Lady Diors as they age - advice please

[Vespa_girl]

Hello all,

I recently purchased a pre-owned vintage Black Lambskin Lady Dior with gold hardware.

She was purchased in Japan by the original owner and passed down to the daughter who I purchased it from.

I must say that the bag appears to be very well looked after, and the inside is spotless - the only thing that bugs me is the sagging......

I went to Dior in Melbourne and they told me that without a certificate of Authenticity they cannot touch my Lady Dior. The bag is 20 years old - how could they expect a COA from that long ago..? I was hoping to have new handles fitted.

Anyway, I was wondering if there is any method that the experienced Lady owners might be able to offer to help me 're-shape' or prevent any further sagging....?

Are there bag shapers out there I can get for the side walls of the bag..?

Please see the picutres below.

The Second and last 2 photos are with my Long Miss Dior wallet, a large Sunglasses case and my iPhone - small amount of sag.

The Fourth and Fifth photos are when the bag is empty.

Sorry for the long post and thank you to anyone who pffers advice.

 

[pinky7]

Try stuffing the bag with bubble wrap when storing it. If you want to make a custom base shaper for the sides:
1) find a piece of thick cardboard
2)trace an outline of the side of the bag up until the mouth of the bag with pencil
3) repeat for other side
4) cut it out, using an x-acto knife or something similar
5) reinforce shaper with duck tape or something that will protect the cardboard
6) insert into bag with small layer of bubble wrap on bottom of the bag to help keep into place

 

[averagejoe]

try stuffing the bag with bubble wrap when storing it. If you want to make a custom base shaper for the sides:
1) find a piece of thick cardboard
2)trace an outline of the side of the bag up until the mouth of the bag with pencil
3) repeat for other side
4) cut it out, using an x-acto knife or something similar
5) reinforce shaper with duck tape or something that will protect the cardboard
6) insert into bag with small layer of bubble wrap on bottom of the bag to help keep into place

+1

 

[averagejoe]

I went to Dior in Melbourne and they told me that without a certificate of Authenticity they cannot touch my Lady Dior. The bag is 20 years old - how could they expect a COA from that long ago..? I was hoping to have new handles fitted.

Even if they offered to replace the handles, the new lambskin on the handles will not match the rest of the bag due to wear and tear on the body of the bag (and colour, since the new handles will look darker than the older parts of the bag). As well, some of the Lady Dior bags from the past were made of calfskin so the materials won't match either.

That being said, you should not be required to present a certificate of authenticity when asking for a repair. I've had pieces repaired before without a receipt or card.

 

[ThisVNchick]

Hello all,

I recently purchased a pre-owned vintage Black Lambskin Lady Dior with gold hardware.

She was purchased in Japan by the original owner and passed down to the daughter who I purchased it from.

I must say that the bag appears to be very well looked after, and the inside is spotless - the only thing that bugs me is the sagging......

I went to Dior in Melbourne and they told me that without a certificate of Authenticity they cannot touch my Lady Dior. The bag is 20 years old - how could they expect a COA from that long ago..? I was hoping to have new handles fitted.

Anyway, I was wondering if there is any method that the experienced Lady owners might be able to offer to help me 're-shape' or prevent any further sagging....?

Are there bag shapers out there I can get for the side walls of the bag..?

Please see the picutres below.

The Second and last 2 photos are with my Long Miss Dior wallet, a large Sunglasses case and my iPhone - small amount of sag.

The Fourth and Fifth photos are when the bag is empty.

Sorry for the long post and thank you to anyone who pffers advice.

The SA is totally pulling that comment out of his butt. As AJ has stated, you do not need the authenticity card to get repairs done. He might have said that knowing that you bought it preloved and did not want to entertain your repair. I would contact Dior corporate directly and see what their suggestion is to move forward. I don't know if there's anything Dior can do to "un-sag" that bag, they might just have to replace it completely for you, which can be a costly repair, but nothing close to the retail price of the bag, so it might be worth it.

And just FYI, LDs don't naturally sag like that. My mom has LDs from the early 2000s (close to 15 years) and they look nothing like this bag. This bag was probably squashed/smashed due to improper storage or usage. LDs hold up pretty well if you care for them.

 

[moments12]

Hey AJ, interesting you said that. I didn't know the Lady Dior has evolved so much. Would you say the new Dior has better quality then?

 

[averagejoe]

Hey AJ, interesting you said that. I didn't know the Lady Dior has evolved so much. Would you say the new Dior has better quality then?

I personally think that the Lady Dior has higher quality now than it did years ago. Not that the quality used to be bad or anything, but there are some improved features on the current Lady Dior that weren't present on the past Lady Dior bags. The fact that the interior zipper pocket now has a leather guard around it is one example.

Looking at the Diorissimo and Be Dior, I would say that the craftsmanship has become even better than the Galliano Dior years. Of course, these bags also command a much higher price tag.

 

[Vespa_girl]

The SA is totally pulling that comment out of his butt. As AJ has stated, you do not need the authenticity card to get repairs done. He might have said that knowing that you bought it preloved and did not want to entertain your repair. I would contact Dior corporate directly and see what their suggestion is to move forward. I don't know if there's anything Dior can do to "un-sag" that bag, they might just have to replace it completely for you, which can be a costly repair, but nothing close to the retail price of the bag, so it might be worth it.

And just FYI, LDs don't naturally sag like that. My mom has LDs from the early 2000s (close to 15 years) and they look nothing like this bag. This bag was probably squashed/smashed due to improper storage or usage. LDs hold up pretty well if you care for them.

Hi - Thank you for your advice. I did notice the SA was talking down to me a bit....as if I was a bit dumb or something.

I also asked about cleaning for the bag, and he said they only do that for new bags, and I asked what age is still classed as 'New' and he said "within the last three to five years" otherwise they will not clean your items. I told him I have a Lady Dior lambskin wallet from 2006 and he told me that it was too old to qualify for their cleaning services, and they also need the certificate of authenticity before they will clean it. Really???

I think I will go to Brisbane Dior and ask them about the bag, to see if they give differnt advice.

I have researched vintage Lady Diors and have had a lot of touble fining ones without any sagging...so I assumed that the just do that.

Thanks again.

 

[Vespa_girl]

Even if they offered to replace the handles, the new lambskin on the handles will not match the rest of the bag due to wear and tear on the body of the bag (and colour, since the new handles will look darker than the older parts of the bag). As well, some of the Lady Dior bags from the past were made of calfskin so the materials won't match either.

That being said, you should not be required to present a certificate of authenticity when asking for a repair. I've had pieces repaired before without a receipt or card.

Thank you AverageJoe for your advice and input.

 

[Vespa_girl]

Try stuffing the bag with bubble wrap when storing it. If you want to make a custom base shaper for the sides:
1) find a piece of thick cardboard
2)trace an outline of the side of the bag up until the mouth of the bag with pencil
3) repeat for other side
4) cut it out, using an x-acto knife or something similar
5) reinforce shaper with duck tape or something that will protect the cardboard
6) insert into bag with small layer of bubble wrap on bottom of the bag to help keep into place

That's a great idea!

I wonder if I could get a base spaer like the Louis Vuitton speedy owners do and modify it slightly to keep the bag upright.

My other bags are Louis Vuitton Vernis Almas so I am used to very rigid bags....

Thanks for your suggestion.

 

[pinky7]

That's a great idea!

I wonder if I could get a base spaer like the Louis Vuitton speedy owners do and modify it slightly to keep the bag upright.

My other bags are Louis Vuitton Vernis Almas so I am used to very rigid bags....

Thanks for your suggestion.

My advice would be not to do that. Simply because it will cost you money and the material used to make the base shaper may be difficult for you to cut through/modify (although I'm not 100% sure of this, you may be super duper artsy-- no LV pun intended). If you do go with this plan, I say purchase a base shaper for the Speedy 35 Damier Ebene since it is red and would match the interior/ also give you the most material to work with (I think a base shaper for a 30/25 could possibly be too small for what you may want to do, plus it's better to have extra in case you mess up the first time).

I would say experiment with free materials at your house, since it will only cost you cardboard that you're going to toss anyways But this is coming from someone who hates wasting money LOL. I made a really cheap cardboard base shaper for my LV Bosphore backpack and it works wonders (the bottom started caving in since it is only canvas and isn't reinforced with vachetta like the Montsouris). Keep one small layer of bubble wrap on the bottom and it's a lot more stiff now

I'm the same as you, I mainly use my Chanel GST and my Chanel Maxi, so I too have a strong love for rigid bags. If it's any consolation, I still think your Lady Dior is beautiful, even if it's sagging a little. You could also bring it to a cobbler and see what they can do/ what advice they can give.

 

[Vespa_girl]

My advice would be not to do that. Simply because it will cost you money and the material used to make the base shaper may be difficult for you to cut through/modify (although I'm not 100% sure of this, you may be super duper artsy-- no LV pun intended). If you do go with this plan, I say purchase a base shaper for the Speedy 35 Damier Ebene since it is red and would match the interior/ also give you the most material to work with (I think a base shaper for a 30/25 could possibly be too small for what you may want to do, plus it's better to have extra in case you mess up the first time).

I would say experiment with free materials at your house, since it will only cost you cardboard that you're going to toss anyways But this is coming from someone who hates wasting money LOL. I made a really cheap cardboard base shaper for my LV Bosphore backpack and it works wonders (the bottom started caving in since it is only canvas and isn't reinforced with vachetta like the Montsouris). Keep one small layer of bubble wrap on the bottom and it's a lot more stiff now

I'm the same as you, I mainly use my Chanel GST and my Chanel Maxi, so I too have a strong love for rigid bags. If it's any consolation, I still think your Lady Dior is beautiful, even if it's sagging a little. You could also bring it to a cobbler and see what they can do/ what advice they can give.

Hi there,

Thanks for that - I might have a craft day at home and look at what I can do to keep my Lady sitting up straight...

When I first recieved it I was a bit unsure about if I had made the right choice getting the bag as all my other bags were purchased Brand new and for a little while, I considered the bag a bit shabby, but I've grown to like the bag very much now.

I also though about buying a twilly/Scarf to freshen up the bag. I have been looking at what other Lady Dior owners are doing and some of them are very creative.

 

[averagejoe]

Hi - Thank you for your advice. I did notice the SA was talking down to me a bit....as if I was a bit dumb or something.

I also asked about cleaning for the bag, and he said they only do that for new bags, and I asked what age is still classed as 'New' and he said "within the last three to five years" otherwise they will not clean your items. I told him I have a Lady Dior lambskin wallet from 2006 and he told me that it was too old to qualify for their cleaning services, and they also need the certificate of authenticity before they will clean it. Really???

I think I will go to Brisbane Dior and ask them about the bag, to see if they give differnt advice.

I have researched vintage Lady Diors and have had a lot of touble fining ones without any sagging...so I assumed that the just do that.

Thanks again.

The 3-5 years ago thing actually applies to bags that have a limited-time production. For example, I gave my friend a Dior Charming Lock messenger and the resin part of the lock broke off. So we took the bag to Dior (without a receipt, since it was purchased from Bluefly) and thankfully the bag was produced in the past 3 years, because if I went to get the bag fixed now, they may not have the part at all to do the repair. The bag was fixed for a fee of $60 CDN+ tax which included shipping the bag to and from New York.

I think the SA was using this to justify not cleaning your Lady Dior, which doesn't make sense because the Lady Dior is still in production, as are the parts (even the yellow-gold hardware). But in his defense, the extent of repairs that they have to do to your bag to make it look pristine would essentially require everything to be replaced, which they cannot do. No simple repair can restore the bag. It would be better customer service if he actually said this to you, then if he said that they simply won't.

 

[Elendil]

.



I must say that the bag appears to be very well looked after, and the inside is spotless - the only thing that bugs me is the sagging.......



Anyway, I was wondering if there is any method that the experienced Lady owners might be able to offer to help me 're-shape' or prevent any further sagging....?



Are there bag shapers out there I can get for the side walls of the bag..?

Take a look at www.samorga.com their liners are superb, soft and will not damage the bag and will make your bag stand up straight. There is a thread in the Mulberry forum about Samorga liners.

 

[Vespa_girl]

Take a look at www.samorga.com their liners are superb, soft and will not damage the bag and will make your bag stand up straight. There is a thread in the Mulberry forum about Samorga liners.

Wow - I just looked at their website, and the liners look fantastic!

Not only are you able to get colour that matches the interior of your bag, but it would also be a good protector of the bag's actual liner.

In the meantime, I had mocked up an inner frame with some card and inserted it into the bag. Need something more permanent and less scrappy though.

I'm thinking of purchasing one of the Samorga organizer, and if they can make my bag stand up like it does with the card in it, I'll be very happy.


Thank you to everyone again for replying and offering some great advice....TPF rocks!