lead me in the right direction. Below are 2 gucci bags - same shape, but different front logos - which is correct or are they both authentic? I'm so confused since there are two styles of this bag when I look online. Thank you so much in advance!!!

On another note - once I'm home from the holidays I will post pictures of 2 of my vintage gucci bags that now after reading this forum I'm curious of their era AND I WILL LEAVE PICS UP b/c I agree with you 100%, once you do the legwork the pics should remain up for other users to see : ) Thanks again for all the great information : )
 

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#805
I have been reading this forum non stop! So happy to have found this!
PaperTiger, I need your help.
I have a Vintage GAC duffle/carryall that is red and black striped. The material it is made of confuses me. It is like a lycra type on the outside, and a canvas like type on the inside. In a nutshell, it is very thin and stretchy. When held up to the light, it is almost see thru. I think the lycra is deteriorating and so red dust is coming off of it.
Did Gucci ever use material like this back in the 80's?

Thanks for any input you may have.
 
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#806
layla328 said:
Papertiger what a great sub-forum! Vintage Gucci sometimes seems all over the place, so this forum was very educational - just read it - end to end LOLOL! I came across it b/c I was looking for additional info on a vintage gucci that I'm having trouble with. I have a couple that I know are authentic, but I'm puzzeled with a bag just given to me. I know you will not authenticate, but I hope you can lead me in the right direction. Below are 2 gucci bags - same shape, but different front logos - which is correct or are they both authentic? I'm so confused since there are two styles of this bag when I look online. Thank you so much in advance!!!

On another note - once I'm home from the holidays I will post pictures of 2 of my vintage gucci bags that now after reading this forum I'm curious of their era AND I WILL LEAVE PICS UP b/c I agree with you 100%, once you do the legwork the pics should remain up for other users to see : ) Thanks again for all the great information : )
Click to expand...

Can you show me the inside tabs/logo please?
 
#807
Mammaahmiaa said:
I have been reading this forum non stop! So happy to have found this!
PaperTiger, I need your help.
I have a Vintage GAC duffle/carryall that is red and black striped. The material it is made of confuses me. It is like a lycra type on the outside, and a canvas like type on the inside. In a nutshell, it is very thin and stretchy. When held up to the light, it is almost see thru. I think the lycra is deteriorating and so red dust is coming off of it.
Did Gucci ever use material like this back in the 80's?

Thanks for any input you may have.
Click to expand...

I'd have to see it but this sounds more of an authenticity question to me and we can't authenticate on this thread or it will be merged.

Materials, however good, don't last forever. That's why I have a couple of vintage bags that I have to hoover the interiors now and again because of flaking (a common problem). It's also reflected why Gucci will guarantee their leather bags for longer than their canvas even though as you can see from this thread some of the canvas examples are amazing and have stood the test of time very well.

There were 2 kinds of striped-print ranges in the 1980s to my knowledge (NOT talking about the Gucci Web-stripe here)

There was a very thin red stripe line on black. Thin diagonal lines and sparse, not very close together, the lines had little GGs within the lines. I think the leather trim was black. More lines than stripes.

There was also a red/black print stripe also diagonal in the GAC travel range but the stripes were equally thick and GUCCI was written in black on the red. The fabric is thin on the travel bags. The interior will be red and the leather trim will be mid brown.

There will be fakes around of both the above.

Lycra will break down eventually because it's elastic/rubber based unfortunately and there's nothing that can be done. That's why jean purists don't buy jeans with 'stretch' but actually 2-4% elastane in cotton will not decompose in the same way.
 
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