If you had to choose between the ignali ebano and regular nappa leather which would you buy and why?
I've heard the Ignali is softer and a little lighter then the ebano which sounds very pretty but I wonder how the textured weave looks in comparison and is it more delicate?
All insight greatly welcome!
Btw, My large toffee veneta hasn't even arrived yet and I"m already thinking of the maxi! lol
To answer your questions in turn:
-I have an Intagli Veneta as well as a regular nero nappa Veneta, so I chose both. I chose the regular nappa for nero because I wanted the most basic classic style in nero. I chose the Intagli for ebano, to be honest, because my BV boutique had one on sale while the regular ebano was still full price. Plus the blue suede interior of the Intagli is really amazing. I think I would have been happy with either one, although part of me prefers the original non-reddish ebano color. I have no regrets, though, as explained more below.
-The Intagli was more pliable and had more drape when brand new. It's addicting. The color is not that much lighter than ebano, but it has warmer, reddish tones. It's still what I'd call a dark brown, though. There are photos of the textured weave on the Reference forum--how it looks on the Veneta is based on your preference. I happen to like it because it makes it more distinct from my nero Veneta, but at the same time, it still looks like a BV woven Veneta.
-Is it more delicate? Perhaps, yes. After using it for a little while, mine still looks terrific and I think it will age well. I don't baby it and don't hesitate to use it, but I understand that it's an expensive handbag and treat it with ordinary care. At the same time, I do think it's a little bit more delicate than solid, non-embossed nappa fettuce--time will tell.
As an aside, I remember reading somewhere that the Intagli is cervo, but my SA told me that information is incorrect based on her BV literature. She told me it is nappa that had a different dye treatment and embossed, so the resulting drape of the leather seemed different from regular nappa--but it is nappa. For the record, I've had a BV manager (a different person from my SA) incorrectly insist that my Barcelona calf Cabat is cervo, too, but it's not (it's Barcelona calf), so I think BV SAs sometimes have mistaken information. So who knows.
(My unsolicited advice is to wait until you have your large toffee Veneta and use it for a while before you spring for a maxi Veneta--unless you're already familiar with the maxi and already have others in the Veneta style. Both of my Venetas are medium and I love them, but I only figured out my preference by trying other styles and sizes to compare. Good luck deciding!)