ODE to Box Calf

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#1,805
Goldenbelle said:
Dear all, help - would you take a box bag as your only bag for a trip in a quite mixed climate i.e. probability for rain each day 60% when you know you will spend time outside sightseeing and probably not being able to keep the bag completely from rain? Other option is my barenia bag which is of course worry free but the box one would be a perfect match to most of my outfits…. My box has not been treated in any way and is rather new so I am a bit nervous still for this one.

Which, to be honest, bothers me as I want to use the bag with out thinking too much as I do with all my other bags. But I also do not want to kill it off wittingly.

Any opinions appreciated!
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Most all my H bags are Box. Absolutely no. Not with those weather forecasts!!
 
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#1,806
I’ve read posts from several TPFers that 90s box is amazing compared to newer box. I was super lucky and bought a 90s box k28 in great condition that I adore but I don’t have a H bag in box that’s more recent for comparison. I was just curious to hear from the more seasoned and wise members with box leathers from different decades including recent box leather. Is the 90s box divine because of better quality hides and craftsmanship when the artisans may not have an underlying pressure to produce? Or is the 90s box better simply because it has had time to get to that level of patina and the more recent box leathers may eventually get that patina in a few decades? Lol. Thank you so much in advance!
 
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#1,807
Gin&H said:
I’ve read posts from several TPFers that 90s box is amazing compared to newer box. I was super lucky and bought a 90s box k28 in great condition that I adore but I don’t have a H bag in box that’s more recent for comparison. I was just curious to hear from the more seasoned and wise members with box leathers from different decades including recent box leather. Is the 90s box divine because of better quality hides and craftsmanship when the artisans may not have an underlying pressure to produce? Or is the 90s box better simply because it has had time to get to that level of patina and the more recent box leathers may eventually get that patina in a few decades? Lol. Thank you so much in advance!
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@Gin&H As Box is my favorite Hermès leather, I have acquired bags produced over a wide enough period of time to have formed an opinion with respect to your questions. Currently, I have Box leather bags crafted during several successive decades, beginning with the 70s and continuing up through the 2020s.

Since each bag is made by a different craftsperson and each piece of Box leather is unique, my opinion is just that--my opinion. I'm sure other lovers of Box leather will chime in and share their own opinions. I do not consider myself an expert on leather; I am simply sharing my personal experiences.

Characteristics of leather in general, and Hermès Box leather in particular, will vary from piece to piece. When my Box leather bags are sent to Paris for spa services, I always marvel at the ability of the Hermès leather artisan to select leather with attributes that align as closely as possible with the attributes of the original Box leather, whenever any leather portion of the bag needs to be replaced.

My older Box bags are made from leather that is a bit thicker and they have what I consider a more sumptuous quality to the full hand of the leather. Patina will change the appearance of Box leather over time, but it will not change the underlying quality of that specific piece of Box leather itself. In other words, although all Box leather will acquire a beautiful patina with age and wear, a less sumptuous piece of Box leather will not, in my opinion, become more sumptuous over time. The hand of the leather is a completely different quality that is independent from the patina of the leather. That said, Hermès has admittedly struggled in recent years to obtain the quality of hides they require from their various suppliers to produced Box leather bags. To their credit, Hermès will pause the use of Box leather rather than accept inferior materials.

While each craftsperson will become more skilled at their art over time, I do not see a maison-wide correlation between the decade a Box leather bag was crafted and the quality of the craftsmanship of Box leather bags as a whole from one decade to the next. Nor am I aware of Hermès production standards being changed over the decades. For example, I am unaware of Hermès pushing their craftspersons to make a Kelly bag or a Birkin bag in a fewer number of hours now than they did in the 90s.

After all, much of the mystique that continues to make Hermès bags the most desired "brand" of all the luxury houses can be traced back to the maison's extraordinary dedication to hand-stitched, handcrafted bags made one stitch at a time by a single craftsperson from start to finish, culminating in the craftsperson signing each bag they create with their unique maker's code. In my opinion, it is precisely the maison's commitment to these revered time-consuming traditions of savoir faire paired with their brilliant "marketing" of intentionally scarce pieces and leathers, which is the antithesis of pressuring their artisans to produce more bags in shorter periods of time.

I hope I've been able to share a Box leather aficionado's perspective in a way that enhances your understanding of the questions you are pondering. Congratulations on acquiring a Box leather K28 Hermès bag from the 90s! Enjoy her in good health. Box leather lovers will readily admit that once you've fallen for the allure of Box leather, your desire for "just one more" Box leather bag from Hermès will grow stronger over time. Perhaps there will be a more recently crafted Box bag in your future to allow you to form your own opinion on these interesting questions you have posed!❤️
 
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#1,810
Gin&H said:
I’ve read posts from several TPFers that 90s box is amazing compared to newer box. I was super lucky and bought a 90s box k28 in great condition that I adore but I don’t have a H bag in box that’s more recent for comparison. I was just curious to hear from the more seasoned and wise members with box leathers from different decades including recent box leather. Is the 90s box divine because of better quality hides and craftsmanship when the artisans may not have an underlying pressure to produce? Or is the 90s box better simply because it has had time to get to that level of patina and the more recent box leathers may eventually get that patina in a few decades? Lol. Thank you so much in advance!
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You can see some thoughts here: https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/box-calf-veau-box-through-the-years-boxcalfnerds.874863/

I have Box calf bags from the 50s, 60s, 80s, 2000s, 2010s, and this decade. If I absolutely had to choose, the richest, most shimmery leather of all of them would be my 1980 Rouge H Kelly, and a 2001 Noir Kelly I no longer own. I don't have an issue with the quality of *any* of them - these are just standouts. I don't have a 90s Box bag (I don't think lol, sometimes it's hard to keep track :facepalm: ) but have definitely heard hosannas from the 90s fans.
 
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#1,811
stillfabulous said:
@Gin&H As Box is my favorite Hermès leather, I have acquired bags produced over a wide enough period of time to have formed an opinion with respect to your questions. Currently, I have Box leather bags crafted during several successive decades, beginning with the 70s and continuing up through the 2020s.

Since each bag is made by a different craftsperson and each piece of Box leather is unique, my opinion is just that--my opinion. I'm sure other lovers of Box leather will chime in and share their own opinions. I do not consider myself an expert on leather; I am simply sharing my personal experiences.

Characteristics of leather in general, and Hermès Box leather in particular, will vary from piece to piece. When my Box leather bags are sent to Paris for spa services, I always marvel at the ability of the Hermès leather artisan to select leather with attributes that align as closely as possible with the attributes of the original Box leather, whenever any leather portion of the bag needs to be replaced.

My older Box bags are made from leather that is a bit thicker and they have what I consider a more sumptuous quality to the full hand of the leather. Patina will change the appearance of Box leather over time, but it will not change the underlying quality of that specific piece of Box leather itself. In other words, although all Box leather will acquire a beautiful patina with age and wear, a less sumptuous piece of Box leather will not, in my opinion, become more sumptuous over time. The hand of the leather is a completely different quality that is independent from the patina of the leather. That said, Hermès has admittedly struggled in recent years to obtain the quality of hides they require from their various suppliers to produced Box leather bags. To their credit, Hermès will pause the use of Box leather rather than accept inferior materials.

While each craftsperson will become more skilled at their art over time, I do not see a maison-wide correlation between the decade a Box leather bag was crafted and the quality of the craftsmanship of Box leather bags as a whole from one decade to the next. Nor am I aware of Hermès production standards being changed over the decades. For example, I am unaware of Hermès pushing their craftspersons to make a Kelly bag or a Birkin bag in a fewer number of hours now than they did in the 90s.

After all, much of the mystique that continues to make Hermès bags the most desired "brand" of all the luxury houses can be traced back to the maison's extraordinary dedication to hand-stitched, handcrafted bags made one stitch at a time by a single craftsperson from start to finish, culminating in the craftsperson signing each bag they create with their unique maker's code. In my opinion, it is precisely the maison's commitment to these revered time-consuming traditions of savoir faire paired with their brilliant "marketing" of intentionally scarce pieces and leathers, which is the antithesis of pressuring their artisans to produce more bags in shorter periods of time.

I hope I've been able to share a Box leather aficionado's perspective in a way that enhances your understanding of the questions you are pondering. Congratulations on acquiring a Box leather K28 Hermès bag from the 90s! Enjoy her in good health. Box leather lovers will readily admit that once you've fallen for the allure of Box leather, your desire for "just one more" Box leather bag from Hermès will grow stronger over time. Perhaps there will be a more recently crafted Box bag in your future to allow you to form your own opinion on these interesting questions you have posed!❤️
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Thank you for that lovely and eloquent description and history of boxcalf. I just got my first box bag (I’ve always know I wanted one) but imagined that it would be bought vintage. I too may be hooked.
 
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#1,812
Thank you @stillfabulous and @QuelleFromage for sharing your knowledge and perspective!! And @QuelleFromage for sharing the link for box through the years thread! Simply typing in “box” search didn’t quite help me when I was looking for it 😂

@QuelleFromage your box collection sounds amazing!

@stillfabulous, your collection also sounds amazing and thank you for taking the time to share your wealth of experience to answer about what makes Hermes box leather so unique. If there was a TPF Harper’s bazaar or vanity fair “ode to Hermes box” article, your post would be it! ✨💖. It gave me an even deeper appreciation for my 90s box Kelly. And fanned the "just one more" box leather bag flames…I would love to get a box from each decade…for scientific purposes of comparison, of course…
 
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#1,813
Gin&H said:
I’ve read posts from several TPFers that 90s box is amazing compared to newer box. I was super lucky and bought a 90s box k28 in great condition that I adore but I don’t have a H bag in box that’s more recent for comparison. I was just curious to hear from the more seasoned and wise members with box leathers from different decades including recent box leather. Is the 90s box divine because of better quality hides and craftsmanship when the artisans may not have an underlying pressure to produce? Or is the 90s box better simply because it has had time to get to that level of patina and the more recent box leathers may eventually get that patina in a few decades? Lol. Thank you so much in advance!
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Enjoy your beautiful bag! I have a 1993 black box bolide and a 2024 rouge h box k25. They both look and feel amazing.
 
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