Handbags

[JavaQueen]

 I keep hearing this over nd over again as a selling point on the Q: "Saffiano is so sturdy." Ok.....

1. It's lightweight

2. It's hard to scratch from typical use

3.It won't spot like vachetta or Florentine leather (or glove tanned.)

4. Has structure

However, I've owned three saffiano bags so far. and no, it's not indestructible or "sturdy." One of them was a cheaper bag, but the other two are Dooney and Coach--not cheap.

What I've noticed is that if you happen to stretch it out of shape from the weight of objects in you bag, you can get  bulges which stay. You can get sagging from ooated canvas or leather, but a shapeless saffiano bag is really unsightly. Be very careful how you store them. If you crush it, unlike typical leather, it won't spring back to life or be worked back into place. Someone online had heated their saffiano bag to get rid of the dings and bulges, but I wouldn't.

Also, I read that saffiano can warp if you get caught in a downpour. (This was from an owner of Prada.)  Saffiano bags are pretty, but you still have to take care of them. Some women know and are really, really, really careful about their bags and know this already. However,  I think some people want a $300 bag and want to treat it like a WalMart special. Something to think about before you order any saffiano bag.

[Kachina624]

My objection to Saffiano has been that the texture on it looks just like cheap vinyl.

[JavaQueen]

Well, it is plastic coating on top of leather. Even Prada bags.  It does depend upon who does the manfacture. Cheaper saffiano bags canlook like cheap vinyl bags. Prada is Prada and those bags will never look "cheap." 

A lot of "special" Q bags from DB are made of saffiano for a reason: they don't have to be fussy about the the type of leather they cover.  

[stevieb]

Personally, I like Saffiano, and agree, there are varying degrees of quality, as is the case with any other leather or material. I don't want a whole wardrobe of Saffiano bags, but I enjoy those I have. For a more mid-range bag than Prada, I find Ralph Lauren makes nice Saffiano bags.

[ruthbe]

I guess it is all personal choice.  I am a huge Dooney and Bourke fan.  I personally don't care for Saffiano.  To me it feels like cheap plastic.  I like the feel of leather.  But that is why different brands make different types of bags.  To please everyones tastes.  My daughter would NEVER own any kind of leather bag.....she is vegan.  And because leather comes from an animal, she would never have a bag that containes any form of leather. 

[BriggsiePeawiggle]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

My objection to Saffiano has been that the texture on it looks just like cheap vinyl.

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That's exactly how I feel about it. One of my co-workers is smitten with her Saffiano bag, and I really don't like it at all. It looks like el-cheapo, stiff and not very pretty at all.

[stevieb]

Absolutely. Bags, like anything else, come down to personal choice. Though I like it in some incarnations, I haven't bought Saffiano in recent memory, but then I also haven't given anything by Dooney a second look in a very long time. I'm not a brand loyalist and even if I were, none of the brands currently offered here excites me. Dooney did at one time, but everyone has their saturation point, I reached mine long ago thanks to the near constant exposure here, before I pretty much stopped watching.

[faeriemoon]

I have never liked the feel of any saffiano I have ever touched.  I don't know if it was "good" saffiano or "bad" saffiano.

[Katcat1]

Thanks for the info.  I never liked that leather -- too stiff.

[Pecky]

I am not a fan of Saffiano either. It is to stiff and I agree it looks cheap to me.  That is why there is something for everyone's taste.