MJ Chat Thread

[bolsathemosta]

So I have had this quilted multi-pocket for sale for awhile because the color just never really went with what I was wearing and I'm known to be tuff on light colored bags. I'm thinking about re-coloring it to look more like a petrol color or an icy deep purple. That way if it doesnt sell soon I'll keep it and add it to my growing collection.
What do you all think? It's got a COA from last year but I've done this before with other bags and just took pics and videos of the project and it went well.
Should I do it? I've never changed any of his bags before and I'm undecided.

 

[OogleAtLuxury]

So I have had this quilted multi-pocket for sale for awhile because the color just never really went with what I was wearing and I'm known to be tuff on light colored bags. I'm thinking about re-coloring it to look more like a petrol color or an icy deep purple. That way if it doesnt sell soon I'll keep it and add it to my growing collection.
What do you all think? It's got a COA from last year but I've done this before with other bags and just took pics and videos of the project and it went well.
Should I do it? I've never changed any of his bags before and I'm undecided.View attachment 4701447

In the current environment, I wonder if any bags will sell for reasonable prices. If I was you, I'd recolor it and get some use out of it!

 

[bolsathemosta]

I would vote for the one that feels the best - or the leather that has the nicest texture and looks sturdy. (Personal preference)

The interior can be cleaned.

 

[bolsathemosta]

[/QUOTE
I agree I wore each on of them for a day and realize the softer nicer leather one had a better drop and diddnt tend to slide off my shoulder as easy too. It might just be softer and feel nicer because I've pampered it for most of its life.

 

[bolsathemosta]

In the current environment, I wonder if any bags will sell for reasonable prices. If I was you, I'd recolor it and get some use out of it!

Yea, I've been selling but just contemporary bags like lucky brand and Coach. Anything specific to going out style and any event type of bags and clothing is selling very slowly. I'm actually hoping to pick up a couple of chanel bags and a nancy gonzalez at an auction because of the current market. Seems like chanel is always out of my league though.

 

[Mimmy]

So I have had this quilted multi-pocket for sale for awhile because the color just never really went with what I was wearing and I'm known to be tuff on light colored bags. I'm thinking about re-coloring it to look more like a petrol color or an icy deep purple. That way if it doesnt sell soon I'll keep it and add it to my growing collection.
What do you all think? It's got a COA from last year but I've done this before with other bags and just took pics and videos of the project and it went well.
Should I do it? I've never changed any of his bags before and I'm undecided.View attachment 4701447

Great bag! I think it is going to be difficult to sell any bag in the current market. I am a big MJ fan but sadly his bags weren’t selling well on the resale market even before COVID-19. If you are experienced in coloring bags I would color it and use it! I think that an altered MJ bag will be almost impossible to sell if you would like to do that in the future though.

 

[bolsathemosta]

Great bag! I think it is going to be difficult to sell any bag in the current market. I am a big MJ fan but sadly his bags weren’t selling well on the resale market even before COVID-19. If you are experienced in coloring bags I would color it and use it! I think that an altered MJ bag will be almost impossible to sell if you would like to do that in the future though.

Yes I've recovered and customized over a hundred bags and some of them do sell well like that. I stained a first season Tory Burch Bombe tote. Went from tan to cherry red and it sold very quickly. I've also had luck with refinishing vintage coach bags like the plain black ones or the ones that were a slate blue color. They get drab over time. I also do suede bags because they are so prone to fading and can be impossible to clean up when they are light. I make custom colors with all purpose rit and denatured alcohol. It works really well

 

[bolsathemosta]

In the current environment, I wonder if any bags will sell for reasonable prices. If I was you, I'd recolor it and get some use out of it!

I decided today to take the MJ bags I have had for sale down and keep them for myself. I had several conversations with interested buyers that made me realize that I don't need the money that they are willing to pay for them and they have no real appreciation for what it is they are trying to purchase. I had a woman try to haggle me down from $60 dollars to 40 for my pristine condition Stella Tote. That was after she insisted on more pics so she could tell if it was quality leather.
I dont carry that bag anymore because she is huge and heavy. But I'd rather give her as a gift to someone who will appreciate her than sell her to someone who thinks $60 is too much to pay for the best made bag I've ever known.
I am going to change the color of my quilty too. Probably a burgundy wine.

 

[Mimmy]

I decided today to take the MJ bags I have had for sale down and keep them for myself. I had several conversations with interested buyers that made me realize that I don't need the money that they are willing to pay for them and they have no real appreciation for what it is they are trying to purchase. I had a woman try to haggle me down from $60 dollars to 40 for my pristine condition Stella Tote. That was after she insisted on more pics so she could tell if it was quality leather.
I dont carry that bag anymore because she is huge and heavy. But I'd rather give her as a gift to someone who will appreciate her than sell her to someone who thinks $60 is too much to pay for the best made bag I've ever known.
I am going to change the color of my quilty too. Probably a burgundy wine.

MJ bags are some of the most well made and best leather bags that I have owned. I think it’s a great decision to keep your MJ bags and use them or gift them.

$60 for a pristine Stella tote would have been a steal; $40 is ridiculous.

 

[Bag peace]

I decided today to take the MJ bags I have had for sale down and keep them for myself. I had several conversations with interested buyers that made me realize that I don't need the money that they are willing to pay for them and they have no real appreciation for what it is they are trying to purchase. I had a woman try to haggle me down from $60 dollars to 40 for my pristine condition Stella Tote. That was after she insisted on more pics so she could tell if it was quality leather.
I dont carry that bag anymore because she is huge and heavy. But I'd rather give her as a gift to someone who will appreciate her than sell her to someone who thinks $60 is too much to pay for the best made bag I've ever known.
I am going to change the color of my quilty too. Probably a burgundy wine.

It's frustrating when people devalue the bags and cannot understand the quality of what they're getting. I would have done the same as you, because I'd rather gift the bag than have someone who doesn't appreciate it buy it. MJ leather is divine and I'd argue the best I've ever handled. It ages wonderfully and is so well constructed. $40 is an insulting offer IMO.

Also, I've never tried with a Stella (I don't carry totes) but if it's big and heavy, you could carry it as a backpack instead of a tote. That would lighten the load on your shoulders and give the bag a new lease of life. I'm always altering bags that don't quite work for me in small ways like this.

This is the only instructional I could find for a larger bag conversion, but there may be other ways to do this: https://lifehacker.com/turn-any-messenger-bag-or-briefcase-into-a-backpack-in-5902785
Play with the bag and any spare straps you have, and see if that's a solution that would work for you.

If it doesn't work or you don't like backpacks, I'm sure whomever you gift it to will love it. At least you're taking control of the situation and not letting people take advantage.

 

[nascar fan]

Hey, guys.

 

[Mimmy]

Hey, guys.

Hi @nascar fan! Nice to “see” you.

 

[inkfade]

Hey everybody! Sorry for the long post, but I could use some advice on this bag. It's the MJ small traveler's tote. I LOVE the super casual feel and want to use it mostly on workout days to carry my clothes, shoes in a bag, a water bottle, and clutch with my daily essentials. Have been looking for a tote with crossbody option for a while so this comes at a good time for me.

Only thing is, I am torn between the black and beige colors. On one hand, black will go with everything, but I've owned so many black bags and my wardrobe is mostly black and I almost feel bored at the thought of another black bag. Also, I'm worried since it's canvas the dark color might eventually begin to fade. And for me, I feel the bright white lettering against the black is a little too "look at me!", but that's not a dealbreaker. But there's no worry about color transfer or getting it dirty.

As far as the beige, I know I like this color more because it looks more canvas-y and the white lettering isn't as bold against the paler background. It's still a good neutral color and I REALLY like the contrast of the black strap with the beige. However, I'm mostly worried about color transfer, plus it getting dirty. I'm not particularly rough on my bags and try to avoid situations where they'd likely get dirty, but try to think through all the possibilities. This is the main thing keeping me from definitely deciding on the beige. But then I have the worries about the black color, too.

What do you guys think? Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!

 

[Mimmy]

Hey everybody! Sorry for the long post, but I could use some advice on this bag. It's the MJ small traveler's tote. I LOVE the super casual feel and want to use it mostly on workout days to carry my clothes, shoes in a bag, a water bottle, and clutch with my daily essentials. Have been looking for a tote with crossbody option for a while so this comes at a good time for me.

Only thing is, I am torn between the black and beige colors. On one hand, black will go with everything, but I've owned so many black bags and my wardrobe is mostly black and I almost feel bored at the thought of another black bag. Also, I'm worried since it's canvas the dark color might eventually begin to fade. And for me, I feel the bright white lettering against the black is a little too "look at me!", but that's not a dealbreaker. But there's no worry about color transfer or getting it dirty.

As far as the beige, I know I like this color more because it looks more canvas-y and the white lettering isn't as bold against the paler background. It's still a good neutral color and I REALLY like the contrast of the black strap with the beige. However, I'm mostly worried about color transfer, plus it getting dirty. I'm not particularly rough on my bags and try to avoid situations where they'd likely get dirty, but try to think through all the possibilities. This is the main thing keeping me from definitely deciding on the beige. But then I have the worries about the black color, too.

What do you guys think? Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!

If you like the beige color better I don’t think that the light color should stop you especially since you are not particularly hard on your bags.

I use an off white Longchamp canvas tote with leather trim as my work tote. I sprayed it with Scotch Gard; spot tested it first. I haven’t gotten many spots or stains but when I do they just wipe off with a damp cloth.

 

[JenJBS]

My suggestion would be beige. Black is the worst color about fading. The black strap with the beige bag means it will easily go with your black outfits, and beige is neutral anyway.

Like Mimmy said, Scotch Gard.

I got the platinum Soiree in large part because the Marc Jacobs was so much less 'look at me' than the black and gold version, so totally understand your point there.

Good luck deciding.