iOffer Bags, Lushfashions.com, etc. #7 (Posting Requires Reading Rules in Post #1)

[limmiet]

if only the NBF studs is removable, so we can send it to a gold/silver plating service. i tried to unscrew them once to no avail

my sentiments exactly!! i had half the thought of taking the entire bag to a goldsmith and get them to do whatever it takes to plate the studs nicely for me!
i'm just thinking, since we are all so interested in getting better ggh, we could just try sending the bagalicious' secret formula to T&D and try persuading them to get the factory to enhance the ggh before sending our bags out!

 

[lovelovemode]

^LOL yes i thought about it too!

btw, anybody bought Oak Alexa from Jacky recently? My regular Alexa just arrived, and the leather is nothing like my other Mulberry Oak from him. The Alexa's leather is thin and unnaturally shiny, like PU!
i even tried the "burn test" LOL *yes, it is actually real leather*.
I wonder what happened, since i saw pics of Alexa from TFSers circa February 2010 and it looked soft and grainy. Oh well, inconsistency is one thing we have to deal with reps
i wonder if Jacky accept returns?

pic credit: my own
pic 01: clockwise: bayswater, alexa, clipper, mabel hobo - all from Jacky
pic 02-04: Alexa leather
pic 05: Mabel hobo leather, my HG Jacky's Mulberry

 

[xooey]

lovelovemode, oh dear! That is very worrying, as a few fellow SG TFS members and I are getting Alexa bags from Jacky too. The quality doesn't look too bad based on the first pic though. I don't think Jacky will accept returns, unless it's the wrong order or there's a flaw in the bag. Still, no harm in trying. I believe he will try to work with you, since you purchase from him regularly.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

muffintoppp, the colour of the light autumn bag makes the bag look like it is turning mouldy. I would say no to it.

 

[lovelovemode]

xooey, which one do you get? the regular or the OS? i don't know about the oversize Alexas, they might have different leather (?). I saw coco109 OS Alexa pictures and the leather looked divine...

Another bag from J that i'm not happy with is the yellow PS1 (medium). LOL yesterday wasn't a lucky day for me after all..
All this time i've always been fortunate enough with my order, so these two bags (oak Alexa and yellow PS1) are the first duds.

the yellow PS1 has irregular stitching on some parts.
The flap is literally wavy
Also, the leather is uneven.

I have Jacky's black PS1, and the yellow one is substandard by comparison .
Not to mention he hasn't corrected the zipper color (which is bright yellow btw)!
It looked so much different from his pictures.
Honestly, this is the worst Jacky's in terms of quality i have ever bought!
Stay away from this one!

 

[amethyst_sparkle]

my sentiments exactly!! i had half the thought of taking the entire bag to a goldsmith and get them to do whatever it takes to plate the studs nicely for me!
i'm just thinking, since we are all so interested in getting better ggh, we could just try sending the bagalicious' secret formula to T&D and try persuading them to get the factory to enhance the ggh before sending our bags out!

...you want t&d to pay their employees to painstakingly paint each and every single thimble (there are 20 thimbles in total on just one giant city) to correct a non-existant issue that the majority of members here on this thread have agreed is really not that big of a deal?

there is a thread over on TPF (long since closed) complete with pictures that compares an authentic balenciaga white ggh day with an NBF vert d'eau ggh day. ALL of the members thought the vert d'eau day was the authentic, and the white ggh day the fake...isn't that enough proof that t&d's giant hardware is just fine??
the member who bought the vert d'eau ggh day thought it was authentic until comparing it with her auth day, and only then did she notice the minor incorrect details (like o-ring size, front half-moon panel size/spacing, etc), all of which have been corrected since.
and yet there is another thread, the authentication thread, containing nbf bags (one of which is ggh) that have been authenticated--by the very people who buy the "REAL" thing!

as i've said before, authentic balenciaga hardware is genuine gold or silver or palladium plated. you can't fake genuine gold or silver with arts-and-crafts gold paint.

just last month i took my pourpre ggh city into BalLA and it was not only fawned over, but the SA kept bringing out bags from the back to show both BBS and i. the SA wasn't staring, eyeing or scrutinizing my bag. a simple once over and she was in awe of it's gorgeous leather and shiny hardware.
now, if NBF bags pass 'inspection' at Bergdorfs, Neimans, Saks, fashion weeks in NYC, Paris and London, press meetings, schmooze fests with true fashion celebs and know-it-alls, AND BalLA--what more needs to be said?

if anyone carrying an NBF is worried, scared, paranoid, or spazing out because their 'circle of friends', collegues or "celebrities" (come on, really?? puh-lease, celebs actually have lives) will "out" them for daring to carry a 'fake' in their midst...you really have to ask yourself two things:
a) do you really think they give a rats behind how shiny or not shiny the hardware is or that the o-rings are 1/4 of an inch too thick or there's too much/not enough space between hardware on your non-monogrammed bag?? (seriously, it's just a nondescript leather bag! it's not like it's a canvas tote screaming LV! LV! LV! LOOK AT ME! DID YOU SEE? I'M AN LVVVVVV!!!)
and b) if you do think that poorly of your friends that they'd be so shallow and vapid to cast you off for such pathetic reasons, don't you think maybe it's time to get new ones??

it's been said countless times by VARIOUS members here (as opposed to just one NBF's giant hardware is absolutely fine. it's not gold or palladium plated, but for a replica, it's pretty damn great.

yes, you can buy NBF gh bals with confidence!

 

[lovelovemode]

oops, forget to add, pic credit on post #3524: my own pics

 

[xooey]

lovelovemode, I am getting the Regular Alexa in Oak (same as yours, am I right?). I believe my friends are getting the same bag.

I am not sure if Jacky gets his Alexa bags in batches from different factories. But one thing I am very sure about: the Chanel #1112 lambskin bag I'd bought from him last year differed in quality from the bag my friend purchased a couple of months ago.

 

[Tigerlily]

LoveLovemode Sorry for the bad quality of the bags the PS1 is realy bad but the Alexa looks nice in the group shot Up close it doesn't look that good! Did you ask Jacky for a exchange? And is the Alexa from the new batch bc he told me it will be ready tomorrow?

the siren I think you are right about J pics it looks to good! and i think its hard to get the shade that good! Let's ask for more pics!

 

[babybluestar]

...you want t&d to pay their employees to painstakingly paint each and every single thimble (there are 20 thimbles in total on just one giant city) to correct a non-existant issue that the majority of members here on this thread have agreed is really not that big of a deal?

there is a thread over on TPF (long since closed) complete with pictures that compares an authentic balenciaga white ggh day with an NBF vert d'eau ggh day. ALL of the members thought the vert d'eau day was the authentic, and the white ggh day the fake...isn't that enough proof that t&d's giant hardware is just fine??
the member who bought the vert d'eau ggh day thought it was authentic until comparing it with her auth day, and only then did she notice the minor incorrect details (like o-ring size, front half-moon panel size/spacing, etc), all of which have been corrected since.
and yet there is another thread, the authentication thread, containing nbf bags (one of which is ggh) that have been authenticated--by the very people who buy the "REAL" thing!

as i've said before, authentic balenciaga hardware is genuine gold or silver or palladium plated. you can't fake genuine gold or silver with arts-and-crafts gold paint.

just last month i took my pourpre ggh city into BalLA and it was not only fawned over, but the SA kept bringing out bags from the back to show both BBS and i. the SA wasn't staring, eyeing or scrutinizing my bag. a simple once over and she was in awe of it's gorgeous leather and shiny hardware.
now, if NBF bags pass 'inspection' at Bergdorfs, Neimans, Saks, fashion weeks in NYC, Paris and London, press meetings, schmooze fests with true fashion celebs and know-it-alls, AND BalLA--what more needs to be said?

if anyone carrying an NBF is worried, scared, paranoid, or spazing out because their 'circle of friends', collegues or "celebrities" (come on, really?? puh-lease, celebs actually have lives) will "out" them for daring to carry a 'fake' in their midst...you really have to ask yourself two things:
a) do you really think they give a rats behind how shiny or not shiny the hardware is or that the o-rings are 1/4 of an inch too thick or there's too much/not enough space between hardware on your non-monogrammed bag?? (seriously, it's just a nondescript leather bag! it's not like it's a canvas tote screaming LV! LV! LV! LOOK AT ME! DID YOU SEE? I'M AN LVVVVVV!!!)
and b) if you do think that poorly of your friends that they'd be so shallow and vapid to cast you off for such pathetic reasons, don't you think maybe it's time to get new ones??

it's been said countless times by VARIOUS members here (as opposed to just one NBF's giant hardware is absolutely fine. it's not gold or palladium plated, but for a replica, it's pretty damn great.

yes, you can buy NBF gh bals with confidence!

AMEN to EVERYTHING in that post but to touch on the bolded section....those threads you mention are the ones I was referring to when I posted that anyone could PM me for the links... You have NO idea how many PMs I got and how many responses after they read the threads. They were thanking me because they see that there isn't a big difference (if at all) and many who had been scared off of buying GGH now feel so much better about getting it (or resuming use of the GGH bags they already have). There is just NO reason to live in fear of being outed while carrying an NBF unless you announce publicly and sign your name to it that you're a card carrying NBF user. Otherwise, no one is the wiser, and really, not everyone on earth is consumed by the need to stare at you and your bag anyway. If one person is unhappy with NBFs...that is fine and they can move on and NOT buy them anymore. To each her own and no harm done! But there are a LOT of new members here and a lot of members who don't know a lot about NBF..they get their info here and with misinformation being posted and then
redundantly posted (over and over and over again) it begins to seem like fact and then people worry. When they worry they hesitate on purchasing and may miss out on a bag they love.

GGH is being phased out by Bal (except for black) so the more new colors T&D do, the less options we have with GGH....soon enough this won't even be an issue because it will be gone. For now, I say get your hands on a GGH bag and ROCK it!! The new vert d'eau that's coming out? Hmmm...mine is '07...so if my GGH isn't quite as shiny as I'd like, it's because it's a well loved, three year old bag. GGH fades (just read a post about it on tpf about an authentic GGH...).

Life is short ladies, love those gorgeous bags and think of what you can do with the $1700 you saved!

 

[Carly.S]

I don't think enhancing it makes it look more authentic because I think the shine is what's lacking in T&D's GGH (on some bags, not all) rather than it being a color difference. If anything, I'd say finding a way to clear coat it with something purely for shine would have the best outcome! Also, PM me for links to two TPF threads where NBF GGH bags passed as auth. I don't know when NBF's GGH started getting knocked so much but I promise you it's not that bad!!

I'll PM you for those links, thanks

I actually have B&S giant work, but don't think theres a difference between theirs and NBFs hardware. I'm not particulary fussed over it, it's actually quite shiney but it was something that just crossed my mind.

 

[limmiet]

...you want t&d to pay their employees to painstakingly paint each and every single thimble (there are 20 thimbles in total on just one giant city) to correct a non-existant issue that the majority of members here on this thread have agreed is really not that big of a deal?

there is a thread over on TPF (long since closed) complete with pictures that compares an authentic balenciaga white ggh day with an NBF vert d'eau ggh day. ALL of the members thought the vert d'eau day was the authentic, and the white ggh day the fake...isn't that enough proof that t&d's giant hardware is just fine??
the member who bought the vert d'eau ggh day thought it was authentic until comparing it with her auth day, and only then did she notice the minor incorrect details (like o-ring size, front half-moon panel size/spacing, etc), all of which have been corrected since.
and yet there is another thread, the authentication thread, containing nbf bags (one of which is ggh) that have been authenticated--by the very people who buy the "REAL" thing!

as i've said before, authentic balenciaga hardware is genuine gold or silver or palladium plated. you can't fake genuine gold or silver with arts-and-crafts gold paint.

just last month i took my pourpre ggh city into BalLA and it was not only fawned over, but the SA kept bringing out bags from the back to show both BBS and i. the SA wasn't staring, eyeing or scrutinizing my bag. a simple once over and she was in awe of it's gorgeous leather and shiny hardware.
now, if NBF bags pass 'inspection' at Bergdorfs, Neimans, Saks, fashion weeks in NYC, Paris and London, press meetings, schmooze fests with true fashion celebs and know-it-alls, AND BalLA--what more needs to be said?

if anyone carrying an NBF is worried, scared, paranoid, or spazing out because their 'circle of friends', collegues or "celebrities" (come on, really?? puh-lease, celebs actually have lives) will "out" them for daring to carry a 'fake' in their midst...you really have to ask yourself two things:
a) do you really think they give a rats behind how shiny or not shiny the hardware is or that the o-rings are 1/4 of an inch too thick or there's too much/not enough space between hardware on your non-monogrammed bag?? (seriously, it's just a nondescript leather bag! it's not like it's a canvas tote screaming LV! LV! LV! LOOK AT ME! DID YOU SEE? I'M AN LVVVVVV!!!)
and b) if you do think that poorly of your friends that they'd be so shallow and vapid to cast you off for such pathetic reasons, don't you think maybe it's time to get new ones??

it's been said countless times by VARIOUS members here (as opposed to just one NBF's giant hardware is absolutely fine. it's not gold or palladium plated, but for a replica, it's pretty damn great.

yes, you can buy NBF gh bals with confidence!

Hi Amethyst Sparkle
While i haven't seen the post that you have mentioned, but i chose to try out buying a bag from T&D was because of the pics of the beautiful bags that I stumbled upon (which i initially thought were auth!) while looking for pics of some bal bags!
I have to admit that T&D makes really good bags, which is why i chose to get more from them. Perhaps i was just very unlucky with my very first nbf (raisin ggh), cos the others gsh clutches i got were truly gorgeous! To me, it honestly doesn't matter to me whether it resembles the auth 100%, but the case of looking good matters more. Right now, most of the hardware on my raisin ggh has a matte, lemony yellow n plastic look that is just visually unattractive, to me at least , and yes it matters.
Well, a comforting factor is that ONEof the gh on my bag looks diff from the rest as its darker and shinier (similar to that of nbf's silver gh). I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed that my the ggh on my next bag from nbf will just be like that!

 

[xooey]

I have something to contribute regarding the above. My 1st NBF bag was a Black GGH City. When I received the bag, what disappointed me was how thin, shiny and plastic-crispy the leather looked. I did not notice anything off about the GGH or the O-rings.

Anyway, I carried the bag out for dinner (without doing anything to the awful leather) one night and was OUT-ED by a lady who sat at the next table. She was carrying a dark navy First, and what I believe to be auth. As I was leaving my table, she deliberately whispered to her dining partner, "That's a fake!" although I was within earshot. I left all flustered.

I ended up conditioning the bag like a woman gone mad after that night to remove the high level of shine to the bag. After many rounds of conditioning, I still carried the bag anyway as I feel it looks much, much better now.

I do not know how the lady could tell my NBF Black GGH City's a fake, but I like to think that it was due to the (poor) leather quality of that batch. I bought it in late 2008.

As much as we like to think no one can tell an NBF apart from the real deal, that is not true, as I've found out first-hand.

 

[xooey]

I have just taken out my NBF Black Flat Clutch w GGH and compared the GGH of the Flat Clutch to my Black GGH City. There is a visible difference in the colour/tone of the GGH. The GGH on my FC is a warmer, darker gold. The GGH of my Black City is yellow and lighter in shade. My FC was purchased in late 2009, while the GGH Black City was bought in late 2008. I prefer the GGH on my FC, only because it looks nicer (to me).

 

[limmiet]

I have something to contribute regarding the above. My 1st NBF bag was a Black GGH City. When I received the bag, what disappointed me was how thin, shiny and plastic-crispy the leather looked. I did not notice anything off about the GGH or the O-rings.

Anyway, I carried the bag out for dinner (without doing anything to the awful leather) one night and was OUT-ED by a lady who sat at the next table. She was carrying a dark navy First, and what I believe to be auth. As I was leaving my table, she deliberately whispered to her dining partner, "That's a fake!" although I was within earshot. I left all flustered.

I ended up conditioning the bag like a woman gone mad after that night to remove the high level of shine to the bag. After many rounds of conditioning, I still carried the bag anyway as I feel it looks much, much better now.

I do not know how the lady could tell my NBF Black GGH City's a fake, but I like to think that it was due to the (poor) leather quality of that batch. I bought it in late 2008.

As much as we like to think no one can tell an NBF apart from the real deal, that is not true, as I've found out first-hand.

OMG! That must have been a horrendous experience for you!! It is so not true that no one can tell the NBF from the real deal! There are people who pay extremely high attention to detail when it comes to bags (I am one of them!!) My view is that the lady either owns the real deal and bothers to pay attention to all the details on her bag to spot the difference on yours, or she's another loyal fan of NBF!! It takes one to know another!!
I think the most important part of it all is to carry your bag and yourself with confidence, that way, you can make the other person wonder if her judgement on your bag is even correct to begin with!!

 

[xooey]

If not for the fact that I was feeling: 1) embarrassed, 2) flustered and just wanted to get out of the place asap and 3) tempted to clobber her with my bag (the GGH should come in handy!), I would have asked her what made her think mine was fake. But then, that would have been playing with fire since it IS a fake.

It could have been because she was in close proximity to my bag. Our tables weren't far apart, maybe about an arm's length apart.

 

[daisycx9]

If not for the fact that I was feeling: 1) embarrassed, 2) flustered and just wanted to get out of the place asap and 3) tempted to clobber her with my bag (the GGH should come in handy!), I would have asked her what made her think mine was fake. But then, that would have been playing with fire since it IS a fake.

It could have been because she was in close proximity to my bag. Our tables weren't far apart, maybe about an arm's length apart.

omg xooey - sending you a cyberhug - what a rude person, i'm not so sure i could have restrained myself from bopping her one. I can understand why you would be worried about GGH - I am waiting on a black GGH part-time anyday now so hopefully the hardware can withstand a 'bop' while i rock'. oh and as if her companion was too worried, i mean Really!!! she needs to get a life and some manners.

 

[daisycx9]

Anyone else see a resemblance between argent and T&D's galet? I actually like NBF's creation a LOT better than galet!! I'm gettin' me a GSH something in "arlet"!

Argent '08 Work, from TPF.......................................NBF's galet ipad cover

yes BBS - totally see the resemblance, in fact i thought it might look like between argent and 06 FW griege below???....picture from realdealcollection.com

 

[xooey]

Thanks limmiet & daisy for the consolation.

Although I was out-ed by the woman, I still bought many more NBFs anyway. Admittedly though, most of my NBF collection is made up of RH City. I have only ONE GGH bag, and it is the Black GGH City.

My point is, unless your NBF bag has awful leather, you should be safe. Apart from my 2008 Black GGH City, all the other batches of leather from NBF actually look pretty good. The Black GGH City hasn't put me off buying NBFs BUT these days, I prefer buying them off ioffer from other members or waiting for fellow TFS members' reviews first rather than purchase them unseen.

In case anyone's wondering, the leather of my Black GGH City was as shiny as black patent leather when I first received it. That's how bad it was. But all of my other NBFs (& I have about a dozen) have considerably better leather, so maybe that was a dud.

 

[muffintoppp]

3) tempted to clobber her with my bag (the GGH should come in handy!)

Xooey, your comments make me laugh. That lady... how rude!! You really should have just clobbered her.

And thanks for the advise about the moldy-looking light autumn leather I've been doing some research and found nothing similar to it at all. I think I'll just stick to a Khaki PS1 instead.

 

[lovelovemode]

Anyway, I carried the bag out for dinner (without doing anything to the awful leather) one night and was OUT-ED by a lady who sat at the next table. She was carrying a dark navy First, and what I believe to be auth. As I was leaving my table, she deliberately whispered to her dining partner, "That's a fake!" although I was within earshot. I left all flustered.

oh my, that's so cruel of her! maybe it's because rep bags are more common here in Asia, that buyers of the authentics are really doing their homework on studying rep bags to every itty bitty detail to avoid being scammed. i know some of my friends are.
Or maybe she was just one of 'that forum' member doing 'authenticate this bag'.

For the GGH hardware enhancement, i will only doing it on my black bag because they're so apparent against dark background.
When i have my GGH galet i might too lazy to do that

xooey, regarding the regular Alexa, all hope is not lost
I haven't try to moisturize the leather at all.
As coco109 said, the hardware and markings are spot on...
So i will try to moisturize it like mad woman starting tonight