ODE to Box Calf

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#1,201
thunderbird314 said:
Yes, currently in production or potentially by special order? I knew there were vintage ones but wasn’t sure if they still did it at all. Thank you!!!
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Currently it seems only Selliers are being produced and they are only push offer, which means Paris sends them to stores randomly. It’s not possible for store managers or clients to order them for PO, SO/A La Carte or Horizon. However, Kellys previously came in both Sellier and Retourne versions. HTH!
 
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#1,205
Hi ,

hope everyone is keeping well:)
I just got offered a black box leather Constance mini.
I am hesitant about this leather , it is beautiful but like many I think I worry about the scratches etc...
What does everyone think ?
constance mini in my country ( Canada ) is not seen often.
i would gladly love to get Opinion
Thanks in advance
 
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#1,206
christine728 said:
Hi ,

hope everyone is keeping well:smile:
I just got offered a black box leather Constance mini.
I am hesitant about this leather , it is beautiful but like many I think I worry about the scratches etc...
What does everyone think ?
constance mini in my country ( Canada ) is not seen often.
i would gladly love to get Opinion
Thanks in advance

I would jump on it, but box is not for everyone. Please look through the previous posts and you will see that box bags can be decades old and look immaculate and others are used well. Depends on the user .
Click to expand...
 
#1,207
For all those that are worried about purchasing box leather, I can understand how scratches can worry you especially on a smooth and flat surface of an expensive bag. Let me tell you now that scratches are unavoidable and it will happen. But I had just purchased a vintage Kelly 40 C Square stamp and I am impressed with the quality of the leather even after decades of use. I tried to scratch the bag with my fingernails and all the fine lines that show up are easily buffed away with my T-shirt. That’s the beauty of great quality leather that has had a time to age and develop a patina.

The condition was categorized at Very Good with heavy wear and color loss on all 4 corners but no cracks or dryness anywhere else on the bag. The metal plates are also scratched up. These would make me think that the bag was used well by the previous owner.

Since receiving the bag, I have thought of restoring it myself instead of sending it to the Hermes Spa. I began with a general condition and wipe down with a light silicon based leather lotion by Collonil. I then used Saphir Juvacuir to recolor the 4 corners and finished it off with Saphir Canadian Total Care which is a beeswax conditioner and protector. The wax gave the bag an incredible shine and gloss to a fault since it catches fingerprints as easy as lacquer.

I also used Cape Cod polishing cloth to buff out and polish all metal plates on the bag with great results. The oil from the polishing cloth got to the leather but it wiped out easily and doesn’t show any stains.

A big thanks to Doc Ride’s tips on cleaning and treating leather bags. I would have preferred to use her repair kits or send the bag over but I live in South East Asia and shipping across continents back and forth would be too troublesome. The bag already took 2 weeks to arrive to me from NY.

Here are some before photos taken by the seller and how it looks like now.

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D731AFAA-3B2F-4595-A984-D072D6672F8F.jpeg

90182BE8-850F-43ED-A8B4-F4A0FF0ED051.jpeg

009D7E7F-083F-4BD8-BC0C-85D8BB15A013.jpeg

994CEF58-B78A-40E3-9FF4-F0921A31B0A4.jpeg

63A62EA6-FC8F-48C7-863A-3241235CA8FE.jpeg

582A7D16-4CFB-47EA-AC61-24CBF190E510.jpeg

47522EDB-0718-4EA4-9EAB-E321A08959B2.jpeg
 
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#1,208
GreggyG said:
For all those that are worried about purchasing box leather, I can understand how unavoidable scratches can worry you especially on a smooth and flat surface of an expensive bag. But I had just purchased a vintage Kelly 40 C Square stamp and I am impressed with the quality of the leather even after decades of use.

The condition was categorized at Very Good with heavy wear and color loss on all 4 corners but no cracks or dryness anywhere else on the bag. The metal plates are also scratched up. These would make me think that the bag was used well by the previous owner.

Since receiving the bag, I have thought of restoring it myself instead of sending it to the Hermes Spa. I began with a light condition and wipe down with a light silicon based lotion, then I used Saphir Juvacuir to recolor the 4 corners and then finished it off with Saphir Canadian Total Care which is a beeswax conditioner and protector. The wax gave the bag an incredible shine and gloss to a fault since it catches fingerprints as easy as lacquer.

I also used Cape Cod polishing cloth to buff out and polish all metal plates on the bag with great results. The oil from the polishing cloth got to the leather but it wiped out easily and doesn’t show any stains.

Here are some before photos taken by the seller and how it looks like now.

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Click to expand...
Beautiful restoration!
A true testimony to the quality craftsmanship and the longevity that the leather has. I ❤ Box!
 
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#1,210
christine728 said:
Hi ,

hope everyone is keeping well:smile:
I just got offered a black box leather Constance mini.
I am hesitant about this leather , it is beautiful but like many I think I worry about the scratches etc...
What does everyone think ?
constance mini in my country ( Canada ) is not seen often.
i would gladly love to get Opinion
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

Classically elegant, nothing beats Box in my book. But it’s a highly personal preference. Many avoid Box altogether because just like a new vehicle or set of sterling flatware, the early scratches are too stressful for some people. If you can get past that fear, and like to own your bags for many years, you will be rewarded with a gorgeous patina and a leather that refreshes beautifully for generations!

Let us know what you decide :smile:
 
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#1,211
GreggyG said:
For all those that are worried about purchasing box leather, I can understand how scratches can worry you especially on a smooth and flat surface of an expensive bag. Let me tell you now that scratches are unavoidable and it will happen. But I had just purchased a vintage Kelly 40 C Square stamp and I am impressed with the quality of the leather even after decades of use. I tried to scratch the bag with my fingernails and all the fine lines that show up are easily buffed away with my T-shirt. That’s the beauty of great quality leather that has had a time to age and develop a patina.

The condition was categorized at Very Good with heavy wear and color loss on all 4 corners but no cracks or dryness anywhere else on the bag. The metal plates are also scratched up. These would make me think that the bag was used well by the previous owner.

Since receiving the bag, I have thought of restoring it myself instead of sending it to the Hermes Spa. I began with a general condition and wipe down with a light silicon based leather lotion by Collonil. I then used Saphir Juvacuir to recolor the 4 corners and finished it off with Saphir Canadian Total Care which is a beeswax conditioner and protector. The wax gave the bag an incredible shine and gloss to a fault since it catches fingerprints as easy as lacquer.

I also used Cape Cod polishing cloth to buff out and polish all metal plates on the bag with great results. The oil from the polishing cloth got to the leather but it wiped out easily and doesn’t show any stains.

A big thanks to Doc Ride’s tips on cleaning and treating leather bags. I would have preferred to use her repair kits or send the bag over but I live in South East Asia and shipping across continents back and forth would be too troublesome. The bag already took 2 weeks to arrive to me from NY.

Here are some before photos taken by the seller and how it looks like now.

View attachment 4909241

View attachment 4909242

View attachment 4909243

View attachment 4909244

View attachment 4909245

View attachment 4909246

View attachment 4909247

View attachment 4909248
Click to expand...
A beautiful job! Thank you for detailing what you did!
 
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#1,212
GreggyG said:
For all those that are worried about purchasing box leather, I can understand how scratches can worry you especially on a smooth and flat surface of an expensive bag. Let me tell you now that scratches are unavoidable and it will happen. But I had just purchased a vintage Kelly 40 C Square stamp and I am impressed with the quality of the leather even after decades of use. I tried to scratch the bag with my fingernails and all the fine lines that show up are easily buffed away with my T-shirt. That’s the beauty of great quality leather that has had a time to age and develop a patina.

The condition was categorized at Very Good with heavy wear and color loss on all 4 corners but no cracks or dryness anywhere else on the bag. The metal plates are also scratched up. These would make me think that the bag was used well by the previous owner.

Since receiving the bag, I have thought of restoring it myself instead of sending it to the Hermes Spa. I began with a general condition and wipe down with a light silicon based leather lotion by Collonil. I then used Saphir Juvacuir to recolor the 4 corners and finished it off with Saphir Canadian Total Care which is a beeswax conditioner and protector. The wax gave the bag an incredible shine and gloss to a fault since it catches fingerprints as easy as lacquer.

I also used Cape Cod polishing cloth to buff out and polish all metal plates on the bag with great results. The oil from the polishing cloth got to the leather but it wiped out easily and doesn’t show any stains.

A big thanks to Doc Ride’s tips on cleaning and treating leather bags. I would have preferred to use her repair kits or send the bag over but I live in South East Asia and shipping across continents back and forth would be too troublesome. The bag already took 2 weeks to arrive to me from NY.

Here are some before photos taken by the seller and how it looks like now.

View attachment 4909241

View attachment 4909242

View attachment 4909243

View attachment 4909244

View attachment 4909245

View attachment 4909246

View attachment 4909247

View attachment 4909248
Click to expand...
You did a fantastic job! What a beauty :loveeyes: And like you said, well used, well loved and now in a new home where she will continue to be loved and appreciated. Enjoy her!!
 
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