Help me decide! Another red Kelly? Rouge Vif or Rouge H?

[ouija board]

Gasp! Thank you for these photos!! When I look at these, I'm beginning to fall deeper in love with Rouge H box, especially that picture against the malachite (maybe?) pants. So elegant! I admit that I also thought that Rouge H looks a bit "old ladyish" but these pictures just changed my mind.

Ok, so I have another question. When I look at resellers pictures, I see that most box calf bags are shiny and doesn't have any scratch. Which makes me think, A) are they in such pristine conditions or B) are the scratches just so faint that they're not captured on camera? I Guess what I'm saying is that, if the box calf bags are so easily scratched, why do I see so many smooth looking box bags by the resellers?

You can photograph box calf so that the fine scratches or wrinkles aren't obvious. Bright lighting that accentuates the glossy patina will hide scratches and flaws if the photo is not taken up close. Scratches can also be minimized by conditioners and colored polish (all of which is typically done at Hermes spa, so it's not anything underhanded) so that they can only be seen at certain angles or lighting. I bought a box Kelly from the Real Real last year, and under the bright lights in the stock photos, the leather looked beautifully smooth and glossy. In the additional photos that I requested, you could see fine crackling of the surface, a 1cm scuff on the bottom front panel, and hairline cracks on the handle. To Real Real's credit, they promptly provided a lot of additional photos at my request, and they showed all the details and flaws clearly.

Moral of the story is: if a vintage bag looks too perfect, always ask for more photos, up close and under natural lighting. Actually, that goes for any used bag. I rarely buy a bag from a reseller without asking for more pictures, even if it means that I miss out on a bag while waiting for a reply.

Re the Rouge H vs Rouge Vif dilemma, any lover of box calf and red bags needs one of each. Problem solved [emoji7]

 

[QuelleFromage]

You can photograph box calf so that the fine scratches or wrinkles aren't obvious. Bright lighting that accentuates the glossy patina will hide scratches and flaws if the photo is not taken up close. Scratches can also be minimized by conditioners and colored polish (all of which is typically done at Hermes spa, so it's not anything underhanded) so that they can only be seen at certain angles or lighting. I bought a box Kelly from the Real Real last year, and under the bright lights in the stock photos, the leather looked beautifully smooth and glossy. In the additional photos that I requested, you could see fine crackling of the surface, a 1cm scuff on the bottom front panel, and hairline cracks on the handle. To Real Real's credit, they promptly provided a lot of additional photos at my request, and they showed all the details and flaws clearly.

Moral of the story is: if a vintage bag looks too perfect, always ask for more photos, up close and under natural lighting. Actually, that goes for any used bag. I rarely buy a bag from a reseller without asking for more pictures, even if it means that I miss out on a bag while waiting for a reply.

Re the Rouge H vs Rouge Vif dilemma, any lover of box calf and red bags needs one of each. Problem solved [emoji7]

hahahaha this is completely true!!! get both.
I also agree, box comes in every condition from pristine to trainwreck. Cracks and dryness are common. Lots of photos and if at all possible a return policy. I actually did buy a box Kelly from TheRealReal also and they not only sent detailed pics but gave very frank opinions on the 2 Ks I was looking at. The bag I got was in better than expected condition, near perfect, but that is rare.