I recently purchased a preloved Birkin 30 which is in great condition. The only problem is it smells of perfume. I am very sensitive to smells and can already tell the odor will diminish my enjoyment of the bag. Can the Hermes Spa remove odors such as perfume? I am debating whether to return or try the spa. Thanks for any thoughts!
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First of all, congratulations on your purchase, especially if it's in great condition. With that being said, malodorous scents can often be remedied without using professionals. Two easy methods are using activated charcoal (available in powder or brick form on Amazon, big box stores or local hardware stores) or baking soda, cheesecloth and some newsprint or even an old cotton sock or piece of light cotton fabric. The cheesecloth or cotton can be used to package either substance, charcoal or baking soda, facilitating very easy clean-up along with the newsprint. 1.) Simply make as many cheesecloth or cotton sachets of the odor absorbing charcoal or baking soda as you feel necessary. 2.) Line your bag with some slightly crumpled newsprint. 3.) Place the sachets throughout the bag, close it up. 4.) For heavier odors, enclosing the entire closed up handbag in a cotton pillowcase, or something else cotton, will help draw out even more odors quicker. 5.) Set the bag in a dry, cooler area and let the charcoal/baking soda/newsprint do the work. Check on your bag every couple of days and change out the charcoal/baking soda/newsprint. Repeat as needed to eliminate the odor. Patience and time are part of the process. Let the synergy of the products do their thing. Best of luck!
Thanks for the post & pictures. It appears the work took less than 6 weeks. Do you know if the bag was sent back to France or were the repairs done by Hermès in The States? A six week wait time is a dream. I also use the Hermès boutique at CityCenter in D.C. and would like to have my Kelly32 clasp replaced in the near future. I have been hesitant to bring in my Kelly32 due to the extraordinarily long wait time right now for repairs done in France. Maybe now is an opportune time to send it in?Congrats @asatoasz the bag is a dream, especially in cdc! Enjoy wearing it again after the spa
It is unlikely that spa would solve the problem. For one thing they will not work on the inside at spa.
Fresh air (ideally outside); soda in a thin cotton/muslin bag placed inside should help AND patience.
Do not expect the smell to go in just a few days
Thank you so much for the detailed advice! I read about the activated charcoal and made an online order.
I also contacted my SA at Hermes and they did encourage me to bring the bag so after sales can take a look. I am leaning toward doing this because I can also get the peace of mind of the authentication that happens through this service.
I have heard that the spa will not touch the inside of the bag. The smells is most concentrated on the inside. I am going to take the bag in to Hermes for some advice. If they say they won't be able to do anything I will try the baking soda, activated charcoal, and sunbathing to see if that helps. I appreciate your insights!
Hi, wondering if anyone has experience getting Kelly handle replaced by mademoiselle M atelier. I did a phrase search and a few hits came up in this thread.
Unfortunately the bottom of my new-old 1976 Kelly's handle has ripped a bit.
I don't want to return it to the consignment shop... I'm not sure if they'd take it back either, because I looked at the many photos I took of the bag when I first brought it home, and it seems like the rip wasn't there (certainly the leather was already degrading and I can see some lifting, but I didn't notice any tear). I've used it maybe 2-3 times and I'm guessing the rip happened in my possession. Also honestly I don't want to make a fuss with the shop because I like that place...
I bought it for just under 5k. Which was too much now I see
ANYWAYS she said they could replace the handle, would be half the price of H (I see it usually is over 1.1k, plus the time)
I know obviously if I get it repaired by a third party I can never send it to H, but if Mlle. M does a good job, I think it'd be worth it?
I wasn't planning on getting it refurbished or anything but if I do send it to her, I might ask for additional services.
Just wondering if anyone has had this particular thing done by Mlle. M. or what call you'd make in this situation.
Thanks in advance
Unfortunately the bottom of my new-old 1976 Kelly's handle has ripped a bit.
I don't want to return it to the consignment shop... I'm not sure if they'd take it back either, because I looked at the many photos I took of the bag when I first brought it home, and it seems like the rip wasn't there (certainly the leather was already degrading and I can see some lifting, but I didn't notice any tear). I've used it maybe 2-3 times and I'm guessing the rip happened in my possession. Also honestly I don't want to make a fuss with the shop because I like that place...
I bought it for just under 5k. Which was too much now I see
ANYWAYS she said they could replace the handle, would be half the price of H (I see it usually is over 1.1k, plus the time)
I know obviously if I get it repaired by a third party I can never send it to H, but if Mlle. M does a good job, I think it'd be worth it?
I wasn't planning on getting it refurbished or anything but if I do send it to her, I might ask for additional services.
Just wondering if anyone has had this particular thing done by Mlle. M. or what call you'd make in this situation.
Thanks in advance
This bag was not sent to Paris, however I don’t know where the repair work was done in the US.
I have a CDC Kelly 35 with a much larger issue that was sent to Paris and the quote took 3 months to receive, with repair time estimated at 20 weeks.
I would strongly advise having the work done by H.Hi, wondering if anyone has experience getting Kelly handle replaced by mademoiselle M atelier. I did a phrase search and a few hits came up in this thread.
Unfortunately the bottom of my new-old 1976 Kelly's handle has ripped a bit.
I don't want to return it to the consignment shop... I'm not sure if they'd take it back either, because I looked at the many photos I took of the bag when I first brought it home, and it seems like the rip wasn't there (certainly the leather was already degrading and I can see some lifting, but I didn't notice any tear). I've used it maybe 2-3 times and I'm guessing the rip happened in my possession. Also honestly I don't want to make a fuss with the shop because I like that place...
I bought it for just under 5k. Which was too much now I see
ANYWAYS she said they could replace the handle, would be half the price of H (I see it usually is over 1.1k, plus the time)
I know obviously if I get it repaired by a third party I can never send it to H, but if Mlle. M does a good job, I think it'd be worth it?
I wasn't planning on getting it refurbished or anything but if I do send it to her, I might ask for additional services.
Just wondering if anyone has had this particular thing done by Mlle. M. or what call you'd make in this situation.
Thanks in advance
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Ugh I'm really bummed. I called the consignment shop and she was like "No I wouldn't suggest you get the handle replaced. When you bought it you knew it was preloved. I'll give you the name of a good cobbler call tomorrow."
I'm soured on the store now. I don't like being dismissed regarding the fact that there is structural damage. She was kind of condescending, and I don't think she understood what I meant by an actual tear, not just some scratching or peeling. If not for the rip, $5,000 would be a great deal, but this is not cool. Like yes I knew it was vintage and preloved, but I'd say 4k is more reasonable for a bag that requires extensive repair and is basically unusable.
I don't mind the surface level damage at all, like I didn't care that the leather was cracked or some of the color was scuffed. Of course I wouldn't buy a vintage bag if I cared about this. A ripped handle requiring replacement is a different story...
I didn't ask about returning it because I don't really want to part with it, but I have a feeling they'd say no even though I bought it last week. I don't know what I was hoping for, I guess it's not super common for a store to do a partial refund but I was hoping she'd offer that, then I'd feel less bad about taking it to H. But I don't know if I want to sink another 1k+ on this.
Sorry if this is off-topic, last post from me in this thread, unless I take it to H and post before/after results. For now I'm just going to think about what to do.
I'm soured on the store now. I don't like being dismissed regarding the fact that there is structural damage. She was kind of condescending, and I don't think she understood what I meant by an actual tear, not just some scratching or peeling. If not for the rip, $5,000 would be a great deal, but this is not cool. Like yes I knew it was vintage and preloved, but I'd say 4k is more reasonable for a bag that requires extensive repair and is basically unusable.
I don't mind the surface level damage at all, like I didn't care that the leather was cracked or some of the color was scuffed. Of course I wouldn't buy a vintage bag if I cared about this. A ripped handle requiring replacement is a different story...
I didn't ask about returning it because I don't really want to part with it, but I have a feeling they'd say no even though I bought it last week. I don't know what I was hoping for, I guess it's not super common for a store to do a partial refund but I was hoping she'd offer that, then I'd feel less bad about taking it to H. But I don't know if I want to sink another 1k+ on this.
Sorry if this is off-topic, last post from me in this thread, unless I take it to H and post before/after results. For now I'm just going to think about what to do.
Perhaps you will be able to be more objective in a day or so.
By your own admission you cannot see that damage in the first pictures you took.
Nor does it seem that the lady in the consignment store knows the exact nature of what is wrong.
I would describe the damage more accurately as split rather than ripped.
Although 1k is a considerable amount of money and not to be thrown away, it is neither here nor there in the pricing of vintage Kellys or Birkins.
Unless you can see that the damage was deliberately concealed or camouflaged, I don't think you have much of a leg to stand on.
If the bag is otherwise sound, look upon it as a lovely bag that will need some repair in the future.
It looks as if you can still use it without fear of further damage without it falling to pieces.
You might choose to go down the route of a reputable repairer. If you do, consider why it might not be better to pay a little extra a let Hermes deal with it in the expectation that it will be a bag for a lifetime. It is well documented that Hermes artisans value the opportunity to work on vintage bags.
I can appreciate your disappointment, anger and frustration, but please do not act in haste only to regret your actions.
Just my opinion (and normally I'd suggest taking it to H for any repairs), but if the leather on the main body of the bag is at all cracked I'd go with handle replacement with mademoiselle M atelier in this instance.
Only because I did a similar thing, bought a vintage bag and sent it to H, had replacement handle, hardware, you name it, but ultimately the body of the bag wasn't in that great a condition. I ended up spending a lot then selling it at a big loss when I realised my error.
If you can get the handle replaced at a reasonable price and are happy to use the bag as is after that then that may be a better option than throwing good money after bad. Not that that's necessarily the case here, the rest may be in great condition in which case I'd definitely get Hermes to repair it!
I'd check with mademoiselle M atelier though if she can do other work further down the line should it be required. ie. I'm not sure what would happen if it needed a new turnlock?