Leather Choices

It's complicated.... Dillen and Dillen II are older collections of pebbled leather. The leather was thick and had some weight. The current pebbled leather appears to be thinner and lighter. Saffiano is a thinner leather with a texture (like a crosshatch pattern). It also has a light sheen. Florentine is a thick and heavy leather, it may be smooth or pebbled. It does not have a sheen. Toledo has a sheen. I don't know what it's relative weight is compared to the others, but I think it's heavier than the Saffiano and the current pebbled leather, but lighter than the Dillen and the Florentine leather.

While it depends a lot on the style and size of the handbag, from lightest to heaviest, I'd rank the leathers:

Saffiano, pebbled, Toledo, Dillen, Florentine.

Dillen leather is my favorite.... wears really well and doesn't show marks. I liked the older pebbled leather, but not sure how I feel about the new thinner pebbled leather. The Florentine is lovely, but it shows marks.

Very few Dooney bags have silver hardware these days. But I think they are some.... you need to look very hard.

Rather than have someone explain them, which isn't really concrete and doesn't "stick" for me, I go to local department stores and look at all the bags and compare the different types of leather. That way I know what each one feels like, can observe any scratches on bags on the shelf, and really tell the difference between the leathers.

Otherwise it's too much like someone trying to explain the difference in colors in black and white text. If you're able, get out there and feel them.

You can also check the Dooney website. They have a page describing all their different leathers AND how to care for each type.

On 10/16/2014 lavenderjunkie said:

It's complicated.... Dillen and Dillen II are older collections of pebbled leather. The leather was thick and had some weight. The current pebbled leather appears to be thinner and lighter. Saffiano is a thinner leather with a texture (like a crosshatch pattern). It also has a light sheen. Florentine is a thick and heavy leather, it may be smooth or pebbled. It does not have a sheen. Toledo has a sheen. I don't know what it's relative weight is compared to the others, but I think it's heavier than the Saffiano and the current pebbled leather, but lighter than the Dillen and the Florentine leather.

While it depends a lot on the style and size of the handbag, from lightest to heaviest, I'd rank the leathers:

Saffiano, pebbled, Toledo, Dillen, Florentine.

Dillen leather is my favorite.... wears really well and doesn't show marks. I liked the older pebbled leather, but not sure how I feel about the new thinner pebbled leather. The Florentine is lovely, but it shows marks.

Very few Dooney bags have silver hardware these days. But I think they are some.... you need to look very hard.

This is an excellent explanation, LJ. I like Dillen and pebbled best with Florentine in darker colors like Black, T'Moro Brown and Ivy so the marks are not so noticeable. I only have one Toledo and it is more pebbly, which I like, but I do not think it is the norm with Toledo (most Toledo bags are shiny and smoother and yes, they do have a sheen). I am not a fan of Saffiano, which to me does not look as rich as the other leathers and, while leather, looks like a cheaper plasticy material. Some people like how durable Saffiano is, however. It's just not for me.

I did go to the website, as Chynna suggested, and I can't believe all the leather types. Pretty sure I'm going to be getting one of the hobos but am concerned about the weight, especially after I load it up. Thanks for the descriptions, Lavender.

On 10/16/2014 lavenderjunkie said:

It's complicated.... Dillen and Dillen II are older collections of pebbled leather. The leather was thick and had some weight. The current pebbled leather appears to be thinner and lighter. Saffiano is a thinner leather with a texture (like a crosshatch pattern). It also has a light sheen. Florentine is a thick and heavy leather, it may be smooth or pebbled. It does not have a sheen. Toledo has a sheen. I don't know what it's relative weight is compared to the others, but I think it's heavier than the Saffiano and the current pebbled leather, but lighter than the Dillen and the Florentine leather.

While it depends a lot on the style and size of the handbag, from lightest to heaviest, I'd rank the leathers:

Saffiano, pebbled, Toledo, Dillen, Florentine.

Dillen leather is my favorite.... wears really well and doesn't show marks. I liked the older pebbled leather, but not sure how I feel about the new thinner pebbled leather. The Florentine is lovely, but it shows marks.

Very few Dooney bags have silver hardware these days. But I think they are some.... you need to look very hard.

Well done LJ!

Now, let's launch into Dooney's newer and their 'higher end' leathers!

ittyreen: one great thing about the Q is the descriptions include the weight of the handbags, so you can compare them. For hobos I like softer, slouchy leathers... personally, I don't think of Saffiano as the right leather for a hobo. But, I haven't seen a Saffiano hobo, so I don't know what it would be like. If you have a store near you that sells Dooney, you can do some recon. Then when you decide you can look for a place with the best prices and return policy to meet your needs.

On 10/16/2014 lavenderjunkie said:

ittyreen: one great thing about the Q is the descriptions include the weight of the handbags, so you can compare them. For hobos I like softer, slouchy leathers... personally, I don't think of Saffiano as the right leather for a hobo. But, I haven't seen a Saffiano hobo, so I don't know what it would be like. If you have a store near you that sells Dooney, you can do some recon. Then when you decide you can look for a place with the best prices and return policy to meet your needs.

I think Saffiano is, by definition, structured... It might be pretty as a hobo, but I don't think it would be at all slouchy. And like you LJ, when I go the hobo route, which isn't very often, I usually, though not always, prefer them a bit less structured.