Is there a bag Hierarchy???

[Iv7]

Question...is there a hierarchy for the contemporary designers? I'm deciding between a Kate Spade, MARC by Marc Jacobs, and a Coach. I was considering a Tory Burch but read a lot about quality issues w/ her stuff. So if you were going to pick a lower-tier (contemporary) brand that's best, what would it be? I don't want to pay a few hundred dollars for something that's made in China and a piece of junk. Thanks in advance!

I'd rank Tory Burch a step higher than the other 3. But I feel like, the quality is either really great or just a complete miss. But still, in general, still better than the others. The SA's are generally really nice too.

Don't have much experience with MARC but I'd probably rank:

1. Burch
2. Coach
3. Kate Spade

But for me, quality is only a part of it. Pick out a bag that really appeals to you and you know you'll love the bag forever, making you baby the bag 24/7

 

[Silversun]

Hi, I'm very new to handbags and so am not yet in the realms of the top of the hierarchy. But I see the recent posts about Michael Kors and I tend to agree--they seem flashy to me (too much hardware and WAY too many logos).

Question...is there a hierarchy for the contemporary designers? I'm deciding between a Kate Spade, MARC by Marc Jacobs, and a Coach. I was considering a Tory Burch but read a lot about quality issues w/ her stuff. So if you were going to pick a lower-tier (contemporary) brand that's best, what would it be? I don't want to pay a few hundred dollars for something that's made in China and a piece of junk. Thanks in advance!

Interesting question. I am not too familiar with contemporary designers but my personal ranking out of these four based on perception would be:

1. MBMJ - it's the only contemporary designer whose leather quality I feel is up there with the premium designers, sometimes even better.
2. Kate Spade - interesting designs, a bit of an edge to her stuff
3. Coach - leather bags, not logo canvas. Don't particularly like the brand image but appreciate it's trying to move itself upmarket.
4. Tory Burch - the brand image just doesn't appeal to me.

Other contemporary designers I think might be good: 3.1 Philip Lim, Longchamp le Cuir, Alexander Wang? I've left out Michael Kors for reasons discussed in depth elsewhere.

 

[allyloupuppy]

Hi, I'm very new to handbags and so am not yet in the realms of the top of the hierarchy. But I see the recent posts about Michael Kors and I tend to agree--they seem flashy to me (too much hardware and WAY too many logos).

Question...is there a hierarchy for the contemporary designers? I'm deciding between a Kate Spade, MARC by Marc Jacobs, and a Coach. I was considering a Tory Burch but read a lot about quality issues w/ her stuff. So if you were going to pick a lower-tier (contemporary) brand that's best, what would it be? I don't want to pay a few hundred dollars for something that's made in China and a piece of junk. Thanks in advance!

I would suggest you take a look at Longchamp leather bags! I would definitely put them at the top for contemporary designers. Some of their leathers are made in France too

 

[D.S]

Hermès (because of its reputation)
Chanel (for its lady like appeal)
Dior ( especially the lady dior)
LV ( love their trunks... Oh my!)

 

[Almaz]

Yes there certainly is, and here's my order in terms of the perceived prestige

1-Hermes:
Let their excellent quality aside, the exclusivity, the astronomical prices and the limited production is what make them prestigious and desirable.

2-Chanel:
A combination of their long history, unique styles and the fact that they're the trend setters, the continuous limitation of production and constant prices increasing are the just the icing on the cake.

3-Dior:
Dior also enjoys a history of its own, their very lady-like style and their quality. I see Dior as equal to Chanel but Dior seems to be less popular.

4-Bottega Veneta/Valextra:
They have always been linked to female royals and old-money women who like the stealth-wealth look, women who love premium quality leather but don't want to flaunt.BV being much more popular than Valextra.

5-Louis Vuitton/Gucci:
10 years ago I'd put LV in number 2 or 3, but in the past few years they have been replicated to death, and they are usually linked to the 2007 era back when all bags had to be all monogrammed to become appealing, which led to these two brands to become associated with a "different" type of demographic. Remember the story when Louis Vuitton sent to Snooki some Gucci bags to tote around?!

 

[Scarlett106]

10 years ago I'd put LV in number 2 or 3, but in the past few years they have been replicated to death, and they are usually linked to the 2007 era back when all bags had to be all monogrammed to become appealing, which led to these two brands to become associated with a "different" type of demographic. Remember the story when Louis Vuitton sent to Snooki some Gucci bags to tote around?!

That's hilarious about Snooki! I wouldn't want her representing my label, either!

Where would you ladies place Prada? For my first high-end bag (I currently collect only contemporary), I've always wanted a Prada. I fell in love with the Marmo (dark silver) with silver hardware, absolutely love it. But I don't see it listed in this thread much...I know it's not in the same category as Hermes or something, but I always thought of it as comparable to LV or Gucci...am I wrong? Thanks!

 

[Iv7]

That's hilarious about Snooki! I wouldn't want her representing my label, either!

Where would you ladies place Prada? For my first high-end bag (I currently collect only contemporary), I've always wanted a Prada. I fell in love with the Marmo (dark silver) with silver hardware, absolutely love it. But I don't see it listed in this thread much...I know it's not in the same category as Hermes or something, but I always thought of it as comparable to LV or Gucci...am I wrong? Thanks!

As a Prada lover, Prada just doesn't make the same kind of quality comparable to LV. They don't make the best bags in the world unfortunately.

I do love their designs though and they will last still. Just some pieces not as durable. They're not low quality but there are some issues.

not to be offensive but I don't see how Gucci's quality is comparable to LV lol

 

[Scarlett106]

As a Prada lover, Prada just doesn't make the same kind of quality comparable to LV. They don't make the best bags in the world unfortunately.



I do love their designs though and they will last still. Just some pieces not as durable. They're not low quality but there are some issues.



not to be offensive but I don't see how Gucci's quality is comparable to LV lol

It's probably not! I'm not at all well-versed in the high-end brands...I was just throwing out another name. Thanks for the response! I love the sleek look of Prada. I have bad associations with LV just from the days when everyone had the monogram bags and luggage, and because when I think of knock-offs, I think LV (not that it's the designer's fault)!

 

[Maice]

It's probably not! I'm not at all well-versed in the high-end brands...I was just throwing out another name. Thanks for the response! I love the sleek look of Prada. I have bad associations with LV just from the days when everyone had the monogram bags and luggage, and because when I think of knock-offs, I think LV (not that it's the designer's fault)!

I love both Prada and LV. I agree with Iv7 that the quality of Prada nowadays can be questionable (more of a hit-or-miss), but the older models had much better quality. That being said, I do like Prada's design aesthetic more (both older and new models) at this point than LV. I do own some LV (and yes, some pieces are in monogram ) and still love the brand.


I'd say that Prada is still pretty high up there, and at the end of the day - it's a premier designer brand.

 

[Rangiroa]

Yes there certainly is, and here's my order in terms of the perceived prestige

1-Hermes:
Let their excellent quality aside, the exclusivity, the astronomical prices and the limited production is what make them prestigious and desirable.

2-Chanel:
A combination of their long history, unique styles and the fact that they're the trend setters, the continuous limitation of production and constant prices increasing are the just the icing on the cake.

3-Dior:
Dior also enjoys a history of its own, their very lady-like style and their quality. I see Dior as equal to Chanel but Dior seems to be less popular.

4-Bottega Veneta/Valextra:
They have always been linked to female royals and old-money women who like the stealth-wealth look, women who love premium quality leather but don't want to flaunt.BV being much more popular than Valextra.

5-Louis Vuitton/Gucci:
10 years ago I'd put LV in number 2 or 3, but in the past few years they have been replicated to death, and they are usually linked to the 2007 era back when all bags had to be all monogrammed to become appealing, which led to these two brands to become associated with a "different" type of demographic. Remember the story when Louis Vuitton sent to Snooki some Gucci bags to tote around?!

Agree on the fact that LV dropped significantly in terms of brand prestige due to popularity, though the same phenom occurred back in the mid-80s when their Monogram leather goods first started to be picked up by the international crowd. Thanks for info on Valextra, only heard about it now

 

[hikarupanda]

Yes there certainly is, and here's my order in terms of the perceived prestige



1-Hermes:

Let their excellent quality aside, the exclusivity, the astronomical prices and the limited production is what make them prestigious and desirable.



2-Chanel:

A combination of their long history, unique styles and the fact that they're the trend setters, the continuous limitation of production and constant prices increasing are the just the icing on the cake.



3-Dior:

Dior also enjoys a history of its own, their very lady-like style and their quality. I see Dior as equal to Chanel but Dior seems to be less popular.



4-Bottega Veneta/Valextra:

They have always been linked to female royals and old-money women who like the stealth-wealth look, women who love premium quality leather but don't want to flaunt.BV being much more popular than Valextra.



5-Louis Vuitton/Gucci:

10 years ago I'd put LV in number 2 or 3, but in the past few years they have been replicated to death, and they are usually linked to the 2007 era back when all bags had to be all monogrammed to become appealing, which led to these two brands to become associated with a "different" type of demographic. Remember the story when Louis Vuitton sent to Snooki some Gucci bags to tote around?!

Quite agree with your ranking. Though since Fendi bags are getting more popular (with much better designs) in recent years (peekaboo, 2joirs), maybe I'd put it #5 as well. I also must say that Fendi bags are actually quite well made, I personally had more problems with my Chanel bags in terms of quality than Fendi.

And I must say I have a Valextra bag and I LOVE the buttery soft leather! I actually like that it is less popular and out of the radar compared to BV, makes me feel exclusive and like a real fashion insider, lol!

Oh, also, I think Celine needs to be somewhere, maybe #2 or 3?

 

[Piqiu]

So along these lines, are there any designer bags that people would generally consider 'tacky' or 'trying too hard and failing'? It seems like many people are saying things along these lines about LV, since their logo is so ubiquitous and there are so many fakes around.

Personally, I think LV logo bags look really nice (and would make a great gift for my mom if I saved up the money), but I'd hate it if I spent a lot to buy a precious bag and then had everyone assume it was fake or look down on us for being unsophisticated or something. (I know you're supposed to enjoy the bag itself, but I also don't want people talking behind my back about it.)

 

[Pimpernel]

Hermès, then BV, then Chloè, then Celine, then Goyard and lagging behind them all Chanel and LV (compared to their products of, say, twenty years ago). Just based on personal and subjective criteria of overall craftsmanship, quality materials, long-term appeal and durability, and the HUGE quality difference between originals and fakes (you know an original isn´t that special anymore when a replica ticks off all the above boxes). I´m not counting on "popularity" as it fluctuates a lot from year to year and from country to country...

 

[melvel]

My personal hierarchy of the premier designers, all things considered (price, exclusivity, history, quality etc)

Hermes

---

Chanel
Dior

---

Louis Vuitton

---

Balenciaga
Prada
Fendi
Gucci
Celine
Bottega Veneta
Goyard
Ferragamo
Valentino
Saint Laurent

---

Mulberry
Burberry
Proenza
Tod's
Marc Jacobs
Miu Miu
Chloe
Jimmy Choo

 

[DivaNC]

I haven't read the complete thread but it's interesting that Givenchy hasn't really been mentioned. How would you all rank Givenchy in terms of the handbag hierarchy?