Special colors, patterns, and sales

[lavenderjunkie]

Sooo pretty wow! Enjoy it!

Question, Sorrento or florentine? Which one do you like better

Florentine is better, in my opinion, without question.

Florentine leather is a thicker, better leather, processed using what I believe
are 'better' methods.

Sorrento leather is a soft, pebbled leather which looks and feels
very nice. I don't know about the processing/dying methods used.
But judging from the 1 bag I received, Dooney was using it for
a lower priced handbag. As a result, although the leather itself
was fine, I didn't like the construction and finishing on the handbag.
That leads me to believe it's a 'more affordable' material.

Florentine leather has its downsides.... because it has less processing
and finishing, the surface can be a mix of texture (smooth and pebbled),
the color can sometimes be uneven (tiger stripes, especially on the natural
Flo which isn't dyed), and of course Florentine leather will show scratches
and can absorb stains. But it is generally a thicker leather and therefore
more durable. Made to stand up to years of use.

Better leathers are thicker and full grain (meaning that the back layers haven't
been removed to be used for other products) and also on better leathers
the surface hasn't been heavily treated. That describes Florentine leather.

Sorrento leather is probably thinner, but I don't know if it's full grain or not.
The surface is embossed to create the pebbling texture. I don't know if there
are any other surface treatments or what process is used for dying the leather.

All that said, it doesn't mean that I wouldn't buy a Dooney Sorrento leather handbag.
I thought the leather was fine and the bag was much lighter weight
than a comparable Florentine handbag. I would buy another Sorrento handbag but
I will look at the construction details before I decide. i own many, many, many,
many Dooney pebbled leather handbags from many of their different pebble
collections over the years. Some are higher quality (and heavier), like the
All Weather Leather and the Dillen collections. And some are thinner and lighter
like the generic 'pebbled' leather styles. Each has a place in a handbag collection....
it depends upon how big a collection you have, how much use the bag will get, and
how much you want the color/style. And of course the price.

I don't worry about my bags wearing out because I change them so often and also
take reasonable care. I also consider the weather and my activities when I choose
a handbag for the day. Dark color Florentine handbags are very wearable....they
don't show water marks or soil. But I would never wear a lighter color or natural
Florentine handbag to the supermarket and risk the water spray and soil in the
produce department. For wet weather or shopping there is nothing like a Dooney pebbled
leather or even a Dooney nylon handbag.

For what it's worth, that's my long answer to the question.

 

[pmart031]

Florentine is better, in my opinion, without question.

Florentine leather is a thicker, better leather, processed using what I believe
are 'better' methods.

Sorrento leather is a soft, pebbled leather which looks and feels
very nice. I don't know about the processing/dying methods used.
But judging from the 1 bag I received, Dooney was using it for
a lower priced handbag. As a result, although the leather itself
was fine, I didn't like the construction and finishing on the handbag.
That leads me to believe it's a 'more affordable' material.

Florentine leather has its downsides.... because it has less processing
and finishing, the surface can be a mix of texture (smooth and pebbled),
the color can sometimes be uneven (tiger stripes, especially on the natural
Flo which isn't dyed), and of course Florentine leather will show scratches
and can absorb stains. But it is generally a thicker leather and therefore
more durable. Made to stand up to years of use.

Better leathers are thicker and full grain (meaning that the back layers haven't
been removed to be used for other products) and also on better leathers
the surface hasn't been heavily treated. That describes Florentine leather.

Sorrento leather is probably thinner, but I don't know if it's full grain or not.
The surface is embossed to create the pebbling texture. I don't know if there
are any other surface treatments or what process is used for dying the leather.

All that said, it doesn't mean that I wouldn't buy a Dooney Sorrento leather handbag.
I thought the leather was fine and the bag was much lighter weight
than a comparable Florentine handbag. I would buy another Sorrento handbag but
I will look at the construction details before I decide. i own many, many, many,
many Dooney pebbled leather handbags from many of their different pebble
collections over the years. Some are higher quality (and heavier), like the
All Weather Leather and the Dillen collections. And some are thinner and lighter
like the generic 'pebbled' leather styles. Each has a place in a handbag collection....
it depends upon how big a collection you have, how much use the bag will get, and
how much you want the color/style. And of course the price.

I don't worry about my bags wearing out because I change them so often and also
take reasonable care. I also consider the weather and my activities when I choose
a handbag for the day. Dark color Florentine handbags are very wearable....they
don't show water marks or soil. But I would never wear a lighter color or natural
Florentine handbag to the supermarket and risk the water spray and soil in the
produce department. For wet weather or shopping there is nothing like a Dooney pebbled
leather or even a Dooney nylon handbag.

For what it's worth, that's my long answer to the question.

Been thinking of a dooney nylon for amusement parks, park days and such, but none excite me lol sometimes i feel like the online pics don’t do much for the bags and once i see them in person im like woooow nice. I wonder sometimes about Peter Dooney, can’t find much about him now and day. Wondering how involved he still is in the leather making since he is older than when he started the brand.

 

[lavenderjunkie]

Been thinking of a dooney nylon for amusement parks, park days and such, but none excite me lol sometimes i feel like the online pics don’t do much for the bags and once i see them in person im like woooow nice. I wonder sometimes about Peter Dooney, can’t find much about him now and day. Wondering how involved he still is in the leather making since he is older than when he started the brand.

I've wonder that too.
As for Dooney nylon, I have black, navy, khaki, wine, and red.
I like all of them except the red. The darker and more neutral colors
with the leather trim just look like nicer handbags to me. The brighter colors
are cute, but they don't look particularly upscale to my eye... more just a
fun handbag. I'm a leather snob and I admit it.

I like the nylon satchel with the zippers on the front and also the large
Erica shoulder bag (which I hand carry). I also have an all black nylon
open tote or shopper that an easy light weight carry.

 

[G.Allyn]

For those who collect handbags or have a favorite color, I wanted to share a strategy.....
shop the sales and buy those special (and unusual) colors when you see them. Over time,
colors go in and out of 'fashion' and it's hard to find some of your favorites.
So, if you are a fan of teal and bordeaux/burgundy and plum/plum wine/purple, greens, etc.
then buy them when you see the bags at good prices, if your budget can tolerate the
indulgence. This goes for special patterns that are in season and then disappear.
Waiting for the sales, end of season, or out of season can make it much more affordable
to build the collection. Waiting too long can mean you might not see those colors or patterns
for many years.

I've seen quite a few treasures on ILD over the past few days....Plumes, Tartan,
teal, and plum wine.

Of course, if you favor the 'core' colors.... black, saddle/natural, red then you will
probably be able to find them when ever you want. But Dooney isn't making the
rainbow of colors in too many styles or leather these days.

I usually purchase core colors, but I went for a persian blue today. I showed a pic to my husband and he shook his head and questioned what I would wear it with...duh!, black, grey, brown, beige, white. I am sure I will find something.

I have been collecting a few of the little bags since I have so many D&B medium to larger bags.

The order was an Alto Rayna in persian blue. It looks like it was the last one. I hope it doesn't turn out to be a messed up return. It wasn't a great deal at 43% off but I liked the basic look of the bag. Fingers crossed!

 

[lavenderjunkie]

I usually purchase core colors, but I went for a persian blue today. I showed a pic to my husband and he shook his head and questioned what I would wear it with...duh!, black, grey, brown, beige, white. I am sure I will find something.

I have been collecting a few of the little bags since I have so many D&B medium to larger bags.

The order was an Alto Rayna in persian blue. It looks like it was the last one. I hope it doesn't turn out to be a messed up return. It wasn't a great deal at 43% off but I liked the basic look of the bag. Fingers crossed!

I hope you love your new Alto. I've looked at that bag and drooled over the Persian Blue color. But, I decided the Rayna style wouldn't work for me.... it's just too small for me.
In Alto world, anything over 40% off is a great price.

Don't worry in advance. I've gotten the 'last' or 1 of 1 Dooney bags from Dooney and ILD and they were fine.

 

[G.Allyn]

I hope you love your new Alto. I've looked at that bag and drooled over the Persian Blue color. But, I decided the Rayna style wouldn't work for me.... it's just too small for me.
In Alto world, anything over 40% off is a great price.

Don't worry in advance. I've gotten the 'last' or 1 of 1 Dooney bags from Dooney and ILD and they were fine.

I know you watch the pricing during the sales. Thanks for the reassurance that the price was decent and the bag may be in good condition.

The minefield that is online shopping with D&B, ILD and any other site. I have had a few hits and misses with fashion items in the last few weeks.

By the way, do you have any advice for the person asking rain damage repair questions about her florentine bag. Someone is asking under Florentine Hates Me, or something similar about rain stains. If anyone knows, It is probably you.

 

[lavenderjunkie]

I know you watch the pricing during the sales. Thanks for the reassurance that the price was decent and the bag may be in good condition.

The minefield that is online shopping with D&B, ILD and any other site. I have had a few hits and misses with fashion items in the last few weeks.

By the way, do you have any advice for the person asking rain damage repair questions about her florentine bag. Someone is asking under Florentine Hates Me, or something similar about rain stains. If anyone knows, It is probably you.

Yes, the pricing is constantly changing. Two things keep me from getting too upset....

One is that both Dooney.com and ILD are reputable organizations and you can return
an item. True, it will cost you about $10 return shipping, but... you will get a credit
and you likely didn't pay the original shipping cost. ILD won't do a price adjustment,
and I don't know if Dooney will do one for the main site purchases.

The second is that not every thing I buy can be at the lowest possible price. So, if I
can get really good prices, most of the time i try not to get too upset if an item goes down a few dollars. With higher priced item, I know I can return the item if the price goes
down a lot within a short amount of time. Then I can rebuy the item, or not.
I rarely do that. If the price goes down by $25 or less, and I have to pay for return
shipping and then box up the item and take it to UPS, I usually don't bother.
Yes, I'm annoyed, and maybe I buy less for a while. If the price decrease is major,
and I haven't used the item, and it's still possible to return, then I have to decide
what to do. But basically, you can't win them all. No way to get the lowest price
on every purchase.

As for the water spotted Florentine handbag. I wish I had an answer. I do not have
luck with water spotted leather returning to it's original beauty. I know others say,
no problem. Not for me. If I wash my hands holding a Florentine bag, it will spot
and the spots don't fade. I don't know if it's the chemicals in the water, air polution,
or the specific piece of leather and how it's been processed. Some people pretreat
their Florentine leather with water repellant and conditioner. I don't.

As advice, I can only relate one story told to me by a Dooney sales person in a
boutique..... the best way to even out the color on a Florentine bag after color transfer
or water spots, is to take a clean, soft, white cloth and rub the bag using a circular motion.
This will remove surface dirt and also bring up the oils in the leather. You need to do
the entire bag, and it's not a quick procedure. But if you keep at it, the color will even
out and you will no longer see the spots. With a natural color Florentine bag, the color
will darken. What you are doing is speeding up the patina process.
I do not know if this will work on lightly colored bags, like Ecur or Pale Blue, Coral or Fuchsia, etc because I don't know what the dying process is for these color and if the
process will remove surface color. Natural Florentine leather isn't dyed, so there would
be no dye color to remove.

 

[Berengeria]

Hi! I'm tempted to buy the Orange Penrose 2 Satchel and the Stone Penrose 2 Satchel 30. Does anyone know if the "Stone" color is more gray or more taupe? It's hard to tell via computer screen. Also, is the orange a decent shade or is it obnoxiously bright? I know that can be matter of preference, but if anyone has seen this color in person, I'd love to hear your opinion. I do like orange, I just don't want it to look juvenile or unsophisticated.

Oh, also, is $188 & $198 a good price on these or should I wait for a different sale. They are on "Black Friday" sale atm, but I don't know if they are likely to have a better price later on.

 

[lavenderjunkie]

Hi! I'm tempted to buy the Orange Penrose 2 Satchel and the Stone Penrose 2 Satchel 30. Does anyone know if the "Stone" color is more gray or more taupe? It's hard to tell via computer screen. Also, is the orange a decent shade or is it obnoxiously bright? I know that can be matter of preference, but if anyone has seen this color in person, I'd love to hear your opinion. I do like orange, I just don't want it to look juvenile or unsophisticated.

Oh, also, is $188 & $198 a good price on these or should I wait for a different sale. They are on "Black Friday" sale atm, but I don't know if they are likely to have a better price later on.

Before you order, check out what ILD has at the moment too.
I found a different Penrose 2 satchel there, for $141. It's slightly larger, if you can believe the dimensions, than the Penrose 2 30 with pockets on the Dooney site.
Other differences, the ILD version has whip stitching on the handles, but
the inner collar seems to be fabric lined, not leather or suede.

Also be very careful to look at the dimensions for all the Penrose and
Sorrento satches. Many look alike, but the dimensions are very different
and it's very confusing.. And I'm not sure how accurate any of the dimensions
are, but I have to assume the sizes are different. And at least for me,
the length and depth of the base can make a big difference in the usability
of a bag. I think the Penrose 2 on ILD, which they say is 13" long is about
the size of the original small (now regular) Flo satchel. I think the Penrose 2 30
with pockets on Dooney.com is the size of the original mini. I have many of
the original mini size from years ago and it was a nice medium sized bag.
But today, I carry more junk, a larger cell phone, etc.

This morning I'm going to see if I can cancel my Dooney.com order...
I think the ILD version will work better for me. I like the size, and the
whip stitching on the handles, I don't like the fact that the inner collar
is fabric. But it will be a better carry for me.

I don't know what the colors look like in person. Every leather takes color differently and the swatches on the Dooney site for the Penrose styles don't seem to look like the same
color names for other collections. Don't know if it's the photography/lighting or the
leather. I suspect, just a gut feel, that the Penrose leather has a matte finish and
absorbs color rather than reflecting it. The Belvedere collection leather was like this too.
I liked light colors in Belvedere, but didn't like midtone or dark colors.... especially those
that were 'muddy' rather than bright. Just personal reaction.

 

[Berengeria]

Before you order, check out what ILD has at the moment too.
I found a different Penrose 2 satchel there, for $141. It's slightly larger, if you can believe the dimensions, than the Penrose 2 30 with pockets on the Dooney site.
Other differences, the ILD version has whip stitching on the handles, but
the inner collar seems to be fabric lined, not leather or suede.

Also be very careful to look at the dimensions for all the Penrose and
Sorrento satches. Many look alike, but the dimensions are very different
and it's very confusing.. And I'm not sure how accurate any of the dimensions
are, but I have to assume the sizes are different. And at least for me,
the length and depth of the base can make a big difference in the usability
of a bag. I think the Penrose 2 on ILD, which they say is 13" long is about
the size of the original small (now regular) Flo satchel. I think the Penrose 2 30
with pockets on Dooney.com is the size of the original mini. I have many of
the original mini size from years ago and it was a nice medium sized bag.
But today, I carry more junk, a larger cell phone, etc.

This morning I'm going to see if I can cancel my Dooney.com order...
I think the ILD version will work better for me. I like the size, and the
whip stitching on the handles, I don't like the fact that the inner collar
is fabric. But it will be a better carry for me.

I don't know what the colors look like in person. Every leather takes color differently and the swatches on the Dooney site for the Penrose styles don't seem to look like the same
color names for other collections. Don't know if it's the photography/lighting or the
leather. I suspect, just a gut feel, that the Penrose leather has a matte finish and
absorbs color rather than reflecting it. The Belvedere collection leather was like this too.
I liked light colors in Belvedere, but didn't like midtone or dark colors.... especially those
that were 'muddy' rather than bright. Just personal reaction.

Thank you! I will check out ILD before I buy anything for sure!

 

[lavenderjunkie]

Thank you! I will check out ILD before I buy anything for sure!

In Dooney world stone is usually a light grey color, rather than a taupe.
But the undertones can vary based on the leather.

 

[lavenderjunkie]

The Penrose satchels seem to have disappeared from the main Dooney site.
I tried to pull them up again to look at the colors, but even using the item
number of the bag that I ordered, the site didn't show any of the Penrose
satchel. Did every color in both sizes sell out?

And yes, I found some of the designs on the ILD site. But not the ones
that had been on the main site on Sunday.

 

[Berengeria]

You're right. My cart with the Penrose bags can't be ordered because they are out of stock. But you know what? I'm not sad. I guess it was good that I hesitated because if I wanted those bags badly enough, I would be bummed right that I missed out, but I'm not.

 

[G.Allyn]

The Penrose satchels seem to have disappeared from the main Dooney site.
I tried to pull them up again to look at the colors, but even using the item
number of the bag that I ordered, the site didn't show any of the Penrose
satchel. Did every color in both sizes sell out?

And yes, I found some of the designs on the ILD site. But not the ones
that had been on the main site on Sunday.

I find some of the differences at the D&B and ILD sites confusing. That is what is great about PF, if I don't catch a change in style or construction, someone here will spot it for me.

 

[lavenderjunkie]

I find some of the differences at the D&B and ILD sites confusing. That is what is great about PF, if I don't catch a change in style or construction, someone here will spot it for me.

We tend to get so familiar with the styles that we don't focus on all the details in the descriptions... if they even post the details. At least, that is what happens to me....
I think I know the bag because maybe I have it or have seen it a million times. But...
they change the details, sometimes changing the name, sometimes changing the leather,
and sometimes with the same or very similar name. It's especially true with the generic names, like zip satchel or just 'satchel'. But it's even true when they give the bag a name
like Janine, for ex. The bag can be different in different leathers, for ex.