How do you know a bag is high quality?
- Thread starter Jesssh
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I always take a look at the lining. The bag should always be beautiful inside and out! Bottega Veneta is a great example. Although it may not always be as practical for a mom on the go like myself, the suede lining is exquisite. Each time I reach inside my bag, the soft suede lining reminds me just how luxurious my bag is!
One thing I keep in mind when I'm looking or a new bag is how well it will hold up to mu kids. They are brutal!!!! One dumped a bottle of pink bubblegum amoxicillin in and on my Burberry....it cleaned up amazingly!!! You culd hardly tell that my daughter got to it. Mostly I look at the stitching and consistency of the work within the bag ad well as the quality of the materials used. It is hard to find kid friendly bags, but LV has been the overall winner for me.
Same! I feel as if I have earned my bag. I had to wait until the baby years ended and until I was established and ahh it feels wonderful!
I think it also comes down to what you consider 'quality' to be. For example, I have multiple bags by the same designer. Most are calf/cow leather, but one is lambskin. While lambskin is softer it wears a lot faster. My lambskin bag looks much older than bags I've had for twice as long. So some may find lambskin more desirable, but IMO it doesn't hold up as well and I will be avoiding it in the future (I guess no Bal bags for me :/). My point being, is 'quality' for you scarcity, craftsmanship, durability, etc? I think that can make the idea of 'quality' vary from person to person.
Have you noticed trends in this research? I imagine there are bags that don't hold up well, but I am curious if there are brands that you have found not to hold up well?
Two reasons, first due to my religious belief second because IMO pig skin leather is the cheapest and lowest quality in leather hierarchy. Anyone could disagree with me but I would not be bothered.
I look design very carefully, cause I just hate it, when something is brutally copied. Ofcourse there are similarities, but its just so stupid feeling when you realize your bag is an image copy of something that was in two years ago. High street bags are often nice quality, thats true, but honestly, maybe they should bravely just use new design talents more often
Here are some details I look for. When a bag has all these things, I don't care if it's high street or designer... Its all good with me!
-Material: nice leather that has that "touch me!" quality
-Zippers: exterior zippers must be metal. I hate that certain bags have plastic zippers in the inside (Chanel, YSL), but I can deal with it as long as they are not flimsy
-Hardware: should have a nice "heft" to it
-Interior: should also be luxurious (which is why plastic zippers bother me). If there is a lining, it should be a nice, sturdy material that can withstand time and wear without snagging or getting scratched up
-Material: nice leather that has that "touch me!" quality
-Zippers: exterior zippers must be metal. I hate that certain bags have plastic zippers in the inside (Chanel, YSL), but I can deal with it as long as they are not flimsy
-Hardware: should have a nice "heft" to it
-Interior: should also be luxurious (which is why plastic zippers bother me). If there is a lining, it should be a nice, sturdy material that can withstand time and wear without snagging or getting scratched up
That's where a bag manufacturer will skimp if they need to cut costs but yet try to still appear as though they haven't. Plus the outside of my bag is for me and other people, the inside is just for me
Here are some details I look for. When a bag has all these things, I don't care if it's high street or designer... Its all good with me!
-Material: nice leather that has that "touch me!" quality
-Zippers: exterior zippers must be metal. I hate that certain bags have plastic zippers in the inside (Chanel, YSL), but I can deal with it as long as they are not flimsy
-Hardware: should have a nice "heft" to it
-Interior: should also be luxurious (which is why plastic zippers bother me). If there is a lining, it should be a nice, sturdy material that can withstand time and wear without snagging or getting scratched up
Great advice Firstly I will look at the quality, secondly I will check again coz IMO apart from a couple of high street bags (years ago) price has been not the major discerning factor it should have been.
The only hole in that research strategy is that fashion based (non-leather house) change their manurfacterers and factorys regularly. E.g. Paul Smith (changed 3 or 4 times in the last 10 years) Burberrys use many different sources so it completely depends on each bag, Celine, better last year than this, but this year still better than a few years ago. Even within the same line of bags, Mark Jacob's Blake - depends on the year.
I have another tip:
Go rather for bag from a leather-house that diversifies and maximises publicity by creating a fashion line (Gucci, Hermes, BV...) rather than a fashion house or jewellers maximising profits and potential markets by diversifying in leather goods (Dolce and Gabbana, Versace, Bugari etc).
Go rather for bag from a leather-house that diversifies and maximises publicity by creating a fashion line (Gucci, Hermes, BV...) rather than a fashion house or jewellers maximising profits and potential markets by diversifying in leather goods (Dolce and Gabbana, Versace, Bugari etc).
Excellent advice!!
The other thing I always do - inquire about after-market service. After you've had the bag a decade or three, it's going to show wear.
Can you get the bag relined? Can they restitch a strap/replace a strap or side piping? Do they have a basic cleaning and reconditioning service?
In other words, if you are planning on having the bag for a while, will it still look nice?
papertiger said:
I totally agree with this, will remember this the next time I'm thinking about buying a new handbag