thank you for your advice! i spoke to two spa specialists at my local boutique, and one told me to just wear it naked (the bag, not me
). when the handles are bad, they will send it away to paris to have the handles replaced... though i suspect that could take an awfully long time and probably quite costly. but another spa specialist told me to absolutely protect the handles with twillies, especially if i am careful with my bag otherwise. i really do not like to take anything away from the pure beauty of these bags, especially when the skin is so incredible looking on its own, so will have to really find just the right scarves to quietly complement the bag. but for my black croc kelly, perhaps i should venture into finding a brighter twilly to make it stand out as you suggest!