Screw the new bags- oldies anyone?!?

[babybean]

The more pics I see of the new bags, the more old bags I want. The new pinks have nothing on the older ones. Also, the leather of the bags is terrible compared to the older bbags. The more pinks I see, the more I convince myself that I need to buy the 05 bubblegum/another magenta no matter what the cost... Does anyone else feel this way?

The more Jaune I see, the more I want the 04 marigold, etc. I suppose it is all just a matter of taste, but I can't see myself buying any bags past the 06 collection.

I can't possibly be alone in this!!

 

[BalenciagaLove1]

I definitely wish I could buy some of the older bags (color wise) as well... but I definitely wouldn't say the leather of the bags are terrible now, my 07 plomb twiggy has fantastic thick leather compared to a camel first I bought a couple yrs ago (not sure what yr it is). Every bag produced is different, from my own experience I've learned that you really need to go to the store to check out the leather and color in person!

 

[glossie]

camel should be f/w06. i'd love this colour. of course we'd prefer the older collections, but they're elusive and i can't afford to pay premium prices. i'm also going backwords to the older bags these days but i only had luck with 06. 06 has great colours and i figured the notorius leathers would've aged better by now.

 

[KDC]

I've owned bags from every season since 04. Yeah, the 04/05 leathers were different from 06 onwards because less glazing was used back then. The benefits of a few layers of extra glazing is remarkable for the longetivity of leather. You will see how gorgeous the well worn in glazed leathers look when the most sought after season in years to come will be 2007. I agree the anti-climax of the 06 leathers compared to the 05 was pretty sad, but 2007 certainly made up for that. If you want to stick with the old leathers, then good for you. Personally, I am tired of paying well over retail for supposedly "mint" 04/05 Bbags and when you see it IRL, the tassels are crap, the leather loops that hold the all important handles or shoulder strap are fraying at the edges, almost all of them have cracking sealant paint and most have an odour of some sort. From a very seasoned Bbag lover, I can assure you the 2007 leathers have impressed me so much and will be sought after in the future. 2008 is looking to be a fantastic year of colour. I think Bal does a great job of coming up with new colours. I am sorry for you that you haven't been excited since 04 Marigold (it seems). It's such a hard job to keep everyone consistently happy and Bal keeps me happy most of the time. Even if I don't like a certain season, I still enjoy looking at everyone's latest buys. Good luck to you. Perhaps you could excite us with pics of your vintage collection? We all thoroughly enjoy looking at the older Bbags!

 

[vikianderson]

personally i have found bbags differ greatly ~ not so much from year to year but more like bag to bag! ~ also ~ what some think is a bad or poor leather others may love & vice versa ~ i don't get how some are willing to pay full wack or sometimes more for a bag that has been used to death just b/c it's an '05 ~ but that's omho ~ i am so impressed with the leathers on my newbies ~ my le madge is the best i've ever had ~ thick & smooth ~ my advice would always be to shop around & not to buy without seeing irl ~

 

[Louis_gal]

I don't own anything from '04 so I really can't comment on that but I do have an '05 Dolma City and love it. I don't know what the retail was back then but compared to the current price, I paid a bit over retail and luckily for me, it was in great condition. As much as I would love to own an '04 & more '05's, I just can't justify paying premium prices for a 3-4 yr. old bag, which will probably be pretty worn, just for the color & leather. Bal comes out with such lovely colors each season and I've been lucky with the leather on my '06 Ink & '07 Plomb Cities......I think it's the luck of the draw when it comes to the bags....sometimes you get a nice, thick, chewy bag and sometimes, not. In that case, just exchange it for another or something else but if the oldies are what you crave, then stick with what you . Yes, and please post some pics of your oldies but goodies!!

 

[sunny07]

KDC I think you said it very well! I am still learning when it comes to bbags, but I'm really impressed by my 07 leather. I have 2 07's and 2 05s, and I find that my 07 leather is definitely thicker, but still soft and smooshy, and the colors are so rich and saturated. They're also more glazed, but the leather is so much sturdier than my 05s. My 05s are silky soft, but also thinner and very delicate. I agree that 07 will be a very coveted year.

I do think, though, that some of the 05 colors are incomparable for their richness and saturation- if I were a pink or blue girl, I'd be hunting down a 05 magenta or turq. And RT!! As gorgeous as the other reds are, nothing compares to RT, for me. But I like the blue undertones in my reds.

I also agree that there's so much variation from one bag to the other, at least in the later years. I've definitely seen some dry, thin, veiny 07 bags as well.

 

[brunettetiger]

05 RT, Turq, and Magenta are pretty awesome unique colors, although I've never experienced seeing on IRL up close.

I'm very pleased with '07! Tomato, Violet, Anthra, Pine, Black are so gorgeous they make my head spin!!! I could see where they will be very coveted esp because they are the first year for Giant H/W (I like gold). The 08's have been a disappointment so far, except BG Pink and Sahara - those leathers have been a bit smoother and glazier.

Very interested to see Coral and Turquoise...

 

[fiatflux]

Hm. I have an '07 magenta and the loops holding the shoulder strap frayed pretty much right away. Also it's a lot less shiny than my Magenta '05....is that what you mean by the "glazing?" -- if more shiny = more glaze, then my '05 is more glazed than the '07. I find that ALL my bbags, no matter what vintage, have the problem with the shoulder strap loops fraying.

 

[simona7]

I would love some of the older bags but I can't justify in my mind paying so much more over retail for an older sometimes used bag. The couple I have considered were about $400 over retail.

 

[ladybugfreckle]

I have an 05, 06 & 07. Personally, my favorite quality is 07. It has the best saturation and thickest/chewiest leather. My 05 bag is gorgeous, but doesn't feel it will stand the test of time like 07. And my 06 is silky smooth but not nearly as thick. 05 and 04 have some great colors that I would like...but I'm hoping some future colors will come close. I guess it just depends on what your favorite qualities are in bbags as to which year you fall hard for. It's nice to see that everyone is different! Now I know there won't be a "run" on the bags I want.

 

[iluvhandbags]

I LOVE the leather on Spring/Summer '05 bags. I have owned sky blue(sold) and indigo(gave to my little sister). I currently have a black from spring summer '05 and the leather on that bag is amazing compared to most of the black bags I have seen now. It is a very saturated pure black where I find the current black to be more of a faded black. I refuse to pay over retail for older bags though. It just doesn't seem right to me. I think that the leather on the newer bags will break in to be similar to the older ones. It just takes time!! I keep hoping that Balenciaga will go out of fashion so that I can snag all of the older bags on Ebay for a steal!!

 

[sunspark]

I am a huge fan of 04 leathers. I have a black, turquoise, mystery green, red, and a lilac 03. All citys. I recently acquired an almost new marron 04 twiggy with the most amazing leather. Thin, silky, natural distressing (as opposed to todays veininess), little glazing just a nice sheen (not shiny like todays).

A few of my bags are well broken in, but they are so silky, supple, smooshy, that they beat the newer bags unless you luck out it seems. I was super interested in the light magenta, but haven't seen a leather I could live with. Jaune is also hit or miss. Seems the bags with GH or SH have better leather than RH. My 07 mahogany city has great thick, chewy leather (similar to plomb or anthra?). Each bag is unique. But it does seem, that overall, the quality of the 04 bags was better overall.

Pics:
Marron 04 with flash and without
Black 04 outside and inside
lilac 03

 

[sunspark]

More.....
Lilac 03 back
red and green 04
pewter collection
turq 04 back
turq 04 bale

 

[pluiee]

sunspark your collection of the older bags is TDF!!