Hermes Vintage Bag Nightmares & Hermes Leather Care

[mistikat]

Thanks for your comment. Yeah the leather is soooooo beautiful. I had a very bad experience with my chanel lamb skin bag, so I am a bit scared. I don't want that to happen to my new Kelly.

I can appreciate that you want to take the best care of your bag, but I agree with docride that a brand new chevre bag doesn't really need anything at all applied to it. I have two chevre bags, both over 10 years old. They have both gotten wet and dried just fine (just dry as docride suggested above). Neither has had anything applied to them and they are beautiful, with that gorgeous sheen that chevre has.

I would take docride and Perigord's advice and just enjoy your new acquisition as is. Congrats!

 

[Perigord]

And I agree too, having owned chevre. Less is wonderfully more in this case. If Hermes wanted you to cover your new chevre with appleguard, they would be selling bottles!

(Of course, they did give me a block of glycerine soap when I bought a barenia years ago. As I said, I am such a treatment-phobe that I never even used that!) With this leather, I liked doc's first suggestion the best. Chevre is really, really sturdy and resistant and will do fine.

 

[docride]

And I agree too, having owned chevre. Less is wonderfully more in this case. If Hermes wanted you to cover your new chevre with appleguard, they would be selling bottles!

(Of course, they did give me a block of glycerine soap when I bought a barenia years ago. As I said, I am such a treatment-phobe that I never even used that!) With this leather, I liked doc's first suggestion the best. Chevre is really, really sturdy and resistant and will do fine.

I enjoy helping folks with their leather care questions
I resent the buyer being instructed not to do anything to a leather which will be ruined by a chance encounter with weather. You know?
I mean so what should you do ? Allow your huge investment of a bag to be ruined by forever blemishes such as water blisters on box calf and water splash and stain marks on vache natural? Only to then go to crying to Hermes and say can spa fix this?
Then they'll say no spa can't fix this, you should have been more careful... see it's like a slap in the face by a parent....How humiliating! how outrageous!
Proper care of fine leather goods is an art and has a science...however you do not need an M.D. to do it properly (it does help though) With some practice you can gain the skills needed to feel confident in being able to up keep your lovely leather goods.

I do not say cover your bag in silicone,or acrylics or other terrible things which will IMO destroy the leather over time...

Ah there...my rant is over... at least for now....

 

[mistikat]

I didn't read Perigord's comment this way at all - merely that chevre is a hardier leather than people may realize and does fairly well when wet. Mine got soaked by chance and dried just fine. I think you said the same thing.

I personally would not treat vache or barenia, either - I think it's part of the character of the leather to age in a way that other, textured leathers will not. But I also understand that for others, that is not acceptable.

I thought we were talking about chevre, though ...?

Just wanted to add that as far as Hermes spa goes, that is one of the wonderful things (for me) about the brand - precisely that they WILL work on and recondition for the life of the bag. I've never been admonished about improper care of an item and I would hope craftsmen would not do this to anyone either!

 

[docride]

I didn't read Perigord's comment this way at all - merely that chevre is a hardier leather than people may realize and does fairly well when wet. Mine got soaked by chance and dried just fine. I think you said the same thing.

I personally would not treat vache or barenia, either - I think it's part of the character of the leather to age in a way that other, textured leathers will not. But I also understand that for others, that is not acceptable.

I thought we were talking about chevre, though ...?

Just wanted to add that as far as Hermes spa goes, that is one of the wonderful things (for me) about the brand - precisely that they WILL work on and recondition for the life of the bag. I've never been admonished about improper care of an item and I would hope craftsmen would not do this to anyone either!

I didn't read her comment that way either... please no offense intended.

Yes chevre was the subject at hand. I do think I addressed chevre...in the answer to the posters question...
I was not disagreeing with either of you... Just giving options for the OP to consider. And backing up why I have been doing this thread in the first place.

 

[Perigord]

^^Thanks doc--I was worried!!!

Like so many things related to Hermes, there is always great room for thoughtful debate and wonderful and interesting differences of opinion. That is what makes it so much fun. That, and all the good people here who add so much to the ever-interesting threads!

Have a good night, everyone.

 

[docride]

^^Thanks doc--I was worried!!!

Like so many things related to Hermes, there is always great room for thoughtful debate and wonderful and interesting differences of opinion. That is what makes it so much fun. That, and all the good people here who add so much to the ever-interesting threads!

Have a good night, everyone.

I really mean no harm.

 

[CoCoChloe]

I enjoy helping folks with their leather care questions
I resent the buyer being instructed not to do anything to a leather which will be ruined by a chance encounter with weather. You know?
I mean so what should you do ? Allow your huge investment of a bag to be ruined by forever blemishes such as water blisters on box calf and water splash and stain marks on vache natural? Only to then go to crying to Hermes and say can spa fix this?
Then they'll say no spa can't fix this, you should have been more careful... see it's like a slap in the face by a parent....How humiliating! how outrageous!
Proper care of fine leather goods is an art and has a science...however you do not need an M.D. to do it properly (it does help though) With some practice you can gain the skills needed to feel confident in being able to up keep your lovely leather goods.

I do not say cover your bag in silicone,or acrylics or other terrible things which will IMO destroy the leather over time...

Ah there...my rant is over... at least for now....

OMG Yeah so true!!! You helped with my sad experience with a chanel bag. (http://forum.purseblog.com/hermes-r...eather-care-info-295160-286.html#post19064930) My chanel SA said exactly that - sorry you just have to be careful. No recommendation of places or nothing. Paris boutique recommended a place. They said it's impossible to clean but can paint it. I wonder they meant redye? Chanel bags are not that expensive but still... I can count the number of times I used that bag with one hand.

Anyways, :urock: Everyone loves you and really appreciate you help as you know. After reading your advice for various situation, I have a good collection of leather care products. Before and after is so amazing with just little TLC to my leather bags/shoes. When I see the sad leather bags on the street, I sometimes have an urge to take it and give it some treat. hehe

I can't imagine the forum without you. Thanks again for your amazing contribution.

 

[CoCoChloe]

I can appreciate that you want to take the best care of your bag, but I agree with docride that a brand new chevre bag doesn't really need anything at all applied to it. I have two chevre bags, both over 10 years old. They have both gotten wet and dried just fine (just dry as docride suggested above). Neither has had anything applied to them and they are beautiful, with that gorgeous sheen that chevre has.

I would take docride and Perigord's advice and just enjoy your new acquisition as is. Congrats!

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Rain is not a too much concern to me. The color transfer is what I am dead scared of. Are your bags light colored and had been fine with color transfer?

 

[CoCoChloe]

And I agree too, having owned chevre. Less is wonderfully more in this case. If Hermes wanted you to cover your new chevre with appleguard, they would be selling bottles!

(Of course, they did give me a block of glycerine soap when I bought a barenia years ago. As I said, I am such a treatment-phobe that I never even used that!) With this leather, I liked doc's first suggestion the best. Chevre is really, really sturdy and resistant and will do fine.

Thanks Perigord. Yeah I def wouldnt want to do anything that ruins the natural beauty of the bag.

 

[mistikat]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Rain is not a too much concern to me. The color transfer is what I am dead scared of. Are your bags light colored and had been fine with color transfer?

One is rouge vif, the other is raisin. No issues. My wallet is a rose shocking chèvre large Azap. It is in my bags with many other things and looks pristine.

 

[gracekelly]

CoCoChloe RE light colored chevre: I have a Bolide, Bearn wallet and key case in turquoise chevre. None have been treated with anything. The wallet/key case has been in constant use and rolling around in handbags for several years. No color transfer of any sort on any of the above. Same is true for a gold chevre Constance and vermillion Kelly. No issues at all.

I wouldn't touch a fresh from the boutique bag.

 

[arqfpca]

Hey ladies!
How do you clean the crinoline surface of your H bags?
Or do you leave it to the pros?
TIA!

 

[lala28]

Hey ladies!
How do you clean the crinoline surface of your H bags?
Or do you leave it to the pros?
TIA!

I use the magic eraser (dry only) from Mr. Clean.

 

[gracekelly]

Hey ladies!
How do you clean the crinoline surface of your H bags?
Or do you leave it to the pros?
TIA!

I have the flat horsehair, the ridged horsehair crinoline and a woven horsehair crinoline. I have not had to clean any of them. On one occasion, I did take a damp cloth to the flat horsehair when I saw a spot left by the lock rubbing against it. I would not use anything that would be abrasive and break the weave of the horsehair. If it was something serious, I would take it to a craftsman at the boutique.

BTW, I recently read on another site that it is suggested NOT to use the magic eraser on any of the bags. Not sure why this is, but I am not tempting the fates. I know that many people have said it is good on toile bags, but I am sticking to a damp cloth for toile as it always works for me.