I was also surprised not to see Mark Cross and Valextra. Same with Launer London and Ferragamo. Maybe they are a little too understated and classic to catch people's attention. They definitely don't market the same way LV, Gucci, etc. do.
Is there a bag Hierarchy???
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I have Ferragamo and Valextra in my collection. My favorite aspect of these bags are their beautiful classic lines. They are definitely underrated, but that’s okay because it means there’s more for us.
My collection is mainly Hermes with some chanel, bottega, LV, Dior.
Probably the most exclusive, highest quality bag though is a custom order from Duret.com which I will hopefully receive later this summer. (Though even with all the choices, it probably should be classified as Made to Measure, not full custom.
For a look at the Duret.com work, I adored seeing the photos provided by @Tasha1 in her thread:
forum.purseblog.com
duret-paris.com
@papertiger, DH and I cannot wait to go to Duret in Paris. But, he’s ordered belts through Lefotte in NY and you can choose your skin; choose the finishes; choose your thread; choose the backing; and, of course choose your hw. . . Well you get the picture. And, Duret is expert at customizing the hides. When I asked for a Buffalo Dalmatian leather bc I saw a pic of a kelly belonging to @kipp, Duret came back with three Buffalo Dalmatian colors (grey/black; blue and green); said he would customize; and provided a variety of chèvre for linings to choose from. And, his work is entirely hand crafted from the template to each stitch. He is an artist!
Forgot to add, DH has also had SLG made at John Lobb in London (not the French John Lobb owned by Hermes, but the other one).
Also, I don’t ever plan to go down this route, but custom shoes might be the height of luxury. DH is thinking about custom shoes, so that would probably be John Lobb when we can travel. (The French John Lobb is in NY). Currently his feet are happiest in Edward Green 202 last.
Probably the most exclusive, highest quality bag though is a custom order from Duret.com which I will hopefully receive later this summer. (Though even with all the choices, it probably should be classified as Made to Measure, not full custom.
For a look at the Duret.com work, I adored seeing the photos provided by @Tasha1 in her thread:
Duret bag
My journey for an exotic bag started a couple years ago. I spent enough time on my research. I found loads of information on this forum and I am very thankful two ladies Tracey SH and 880 who helped me enormously in this journey. The bag that appealed to me was on the Duret site. I liked her...
forum.purseblog.com
Bags – Duret-Paris
duret-paris.com
@papertiger, DH and I cannot wait to go to Duret in Paris. But, he’s ordered belts through Lefotte in NY and you can choose your skin; choose the finishes; choose your thread; choose the backing; and, of course choose your hw. . . Well you get the picture. And, Duret is expert at customizing the hides. When I asked for a Buffalo Dalmatian leather bc I saw a pic of a kelly belonging to @kipp, Duret came back with three Buffalo Dalmatian colors (grey/black; blue and green); said he would customize; and provided a variety of chèvre for linings to choose from. And, his work is entirely hand crafted from the template to each stitch. He is an artist!
Forgot to add, DH has also had SLG made at John Lobb in London (not the French John Lobb owned by Hermes, but the other one).
Also, I don’t ever plan to go down this route, but custom shoes might be the height of luxury. DH is thinking about custom shoes, so that would probably be John Lobb when we can travel. (The French John Lobb is in NY). Currently his feet are happiest in Edward Green 202 last.
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you are so right. Mark Cross, Valextra, Launer & Ferragamo = outstanding quality - superior to LV in every way.
Hi all - First off, this is a completely "for fun" discussion and I understand it's a completely frivolous topic. That said, I am curious how people view the various luxury handbag brands. How would you all rank the handbag brands/designer houses in terms of brand prestige and cache? I guess I'll start off:
Tier 1a - Hermes
Tier 1b - Chanel, Delvaux
Tier 2 - Dior, Fendi, Bottega Veneta
Tier 3 - Balenciaga, Celine, Gucci, Loewe, Louis Vuitton (depending on the bag could be Tier 2), Prada, Saint Laurent, Valentino (and others)
Tier 1a - Hermes
Tier 1b - Chanel, Delvaux
Tier 2 - Dior, Fendi, Bottega Veneta
Tier 3 - Balenciaga, Celine, Gucci, Loewe, Louis Vuitton (depending on the bag could be Tier 2), Prada, Saint Laurent, Valentino (and others)
1. Hermes/Gucci/BV
2. All the brands' bags that look really fab but I can't buy coz I already spent my money on 1.
3. All the brands that are interesting to the fashion-scape but make bags that are not 'me'
4. Brands that I know of but am not interested in their bags and can't think why anyone else is either
2. All the brands' bags that look really fab but I can't buy coz I already spent my money on 1.
3. All the brands that are interesting to the fashion-scape but make bags that are not 'me'
4. Brands that I know of but am not interested in their bags and can't think why anyone else is either
Chanel, Hermes and Louis Vuitton are at the top, this is not an opinion, but a fact.
Delvaux or BV are not nearly as well known and don't carry status with them.
Balenciaga, BV, Chloe etc are all in same tier. Typical luxury bags.
Below that are luxury brands which are known for their clothes, but make handbags too like Versace or Dolce and Gabanna.
Delvaux or BV are not nearly as well known and don't carry status with them.
Balenciaga, BV, Chloe etc are all in same tier. Typical luxury bags.
Below that are luxury brands which are known for their clothes, but make handbags too like Versace or Dolce and Gabanna.
I can agree with you that Chanel and Hermes are at the top. It's hard for me to put LV also at the top due to the vast range of pricing points they offer and subsequent ubiquity of their bags. Yes, LV to the common person signifies the epitome of luxury, but to someone who is into luxury fashion or designer handbags, they might put LV into the "typical luxury bags" tier due to just how attainable and common bags like the Neverfull or Alma BB are.
And again, to the common person, BV and Delvaux don't carry any status because they aren't well known or have large logos. But, to someone who is into fashion or designer bags like many of us, we might put BV and Delvaux into a bit of a higher category due to their higher than average price, craftmanship, etc.
I guess it's all subjective, haha.
LV, like Hermes and Chanel, is at the top in terms of retaining resale value but still much more attainable than Chanel and Hermes...so not as exclusive. While Delvaux is still under the radar, BV is not. I live in a big city and most people would not have recognized BV bags 5 years ago, but that has definitely changed. I would say Balenciaga and Chloe are in the same tier...both fashion houses produce it bags every now and then but I don’t consider any of their bags classic. Just my opinion. Some would argue that the city bag is classic and while it is classic for the fashion house, I hardly see them around irl.
1) Hermes
2) Chanel
3) LV
4) Delvaux, BV, Gucci, Balencia and Chole ....
2) Chanel
3) LV
4) Delvaux, BV, Gucci, Balencia and Chole ....
It depends what are the criteria for ranking, popularity/recognizability, exclusivity, brand heritage/history, revenue, quality? I personally prioritize quality and history, and how it fits my style. Let's be honest LV and Chanel although top in popularity, have fallen off the wagon in terms of quality in recent times. I'm not an expert of course, but I wonder sometimes if these latter 2 brands, though probably top 3 in popularity right now, if their current quality is similar to their fakes historically.
Over the years, my opinion on this has changed. How difficult is it to source a bag or even know about it?
Tier 1: Hermes, Delvaux, Moynat, Goyard, Launer, Faure le Page, any designer exotic
Then there's just plain expensive. There is no doubt this is a luxury item:
Tier 2: Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior
Then there's pretty expensive, but IYKYK in certain circles:
Tier 2: Ferragamo, Tod's, Brunello Cucinelli, Bottega Veneta, Tom Ford, Bvlgari, Cartier
And then there are the fashion houses' seasonal collections to compliment RTW:
Tier 3: Gucci, Chloe, Valentino, Balenciaga, Fendi, Celine, Paco Rabanne, Saint Laurent, Prada
Tier 4: Contemporary handbag brands like Tory Burch, Staud, Polene, By Far, Veronica Beard, Coach
Tier 1: Hermes, Delvaux, Moynat, Goyard, Launer, Faure le Page, any designer exotic
Then there's just plain expensive. There is no doubt this is a luxury item:
Tier 2: Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior
Then there's pretty expensive, but IYKYK in certain circles:
Tier 2: Ferragamo, Tod's, Brunello Cucinelli, Bottega Veneta, Tom Ford, Bvlgari, Cartier
And then there are the fashion houses' seasonal collections to compliment RTW:
Tier 3: Gucci, Chloe, Valentino, Balenciaga, Fendi, Celine, Paco Rabanne, Saint Laurent, Prada
Tier 4: Contemporary handbag brands like Tory Burch, Staud, Polene, By Far, Veronica Beard, Coach
I thought faure le page was in that category at some point but when looking into them found out they only started making handbags about 10 years ago. The current owners purchased a storied firearms brand name rights. The “history” is in firearms which is pretty cool but the actual bags are honestly probably average contemporary brand quality. The brand made holsters as the closest thing before, and with quality, but the techniques used then are not preserved in the making of their current bags. I could be wrong but this is my limited impression.
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