The Cerf Tote Club!

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#1,681
Quick poll for those in the Cerf club... has anyone compared their Cerf to Chanel’s replacement, called the Neo Executive Tote (A69931)? I have a black Cerf that I bought ages ago (maybe 2006?), and I love it. I was recently in CHANEL and had a look at the Neo Executive tote, meant to replace the Cerf. In my opinion, I really prefer the Cerf over the Neo Executive. The Neo Executive seemed to big, massively heavy, the texture of the leather is quite different from the Cerf and has more of matte finish, and the quality just didn’t seem the same as the Cerf.

Would love to hear people’s thoughts on this- maybe I’m just old school, but I quite like the original Cerf.

Does anyone have pics comparing a pre-2013 Cerf to a 2013 Cerf? I heard CHANEL started using a different leather in 2013. Curious if it’s similar to the Neo Executive leather type.
 
#1,682
downtown07 said:
Quick poll for those in the Cerf club... has anyone compared their Cerf to Chanel’s replacement, called the Neo Executive Tote (A69931)? I have a black Cerf that I bought ages ago (maybe 2006?), and I love it. I was recently in CHANEL and had a look at the Neo Executive tote, meant to replace the Cerf. In my opinion, I really prefer the Cerf over the Neo Executive. The Neo Executive seemed to big, massively heavy, the texture of the leather is quite different from the Cerf and has more of matte finish, and the quality just didn’t seem the same as the Cerf.

Would love to hear people’s thoughts on this- maybe I’m just old school, but I quite like the original Cerf.

Does anyone have pics comparing a pre-2013 Cerf to a 2013 Cerf? I heard CHANEL started using a different leather in 2013. Curious if it’s similar to the Neo Executive leather type.
Click to expand...

I have the old cerf tote. I missed out on buying in the store and found mine on the resale market. The Neo tote just wasnt as sophicated and chic. The cerf tote is one of my top 3 work bags.
 
#1,683
Leonie Vallon said:
If you go to Paris to one of the Chanel boutiques, try asking for a cerf tote. They will certainly burst out laughing. This tote is called the "Executive Tote". Years ago, an account executive at Chanel who didn't read or speak French saw this bag for the first time and read the word "cerf" on the tote bag's ticket and decided it was the "surf" bag. Cerf in French means deerskin. The executive tote used to be made of deerskin. Now it is available in embossed calfskin made to look like deerskin (which really holds it's shape) or in regular calfskin (which does not). To make matters worse, most non-French speakers pronounce the word as "surf" not as "sare" which is the correct pronounciation.
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Do you know when Chanel switched from using deerskin to embossed calfskin? Many thanks!
 
#1,686
downtown07 said:
I agree about the Neo tote... the Neo is for sure practical, but I thought the Cerf was a better balance of practical but still has a touch of elegance.
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I can’t compare. To me they are 2 completely different bags except that they both fall under the tote category. I love the understated look of the cerf tote and the soft movement on the neo tote.
 
#1,687
pursesR4snacks said:
Not 100% sure but I remembered reading somewhere they changed materials something between 2010-2011?
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Thanks so much for your reply! I appreciate the info.

It's a bit of a long story as to why I had to get a replacement, but I had a cerf tote that I purchased in 2006, and recently had to replace it by purchasing a preloved cerf since Chanel no longer makes the cerf. The bag I purchased was in like-new condition. After three months of use, the bag is fine, but they certainly don't make them like they used to. It's starting to lose it's shape and get a bit floppy. I'm going to purchase an organiser and hope that will help keep it structured.

I much preferred my circa 2006 bag. I'm not sure if it's due to the different leather or the construction or both, but the 2006 cerf was more durable and I much preferred the look and feel of the leather. It really makes me wonder about the quality of newer Chanel bags and if I should start searching for mint condition bags from the early/mid 2000s. I've seen a few classic flaps from this time as well and am always impressed with the quality.
 
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#1,690
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downtown07 said:
I would love to see a photo of an organizer in a cerf tote. I definitely need to get one for my cerf. Hoping to find one that's perfectly shaped for the cerf and helps retain shape.
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Hope these pics help! I got the samorga organizer. I had to double check on the sizing cause the ones they list on the site was a little off from my bag size. It fits snug and doesn’t add any weight. I take the middle zip pouch out when I use the bag. But store it with the zip pouch buttoned in. I think it helps with the shape. Other than that I do not stuff it and it seems to have kept the cerf a shape pretty well (no slouch so far).
 
#1,691
downtown07 said:
Thanks so much for your reply! I appreciate the info.

It's a bit of a long story as to why I had to get a replacement, but I had a cerf tote that I purchased in 2006, and recently had to replace it by purchasing a preloved cerf since Chanel no longer makes the cerf. The bag I purchased was in like-new condition. After three months of use, the bag is fine, but they certainly don't make them like they used to. It's starting to lose it's shape and get a bit floppy. I'm going to purchase an organiser and hope that will help keep it structured.

I much preferred my circa 2006 bag. I'm not sure if it's due to the different leather or the construction or both, but the 2006 cerf was more durable and I much preferred the look and feel of the leather. It really makes me wonder about the quality of newer Chanel bags and if I should start searching for mint condition bags from the early/mid 2000s. I've seen a few classic flaps from this time as well and am always impressed with the quality.
Click to expand...

I have heard this as well about quality changing. I’m not sure as I have not compared side by side but I do feel the original cerf is super durable. There is a thread that talks about how the leather was changed from deer skin to calf skin on the cerf tote sometime 2010? 2011? I got mine 2012 so I think mine is the calf one, still held up well tho. I hope the cerf style comes back I love the subtle look of it.
 
#1,692
pursesR4snacks said:
View attachment 4014854 View attachment 4014855 View attachment 4014853
View attachment 4014850
Hope these pics help! I got the samorga organizer. I had to double check on the sizing cause the ones they list on the site was a little off from my bag size. It fits snug and doesn’t add any weight. I take the middle zip pouch out when I use the bag. But store it with the zip pouch buttoned in. I think it helps with the shape. Other than that I do not stuff it and it seems to have kept the cerf a shape pretty well (no slouch so far).
Click to expand...
Thank you thank you thank you! I hugely appreicate the photos.
pursesR4snacks said:
I have heard this as well about quality changing. I’m not sure as I have not compared side by side but I do feel the original cerf is super durable. There is a thread that talks about how the leather was changed from deer skin to calf skin on the cerf tote sometime 2010? 2011? I got mine 2012 so I think mine is the calf one, still held up well tho. I hope the cerf style comes back I love the subtle look of it.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for the pictures! I appreciate it. I'm torn about buying an organizer from Samorga vs Original Club. Both look nice, but your photos are hugely helpful!
 
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#1,693
pursesR4snacks said:
View attachment 4014854 View attachment 4014855 View attachment 4014853
View attachment 4014850
Hope these pics help! I got the samorga organizer. I had to double check on the sizing cause the ones they list on the site was a little off from my bag size. It fits snug and doesn’t add any weight. I take the middle zip pouch out when I use the bag. But store it with the zip pouch buttoned in. I think it helps with the shape. Other than that I do not stuff it and it seems to have kept the cerf a shape pretty well (no slouch so far).
Click to expand...

Looks great. Which size did you get and is it a super tight fit? I have seen some shapers that are a bit small and there is a gap. I prefer a tight fit to use up the entire inside space.

Could you please share the size of the one you ordered? And does it reach alll the way to the edge?

The Cerf Tote is not a perfect rectangle and it is a big wider at the bottom which means a perfect shape to me would taper a bit at the top. Does yours do that? I ordered one and it fits tight at the bottom which I love but the maker did not taper the top so it has a fold. It’s always bugged me a bit. That’s why I ask as I would love to find a tapered one. I hope that makes sense. Said another way, if you measure the side of the bag, the bottom is a bit wider than at the top. Only a small bit, but I like my shaper really snug.

Thanks so much.
It looks great.
 
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#1,694
willeyi said:
Looks great. Which size did you get and is it a super tight fit? I have seen some shapers that are a bit small and there is a gap. I prefer a tight fit to use up the entire inside space.

Could you please share the size of the one you ordered? And does it reach alll the way to the edge?

The Cerf Tote is not a perfect rectangle and it is a big wider at the bottom which means a perfect shape to me would taper a bit at the top. Does yours do that? I ordered one and it fits tight at the bottom which I love but the maker did not taper the top so it has a fold. It’s always bugged me a bit. That’s why I ask as I would love to find a tapered one. I hope that makes sense. Said another way, if you measure the side of the bag, the bottom is a bit wider than at the top. Only a small bit, but I like my shaper really snug.

Thanks so much.
It looks great.
Click to expand...
Oh I'm interested to know as well! Good question!
 
#1,695
willeyi said:
Looks great. Which size did you get and is it a super tight fit? I have seen some shapers that are a bit small and there is a gap. I prefer a tight fit to use up the entire inside space.

Could you please share the size of the one you ordered? And does it reach alll the way to the edge?

The Cerf Tote is not a perfect rectangle and it is a big wider at the bottom which means a perfect shape to me would taper a bit at the top. Does yours do that? I ordered one and it fits tight at the bottom which I love but the maker did not taper the top so it has a fold. It’s always bugged me a bit. That’s why I ask as I would love to find a tapered one. I hope that makes sense. Said another way, if you measure the side of the bag, the bottom is a bit wider than at the top. Only a small bit, but I like my shaper really snug.

Thanks so much.
It looks great.
Click to expand...
Sorry for the wait! It fits snug and fits to the edge of the bag. I actually ordered the ‘Chanel Cerf Large 2’ size (one cup holder model) they had on the website and then emailed them to change the dimensions to my bag’s interior measurements. My samorga measurements are 13L x 4.2W x 5H. I realized their website standard was taller than I wanted (theirs is 8in tall) and it would cover up the Chanel tag on the inside and maybe be hard to get into the side zip pockets. But when I went to measure it I also found their length to be a bit longer than mine. They were very nice and made it to the size I asked without any additinal charge. It took a long time to ship 3 weeks but I wasn’t in a rush and didn’t mind.
 
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