The Definitive MANBAG Thread, Part II: 2014~

[rach2jlc]

After five years, 2800+ replies and nearly half a million views, let's start a new chapter to the DEFINITIVE MANBAG thread.

Here is the original:
http://www.styleforum.net/t/115841/the-definitive-manbag-thread-part-i-2009-2014/0_100

What's changed since I started the original thread? Well, Marc Jacobs, Dolce&Gabbana, Lambertson Truex, CK Collection, etc. have either gone under, changed their manufacture, or altered themselves entirely. Prada and Gucci are totally different animals now. CoSTUME NATIONAL went from goth ninja to hobo; Yohji collaborated with Hermes. Versace hired Plokhov, then got rid of him and went back to their glam-rock roots. Hedi came to YSL and changed everything including the name. Valentino retired; Gianfranco Ferre died. One of the Missoni family got lost in a plane crash. Trussardi hired and fired Vukmirovic and dropped the "1911" name. Ghesquiere left Balenciaga and now it sucks.

MORE important are some great new brands that have popped up in between that need coverage. So, feel free to start with some great new brands (or updates to old brands!) and start the discussions.

TO START:

Prada has long since fallen off my radar as a "go to" brand, but I liked the style of these from their S/S2013 collection. We've been talking a lot about soft briefcases and vertical messengers... and these are nice examples.

 

[JP Marcellino]

Why start over? Well, Marc Jacobs, Dolce&Gabbana, Lambertson Truex, CK Collection, etc. have either gone under, changed their manufacture, or altered themselves entirely. Prada and Gucci are totally different ballgames now. CoSTUME NATIONAL went from goth ninja to hobo; Yohji collaborated with Hermes. Versace hired Plokhov, then got rid of him and went back to their glam-rock roots. Hedi came to YSL and ruined everything. Valentino retired; Gianfranco Ferre died and the brand now is completely dissolved. One of the Missoni family got lost in a plane crash. Trussardi hired and fired Vukmirovic and dropped the "1911" name. Ghesquiere left Balenciaga as well, and the bags now suck.

you really put it into perspective how much things have changed. From what i understand they still have not found Vittorio Missoni when his plane went missing. It seems like a lot of missing planes lately.

 

[Kira]

Is this bag worth getting?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-ATL...6?pt=US_CSA_MWA_Backpacks&hash=item3f3e66c6f6

 

[rach2jlc]



Is this bag worth getting?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-ATLAS-Brown-Burnished-Leather-Professors-Briefcase-Travel-Bag-/271629862646?pt=US_CSA_MWA_Backpacks&hash=item3f3e66c6f6

No, I don't think so. It may look neat and "vintage" in the pic, but I think if you bought it basically you'd have an old bag that somebody's grand-dad might have carried to sell insurance.

 

[Kira]

No, I don't think so. It may look neat and "vintage" in the pic, but I think if you bought it basically you'd have an old bag that somebody's grand-dad might have carried to sell insurance.

Makes sense. It doesn't look well taken care off, and it should've developed a better patina after decades of wear.

 

[cyc wid it]

Just a pic of my daily MMM navy tote.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

 

[kashmir]

subbed, nice info on the first post!

 

[Kira]

I wonder how many April In Paris bags @rach2jlc owns..

In case if anyone's wondering, he recommends this woman to make bespoke bags over any of the premier brands (Hermes, Valextra, etc.). Prices start at $3000, I believe.

Here's a thread he made about his bespoke bag made by Beatrice (the owner):

http://www.styleforum.net/t/225626/...-leather-artisan-thread-feedback-pics-reviews

 

[cyc wid it]

I haven't been to her new space yet. She's been very friendly and helpful in my limited interactions with her. I haven't commissioned anything yet, but her stock items are quite nice too.

 

[rach2jlc]

Cyc wid it... I love that Margiela bag. I've never had one but it's the exact shape of a top-zip tote I like. I remember they made a muted/muddy gray color a few years back that was very nice.

I wonder how many April In Paris bags @rach2jlc
owns..
In case if anyone's wondering, he recommends this woman to make bespoke bags over any of the premier brands (Hermes, Valextra, etc.). Prices start at $3000, I believe.
Here's a thread he made about his bespoke bag made by Beatrice (the owner):
http://www.styleforum.net/t/225626/...-leather-artisan-thread-feedback-pics-reviews

I definitely recommend AiP over a top-end RTW brand... but in truth I don't have all that many pieces made by her. $3000+ is definitely a LOT of money; I didn't start the thread to throw around that amount casually. Instead, I wanted to highlight a quality artisan (who is also a very friendly/lovely person to deal with) and to point out that if you are considering a "brand" bag at retail it's not a huge stretch just to go bespoke.

Here are a few examples: On the left a Saint Laurent duffle in a pretty standard black leather and so-so hardware. IT's $3550. The Brown one is a gucci leather tote. $3350. Both will be largely machine-made and glued. For less than that you could have a fully handmade bag in whatever color/leather you wanted, with tweaks to fit your own exact needs. Unless you simply LOVE that the bag says "YSL" or "GUCCI" on it in tiny little letters... I can't imagine why you'd buy one.

 

[rach2jlc]

Also, just for fun (lest you think we are exaggerating) here are a few screen captures from the Hermes online store. Keep in mind these bags are not exotic hides... but just their standard calfskin.

The HEBDO square messenger in Evergrain (a soft finegrained calf) (@pdsf notice the textile strap!)

And the classic sac a depeches in Togo (their standard grained calfskin):

 

[Kira]

Stuff about AiP and high-end RTW bags

That's just criminal. And people buy these? I would love to see their profits and margins.. Despite not being able to buy an AiP bag anytime soon, I bookmarked her and will eventually contact her for a project. Either that, or just flying to San Fran and seeing her myself. I was planning on having a really thin breast wallet made and several leather straps besides the bags. Because I'm carrying my cheapo bag right now, and it simply can't hold the things I want.

 

[rach2jlc]



That's just criminal. And people buy these? I would love to see their profits and margins.. Despite not being able to buy an AiP bag anytime soon, I bookmarked her and will eventually contact her for a project.

Their margins are very, very high... but they also have some incredible overhead.

I read once that the rent of a premium piece of property in a big city can be millions per month, beyond the millions it costs to build/outfit the store (Prada, for example, spent $40+ million on its NYC flagship beyond the monthly lease). NONE of the boutiques (except the LV stores in Tokyo) actually make a profit; they all tank money and are for exposure purposes. All of the brands I mentioned have large flagship stores in every major world capital.

It also costs a few million $$$ per season to stage a runway show. "I don't get out of bed for less than $10k an hour," Linda Evangelista famously said decades ago. A runway show features 30-40 models for several hours... in addition to venue.

Bea (AiP) has just her little store in San Fran; Linjer (to use a recent discussion) is trying to avoid all that "middle man" and exposure crap to give you a good bag at a fair price. Feel free to contact Bea via email; she's very good about responding and will give you a free quote. The smaller leather pieces are more affordable; a thin breast wallet wouldn't be $3000 unless you had it made in walrus-skin or something.

 

[Kira]

Their margins are very, very high... but they also have some incredible overhead.

I read once that the rent of a premium piece of property in a big city can be millions per month, beyond the millions it costs to build/outfit the store (Prada, for example, spent $40+ million on its NYC flagship beyond the monthly lease). NONE of the boutiques (except the LV stores in Tokyo) actually make a profit; they all tank money and are for exposure purposes. All of the brands I mentioned have large flagship stores in every major world capital.

It also costs a few million $$$ per season to stage a runway show. "I don't get out of bed for less than $10k an hour," Linda Evangelista famously said decades ago. A runway show features 30-40 models for several hours... in addition to venue.

Bea (AiP) has just her little store in San Fran; Linjer (to use a recent discussion) is trying to avoid all that "middle man" and exposure crap to give you a good bag at a fair price. Feel free to contact Bea via email; she's very good about responding and will give you a free quote. The smaller leather pieces are more affordable; a thin breast wallet wouldn't be $3000 unless you had it made in walrus-skin or something.

Didn't menswear stores do that in the 20th and 19th centuries? I'm reading a historical book on menswear, and they mentioned that. I wonder if they are doing the same thing. Except in this case, it's a Potemkin village.

Have you ever been to a runway show? Isn't it only allowed for VIPs?

I would like to contact Beatrice, but I would be wasting her time. I have A LOT of things to get before I spend thousands on handbags!

 

[rach2jlc]

^No, I'm not high-roller enough to get invites to the shows. I've written copy before so have visited some showrooms/trade shows as a side gig to my teaching, but that's it. And as a member of the Pink Dolphin Society I've got lots of friends who work for brands so get to visit sample and family sales... but it's all pretty "small time."

My interest is more scientific than financial; old school member SoCal2NYC is the only one I know who walks into a boutique with his charge card and comes out with a full collection.


Looking through my old files, here are a few more nice bags from various seasons to give members some ideas what is out there:
From left: Ferre FW/09 Travel Bag, Gucci "Diamante" retro collection (Cruise 2010):

Missoni S/S 2010 tote; AW2008 shoulder bag.

Valentino S/S2009 (one of my favorite Valentino accessory collections) (on right is CK Collection SS08 alligator)