Please read me FIRST for Choo Basics and FAQs! - The Choobies Guide

Welcome all newbies! Here is your primer on Jimmy Choo and our Choo forum. To make your visit here much more enjoyable, please take the time to read this thread as it contains details about how the forum is set up and great information for those new to Jimmy Choo.

We also have rules and guidelines for the Purse Forum as well as the Choo forum so please read those right away to ensure that your stay here is trouble-free.

The Purse Forum rules can be found here:
http://forum.purseblog.com/general-d...uidelines.html

If you have any questions at any time, please feel free to PM the Mod - jburgh.

There will be a separate discussion thread if you have questions or need clarification.

Link to Discussion thread: http://forum.purseblog.com/jimmy-choo-faqs-and-care-reference/discuss-the-jimmy-choo-newbies-guide-419100.html

Here are also a few good threads or subforums to help you with some common Purse Forum concerns:
http://forum.purseblog.com/tpf-resource-center/
http://forum.purseblog.com/news-and-announcements/
http://forum.purseblog.com/frequently-asked-questions/
http://forum.purseblog.com/feedback-dropbox/posting-photos-25.html

Happy reading!

 

The Jimmy Choo forum is set up in the following manner - the stickies in each top section are fixed in position for easy location, but there are many threads in each section:


Main Forum which contains stickies at the top on:
Please READ THIS before posting in Authentication thread (rules/guidelines)
Authenticate This Jimmy Choo
Authentic Jimmy Choo Finds: reputable retailers, e-tailers, or eBay
Pics of tPF members' Jimmy Choo handbags ***PICS ONLY***
The Jimmy Choo Hall of Shame - post your fakes here!
Celebs with their Choos! ***PICS ONLY!!!***
Pics of JC bags from catalogues, lookbooks, or magazines ***PICS ONLY***


Jimmy Choo Style Reference Library (located at the top of the page) which contains stickies on:
Read Me: Rules for the Style Reference Threads

Within the Style Reference Library, there are threads containing styles and pictures ***Pics ONLY thread***


Jimmy Choo Color Reference Library (located at the top of the page) which contains stickies on:
Read Me: Rules for the Style Reference Threads

Within the Color Reference Library, there are threads containing colors and pictures ***Pics ONLY thread***


Jimmy Choo FAQs and Care Reference (located at the top of the page) which contains stickies on:
Identify this Choo!
Please read me FIRST for Jimmy Choo Basics and FAQs! - The Choobies Guide
Cleaning and Protecting the INSIDE of your Jimmy Choo
Cleaning and Protecting the OUTSIDE of your Jimmy Choo
Purse Insert Reference - Keep that bag clean!
Jimmy Choo Leather Guide
Fake JC Ramona's/Rikis - What to Watch for.....
Fake vs. real maddy/mahala

 

Do a Search!

Don't be scared of using the Search feature so you can find out if there is information already available BEFORE you post a new thread. You are welcome to post on threads already started.

If you cannot find what you are looking for and need to post a thread, please make your thread title specific and descriptive. Titles that are too general like "Help" or "New Choo" will not assist others when they do a search.

Please note that if a new thread is created and the exact inquiry appears several times in a search, you will be asked to conduct a search and the thread will be subsequently closed.

 

There is NO buying/selling/trading or soliciting for such allowed on tPF. If you are found to be doing so, your membership may be revoked. Additionally, you cannot offer to buy a bag for someone else.

Please do a search of completed listings on eBay to determine how to price your bag or your own judgement to determine how much you should pay for a specific bag.

If it appears that you may be soliciting for sales, a reminder may be posted on your thread and it may be closed. If you are looking for a bag that is out of production, please know that a reseller or eBay are pretty much the only sources.


Buying/Selling on tPF
Public selling/buying/trading is not permitted. Threads of WTS or WTB nature will be locked or deleted.
Soliciting your items for sale via Private Messages is prohibited.
Linking your own auctions is not permitted, in posts, signatures or otherwise. This includes eBay, Bonanzle, eCrater, iOffer and other auction-type sites.
Selling of personal items is only permitted in the invite-only Marketplaza. Instructions on how to gain access are posted here: http://forum.purseblog.com/news-and-announcements/tpf-marketplaza-application-requirements-and-instructions-70788.html


Promoting your business & listings
Store/business promotions in form of signature or profile links are only permitted for well established members with 500+ posts and 3+ months of membership.
Soliciting via Private Messages or spamming the forums with links to your business is prohibited.
For advertising opportunities, please contact an Administrator.

Breaking any of the above listed forum rules can result in the loss of posting privileges and loss of your Purse Forum account. We also reserve the right to ban any user, at any time, and for any reason. The administrators frequently review forum messages for those that are in violation of PF rules. Any messages found to be in violation will be deleted without warning or explanation. We reserve the right to edit, reprint, distribute, or delete any posting for any reason and without prior notification or explanation to the author.

 

Jimmy Choo 101 In process, please be patient...

Q. What is a short history of the brand? (from the Wikipedia)
Jimmy Choo is a Malaysian citizen of Hakka Chinese descent, who was born in Penang in 1961 into a family of shoemakers. He made his first shoe when he was 11 years old. He is perhaps the most famous of students of Cordwainers' Technical College in London, from which he graduated in 1983. The college is now part of the London College of Fashion. Choo has divulged that he worked part-time at restaurants and as a cleaner at a shoe factory to help fund his college education.

Jimmy Choo's beginnings can be traced back to his workshop in Hackney, East London, which he opened in 1986 by renting an old hospital building. His craftsmanship and designs were soon noticed and he came to the verge of international fame when his creations were featured in a record eight pages in a 1988 issue of Vogue magazine. Patronage from Diana, Princess of Wales from 1990 onwards further boosted his image.

In 1996, he co-founded Jimmy Choo Ltd with British Vogue accessories editor Tamara Mellon.
In April 2001, Choo sold his 50% stake in the company for £10 million. He has since been concentrating his work on the exclusive Jimmy Choo Couture line produced under license from Jimmy Choo Ltd. The Jimmy Choo London line, also known as Jimmy Choo Ready-To-Wear or simply, Jimmy Choo, is under the purview of Tamara Mellon. The ready-to-wear line has expanded to include accessories such as handbags.

Choo currently resides in London. He is currently involved in a project to set up a shoemaking institute in Malaysia, where his iconic status is often evoked to inspire budding shoemakers and fashion designers.

2000: Bestowed a state award carrying the title of Dato' by the Sultan of Pahang state in Malaysia for his achievements.
2002: Conferred an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his services to the shoe and fashion industry in the UK.
2004: Awarded the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of his home state of Penang, which also carries the title Dato'.
Awarded a fellowship by the University of the Arts London, conferring the use of the title Professor.


Q. How often are Jimmy Choo collections released?
There are four "seasons", Spring/Summer (S/S) Pre-Fall (PF), Cruise/Resort, and Fall/Winter (F/W). S/S collection bags start arriving in the stores as early as very late December and throughout the first few months of the new year. Expect Pre-Fall to arrive in July/August . F/W collections usually start to arrive in stores September, October, and even as late as November. Cruise/Resort collections arrive in late November and throughout December. The release dates are somewhat fluid. It is not unusual to see a couple seasons at a time in the stores or boutiques. Catalogs are usually available from Jimmy Choo after the collections hit the boutiques.

Q. Do Jimmy Choo items ever go on sale?
Yes! The boutiques hold two sales per year. The end of year sale begins in December and ends by February 1st. The second may start as early as late June and is throughout the month of July. Classic styles do not usually go on sale. Seasonal styles do. Also you may find a LE style. The Choo outlets have end of year sales, too. And of course, department stores that carry Choo have their own seasonal sales.

Q. Where can I find discontinued colors or styles?
Rarely do stores have old stock but generally, the outlets, eBay or consignment stores are the only places.

Q. What is a good choice for a first Jimmy Choo bag?
It really depends on the size you need. The most popular first Choos are Ramona or Riki.

Q. Please give me a quick rundown of the classic bags?
Ramona - Has become the iconic Choo bag. It is a double handled shoulder bag with a belted design, with a hardware clasp that fastens it closed. Lined in luxurious moleskin. It is available in two sizes Ramona, and XL Ramona.
Riki - This bag is identical to the Ramona in all but size. Riki is available in one size, which is about 30-40 percent smaller than the Ramona.
Mahala - This is another of the iconic Choo bags. The Mahala looks like a boxy cube. It has suede inserts. There is a magnetic snap closure at the top. Lined in luxurious moleskin. It is available in two sizes Mahala, and Large (rarely seen) Mahala.
Maddy - This bag is identical to the Mahala in all but size. Maddy is available in one size, which is about 30-40 percent smaller than the Mahala.

Classic Choo bags are much loved because the interiors are lined with pockets as well as a zippered compartment. This is a very useful and practical brand.

Q. What is the best kind of leather?
The most commonly used is calfskin. But, you will find nappa, suedes and exotics. Jimmy Choo does some wonderful textured leathers as well as patent. It really comes down to the touch – when you touch the bag, does it make you happy?


Q. Where is the authenticity tag?
Beginning in Fall 2008, Jimmy Choo began phasing in an authentication system. Each Choo bag/accessory will have a numbered hologram patch fused to the inside. An accompanying plastic credit card sized authenticity card will have the same number. This card should be supplied with the item. Make sure they match!

update from Bagladee
From about December 2009 through now bags DID NOT have the hologram tag in the bag. There was just a notice that went out in June 2010 to the boutiques explaining this . Starting with the fall line (not pre-fall) bags will have both the tag and the matching card. They stopped doing this because so many boutiques and department stores were having problems with missing cards in a return situation. This way without the hologram tag, the stores could just have some extra cards on hand to stick in the bags if they were missing on return. Then apparently so many people griped about that they they decided to go back to the matching hologram tag and card.



Q. What are these anacronyms I see in posts?
LP = Liquid Patent, a very shiny patent leather
WL = Wet Look patent
HG = Holy Grail, or the most desired bag (varies with member)
LE = Limited Edition. Each year, Choo produces limited quantities of some styles in unusual colors and materials.
IMO, or IMHO = Not specific to this forum but, "in my opinion" or "in my humble opinion."

 

We have a format for Authenticating Jimmy Choo items. Hopefully this will be helpful to keep the threads easy to navigate, easy to respond to, and be an overall better for all involved.

Before you post in the Jimmy Choo "Authenticate This" thread you NEED to read the rules!!!! This will make it easier for EVERYONE and really make the chance of you getting your question answered much better.

Please follow the following rules:

Before you submit a request for authentication, please search this thread to make sure that the item has not previously been authenticated. This is not a thread to ask general questions about Jimmy Choo, please refer to our reference section for such information. Finally, do not submit requests for something that is obviously a fake, e.g. the item says it is a replica, or a $50 Mahala.
This is a free service, but it is imperative that you help our authenticators by using the following format:

Item Name:
Listing number:
Seller name or ID:
Working Link:
Comments:

Here is an example I totally made up to illustrate the format:

Item Name: Jimmy Choo Tayten NWT
Listing number: 123456789
Seller name or ID: idonotsellfakes
Working Link: http://forum.purseblog.com/jimmy-choo-faqs-and-care-reference/please-read-me-first-choo-basics-faqs-choobies-419045.html#post10517841
Comments: Please authenticate this bag, this is a new seller that I don't know. Thank you.

The format accomplishes the following:

1. Allows authenticators and requesters to see all information laid out in a clear and concise manner, upfront, without wading through links to find out information.

2. Allows requesters to easily see if the items have been previously requested, when doing a search. Searches will pick up item numbers, and this is what requesters should be searching for.

3. Allows both authenticators and requesters to mentally note important information, such as "That seller sells authentic" or "Seller XXXX is a problematic seller."

4. Reduces duplications of requests which clutters the thread and takes up unnecessary time and space.

5. Respects the personal time and effort authenticators take to answer requests.


Authenticators are not required to answer every request, and it is their right to ignore a request that is not in the proper format.

Authenticators may also request additional pictures and/or information in order to assist with authentication. Please remember, it is always useful to have several close up pictures when submitting an item for authentication. These include all logos, logo plates, zippers, zipper pulls, lilac ribbon.

Please do not intervene to confront a troll or rudeness on the boards, just use the REPORT function (button) to alert the mods, and let them handle it from there. In the meantime, just ignore the poster until a mod can intervene.

Always be respectful when you post and treat others as you expect to be treated. This is an open thread and everyone is welcome to participate.

Do NOT PM an authenticator or moderator to request authentication. Any and all such requests must be posted in this thread.


I hopes this helps. Thank you for your compliance
PM me if you need further clarification.



Disclaimer:
All Authenticate This threads on tPF are meant to provide assistance to shoppers who are uncertain about the legitimacy and authenticity of designer goods. The evaluations posted by tPF's members are only opinions that stem from personal experiences as shoppers and collectors. They are not legally binding or professional authentications and are not to be treated as such.

For questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact the forum administration via the forum's contact form. http://forum.purseblog.com/sendmessage.php