Should I or shouldn't I buy... (clothing item)?

[troika]

Ended up ordering the Butteros in a 42.5...fingers crossed, return shipping will be a pain

 

[OccultaVexillum]

Dom Vetro - Lupetto

GLCO - Hampton

I want another pair of sunglasses. Currently I wear Garrett Leight "Wilson". I prefer a rounder frame but want something slightly less round than the Wilson if that makes sense.
Leaning toward the Dom Vetro but thy might be bigger than I want.
Definitely open to other suggestions in the $250-350 range
Wilson for reference:

Spoiler

 

[Timbaland]

@OccultaVexillum I've found with sunglasses it's best to try them on before buying. If not get it from somewhere with easy returns.

I've had a lot that I like not look good on me

 

[OccultaVexillum]

Yeah I would order from somewhere that I could return them. There's nowhere around here for me to try on anything other than rayban.

With that said from the times where I have been able to try stuff on it's the rounder frames that always look best

 

[nicelynice]

More tote bag opinions?? Kind of narrowing it down to these two at the moment - Cisei and Frank Clegg, both roughly the same size. Cisei is an Italian brand run by a Japanese person.

The Cisei is lined in pig suede, which I'm not 100% sure about, and the Frank Clegg is lined in cotton. Cisei is obviously a bit more elegant (it's slightly feminine, but I'm cool with that) and the Clegg is more work. I've not handled the Clegg in person, but seems like it's nice stuff.

Both are roughly the same size, I think the Clegg is 2cm longer.

ANY THOUGHTS???

Clegg in Tan:

Clegg in light brown:

Clegg worn:

Cisei in processed (shrunken) leather:

Cisei pigskin lining:

Cisei in natural leather:

Cisei size (looks small there for some reason):

Cisei worn in:

 

[Timbaland]

I prefer the Garrett Leight ones @OccultaVexillum.

@nicelynice I like the Clegg the best, probably because of the handles. The patina on the worn in Cisei looks great though

 

[dieworkwear]

They both seem nice.

Pig suede is really, really soft. Almost slick, in some senses. I like it, but it'll be harder to clean if something happens inside your bag. Cotton will be easier to maintain.

Clegg doesn't have feet on the bottom, if that matters to you. I bought my mom one of their totes years ago and I think it's nice. They have different leathers, and you might want to consider the specific material (not just the color). One of the leathers scratches easily, but it also develops more of a patina. The tumbled leathers don't scratch as easily, but they also don't develop as much of a patina.

There's a guy in Florence, Italy, who used to work for Cisei. He now runs his own leather goods shop called Saic. I can give you his contact info, if you want. He does custom work. The aesthetic is very similar to Cisei, except everything is custom made to your specifications (if you wanted the Cisei, but with small modifications). Bags are machine stitched, FWIW, but so is everything else above. The price for a bag I was looking to commission was about $1k-1.2k. Don't know how that compares to Cisei, but the Saic bag I handled last year seemed nice -- even if you're somewhat paying a premium for the customization service (stitching and leather are pretty straightforward and basic)

 

[nicelynice]

They both seem nice.

Pig suede is really, really soft. Almost slick, in some senses. I like it, but it'll be harder to clean if something happens inside your bag. Cotton will be easier to maintain.

Clegg doesn't have feet on the bottom, if that matters to you. I bought my mom one of their totes years ago and I think it's nice. They have different leathers, and you might want to consider the specific material (not just the color). One of the leathers scratches easily, but it also develops more of a patina. The tumbled leathers don't scratch as easily, but they also don't develop as much of a patina.

There's a guy in Florence, Italy, who used to work for Cisei. He now runs his own leather goods shop called Saic. I can give you his contact info, if you want. He does custom work. The aesthetic is very similar to Cisei, except everything is custom made to your specifications (if you wanted the Cisei, but with small modifications). Bags are machine stitched, FWIW, but so is everything else above. The price for a bag I was looking to commission was about $1k-1.2k. Don't know how that compares to Cisei, but the Saic bag I handled last year seemed nice -- even if you're somewhat paying a premium for the customization service (stitching and leather are pretty straightforward and basic)

Cheers, thanks for the info! I just sent a request to Frank Clegg actually to see if I could have their tote made in the harness leather (the smooth one, like you said scratches easier but develops more of a patina) as I only see the option for tumbled leather on their website. I'm not a huge fan of the more processed leathers.

I handled the Cisei pig suede lining, and it felt quite luxurious, but I don't know how I'd feel using it on a daily basis. Felt soft and slick, like you mentioned, quite delicate, but I guess it holds up quite well as a lining. I've been known to spill all kinds of stuff in bags, however, so I can imagine how awful cleaning it must be.

Could you please pass along the info for Saic? I also e-mailed Cisei to see if they I could order directly from them (I can't find the leather combo I want in a store) and if there's a possibility of a cotton lining. $1.2k is close to what I'd be spending for either bag anyways. My coworker is from near Florence and heading home next month, maybe I send her!!

 

[nicelynice]

On a side note, just for comparison's sake, I went and checked out some Hermes bags and was most impressed with the job they do lining their bags. Each one had just the right kind of lining. The unlined ones had the leather shaved very smooth with pockets well-integrated and even the lined ones combined some unlined parts of piping so you could see the construction of the bag.

Unlined:

Partially lined:

 

[nahneun]

the cisei looks way too feminine because of the handle. i think it's even more feminine than you're making it out to be. i'm leaning towards the clegg between the two. or maybe you should just get a hermes :foo:

 

[nicelynice]

All in the styling, this dude looks cool:

 

[penanceroyaltea]

He looks japanese - doesn't count

 

[sipang]

still the flimsy handles

 

[dieworkwear]

I mean, it's a feminine bag however you style it. If you're OK with that, I don't think there's anything wrong with carrying it (it's just a bag). But yea, I think those thin handles make it look more feminine.

It's not a tote, but I've been thinking about getting a Margiela Sailor bag for a while. They come in a billion colors and materials, but here's a random photo I found online. FWIW, I think they do better in a slouchy suede.

This lady in California also does custom bags. Most of her work is for women, but being a custom maker, she can basically do anything. An example of a "masculine" bag she made for a shop in San Francisco

http://www.dear-survivor.com/

If you got a tote with wider straps, I think it'd look more "masculine." The Margiela design is actually two pieces of leather stitched down the middle, which both lends it a bit of detail and strength. It would add some bulk to the handle, if a single piece of leather feels to floppy.

 

[Fuuma]

Also considering this Ganzo tote bag in bridle leather... it's heavy, though (1.6 kg, other bags I'm looking at are less than 800 grams) and expensive ($1600)

I only like bags on the pink dolphin (rach) cause he's fabulous but on most people it just looks Pitti-bro.