ODE to Box Calf

[tinkerbell68]

Thank you so much!

I’ve read through it and will now search for a good shape 1990s 32 kelly in box - either in black or maybe a red. I really like the more shimmering box compared to the more matte one.

Any thoughts about Rouge vif in box? Rouge H is mostly too dark and too “burgundy” for my taste and wardrobe. I tend to wear colder colours and in winter camel coats which need to work well with the bag. Plus, I am not into blue colours at all.

I found this K32 in rouge H from 1999 last summer…while not as ‘shimmery’ as some of the more recent box bags that I’ve seen, it is still shiny and not too brown/burgundy. Not as bright as rouge vif I don’t think.

This pic was taken before I sent it to the spa for some H love.

 

[duna]

Popping in to mention that, although Saphir Universelle is often recommended for Box leather care, I tried it and am having trouble with it. If you are using something else (I have always used Blackrock and Lexol) personally I would not switch, and if you do please do a test spot

Can I ask you what problems you find with Saphir on Boxcalf? I've been using it for several years and had no problems, but , more recently, I'm less happy with it, it doesn't make the bag shine as it used to.....I use Saphir Crème Delicate or Saphir Nappa. Do you have other sugestions? Thanks!

 

[QuelleFromage]

Can I ask you what problems you find with Saphir on Boxcalf? I've been using it for several years and had no problems, but , more recently, I'm less happy with it, it doesn't make the bag shine as it used to.....I use Saphir Crème Delicate or Saphir Nappa. Do you have other sugestions? Thanks!

I find the same thing...Saphir (I am using Universelle) is sticky, takes a long time to absorb, and is not enhancing the shine. I went back to Blackrocks (literally went through my Amazon orders, realized I'd used 14 jars of Blackrocks in the past 7 years, and re-ordered ).
Any of the super-rich creams require a very very light hand, but my Box bags are mostly older and they need moisturizing. I should try Creme de la Mer

 

[880]

14 jars of Blackrocks

creme de la Mer

i became lazy and send to @docride or H spa depending on the service needed and the speed of return

 

[Goldenbelle]

Dear all, to keep you in the loop and curious about your opinions- last week, I received the Rouge ViF K 32 - from early 1990s . The leather feels smooth and not dry, there are a very few scratches and some drops on the front below. Structure is fine, no bumped corners or loose sangels, lock etc. I like the bag a lot and gave the strong feeling that hunting for a rouge vif 32 K in box in an even better condition would be a nearly impossible.

While I do not mind the scratches, and hues that I will be adding more I still do have zero experience with this leather so happy to get your point of view!

Pictures are in full daylight at the window.

 

[Sus]

Beautiful Rouge Vif Goldenbelle!

I've been using Blackrocks on my box calf bags for years with great success. Agreed that one needs to use it sparingly. The Blackrocks website (Blackjacks-leather.com) has a 16-ounce jar which comes in handy.

 

[duna]

I find the same thing...Saphir (I am using Universelle) is sticky, takes a long time to absorb, and is not enhancing the shine. I went back to Blackrocks (literally went through my Amazon orders, realized I'd used 14 jars of Blackrocks in the past 7 years, and re-ordered ).
Any of the super-rich creams require a very very light hand, but my Box bags are mostly older and they need moisturizing. I should try Creme de la Mer

Hmmm, I tried Blackrock (sent to me by Docride as I'm in Europe) many years ago, but it didn't work for me: I tried it on a LV total Vacchetta Alma and it stained it a little. I'm sure it was my fault, I probably used too much , but since then I haven't had the nerve to re try it, it's not available over here anyway.

 

[880]

Hmmm, I tried Blackrock (sent to me by Docride as I'm in Europe) many years ago, but it didn't work for me: I tried it on a LV total Vacchetta Alma and it stained it a little. I'm sure it was my fault, I probably used too much , but since then I haven't had the nerve to re try it, it's not available over here anyway.

I don’t think I would recommend it on Vachetta; I’m sorry that happened to your bag

Blackrock on unfinished leather (LV's Vachetta)

Hi everyone, I'm thinking about getting an LV bag with vachetta on it and heard it's prone to water and oil stains and I really don't want that. Im thinking of conditioning it with Blackrock and Obenauf's LP because that's what I have. But Blackrock's label states that it's for finished leather...

forum.purseblog.com

did s quick search and it’s recommended for finished leather as per this thread link above

for a dark rich golden patina, as in @docride‘s older VN, I would leave it to professionals
(but I’m not that coordinated)

 

[QuelleFromage]

Hmmm, I tried Blackrock (sent to me by Docride as I'm in Europe) many years ago, but it didn't work for me: I tried it on a LV total Vacchetta Alma and it stained it a little. I'm sure it was my fault, I probably used too much , but since then I haven't had the nerve to re try it, it's not available over here anyway.

I definitely wouldn't use Blackrock on, say, my Barenia bags. I have only used it on Box and I *think* I may have tried it on chèvre. I'm considering sending one of my Box Kellys to spa but I really love the bag and am very nervous (the bag is in the US; I'd feel better taking it in to Paris).

 

[Virevolte]

Dear all, to keep you in the loop and curious about your opinions- last week, I received the Rouge ViF K 32 - from early 1990s . The leather feels smooth and not dry, there are a very few scratches and some drops on the front below. Structure is fine, no bumped corners or loose sangels, lock etc. I like the bag a lot and gave the strong feeling that hunting for a rouge vif 32 K in box in an even better condition would be a nearly impossible.

While I do not mind the scratches, and hues that I will be adding more I still do have zero experience with this leather so happy to get your point of view!

Pictures are in full daylight at the window.
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Ooh @Goldenbelle your Rouge Vif Box K is divine! Positively luminous - you must be thrilled with your treasure. It inspired me to pull out my Tricolore K32 from 1989 - a special bag commemorating the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution - which is in Rouge Vif and Bleu Marine Box, and Blanc Gulliver. The almost mirror-like luster of my 1989 Rouge Vif Box looks quite similar to yours, I think. Something really wonderful about the leather from that era, and mine has worn amazingly well with only one visit to the spa in the past 36 years:

 

[Goldenbelle]

Ooh @Goldenbelle your Rouge Vif Box K is divine! Positively luminous - you must be thrilled with your treasure. It inspired me to pull out my Tricolore K32 from 1989 - a special bag commemorating the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution - which is in Rouge Vif and Bleu Marine Box, and Blanc Gulliver. The almost mirror-like luster of my 1989 Rouge Vif Box looks quite similar to yours, I think. Something really wonderful about the leather from that era, and mine has worn amazingly well with only one visit to the spa in the past 36 years:

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Thank you, @Virevolte, for your kind words! I am very delighted with the bag.

And yours is so special, too, thank you for sharing! Honestly, it does look like fresh from the store, amazing! How do you prevent blisters in rain? I do live in a sometimes rainy /4 seasons country and do not plan to have the bag as a pure sunshine bag, as you can’t really tell how the weather will change during the day anyway.

So far, I have just owned bags that do not care about rain at all (barenia) and so did I.

May I tap into your experience: do you think H Spa could even out the scratches to blend them in a bit more (before there are new scratches added from my side )?

 

[duna]

I don’t think I would recommend it on Vachetta; I’m sorry that happened to your bag

Blackrock on unfinished leather (LV's Vachetta)

Hi everyone, I'm thinking about getting an LV bag with vachetta on it and heard it's prone to water and oil stains and I really don't want that. Im thinking of conditioning it with Blackrock and Obenauf's LP because that's what I have. But Blackrock's label states that it's for finished leather...

forum.purseblog.com

did s quick search and it’s recommended for finished leather as per this thread link above

for a dark rich golden patina, as in @docride‘s older VN, I would leave it to professionals
(but I’m not that coordinated)

Thanks my dear, but it's OK, I've since got so many more stains on my Vacchetta Alma that the old ones don't show at all, lol!

 

[DR2014]

Ooh @Goldenbelle your Rouge Vif Box K is divine! Positively luminous - you must be thrilled with your treasure. It inspired me to pull out my Tricolore K32 from 1989 - a special bag commemorating the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution - which is in Rouge Vif and Bleu Marine Box, and Blanc Gulliver. The almost mirror-like luster of my 1989 Rouge Vif Box looks quite similar to yours, I think. Something really wonderful about the leather from that era, and mine has worn amazingly well with only one visit to the spa in the past 36 years:

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What a unique and gorgeous bag!! Just incredible!

 

[nymeria]

Ooh @Goldenbelle your Rouge Vif Box K is divine! Positively luminous - you must be thrilled with your treasure. It inspired me to pull out my Tricolore K32 from 1989 - a special bag commemorating the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution - which is in Rouge Vif and Bleu Marine Box, and Blanc Gulliver. The almost mirror-like luster of my 1989 Rouge Vif Box looks quite similar to yours, I think. Something really wonderful about the leather from that era, and mine has worn amazingly well with only one visit to the spa in the past 36 years:

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Breathtaking and SO special!

 

[880]

Dear all,
Need help / opinions, please!

I am considering a Black Kelly 32 Sellier with GHW, the obvious classic. Both options via reseller and store are viable for me. However, I feel that it would be quite hard to get that size 32 nowadays in the store due to less production as it seems.

Therefore, I have been browsing the resale market and always seem to mysteriously be drawn (based on the pictures) to bags from the early 1990s. It is hard to see a slight dryness of the leather just in pictures…which I would like to avoid because I feel that this would impact the longevity of the bag in the future! Major defects are not so much my concern as I would be able to spot and avoid them. Any thoughts if it is a nonetheless good idea to pursue a 1990s box kelly, given the age and the price tag that is not so much less compared to what a new bag from the store would set me back?

Bags from the 2000 just do not seem to appeal so much to me, despite the younger age that I think would be better from a durability point of view.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

@Goldenbelle , when I first started on TPF in 2008, the expert members then told me the 1990s were a period of very refined kelly workmanship. The ones from the early Aughts have very different lines. Like @jbags07 , I send my box leather to @docride to weather proof. If my box bags happen to get caught in some rain, i simply wipe water off and let the bags air dry. I have no water damage or blistering. But, I do avoid very rainy days as a matter of course. Hermes official policy is that bags should not be exposed to water, but that’s not realistic for me.