Kate Spade Should I exchange my new Cobble Hill Little Minka?

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Jul 24, 2013
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I just received my new Little Minka handbag today from Gilt.com. I got it on sale and am very happy with the price I paid (and I've wanted this handbag for quite some time!). Unfortunately, it arrived with a long, vertical crease across the front of it. Does anyone know if creases smooth out on their own? Will leather conditioner help? Is it best to just exchange it? Thanks!
 

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id reccommend exchanging it! i bought a final sale fossil leather purse with horizontal creases along the front and have tried everything from leather conditioner, stuffing, ironing (with a piece of cloth inbetween) and am going just about crazy. no real difference.. really upset as it was a final sale item but i did get a super good deal on it. so save yourself the headache :)

on a sidenote, if anyone has any tips for me.. would be greatly appreciated :D
 
I own a little Minka and for that soft leather to crease like THAT picture means it likely won't be un-creasing anytime soon. The leather is so soft that a crease is close to absolutely impossible! Return it/exchange it!
 
I would return or exchange it. It looks like the crease won't go away. Did you end up exchanging it?
I did not exchange it. I was going to, but they were out of stock/back-ordered when I tried (now it's back in stock). However, I looked up 'how to remove creases from leather' and decided to try one of the suggestions... It worked! The crease is mostly gone now. I'll post a photo with instructions in a bit.
 
Ok, here are the "After" photos of my Cobble Hill Little Minka... I got the crease out (there's a hint of it left on the bag, but very hard to see). This is what I did to remove it:

1) I removed paper stuffing and over-stuffed it with fluffy hand towels. Especially focusing on puffing out the area where the crease was. I also stuffed a smaller folded towel inside the front flap, where the crease began on top.

2) I conditioned the leather with Kate Spade leather conditioner.

3) I hung the handbag on the door hook inside the bathroom (a large hook where I normally hang my robe).

4) I turned on the water in the shower as hot as I could handle on my skin. Then closed the door and window, with the handbag inside the bathroom, and showered for 10-15 minutes. (Obviously you can do this without taking a shower, but I live in California and don't want to waste water, so I did). 15 minutes of steam is what was recommended in the article I read, by the way.

5) After my shower (and drying off) I immediately 'smoothed' the crease out with my hands. I did this from the inside of the handbag, focusing on the area where the crease was-- and then from the outside as well. Then I left the towels inside and hung it in my closet for 2-3 days. Voila!

(Note: I have a very small bathroom where it's easy to trap steam. It may not work in one of those large, open ensuite master bathrooms...)

Here are the results:
 

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Ok, here are the "After" photos of my Cobble Hill Little Minka... I got the crease out (there's a hint of it left on the bag, but very hard to see). This is what I did to remove it:

1) I removed paper stuffing and over-stuffed it with fluffy hand towels. Especially focusing on puffing out the area where the crease was. I also stuffed a smaller folded towel inside the front flap, where the crease began on top.

2) I conditioned the leather with Kate Spade leather conditioner.

3) I hung the handbag on the door hook inside the bathroom (a large hook where I normally hang my robe).

4) I turned on the water in the shower as hot as I could handle on my skin. Then closed the door and window, with the handbag inside the bathroom, and showered for 10-15 minutes. (Obviously you can do this without taking a shower, but I live in California and don't want to waste water, so I did). 15 minutes of steam is what was recommended in the article I read, by the way.

5) After my shower (and drying off) I immediately 'smoothed' the crease out with my hands. I did this from the inside of the handbag, focusing on the area where the crease was-- and then from the outside as well. Then I left the towels inside and hung it in my closet for 2-3 days. Voila!

(Note: I have a very small bathroom where it's easy to trap steam. It may not work in one of those large, open ensuite master bathrooms...)

Here are the results:

Unbelievable! Amazing job! It looks like totally different bag! Congrats! Thank You for the tips, I never knew the clever way to use the steam for leather. Where did you get the instructions from?
 
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