Vintage Kooba fans: please help!

PeaceLily

O.G.
Apr 4, 2012
55
0
I could really use some advice from anyone with expertise with Koobas from approximately 2005-2007. Many of the styles from that era really appeal to me, and I've been lurking on eBay recently. I have a finicky back, though, so weight is an issue. I have a Sienna, and this is about as heavy as I can go; lighter would be nice. Obviously a Scarlett would work out, but I was hoping for something with a different look than the bag I already have.

Of particular interest are Jessie, Natalia and Keira. I absolutely love the look of Annie, but understand that it's pretty heavy -- although perhaps wearing it as a cross-body would mitigate the weight -- ?

I also wondered about the different leathers from that era. Are any of them lighter or heavier than the others? I've seen some python embossed leathers and they look a bit lighter, but are they really?

I don't know if any of the lively ladies who frequented this forum around 2007 or so are still with us, but I've enjoyed reading your posts and would love to hear from you!
 
I have a Meredith and used to have a Paige. Meredith isn't heavy and I don't recall Paige being heavy either.
Thanks! I wasn't familiar with the Meredith at all, and it was fun to look at the old posts about it. It's beautiful. Might be a bit large for me, though. I'll have to look around and see if I can find any modeling pics.

I think the Paige would be too heavy. I really am pretty limited in what I can wear.
 
Hi there!

I think the Natalia wasn't too heavy, but the leather was definitely of the thick, chewy kind. Gorgeous stuff. Keira is the little sister of the Annie and to me is on the cusp of the change from good old school leather to the thinner less impressive stuff. That said, the Annie/Keira/Brynne family has great leather (I have three Brynne and three Annie. Junkie. What can I say) though a bit thinner than others.

I had a Keira for a nanosecond and it was very light. The Annie is really not bad because of the wide strap, which can be worn crossbody. Definitely not as heavy as say a Paige or Ada.

I hope that helps. Let us know what you scout for and end up buying, etc. :smile:
 
Hi there!

I think the Natalia wasn't too heavy, but the leather was definitely of the thick, chewy kind. Gorgeous stuff. Keira is the little sister of the Annie and to me is on the cusp of the change from good old school leather to the thinner less impressive stuff. That said, the Annie/Keira/Brynne family has great leather (I have three Brynne and three Annie. Junkie. What can I say) though a bit thinner than others.

I had a Keira for a nanosecond and it was very light. The Annie is really not bad because of the wide strap, which can be worn crossbody. Definitely not as heavy as say a Paige or Ada.

I hope that helps. Let us know what you scout for and end up buying, etc. :smile:
Thank you! I just bought a Natalia on eBay and can't wait for it to come in. There's an Annie there, too, and it looks amazing, but the wide strap with all those studs looks like it could be too heavy for me. I live in a city and do a lot of walking and public transportation rather than driving, and sometimes even my Sienna hurts.

I love the look of the Ada, but I think it would kill me!
 
Hi there,

I love the first generation koobas as well, I have several :smile: The things that stand out about the first gens are:

- they are HEAVY
- they are thick and slouchy and lovely
- rich colours (burgundy, earthy etc)

One of the most famous ones from that era, IMO, is the Sienna (there are a lot of them still on ebay). I think the one that used to be considered the holy grail for some was the Brynne - it is gorgeous :smile: If i'm not wrong, there was a picture of Hayden Panettiere carrying one that sparked a bit of craziness. My first Kooba was the Paige in raisin, and I still have it.
:smile:
 
Thank you! I just bought a Natalia on eBay and can't wait for it to come in. There's an Annie there, too, and it looks amazing, but the wide strap with all those studs looks like it could be too heavy for me. I live in a city and do a lot of walking and public transportation rather than driving, and sometimes even my Sienna hurts.

I love the look of the Ada, but I think it would kill me!
Hi PeaceLily- hope you find the perfect kooba for you. I don't recall the Natalia- but I do have a few others. The Ada is probably my favorite, but it is Super heavy. Actually makes me tired to carry it. I also have a Chiara, which is a hobo style. The Chiara is light weight, slouchy, and very comfortable. There was also a larger version of the Chiara, called the Claudia. In my opinion, all the older koobas were fabulous. Good luck!
 
I still have my beloved and coveted Jessie in an embossed snakeskin in ebano and the leather is so amazing after all these years. I can still smell the leather. I will never give it up as well as my flower embossed Sienna that is probably the best bag I ever bought. I don't think any designer out there today can hold a candle to those original Kooba bags. If you can snag one, you will have it for a lifetime.
 
I too still have my embossed Sienna and lord is that bag's leather fragrant. When I open the tote it's stored in the scent of it just wafts out and the other bags within the same container taken on the smell. Just fantastic. It's for sure a bag I'll never part with, among a number of other early Kooba jewels.
 
Thank you! I just bought a Natalia on eBay and can't wait for it to come in. There's an Annie there, too, and it looks amazing, but the wide strap with all those studs looks like it could be too heavy for me. I live in a city and do a lot of walking and public transportation rather than driving, and sometimes even my Sienna hurts.

I love the look of the Ada, but I think it would kill me!
PeaceLily: Congrats on the Natalia! :smile: I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it. It's great to see someone discover the best of Kooba - I'm kind of living vicariously through you. The closest I get to it now is finding an older style come up on 'bay or 'nanza that I previously ignored and discovering I shouldn't have overlooked it back when there were so many fantastic lines it was easy to do so.

The Annie is great in size and carry to me but one thing I will say is the studs on that strap can be a bit of an issue if your hair is at least as long as shoulder length - mine is well passed shoulders and once in a while individual strands would get caught on one. :-s
 
:ty:

Sorry I've been off the forum for a while. Thanks for the help, everyone! I love the Natalia. The pockets are just the right size and I love the drawstrings. The leather is wonderful. I was hoping for something that could stand up to an unexpected rain shower, but I think she'd go through tempests and hailstorms and never bat an eye.

I was worried about the weight, but she feels about the same as my Sienna, or maybe a tad lighter. For some reason, she doesn't bother my back as much. Perhaps having one wide strap instead of two thinner ones makes it easier to position comfortably. On the other hand, there's a little more slippage (but not too bad).

Any other Natalia fans out there?