^my swift bags are aging beautifully, so I haven't had to take them, but I've taken a 10+ year old gulliver kelly to the spa. It had scuffed corners and scratches on it. That one came back looking significantly improved. I could see where the scuffs were if I looked closely, but mostly the bag looked new.
How are your Swift Bags aging?
- Thread starter Rockerchic
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I'm a total lurker and own only two Hermes items so I don't chime in often...but when I saw this thread, I HAD to temporarily de-lurk!
I have a 21-year old (1989) Rouge H 40-cm swift (gulliver? sorry, i'm not ultra Hermès educated!) birkin with ghw. I live in a cold climate -- snow, sleet, ice, temperatures below zero in the winter months -- and I use it every day and everywhere in the city (public transportation, shopping, travelling, etc.). It sits on the floor when it has to and I don't think twice about it. It's faced the "winter elements" regularly (although I wipe off the moisture when I get indoors). It's even been to five continents and held up amazingly well. No slouching as of yet...
To give you an idea, I'm not a bag "collector". I personally don't see the point of an extensive bag collection -- it doesn't fit my lifestyle or money-spending strategy (I'd rather travel than get another bag) -- so my birkin is the only "handbag" I own. When I purchased it, the idea was "I will spend a high amount once on the perfect bag and use it to death!"
Well, the corners are a bit scuffed and there is some "normal" wear and tear (i.e. scratches), but i have to say that it's the absolute best investment I've ever made. It's functional, classic and all-around fabulous...and looks much newer than even half it's age! I can't speak for other Hermès leathers, which may hold up just as well, but I wouldn't hesitate to get a swift and plan for the "long term"!
Hope this is helpful!
I have a 21-year old (1989) Rouge H 40-cm swift (gulliver? sorry, i'm not ultra Hermès educated!) birkin with ghw. I live in a cold climate -- snow, sleet, ice, temperatures below zero in the winter months -- and I use it every day and everywhere in the city (public transportation, shopping, travelling, etc.). It sits on the floor when it has to and I don't think twice about it. It's faced the "winter elements" regularly (although I wipe off the moisture when I get indoors). It's even been to five continents and held up amazingly well. No slouching as of yet...
To give you an idea, I'm not a bag "collector". I personally don't see the point of an extensive bag collection -- it doesn't fit my lifestyle or money-spending strategy (I'd rather travel than get another bag) -- so my birkin is the only "handbag" I own. When I purchased it, the idea was "I will spend a high amount once on the perfect bag and use it to death!"
Well, the corners are a bit scuffed and there is some "normal" wear and tear (i.e. scratches), but i have to say that it's the absolute best investment I've ever made. It's functional, classic and all-around fabulous...and looks much newer than even half it's age! I can't speak for other Hermès leathers, which may hold up just as well, but I wouldn't hesitate to get a swift and plan for the "long term"!
Hope this is helpful!
Persephone I could not agree more and I loved your post about swift/gulliver. If your bag is the age you say it is gulliver.
Here are 2 pictures with and without flash of my A year (is that 1989?) 35cm Black Gulliver GHW Birkin. She looks fabulous and I have used her a lot.
Claude at Madison Ave told me once that Gulliver was his favorite H leather and H only stopped making it because the man who owned the tannery which supplied Hermes died!
Here are 2 pictures with and without flash of my A year (is that 1989?) 35cm Black Gulliver GHW Birkin. She looks fabulous and I have used her a lot.
Claude at Madison Ave told me once that Gulliver was his favorite H leather and H only stopped making it because the man who owned the tannery which supplied Hermes died!
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GORGEOUS! I, too, am a BIG fan of Swift leather and my Swift bags have held up beautifully! LOVE them! The ONE Gulliver bag I had (and no longer own) did, however, give me a bit of trouble....those corners scuffed up fast and I wound up really not liking it for that reason. I'd bring it to the spa, wait for eons to get it back only to have those corners rub and scuff really, really fast again. And I'm not hard on my bags at all!
BUT, SWIFT leather is a whole different story for me.....like I said, I love mine!!!
BUT, SWIFT leather is a whole different story for me.....like I said, I love mine!!!
wow i am glad this thread has been revived! 
i have a new gold swift birkin and was wondering how quickly it will start to slouch?
i have carried it couple of times and there's minor scuffing on the corners already!! they are not very obvious though but if you look closely u can see a slightly lighter area where the bag rubbed against. but then again they are not very obvious unless you look very closely.
but i still love it heaps because swift leather really does make the gold color pop and it doesn't look dull at all
i have a new gold swift birkin and was wondering how quickly it will start to slouch?
i have carried it couple of times and there's minor scuffing on the corners already!! they are not very obvious though but if you look closely u can see a slightly lighter area where the bag rubbed against. but then again they are not very obvious unless you look very closely.
but i still love it heaps because swift leather really does make the gold color pop and it doesn't look dull at all
Together with saddle leathers and Box, Swift is my favourite H leather; I only have 1 Swift Birkin which is, I think, from 2006 and I lover it to bits. I'm planing on getting another Birkin in a brighter colour, possibly one of the new A/W 2010 colours, and also I would like a Kelly in Beige Swift with G/H. As HL rightly says, Swift takes colour beautifully, and is much sturdier than people think: I've got caught in rain with mine several times, and it's just fine! Here she is in all her floopy glory, lol!
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Thanks to all the tpfr's..so reassuring to me as I just purchased my first swift birkin in a 30 and am so glad, I was a bit worried at first, but figured the color rubis was so striking in that leather that I went for it....I also read that gulliver was retired in 2006 and returned renamed a year later as swift (btw,Gulliver Swift was one of my favorite books as a kid)I also think it is more rare and desirable and uncommon and that's why it costs a pinch more than togo or clemence!!!!!I will definitely keep a cotton hankie in it's pocket for wiping any rain off...
Love that this thread came back and I wanted too add that I sent my swift in for minor yet necessary little fix ups and was surprised to see how very well it came back looking practically new I love the look and feel of this bag and well I just wanted to restate how fabulous they are.