I'm tempted to buy a Louis Vuitton messenger bag. Someone talk some sense into me.

[SoCal2NYC]

Originally Posted by Magician

Hey it worked for Eason and his free swim suits!

 

[rach2jlc]

Originally Posted by SoCal2NYC

Hey it worked for Eason and his free swim suits!
Lol; you do have a way of getting what you want, J.

Anyway, as for the LV messengers, getting past the branding, they are very wellmade and will hold up forever, assuming you take even moderate care of them. Personally, I like the taiga line best, but Damier Geant is also very durable (made from woven mountain climbing rope, IIRC). Utah and Nomade are very nice, too, but are a lot more expensive. I always have liked Damier, too, because it wasn't as ubiquitous as the Monogram, but lately it's getting just as overdone and so I'm becoming ambivalent about it. I've got a Damier Geant "Compagnon" and a Damier bastille. I've had both for 4 or 5 years and they've held up well. Compagnon:

Bastille:

We've talked about them often, too, but you may want to look at Lambertson Truex, too. They are very simple, use excellent leathers, and will be (even at full retail) less than half the price of LV while being of comparable quality.

 

[Stazy]

Originally Posted by SoCal2NYC

Stazy can send me nudes and I'll send him a free LV bag.
Do they have to be of me?

 

[SoCal2NYC]

Originally Posted by rach2jlc

Lol; you do have a way of getting what you want, J.

It's my Svengali playboy nature.

 

[onion]

Originally Posted by rach2jlc

We've talked about them often, too, but you may want to look at Lambertson Truex, too. They are very simple, use excellent leathers, and will be (even at full retail) less than half the price of LV while being of comparable quality.

+1 to Lambertson Truex

I have a messenger bag, and as of a few days ago a wallet from them, and both are fantastic. I really can't recommend them enough. The quality is phenomenal for the price.

Only thing about Lambertson Truex is it's a bit hard to find online.

 

[Alfa]

Lambertson Truex makes very nice stuff and the sales they have had in NYC were pretty heavily discounted IIRC. Bluefly occasionally has LT stuff as well and they also have a few things at the Saks site.

 

[Slamdog]

would i be correct in saying that you're basically paying for the monogram, and brand recognition? or is the quality and construction high above the competition that warrants the price?

 

[Maharlika]

I have a Taiga "Viktor" and love it too!

 

[ethandesu]

I worked for LV in my misspent youth, and have some bags to sell if anyone is interested. I have one on B&S now - probably the rarest one I have, a Hussard from the first mens fashion collection. I'd avoid carrying anything that says too much about the brand though, I find as I get older, I am less and less interested in labels, more and more interested in custom made..

 

[rach2jlc]

Originally Posted by Souper

from the dimensions, that sounds pretty small. I didn't buy the viktor because of its size Make sure you check the stuff out in person first.
I agree; I've seen the "Andrei" bag in question (the pic posted on the first page) and it is VERY small... it wouldn't even fit regular sized papers in it, I don't think, and definitely not folders. As well, it looks so small that it is much more "purselike" in appearance. Also, Ethandesu (konnichiwa!) your LV Hussard is very nice! If you spend time in Japan, you could probably get an excellent price from there. The seasonal items tend to remain very popular and you could probably easily get $650 for it (or 68,000 yen or more), assuming it is still in good shape. You could also try ebay; LV bags tend to do fairly well on there, too, although ebay has weird restrictions on some items. If I weren't trying to sell off a few of my own LV bags that are just sitting in the closet, I'd be all over your Hussard (wait... that didn't come out right, haha)

 

[Stazy]

Yah, to clarify, I posted the wrong bag. It looks similar, only bigger.

 

[Orsini]

Originally Posted by Vivek

Commercialism...
Is LV doing something in this regard much different than other vendors?

Originally Posted by Vivek

...the amount of fakes...
So the counterfeiters are the problem rather than some action by LV itself?

 

[Vivek]

Originally Posted by Orsini

Is LV doing something in this regard much different than other vendors?

Not really, but i'm not a fan of any over-commercialised stuff, it's one of the few reasons I dislike LV. LV has now out sourced to Spain, which is still in the EU, but despite this production costs are cheaper, and in a few cases, quality of items is poorer.

 

[rach2jlc]

^They've had factories in Spain for years, making some of the smaller leather goods (wallets, passport covers, etc.) back even before MJ and when LV became popular again, so that isn't really a result of their "overcommercializing."

 

[Orsini]

Originally Posted by Vivek

Not really, but i'm not a fan of any over-commercialised stuff, it's one of the few reasons I dislike LV. LV has now out sourced to Spain, which is still in the EU, but despite this production costs are cheaper, and in a few cases, quality of items is poorer.
I want to thank you all for helping me get a handle on this issue. I hate to move the goal posts, but what to we mean by "over-commercialized" in this context