Have you ''product treated'' your new LV bags?

[Steel]

I have been researching how to care for a LV bag and am getting very confused.

If you own a LV bag, have you pre-treated it in any way?

Do you worry about water stains?

Should I do anything to mine?

 

[BriBee]

Which LV do you own (like what's the fabric/material?) I own the medium looping bag in the classic LV monogram brown leather. I haven't done anything to it and it's held up great for about 4 years (maybe more). However, I switch bags a lot, so I don't use it all the time. Sometimes it's my regular bag for a couple months and then I put it away, and sometimes I take it out just for the day. I am always very careful not to get it wet, and to try and shield it from the rain. I've never heard anything about treating it, do you have a link to your research, I'd love to read into it?
Anyways, I guess I'm trying to say that I've never done anything to my bag except try to be concientious and take care of it, and it looks great.

 

[Steel]

Thanks for stopping by,

I (will in 3 days) own the Speedy 30 Mono Canvas. It is currently away from prying eyes.

I don''t know if I can link... i''m registered with purse forum . com, so go to forums then louis vuitton then FAQ and there they have a section about caring for your LV; they talk about apple guard and other products I have never heard of. [You will have to register to see some of the photos but it is really quick.]

I asked at LV* about being waterproof, because I saw online about the waterproof range but the SA said just that the handles were not to get wet really but that the bag was pre treated. Then the purse forum says otherwise?

What is a girl to do?

*But it was my first time buying from LV in Dublin and I must admit that they were not at all comparable with my experiences of LV in the UK. I think it would have broken the SA''s heart to offer any more info than required. She didn''t want to give me a box or the printed receipt

. But it all came right in the end. [....end of moan...]

 

[BriBee]

Thanks for the info. I have been recently looking at getting a Speedy, but haven''t settled on a size (25 or 30 or maybe bigger?) I tend to need a BIG bag, because I have lots of stuff. My medium looping isn''t big enough, which is why it''s not my everyday bag. How do you like the size of the 30? That''s the size I''ve been leaning towards, but I haven''t had a chance to get into a store yet and see it in person. Good luck with figuring out the issues with treating it. I tend to think it''s probably not a huge issue, but I could be wrong. Don''t you think LV would try to sell you the treatment products if they felt it was necessary? That would be my inclination.

 

[Steel]

Date: 12/21/2007 6:08:56 PM
Author: BriBee
Thanks for the info. I have been recently looking at getting a Speedy, but haven''t settled on a size (25 or 30 or maybe bigger?) I tend to need a BIG bag, because I have lots of stuff. My medium looping isn''t big enough, which is why it''s not my everyday bag. How do you like the size of the 30? That''s the size I''ve been leaning towards, but I haven''t had a chance to get into a store yet and see it in person. Good luck with figuring out the issues with treating it. I tend to think it''s probably not a huge issue, but I could be wrong. Don''t you think LV would try to sell you the treatment products if they felt it was necessary? That would be my inclination.

Hmmm, Very good point!

Re Speedy size. I have looked at them at length! I took my time because DH felt that the 25 was perfect. I felt it was far too small, I liked the 30 but felt I would buy the 35. I went to Dublin yesterday convinced I would buy the 35 but ended with the 30 because the 35 seemed just that bit too big. It is still a sore point with me, in case I got the wrong one but I think I chose well. To me when in store, with the intention of buying the 35, it seemed more like an overnight bag rather than a bag for every day.

I wished that the price points were further apart for the different size Speedys, but it is only about €15 to go up each size! On that basis I should have bought the 40!

I am not familiar with the looping bag, do you have a linky for me?

 

[butterfly 17]

I have. I treat the vachetta with apple guard water/stain repellent. I do it because I don''t want the stains ( I am a big coffee drinker and always spill coffee on my bags), to stay and it seems to help stains come off faster.

I have treated all the handles on my bags.

 

[butterfly 17]

About the speedy size, I have the 25 in the regular mono, the damier and the azur. I tried and then returned the 30 because I just felt that it was way too big for me. I am 5''4" and I just didn''t like the way the 30 sagged so much on my frame.

It depends on what you carry as well. I find that my 25''s carry a lot more than they seem to. I fit a bunch of stuff into it and still have room for more. I have had a planner, makeup case, two wallets, driver''s license id holder, blackberry, stethoscope, misc. papers, receipts, car and house keys, andn work id fit into the 25 and still I could have fit more stuff.

The handles on the 30 are bigger though, so it fits bigger on the arm, which is good if you don''t like a tight fit or if you are wearing a coat.

 

[Steel]

Date: 12/21/2007 6:54:25 PM
Author: butterfly 17
I have. I treat the vachetta with apple guard water/stain repellent. I do it because I don''t want the stains ( I am a big coffee drinker and always spill coffee on my bags), to stay and it seems to help stains come off faster.

I have treated all the handles on my bags.

Hi Butterfly,

How did you come to use the apple guard? Who advised you; was it LV? I am so confused; I am in Ireland and it rains a lot here, not very heavy rain but still it is wet weather. Will the speedy suffer if I do not treat it?

Thank you so much for you help!

Ps. re speedy size, the 25 is lovely and DH was convinced that was the only size to but but i am used to oversized bags and had to tear myself away from the 35 as it was. But I agree 25 is still very spacious.

 

[butterfly 17]

Date: 12/21/2007 7:16:53 PM
Author: Steel

Hi Butterfly,

How did you come to use the apple guard? Who advised you; was it LV? I am so confused; I am in Ireland and it rains a lot here, not very heavy rain but still it is wet weather. Will the speedy suffer if I do not treat it?

Thank you so much for you help!

Ps. re speedy size, the 25 is lovely and DH was convinced that was the only size to but but i am used to oversized bags and had to tear myself away from the 35 as it was. But I agree 25 is still very spacious.

Hi Steel,

I actually got the recommendation from Kristydarling when I purchased a white Coach Legacy bag and was concerned about the white getting stained, etc. She recommended to me and then I went ahead and purchased it and then started using it on all my bags (except Balenciaga)s once I did a bit more research on it.

As far as water stains, when the bag is brand new the vachetta is really really light and anything will show up, but after a few months the leather gets honeyed and develops a patina and then you don''t really notice the water stains at all as everything sort of blends with each other.

I probably would not treat it if I were you, because once you start, you will want to treat all your bags. I got the lv denim bags and a black multicolor pochette wallet and treated them as well, although I really didn''t have to, but I am just used to doing it now.

I will try to post the link to show where I found out about applegarde.

 

[butterfly 17]

Okay, it was actually slammie that got me to start using the apple products, not Kristydarling.

 

[Steel]

Date: 12/21/2007 7:29:09 PM
Author: butterfly 17
Hi Steel,

I actually got the recommendation from Kristydarling when I purchased a white Coach Legacy bag and was concerned about the white getting stained, etc. She recommended to me and then I went ahead and purchased it and then started using it on all my bags (except Balenciaga)s once I did a bit more research on it.

As far as water stains, when the bag is brand new the vachetta is really really light and anything will show up, but after a few months the leather gets honeyed and develops a patina and then you don't really notice the water stains at all as everything sort of blends with each other.

I probably would not treat it if I were you, because once you start, you will want to treat all your bags. I got the lv denim bags and a black multicolor pochette wallet and treated them as well, although I really didn't have to, but I am just used to doing it now.

I will try to post the link to show where I found out about applegarde.

Thank you for the great feedback. I am very worried that I am missing a trick by using the bag untreated - especially in our wet Winter (then wet Spring,
wet Summer and wet Autumn!). Do you think I would be ok with the mono canvas, not pre treating it? Or should I?

 

[DiamanteBlu]

I got a Speedy 25 monogram canvas when I was 24 years old and carried it daily [including during some downpours on a moped in Bermuda!]. I got a Speedy 30 as a diaper bag [and wound up using it as a pocketbook] when I was 34 and carried it for 16 years on a more or less daily basis. Three years ago I got the small Ellipse and have been carring it on a daily basis.

I never did anything to any of them and did not treat them gently. I gave away the 25 but still have to 30 and it still looks good. The Ellipse looks great [along with its 20 year old monogram canvas shoulder strap!].

So . . . if you get the monogram canvas I''d say you have no need to worry or do anything to preserve it.

 

[Steel]

Hi Blu

,

Thanks for pitching in!

So you think I am ok, that is a relief.

With your 25 and 30, did the base of the bag get all dirty from being placed on the floor? Did you wipe it clean much and if so what with?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[I am not one to spill/spash on my bags or put them through the ring so to speak, but with this purchase I am ''feeling'' the amount of $ I paid and do not want to mess up, so thanks to everybody who has taken the time to help me

]

 

[sputat]

I have a Monogram Speedy 25 and a Khaki Graffiti Speedy (30). I spray the vachetta leather with Wilson''s Leather Water Repellant, the aerosol version. Both my bags have wonderful patina and absolutely no watermarks thanks to the Wilson''s spray. I prefer to spray direct (6-8 inches away from the leather)... lightly and evenly please. Avoid being heavy handed about it. Simply wipe off the excess on the canvas part. Let it dry and respray later as needed. Another way to apply is to simply wet a piece of clean cloth and rub lightly and evenly on the vachetta leather. For the canvas, I just wipe it with a damp towel if something spills on it.

I know there are Appleguard users but I think the difference is Appleguard leaves the leather ever so slightly darker vs. Wilson''s dry up quickly with no change in vachetta color. When I *oversprayed* mine, it did leave a slight sheen on the leather which eventually went away.

As for LV claiming that the leather is pre-treated, supposedly the newer bags are. I remember discussions in LV boards when the Popincourt bags came out about how the leather remained light longer (the patina took a while to develop). My 25 is from 1994 and the Graffiti is from 2001... It''s just 2nd nature to me now to pretreat my LVs regardless.

If you don''t mind waterspots and love the idea of making the bag "your own" (stains, wear, whathaveyou), you don''t really need to pretreat. My preference is even patina so I always do the water repellant.

Enjoy your Speedy! It''s a classic.

 

[butterfly 17]

Date: 12/21/2007 10:29:30 PM
Author: sputat


I know there are Appleguard users but I think the difference is Appleguard leaves the leather ever so slightly darker vs. Wilson''s dry up quickly with no change in vachetta color. When I *oversprayed* mine, it did leave a slight sheen on the leather which eventually went away.

I have to say that I have been using the appleguard stuff and I have not noticed that the leather gets darker. It does make it darker when you first spray it on because it is wet, but when it dries it looks the same.

I would never use it if it was making the leather darker permanently, I would die if that happened. Especially when you are paying a small fortune for a bag! I have way too many of them to risk ruining them, esp. since I much prefer when my leather looks lighter rahter than darker! Yikes!!

 

[DiamanteBlu]

I always put them on the floor [car or otherwise - obviously check the floor for spills first!], on the grass, beach, wherever. The base never looked dirty. After putting the bag on the floor you probably won't want to be putting it on the table or kitchen counter, though! The most I have done for my bags is brush the sand off the bottom [except for a couple of times where I disinfected the bottoms with alcohol after hearing a news report about all the yucky stuff you can pick up from the floor! - the alcohol had no impact on the finish.]

I'd say that if you get the monogram canvas you should just leave it alone. It will be fine.

 

[goldenstar]

I have never treated any of my LV bags and they still look great. The damier has held up the best. The monogram canvas ones are fine, with darker handles which I like. I feel like dark handles look more authentic. I have a monogram glace that is a little scratched up but its not too noticable. Also have a monogram multicolore (white). Its super cute but the white does get a little dirty and the color rubs off a little at the corners of the bag. I stopped using it because I didn't want it to get worse.

I'm kinda rough on my bags. I know they cost a lot but I don't want to be worried about them all the time. I like to think my bags look "well loved". Perhaps I should start being more careful. Maybe its not too late to treat the multicolore. But aren't the treatment products for leather? What happens if I put it on canvas?

 

[pennquaker09]

My mom puts oil on hers - I''m not sure why, I''ll have to ask when I see her. I just keep mine in the bag and other than that, I don''t really do anything to it.

 

[BriBee]

Date: 12/21/2007 6:19:45 PM
Author: Steel

Hmmm, Very good point!

Re Speedy size. I have looked at them at length! I took my time because DH felt that the 25 was perfect. I felt it was far too small, I liked the 30 but felt I would buy the 35. I went to Dublin yesterday convinced I would buy the 35 but ended with the 30 because the 35 seemed just that bit too big. It is still a sore point with me, in case I got the wrong one but I think I chose well. To me when in store, with the intention of buying the 35, it seemed more like an overnight bag rather than a bag for every day.

I wished that the price points were further apart for the different size Speedys, but it is only about €15 to go up each size! On that basis I should have bought the 40!

I am not familiar with the looping bag, do you have a linky for me?

Here''s a link and picture of the bag I have. I love it, but it''s too small for everyday use. Right now I''m using the Coach Gallery Tote (I think that''s what it''s called) in the holiday patchwork, and it''s a good size, but doesn''t zip all the way closed which I would like, hence my want for the speedy

http://www.eluxury.com/estore/browse/product_detail.jsp?id=10199914

 

[BriBee]

Date: 12/21/2007 7:02:01 PM
Author: butterfly 17
About the speedy size, I have the 25 in the regular mono, the damier and the azur. I tried and then returned the 30 because I just felt that it was way too big for me. I am 5''4'' and I just didn''t like the way the 30 sagged so much on my frame.

It depends on what you carry as well. I find that my 25''s carry a lot more than they seem to. I fit a bunch of stuff into it and still have room for more. I have had a planner, makeup case, two wallets, driver''s license id holder, blackberry, stethoscope, misc. papers, receipts, car and house keys, andn work id fit into the 25 and still I could have fit more stuff.

The handles on the 30 are bigger though, so it fits bigger on the arm, which is good if you don''t like a tight fit or if you are wearing a coat.

Thanks for chiming in on this as far as Speedy sizes. I am also 5''4" so your description really helped. In the end I''m just going to have to go in and try them on and see for myself. Judging by what you said the 25 sounds like it might work for me, but I really won''t know until I go in. I had been leaning towards the 30 because if it''s more spacious it makes it easier for me to find things and fish them out.

 

[DiamanteBlu]

I'd do the 25. It is plenty spacious inside. The only issue is that the interior is just open with a little side pocket so everything can get messy [true of the 30 and my ellipse also]. BTW, I am 5'6" [size 4 ish] and wear 4" heels [usually unless I am in floppers or sneakers] and the 30 was kinda big on me IMO.

I would also suggest getting the monogram canvas strap [which I thought they had discontinued but apparently they have not]. That way it can also be a shoulder bag when you need both arms free.

 

[BriBee]

Thanks for the advice. What you mentioned about a lack of pockets inside is also something that has bugged me. My coach bag at least has a zipper pocket, cell phone pocket, and a wider open pocket next to the cell phone one. Even with those though, all my stuff still can get pretty messy and unorganized. I think they sell inserts for purses like that to help keep things cleaner, but I''ve never found one I liked.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

I''ve never treated mine, and I''ve never really thought to do it because of my personal history.

As a teenager, I remember one time looking around in my grandmother''s basement and coming across a TROVE of Louis Vuitton-- trunks, hard suitcases, hard beauty cases, etc. They had stickers from journeys on cruises and Pan Am flights from decades earlier, were beautiful with age and adventure, and totally kick-started my love of luggage. Alas, they were passed on to a cousin, but there definitely is a romance to the bags and I''ve never treated any of the pieces I''ve owned. To me, a goodly part of the value in the old monogram canvas is that you don''t have to kid-glove ''em; they are for use and enjoyment and should develop a patina over a lifetime of adventure.

(That said, I''d probably go on the Purse Blog Forum to do some research on preservation treatments before getting cream-colored vernis or white suhali. But yes, LV monogram''s better when it looks like it''s had a good time IMO!)

 

[Madam Bijoux]

Hi! I never pre-treated any of mine, but I only use them in good weather. The treated canvas holds up very well, and the leather gets a nice patina over time.