Soon to take the plunge; advice welcome!

R

remy005

O.G.
Mar 1, 2009
251
0
#1
Hullo ladies! Well, for the last several weeks I've exchanged innumerable emails with Jackie and Rose (I'm sure by now the sight of my name in the inbox sets eyes to rolling)... I've fondled little swatches and viewed them in different lights... I've stayed up way too late on many a night combing through this subforum's many threads, and now at last I turn to you, wise Belenista mentors...

It's about the leather (for a BEC full-sized MMS). Because I'm still torn between the dark green pebbled and the dark grey matte. And I think I've finally ruled out the shark, but that's only because I've been struggling to pare things down to ONE bag! (with the light pink lining, and brass hardware).

I love the *color* of the dark green pebbled, and I think it's the most "me." The texture ("cervo") is a very fine, i.e., small, pebble which feels rather smooth, and it has more gloss than I expected. (Whereas the shark has, to me, a more interesting texture, and I'd say it's semi-matte.)

I also love leather which has a velvety hand, i.e., a lush, grabby feel, of which suede would be the extreme (as opposed to a satiny hand which is very smooth). Lambskin often has that velvety quality. I *think* the only BE leathers that might even approach this are the mattes. But that's mainly on the basis of my little swatch! (Oh, for a dark green pebbled matte! :love:)

I know all of these things are subjective and often hard to describe, but I'd love to hear how you feel about the *feel* of your BEs!

Can anyone compare the matte and cervo from the standpoint of durability? It needs to stand up to everyday use (which includes carrying too much!). I'm happy to condition the leather, but it's not realistic for me to have a bag that needs babying.

Can you see wearing the dark green or the dark grey any time of year? And finally, is one's complexion (me: fair) a factor when choosing color of a handbag? Guess I'm overthinking, huh? :wacko: But for me this is a major chunk of change and I want to get it right!

Many thanks for reading this through, and blessings to Belenistas with thoughts, advice or experience to share... :heart:
 
#2
Remy.......I love your dilemma!!!! If only life's dilemmas were so pleasant!

Ok......I've got Cervo & the Mattes and while my heart belongs to the Matte leathers, the Cervo is hands-down more durable in my opinion.

If you don't want to baby your bag and if the occasional mark, scuff, or scratch will have you bent out of shape and heading for the nearest liquor store to drown your sorrows, then matte is NOT for you.

I personally feel the matte leathers age like a good wine.....the scuffs, marks etc remind me of Indiana Jones' journal......worn, but has character.

Here's a side-by-side of my matte Taupe LM & black Cervo EM.

LMEMI.jpg


Cervo leather

PortIBMidifrontII.jpg


Matte leather
ChocoEMdetail.jpg


One final thing. My Mom wears her Black Cervo TME daily & she bats that thing around like nobody's business. It's almost painful to watch her with that bag. BUT.......it looks like brand new!!!!! And she's had it for about 1.5 years! No scuffs, marks, dings......wears beautifully and she hasn't conditioned it once!

Now......I think that dark grey matte is extremely versatile. I wear mine all year 'round w/o a problem and it works amazingly well with any outfit in any season.

I think the Dark Green cervo will limit you more in terms of wearability, but the bottom line is, if you love it, that's what matters. And green goes beautifully with fair skin!

Hope this helps somewhat.......choice is yours bottom line. Cervo is without a doubt more durable, but that magical Dark Grey matte has that velvety texture you mention.....thick, chewy, velvety......!
 
#3
Oh Contessa, how generous of you to post such a thorough response -- and with photos!! :happydance: What beautiful bags... It's so late now, must toddle off to bed but just had to say thanks right away. :flowers: Wonder who else we'll hear from! Now for some BE dreams...
 
#4
I agree with Contessa, that the Matte leathers Can become a bit more scuffed or show wear than the pebbled. But also the pebbled can be different. The thick types..like the Black, the Choco, the Red , the Cream are extremely durable whereas the thinner ones like the Purple, Root show sign of wear faster than I expected.

I recently got a Purple Rock me..and I can honestly say, that I don't baby my bags at all..lol..and here the corners are showing slight wear as if it had been a matte ( well, execpt the Choco brown and the old thick mattes) I must add, I use my RMs for shopping and can very easy overfill them, and in general I'm not a gentle person around my bags. But when I lay them away to use another one, I'll inspect them and clean them up..out- and def also inside!

But one thing I miss in the pebbled..it's the scent! The mattes have a gorgeous scent, and this stays a long time!
 
#5
Oh remy, I knew our Belenistas would post well and indeed they have, what great advide! And pictures too! (I wish I could crawl up in that chair with Contessa's handbags right now, LOL)
I will check back in later today when I get home from work to read more!
Cheers, this is the the fun part! (Well and receiving her when she gets to you, lol)
:heart:
 
#6
I will say i have the taupe matte mms and I have had that thing on planes, trains and automobiles; in the rain and snow; with my baby playing with it and it still looks great. The leather is smooshy and broken in but I wouldn't say i've seen a lot of scuffing/marks. I also have a SM in the dark gray matte and I would say the same thing. I think the leather wears very well, as well as the pebbled/cervo.
 
#8
Oh, this is fun... and crazy-making... In a good way! Meanwhile I just got back from phase 1 of getting a replacement crown (over a root canal) made. This was NOT anticipated, and will cost considerably more than my BEC. Aaagh. :nuts: But I intend not to be deterred! Especially since I have, starting with LoveHandbags, such adorable Benablers! :lol:

Interesting to read Bonnie's differentiating between the thick and the regular pebbled (you *were* referring to the pebbled,not the matte, right?). The swatch of Dark Green pebbled is definitely not of the thick persuasion; I think it's the same as the swatches of Wine and Port (and Shark seemed thicker to me).

At this very second, I might go for the dark green, but I've gotta say, Contessa's paean to the matte is practically irresistible! And I'm sorry to hear (but glad to learn -- thanks, Bonnie!) that the pebbled doesn't have the scent I've been reading about all this time.

Then again, I do love the dark grey matte, including the fact that it shows the life it's living... (I was going to say "the ravages of time' but that would apply more to my face!) And somehow I see that as one of the leathers that's distinctly BE.

So, since I'm meeting a friend for dinner, this is a good moment to say Talk to you later... ;)
 
#9
Oh my word remy, you can meet a friend for dinner after having a replacement crown over a root canal done?????????????

You are a rock star! (I am amazed!)

Someone get this girl her BE, she deserves it!
 
#10
remy..the Dark grey does not show signs of wear that fast either..I have a Dark grey LM and a Hold me..on it's way a RM and next month a Hug me..so I might be a tad biased..but till now neither of the two bags I have in use have shown signs of usage..other than getting more smoochie ;) ..and still have the scent..

But it also depends if you're more in love with the Dark green? Then go for it!

Yes, I was referring to the pebbled..but the Wine is thicker than the Port BTW.

The thinner versions of what I've seen of the pebbled are Purple, Port, Dark Green and Root. These will also smooch , the shine becomes a bit less..and it is a lightweight leather..very similar to the Dark grey matte.
 
#11
Well, girls, I think I'm going to go for the dark green, 'cause if I don't I might always think of it as "the one that got away"... Gotta run but will keep you posted, and thank you, Contessa, Bonniekir, kt92, and LoveHandbags! :heart:
 
#12
I think there will always be a taupe leather available as it's such a staple colour for handbags but there might not always be a dark green so if you do love that colour go for it!
 
#14
Time ravaged face! HAHAHAHA !! Oh, how I do love reading your posts, Remster!

My vote is for the dark green pebbled.

#1 - you could drive a Mack Truck over this bag 83,329 times, and it would still look like it did when it left Marco's hands in Tuscany.

#2 - fair complected...dark green can and will be a year-round color for you. It's such a neutral for us.

#3 - as someone already mentioned, the dark green is almost gone.

Don't do what I did. I hemmed and hawed and waited and dillied and dallied over the kiwi. And now...

...it is no more.

:shucks::sad::cry::crybaby:
 
#15
Moonfancy, there you are!! :biggrin: I had been feeling neglected.
Hey ToteGirl, thanks for chiming in!
LoveHandbags, you're so sweet. (And so far so good with my molar!) :tup:

GUESS WHAT? Call me crazy -- I'm going for Door #3! :nuts: I've been driving myself (and others, no doubt) crazy trying to decide between dark green cervo and dark grey matte. This evening I made up my mind -- I'm getting the TAUPE!!! (Kt's baby could sell anything. :P) As much as I love the others, I realized there was one quality I kept ascribing to the taupe matte: "intriguing." And Moonfancy, I know you understand how I've been afraid of kicking myself if the dark green is gone soon. But ever since I decided on "Door #3," I've felt some peace...

Well, I know even though I said i was getting the green, my Belenista sistahs are still supportive, and I send hugs to each of you! :hugs:
What do you think of purple lining with the taupe?
 
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