ODE to Box Calf

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#1,171
Hello all! Your posts have made me want a bag in box leather and an opportunity came up.

I purchased my first Box Kelly 40! I plan to use it as a messenger bag and get one of those funky bag straps by Hermes.

I also wanted to ask those who have had experience with Hermes Spa and their capabilities to refurbish vintage box leather. The bag is new to me and comes with heavily worn corners and a dent in the middle.

Will Hermes be able to somehow magically make them less noticeable? I know Hermès can replace side gussets but what about the whole front panel? And are those fine lines around the turn lock where the grains are slightly showing through signs of dry and early cracking or simply creasing from normal use? I know no one zooms in on a bag that much but it would help me know the overall condition of the bag.

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#1,172
First of all congrats on a beautiful bag! From my experience, having several Box bags, the corners shouldn't be a big problem to fix if the scuffs aren't too deep. Regarding the front panel I honestly don't know, if the dent isn't very deep they might be able to fix it. Changing the whole panel will probably cost quite a lot, so I don't know whether it's worth it. Also the cracks on the sangle don't look very deep: I took in a pre-owned Kelly with similar cracks, not near the hardware like yours but on the other end, near the slit of the front panel, and they said there was no need to change the sangle so it stayed as it was. You could change both sangles if the cracks bother you a lot.

Having said all this I have noticed that in many years of taking my bags to the Hermès spa, the result depends enormously on the capabilities of the artisan who works on the bag. Several artisans have come and gone at my local H and some bags really looked much better after Spa while others, more recently unfortunately, came back exactly as they were before. As a result, in the last 2/3 years, I have stopped sending my bags to Spa because I wasn't happy with the results.
 
#1,174
GreggyG said:
Hello all! Your posts have made me want a bag in box leather and an opportunity came up.

I purchased my first Box Kelly 40! I plan to use it as a messenger bag and get one of those funky bag straps by Hermes.

I also wanted to ask those who have had experience with Hermes Spa and their capabilities to refurbish vintage box leather. The bag is new to me and comes with heavily worn corners and a dent in the middle.

Will Hermes be able to somehow magically make them less noticeable? I know Hermès can replace side gussets but what about the whole front panel? And are those fine lines around the turn lock where the grains are slightly showing through signs of dry and early cracking or simply creasing from normal use? I know no one zooms in on a bag that much but it would help me know the overall condition of the bag.

G

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Congratulations on a wonderful bag- I'm sure you will love it forever! :biggrin:
 
#1,177
Hi box experts! I’ve been perusing the secondhand market with an eye toward eventually getting a box kelly.
One thing I’ve noticed is that the graining seems to vary considerably from bag to bag. On some, it’s very pronounced, and on some it seems basically invisible. Is the box Hermes uses nowadays different than the old box? Or is the emergence of the grain just something that happens over time? Or just variation from bag to bag? I prefer the smoother look, but if it’s inevitable that even smooth box will eventually get grainy, I won’t hold out for a smoother bag.

Similarly, I saw a post in this chain of a box kelly that had the graining running vertically on the body, but almost every other bag I’ve seen has it horizontally. Does anyone know whether this is just something that varies bag to bag? If I end up with a grainy box, I’d much prefer the vertical graining... I know that’s a bit nit picky, but the heart wants what it wants. I don’t want to be holding out in vain though for a vertical grain if there’s little chance of it happening.
 
#1,178
relblum said:
Hi box experts! I’ve been perusing the secondhand market with an eye toward eventually getting a box kelly.
One thing I’ve noticed is that the graining seems to vary considerably from bag to bag. On some, it’s very pronounced, and on some it seems basically invisible. Is the box Hermes uses nowadays different than the old box? Or is the emergence of the grain just something that happens over time? Or just variation from bag to bag? I prefer the smoother look, but if it’s inevitable that even smooth box will eventually get grainy, I won’t hold out for a smoother bag.

Similarly, I saw a post in this chain of a box kelly that had the graining running vertically on the body, but almost every other bag I’ve seen has it horizontally. Does anyone know whether this is just something that varies bag to bag? If I end up with a grainy box, I’d much prefer the vertical graining... I know that’s a bit nit picky, but the heart wants what it wants. I don’t want to be holding out in vain though for a vertical grain if there’s little chance of it happening.
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I have never heard or experienced Box becoming grainy. It can however get dry and cracked. Since you are looking at preloved, just wait until the perfect bag presents itself. I think the grain will vary in batches as it is organic and depends on the animal. The way the leather pieces was cut from the hide by the specialist artisan and given to the craftsperson determines how it runs. Most I have seen run horizontal. I have to say the Box of much older batches seems to have no grain but I am no expert. Good luck.
 
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#1,180
periogirl28 said:
I have never heard or experienced Box becoming grainy. It can however get dry and cracked. Since you are looking at preloved, just wait until the perfect bag presents itself. I think the grain will vary in batches as it is organic and depends on the animal. The way the leather pieces was cut from the hide by the specialist artisan and given to the craftsperson determines how it runs. Most I have seen run horizontal. I have to say the Box of much older batches seems to have no grain but I am no expert. Good luck.
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duna said:
^^^ I think older Box was much better, up to the late 90's more or less, after that it hasn't been as nice.
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Thank you both!! Very helpful. As for the cracking—I’ve seen posts around that indicate mild superficial cracking from dryness can be fixed, but others indicating it can’t. Do you have a sense who’s right?
 
#1,181
relblum said:
Thank you both!! Very helpful. As for the cracking—I’ve seen posts around that indicate mild superficial cracking from dryness can be fixed, but others indicating it can’t. Do you have a sense who’s right?
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From my own experience, more superficial cracks can be improved by spa. It seemed like the artisan managed to cover the cracks with clear polish for me. It made it smoother and sealed it down so the white layers underneath didn’t look as obvious. I am guessing this is medium term only and I was advised to consider replacement in the future but it will be possible as it only involves the handle of my Kelly and not the body of the bag. I have no regrets, the bag is otherwise in great condition, I bought it for a very good price and I can protect the handle with a Twilly. At the end of the day I would advise not buying a bag with very dry leather and extensive cracking.
 
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#1,183
Hi box calf lovers! Any care tips for keeping a new box bag looking gorgeous? I've read both camps: use and enjoy and it will patina with time. Some have treated the leather. Hesitant to do that. Any advice here? :)
 
#1,184
wearawishbone said:
Hi box calf lovers! Any care tips for keeping a new box bag looking gorgeous? I've read both camps: use and enjoy and it will patina with time. Some have treated the leather. Hesitant to do that. Any advice here? :smile:
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My post from the Handbag Care & Maintenance thread:
I'm using Cadillac conditioner (the regular one) and it does it work nicely to condition my bags. I put a little blob on a cotton cloth, distribute it a little bit so you don't see much of the blob anymore and then rub it gently onto the leather. I use a little bit each time. If it's more a sturdy leather I will polish it after I've done the complete bag, but with more delicate leathers I will do it sooner, for example after when I've done one side of the bag. The effect isn't really noticeable, the color of the bags seems maybe to get a little more depth. The matte bags stay matte, the shiny ones stay shiny. So far I've used it on:
LV epi leather
Hermes evergrain
Hermes box
Prada saffiano
Mulberry grained Bayswater
YSL tote bag
I would recommend using Cadillac.
 
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#1,185
wearawishbone said:
Hi box calf lovers! Any care tips for keeping a new box bag looking gorgeous? I've read both camps: use and enjoy and it will patina with time. Some have treated the leather. Hesitant to do that. Any advice here? :smile:
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I use @docride's products under the brand name of Luxury Again. They are available on ebay. She also has a how-to video on youtube. She makes products for other leathers too so make sure you get the right one.
 
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