Is there a bag Hierarchy???

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#346
Jennifer Marvin said:
And the legend is, the HERMES craftsperson kisses the bag to finish it! :love: ;).
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;)such a lovely story! Seriously though I do believe the crafts people love their work and try to surpass each other in skill and attention to detail.

In my mind the hierarchy very much exists, it goes in layers something like this.

1.HERMES
2. CHANEL
3.
BV /Gucci /celine /Lowe /lanvin/ valextra/chloe etc
4. LV /mulberry/Annya hindmarch etc
5. Mark Jacobs/Burberry etc
8. Coach


Each brand appeals to different group so not everyone is going to agree. I generally used to prefer CHANEL as I think they do the most innovative designs and there is nothing to compare with the classic flap. Hermes produce by far the best leather and finish, and their designs rely on simplicity and perfect execution. Other brands like say celine or Stella McCartney have a more contemporary, cutting edge look and will appeal to a different demographic. And I love unusual no brand basket bags which are not to the general taste. Don't generally rate them by price, as the most expensive bag is not necessarily the best one for my lifestyle.
 
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#347
I would go for

1. Hermes
2. LV haute maroquineire
3. Bottega Venetta ( although I don't care for their bags)
4. Chanel

I only own hermes, one exotic Chanel clutch and LV HM these days. I've sold the rest due to quality issues and lack of aftercare service. This includes Prada, Gucci, Chanel

As far as 'hierarchy' I really rate my LV HM bag. You choose leather, colour, style and contact lining, and you get your name in it! The quality is on a par with Hermes in my opinion, but I will have to see how the bag/ leather holds up after 1 year plus use. Aftercare has been promised, but will reserve judgement on this until I need it!

Everyone rates hermes aftercare but my one experience of sending a bag for a spar was poor- I can do an acceptable job myself of touching up corners and cleaning my H bags. I will only send an H bag in if it needs major repairs in future.
 
#348
I do think there is somewhat of a 'hierarchy' when it comes to customer service/aftercare/popularity, but certainly not quality. I do think that generally the quality of a bag correlates to price, but this isn't always true and can't be used to determine a great bag vs a good bag. I think that there is definitely a certain threshold that you could call the "best" quality bags, but I don't think its specific to one brand. I dont think quality-wise, Hermes is in a league of its own, nor is Chanel, etc.

After reading this thread the other day, I did a side by side comparison of one of my mom's H bags and one of my BVs and while they both felt really nice and buttery, I think it would be a stretch to say that one would be 'ranked' over the other based on quality alone. You'll know based on both feel and utility if you've got a 'top tier' quality bag regardless of what you paid for it or how much brand hype it has.
 
#350
Classic styling - Hermes Kelly, Chanel Classic flaps
Feel and quality- Hermes, Valextra, Chanel Classic lamb skin (is it just me or is the seasonal a getting thinner and thinner?)
Relatively cheap, feels good, and indestructible - Victoria Beckham, Sass and Bide, also the lightest Lanvin - All my Chanels have been sitting in the cupboard since becoming a mum they are too heavy and my 2 year old loves drawing on things it wouldn't it be fun to image scribbles across my beige classic flap lol and my 4 year old is very experimental after playing with dirt he has decided it would be nice to see if my Sass and Bide jeans can be painted brown.... when they team up ...My GST has been tipped upside down and dragged through the house... my vintage Hermes kelly sits in the cupboard this was my mothers so it holds high sedimental value so I don't want to have a heart attack each second or have to be paranoid about my bags
Bag I get the most compliments on Smythson - the quality is excellent the colour is beautiful and no one has it or knows what It is (the most common bags here are the LV, Chanel, Gucci, Prada)
 
#352
I have different bags in different price points for different reasons. Of your way-too-long original list (impossible to rank some of those brands since they are basically made in the same China factories and are rebranded over and over) here is my general hierarchy. I am ranking by perceived quality and materials used in the majority of bags. (LV uses cloth or vinyl in most of their bags so they are not ranked with the high quality leather bags, etc)

Hermes
Chanel
Bottega Venetta
Prada/Balenciaga/YSL/Dior/Lanvin/Celine/Chloe/LV/Fendi/Gucci
Mulberry/Marc Jacobs/Alexander Mcqueen/Dolce and Gabbana
Kate Spade/Coach/Marc by Marc Jacobs/Michael Kors/Tory Burch
 
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#353
(don't pelt me with rocks ladies.. just IMHO)

Coach --> Gucci --> LV --> Goyard --> Chanel --> BV --> Hermes

Prada, Valentino, AW, Balenciaga, etc, etc go somewhere between Gucci and Chanel, but nothing above it...
 
#354
ltbag said:
i have different bags in different price points for different reasons. Of your way-too-long original list (impossible to rank some of those brands since they are basically made in the same china factories and are rebranded over and over) here is my general hierarchy. I am ranking by perceived quality and materials used in the majority of bags. (lv uses cloth or vinyl in most of their bags so they are not ranked with the high quality leather bags, etc)

hermes
chanel
bottega venetta
prada/balenciaga/ysl/dior/lanvin/celine/chloe/lv/fendi/gucci
mulberry/marc jacobs/alexander mcqueen/dolce and gabbana
kate spade/coach/marc by marc jacobs/michael kors/tory burch
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+1
 
#355
Originally Posted by chloehandbags
This is, obviously, a very snobby topic, but there's no denying it, there is a perceived hierarchy surrounding designers and designer bags.

What I believe to be the current perceived hierarchy (not necessarily my own!), based on quality of materials and make, popularity vs exclusivity and price point:

1. Hermes
2. BV
3. Chanel, Judith Leiber
4. Valentino
5. Chloe, Gucci, Fendi
6. LV, Lanvin, Balenciaga, YSL, Alexander McQueen
7. Prada, Burberry Prorsum
8. Marc Jacobs, Dior
9. Missoni, Pucci, Roberto Cavalli, Jimmy Choo, Stella McCartney
10.Matthew Williamson, Marni, Ralph Lauren, Celine
11.Miu Miu, Burberry
12.Tods, Hogan
13.Marc by Marc Jacobs, Mulberry, Botkier
14.Kate Spade, Furla
15.Coach, Kooba, Russell & Bromley, Michael by Michael Kors
16.Dooney & Bourke
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I agree also with this hierarchy! I do however love Bvlgari bags - they are so beautiful! Thought I'd add it to the list since I hadn't seen them mentioned above!
 
#357
This is a fascinating thread. I haven't given the matter much thought, but I have little to no interest in Hermes, Chanel or LV. I like some of the Chanel drawstring bags, but the rest look like they are for women much older than myself, IMHO of course. I can't imagine ever carrying an Hermes, and nothing LV really speaks to me.

This probably goes to the contrarian in me, but I like having bags that not everyone else has. In my (very buttoned-up) town, it's all LV and Prada, all the time. I like YSL (NOT Saint Laurent) and Balenciaga, which I think are beautiful and distinctive, plus no one has them here. I also love the Fendi 2jours and the Gucci soft stirrup, neither of which I've ever seen in my town, ever.

I think bags are art. Forget what is popular, what do you want to see on your arm when you look in the mirror? Imagine the painting :).
 
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#358
wigglytuff said:
i dont like this argument at all.

i dont see why any brand should be blamed for the number/quality of fakes. the brand does not make or certain allow the fakes, thats why they are all called "fakes"

i dont know the point to about those "without style" they might be fakes for one, which should not count agaisnt the brand as i dont think they want to fakes out there at all, but also i dont think its fair for anyone to tell someone else that they "lack style". their style might be different or not your style but it seems a little jugdemental to point to someone and say they dont have any style.

i sell wine and none of the customers who came in with the rare Black Amex, would be those with a mainstream style, but clearly they have done well for themselves and have a style of their own. we should be talking about bags what we like not passing judgement on someone whose style is different.

and maybe you went to a different high school and college than i but i dont remember anyone in high school or college having LV or in grad school for that manner.
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+1
De need to look closely at the craftsmanship of each brand first then we consider the exclusivity etc next. For this reason hard for me to comment on the 'hierarchy' except I can speculate around what I hear. However, I do own the classic Alma's (LV), the Sloane (BV) and the Classic Flap (Chanel) which I believe to be spectacular in craftsmanship and style. I studied these brands well and I can only say personally and from what I heard, putting Chanel,Bottega Veneta and Louis Vuitton on top of the list (after Hermes) is a good choice because of their history and craftsmanship in manufacturing these products
 
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