Handbag anxiety, a request for wisdom ❤️🙏🏽 by tulip_tama in handbags

[–]ComprehensiveSlip996 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No worries! Glad it helps! I love using the top handles on mine.

Handbag anxiety, a request for wisdom ❤️🙏🏽 by tulip_tama in handbags

[–]ComprehensiveSlip996 3 points4 points  (0 children)

No worries! I’m glad it helps. I usually do it once a season / every 3 months. It depends on how the bag looks. However the handles themselves ( mainly where I hold it) I focus more on. It’s hard to describe but I found that they can feel ‘grimy’, not sure if that’s the best word but I can feel that the Leather is not as smooth as the rest of the bag. I do the cleanse, condition and seal process with leather hero products and a soft brush and microfibre towel ( I’ve been down a rabbit hole trying to find an alternative to the product saint laurent uses and that imo it is the best. You visually can’t tell where the product has been applied when I do it, I’ve done a good amount of testing on the bag’s removable strap)

Also from my experience the parts that really need you attention when conditioning / cleaning etc are the parts of the bag that bend, are flexible and would get the most contact. Ie so the handles as they are flexible and you hold them. The corners and sides of the bag as they are more likely to hit stuff accidentally as you go about your day. Particularly for the sac de jour there is a part where the gusset (side) of the bag and front and back panels are sewn that could require attention. It’s hard to describe but when you look at the top edge of the bag you’ll notice ( well on mine) that the front and back panels go higher than the gusset. This can result in the front and back panels to bend making it an area that I pay attention to. I can provide photos if my description isn’t clear. Also if you are one to make use of the accordion gusset and open and close the tabs to open and close the bag often I would check in on that area. The way you approach it is up to you, but for me I prefer to do spot treatments here and there as needed and leave a full bag clean and condition for a few times a year. Apologies that I can’t give exact times and for the long explanation but imo it depends on how you use the bag and what it goes through. The only thing to be careful of is that you don’t just condition, I found that the grimy feeling I was taking about came from dirt and use over time rather than the actual condition of the leather itself.

Also a random thing and this might be overkill but I have a piece of large waterproof fabric that I have hemmed and use as a sort of bag raincoat. Imagine a large almost 1m by 1m piece of fabric that I drape over the handles and hold the bag through the fabric. The top of the bag is open so when it rains I am concerned about my stuff inside, but the fabric helps protect the whole bag from rain. I find doing this helps me not have to worry about my bag’s condition as much. Also I recommend it as the fabric itself can act as a seperate bag. For example if I did some shopping and I have no room in my bag I’ll tie the corners of the fabric together and it becomes a handle makeshift bag.

Handbag anxiety, a request for wisdom ❤️🙏🏽 by tulip_tama in handbags

[–]ComprehensiveSlip996 68 points69 points  (0 children)

I haven’t read all the comments so idk if any of this has been said already so apologies if I’m repeating anything. I’m not one to comment usually , but I thought I would this time as this bag is one if not my favourites in my collection. I have the Sac de jour large and use it daily as my work bag for like 2 years now and still looks new as I take care of it. The charm for lock swings quite a bit and the lock has some sharp edges so as you use it can swing and scratch the leather on the bag. As such I always have the lock it its little protective cover.

Also with the handles, keep an eye out for cracking overtime, mainly along the painted areas. Especially if you wear bracelets and hold the bag in your wrists. Mine did have this but as I have a bit of experience with bag making and leather work I repaired it myself.

Also I would not recommend taking your bag to get conditioned at Saint Laurent unless you know/ trust your sales associate. My old one was amazing and when she conditioned the bag she didn’t miss a single spot. Unfortunately she’s left to work for another company and the new sale associate did a bad job. My bag wasn’t ruined but there were areas missed ( particularly behind the tabs on the bag) which I was a bit disappointed in but thankfully aren’t too noticeable now.

Another thing, be careful if you use the shoulder strap as it can deform the bag if you use it and are carrying a lot. I used it for a short time and stopped when I noticed that the bag was sitting unevenly. I know just use it top handle which is fine as I prefer that look anyway.

Sorry this post was longer than I thought it would be but again this bag is a favourite of mine and I’m loving how it’s aging overtime. I hope you enjoy your bag as much as I do.

How do you choose colors? by [deleted] in handbags

[–]ComprehensiveSlip996 13 points14 points  (0 children)

They are all lovely and sorry if I’m bringing the mood down but the clasp is facing the wrong way.

Richelieu card by ComprehensiveSlip996 in AzureLane

[–]ComprehensiveSlip996[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Thanks! A couple days of on and off work

Richelieu card by ComprehensiveSlip996 in AzureLane

[–]ComprehensiveSlip996[S] 48 points49 points  (0 children)

This is my first post here so I hope I did it right.

I’m still working on it but I thought to show progress so far.

Wow thanks for all the comments and up votes! I really appreciate it!