Ettinger Opinions/ Experience (post pictures)

[Fully Threaded]

I've gotten into arguments here before regarding hand/machine sewn. There is honestly a little bit too much focus on hand sewing everything on these forums.

Hermes machine sews much of their leather, including $20-40k dollar Birkin bags.

Chester Mox is a great company. Don't want to drag it at all. I think Ettinger looks a little more interesting. (If not your taste could be called flashy and thats down to opinion).

Bolded the part I am curious about. Correct me here: I was under the impression that saddle stitching *must* be done by hand, and every Hermes product I've seen appears to have that tell-tale diagonal saddle stitch pattern. Is this incorrect?

 

[ValidusLA]

Bolded the part I am curious about. Correct me here: I was under the impression that saddle stitching *must* be done by hand, and every Hermes product I've seen appears to have that tell-tale diagonal saddle stitch pattern. Is this incorrect?

I should perhaps have clarified.

I did not mean to say that Hermes does not saddle stitch or hand stich. They absolutely do. However, they do this on visible seams and prominent parts.

The Kelly and the Birkin are generally the nicest/priciest bags. Maybe 15/20% of the seams are hand stitched.

Purseforum has threads on this where ladies have contacted Hermes directly and they will respond that they do indeed machine stitch.

Recognizing a saddle stitch vs machine stitch seam

What is the difference between a handmade saddle stitch sewing and a sewing machine sewing? Revelations on your Hermès, Louis Vuitton bags.

www.malle2luxe.com

 

[Fully Threaded]

@ValidusLA I read through the article and despite some poor auto-translate it's very informative. What I'm curious about though is your (and others) personal take on the *value* of handmade. You seem to imply that machine stitching may be ideal for certain instances, or at the very least, in no way inferior. Based on what I know about leather work, not being a crafter myself, it seems that a traditional handmade saddle stitch is 1) the strongest 2) the most time consuming 3) requires the most expertise.

The above leads me to think that Hermes is simply cutting corners rather than doing what's going to get the best quality possible with no compromise. Obviously this doesn't make them a criminal enterprise and it's only a very marginal sacrifice as the machine stitching will also last quite a long time, but it seems clear that they're still cutting corners albeit in a fairly minor way.

The only possible argument I could see for not going all handmade, assuming one insists on zero compromise in quality with price and time be damned, would be the difficulty of going in a straight line, in the way that a machine is much better than a person at making a shirt and a handmade shirt would actually be inferior and uneven. That said, I took a look at some of the Chester Mox belts just now which seem like they would be good examples of uneven lines, and they seem perfectly straight...

Relevant photo from the article: Hermes seems to use hand stitches on its curved areas and machine stitches when they go in a straight line. However, Bellanie seems to have no issue wrapping a straight line all the way around a belt.

 

[ValidusLA]

So...I am not a leather worker. I do however do operations for a denim company and have toured garment factories all over the world. Once again - haven't seen a leatherworking shop in full swing. We employ machine sewing and hand sewing.

As to the hand/saddle being "stronger." This is almost certainly true on lightweight garments and fabrics. It is also more easily repairable. On heavier fabrics, like denim, the lock stitch of a machine can be significantly stronger, much easier to work with, and last longer. I assume leather would double down on this as its even heavier.

My major sort of like....horse in this race.....is that SF is obsessed with hand sewing overall. For exterior seams and visible stitches I get it. I think paying thousands of dollars extra to have the interiors of jackets, bags, etc hand stitched usually falls into the category of snobbery. If you then slap a giant brand name on it, it gets into flash and arrogance.

 

[Leander walker]

Ettinger is absolutely top notch. Their st James attache with red leather lining is exquisite. They have a few vintage briefcsse styles and lots of small leather goods. One of the last fine leathergoods makers in the UK

 

[RSS]

I'm in this thread today as I was considering ordering a Chester Mox wallet. I have several other CM pieces and do like them. BUT, I did a check upstairs and realize I have unused wallets -- bought with the future in mind -- and at least two are Ettinger and maybe a third under the Peal name. Given my age, I don't think I can justify buying another wallet.

When it comes to Chester Mox I love the available materials and the various color combinations one can get. The lovely colored thread options are nice as well. BUT, ultimately, Ettinger offers me more useful items.

 

[RSS]

Well, I found the justification for another after a bit of hesitation. I ordered a breast wallet in navy with an English tan interior. Ettinger's navy looks a lot like black. I remember hearing the line "His hair is so back it looks blue". Ettinger must view navy that way. It's beautiful ... but it's hard to see this as blue.

 

[ValidusLA]

Well, I found the justification for another after a bit of hesitation. I ordered a breast wallet in navy with an English tan interior. Ettinger's navy looks a lot like black. I remember hearing the line "His hair is so back it looks blue". Ettinger must view navy that way. It's beautiful ... but it's hard to see this as blue.

Their navy is indeed quite dark. I did a custom piece w/ the T+A townhouse in NYC, and when I saw how dark the sterling navy was I opted for a dark hunter green instead. The navy is nice, and I think I still want one, but it is definitely quite dark.

The "petrol" in bridle hide starts out quite bright, but mellows into a darker blue that is more "blue" than the navy.

 

[RSS]

Their navy is indeed quite dark. I did a custom piece w/ the T+A townhouse in NYC, and when I saw how dark the sterling navy was I opted for a dark hunter green instead. The navy is nice, and I think I still want one, but it is definitely quite dark.

The "petrol" in bridle hide starts out quite bright, but mellows into a darker blue that is more "blue" than the navy.

The petrol or green may be more to my liking. I'm trying to decide whether or not I keep this one. The cost of shipping makes me debate the return. But if I don't really use it, it's best sent back. Then again, a wallet need not match shoes and belt ... or watch band. It's not often seen.

A friend just set me this bit of feng shui. Perhaps it's good that it appears black: Blue is the color of flowing water. If you want to keep your money, do NOT use a blue wallet as your money will flow away.

 

[ValidusLA]

A friend just set me this. Perhaps it's good that it appears black: Blue is the color of flowing water. If you want to keep your money, do NOT use a blue wallet as your money will flow away.

Looks around sheepishly at his recent credit card bills....
Takes out his Ettinger petrol coat wallet....
Lights on fire....

 

[RSS]

Looks around sheepishly at his recent credit card bills....
Takes out his Ettinger petrol coat wallet....
Lights on fire....

Prior to now I've used a very blue wallet by another maker.

1) Week before last the Dell Latitude informed me "Hard Drive Not Found". New one ordered.
2) This week the door hinge on our still functional refrigerator cracked and the door fell off in a wtf moment ... taking the control panel with it. New one ordered.

I need a different color wallet.

 

[ValidusLA]

Dell

Found your problem

 

[duriangris]

I have been using a chest wallet daily for ~4 years now. Blue and tan, gorgeous color. I have abused it a bit. Still holds well. Caveat is the inside yellow tan tends to have black spots around where the credit cards are. Never been able to clean this. Also never been able to polish the wallet anywhere close it's brand new state. I'll try to post pictures later.

Sorry a bit late! But as promised here are pictures of my Ettinger Wallet..

Purchased in 2016, used daily - it does wear out and lose a lot of its polish as you can see below.
- Scratches appeared fairly quick, I would say after a couple months
- The "hinge" of the wallet wore itself out as you can see, after a year or so
- The tan blackened also within approx a year, it seems to happen with all their wallets, the same thing happened with an Ettinger wallet I gifted to my wife...

The scratches I tried polishing a bit at the beginning, but then I quicklly gave up as it didn't really matter. The dark spots I emailed Ettinger about, they said there's nothing to do about.

I still love the wallet, but better for prospective customers to be in the know! I'd add that I was almost going to by a briefcase from them at their london showroom but gave up in the end as while it is fine for a wallet, I'd be wary of the same aging happening to a briefcase.