Shoes

[milkmade]

On 10/30/2014 EastCoastViewer said:

I wish all of you who hate your croco would return it so those of us who want it can order it. I switched from croco to snake and although the snake sounds great (not yet received), I think I want the croco too. I love his bag. I have received the natural ostrich and love and I'm waiting for the black to be delivered today.

EastCoastViewer - Although I don't hate my croco, I am returning it. It's a little too stiff for me and I don't care for the color. The embossing is nicely done.

[StuffnSuch]

On 10/30/2014 Favorite Son said:

Stealth buyer here, reporting in! (Full disclosure - I, too, am a satchel person).

I really liked the skins and choice of trims, even though I thought the bags looked odd (like a cat head) on the stands. I also liked the look of the taupe ostrich sitting in its natural habitat - on the counter. Knowing that I would be away from TV and Internet most of the day on Monday, I purchased the chestnut croco, taupe ostrich, and black late Sunday afternoon. I got home in time to see the final presentation on PM Style Monday evening (couldn't watch that video with Pat and Jayne presenting them in the 10 minutes I snatched away from work mid-morning), and was pretty happy with how well they appeared on air. The bags arrived yesterday.

Black - a keeper for sure. I really don't know how anyone could dislike this bag. I love the natural ostrich trim. The leather is first-rate. The zippers operate smoothly, it holds my wallet and workout clothes and small lunch and actually looks quite nice, stuffed that way sitting here in my office. I think the black is the most elegant and chic-looking of the choices. I like the fact that it is somewhat understated.

Taupe ostrich - on the fence about this one. I love it, but the spots have a few smears and the zipper is a bit wonky on each end near the top. I can't tell if that problem will resolve itself over a few weeks or not, and I hate to carry a bag and return it so it can be foisted on someone else. I was hoping the bag would be taupe and not gray, so the color mis-naming is not an issue for me.

Chestnut croco - a definite return. I love the skin, but no amount of patience or leather softening is going to fix the problem with those zippers, which are practically inoperable. They are either sewn crookedly, or the zipper is just plain bad. I think the latter is the case, because the teeth feel rough when I run my finger over them.

I saw the picture (posted on another thread) of the fabulous L.V. hobo after which this is probably patterned. That's a fabulous bag, too, but for the money I spent I am happy with the black GILI.

I bought the chestnut crocodile, and I love the color; it is a deep, rich cognac or saddle color, which is one of my favorites in leather goods. I tried out the zipper several times, with somewhat mixed results, but I will keep it. Here's why: Several years ago, I purchased a satchel in grey croco from a "here today, gone next week" vendor, Malini Murdjani. I didn't use it for quite awhile after I bought it, and when I did break it out, the leather was quite firm and the two-way zipper top was also difficult to open and close smoothly. After a short period of time, it became much smoother and easier to use. Now, the bag, while still structured, is soft and flexible, and I've had absolutely no problem with the zipper. I trust the G.I.L.I. bag will behave likewise. If not, I have until the end of January to return it, but I don't expect it to happen.

[Krissie22]

I have so far the brown snake, black, cream snake and gray (haha) ostrich, with the nude ostrich on the way. My first impression is that I am underwhelmed, but that may be because I'm just in a bad mood. Who knows.

I don't have a structured purse organizer, so am going on the natural super puddley nature of the bags. Side note - I love the skins and would be over the moon to get them in the Roma 3. The way this bag turns up at both side in it's U shape, though, pulls the leather in an awkward way and bunches up the zipper. It looks like it will be a pain to get things in and out of for this reason, and take 2 hands to do so. Closing the zipper will also take 2 hands.

I have the GILI Chelsea Hobo, which is a very similar design, and it hangs PERFECTLY, empty or full, so I don't know why this bag is so weird. I'm going to have to load one of them up and see how it carries, and will report back.

As far as the colors go -

Gray Ostrich - not gray, which we know, but my favorite looking Milano. It's my first ostrich ever, and there are smears galore, but unless you are looking for them they're not really noticeable. It's a little stiffer, but not bad, and I may end up preferring that to the super soft skins. It's a cool color and design, no doubt about it.

Brown Snake - I guess I like this, I mean, it was the first one I picked out last June. This skin would be dreamy in something like the Roma where it wasn't all folded up.

Cream Snake - Same as the Roma 2, which I have and which is why I bought this. It's fabulous, though the bunched up design here doesn't show it off.

Black - Pretty much been covered here. I like ostrich strap, though there is some smearing. I think I would really like the natural ostrich, but I'm afraid of getting a smeared one, and the return/exchange process is such a drag.

I don't mean to sound like such a downer here. I expected a more out of the box wow factor, especially since this bag has a zipper and is more my kind of bag than the Roma 2, and yet the Roma's jumped out of their boxes and made me love them.

I definitely need to load one up and carry it, and hopefully then I will love them.

Glad to hear everyone's reviews.

[sherrisuzanne]

On 10/28/2014 My3girls said: My grey ostrich is in the box in my dining room just waiting to be opened. I'm dying!!! Waiting for hubby to go upstairs so I can open it. If he sees me he'll just ask why I need another bag ????????. Lol

LOLOLOL!!!! SO GLAD that someone else does this! This does produce some kind of euphoric anticipation I admit that I enjoy, but I hate it when the UPS guy pulls up at my house in the evening just as my hubby comes home from work............WHAT A BUZZKILL!!!!! That being said, I ordered FOUR of these gems and each one is PURRRRRRFECT!

[EastCoastViewer]

I just received the black in the mail so now I have the natural ostrich and the black. I must say that although the black is nice and I will keep her (who can't use another chic, black bag), she pales in comparison to her sister, the natural ostrich. Yes, the leather on the black is soft. I will probably take the tassel from my natural ostrich and use it on my black bag for a little different look since the black has the natural ostrich handle. I think that look will be nice. For a dressier look, I'll leave the black tassel on the black. For the option to switch up the tassel, I am glad I purchased both black and natural ostrich.

[My3girls_1]

On 10/30/2014 sherrisuzanne said:

On 10/28/2014 My3girls said: My grey ostrich is in the box in my dining room just waiting to be opened. I'm dying!!! Waiting for hubby to go upstairs so I can open it. If he sees me he'll just ask why I need another bag ????????. Lol

LOLOLOL!!!! SO GLAD that someone else does this! This does produce some kind of euphoric anticipation I admit that I enjoy, but I hate it when the UPS guy pulls up at my house in the evening just as my hubby comes home from work............WHAT A BUZZKILL!!!!! That being said, I ordered FOUR of these gems and each one is PURRRRRRFECT!

OMG!!!! We must be twins!!! I'm the same way here! Sometimes UPS shows up nice and early and other times its in the evening. I'm always holding my breath. Tomorrow I have two more of these puppies showing up. I'm gonna be a mess!! LOL. So glad you're loving yours sherrisuzanne!! I have been enjoying my "grey" ostrich.

[julstheshopper]

I have kind of a bummer of a review. My grey ostrich had such big spots painted on it that it looked silly, it looked nothing like the natural ostrich Roma 2 which a friend owns and loves. Also, it had smearing issues, so that went in the box to go back. Also got the croco, which initially I really liked. But using it, it felt stiff and was just not draping like a hobo should. I almost think it will get creases where it should bend, and the zippers did not work smoothly. Another one back in the box. On a positive note, the cream snake is a beauty and really nice bag functionally, so that is a keeper. I hope everyone else gets a bag they like, good luck!

[toril]

Received my Croco today and it is going back tomorrow. Mine has a very rigid feel to it and almost feels plastic. Love the strap length and the shoulder strap. Love the color. My zipper is hard to pull and it is very wavy. The bag looks huge because of the structure and not really like a hobo at all - at least to my taste. I have the last Roma (black) so I do know how to drape, but I don't think this bag will drape to the degree I like. It really looks nothing like what I saw on the presentation. The zipper is a real issue, and I'm not going to spend this amount of money for a defective zipper and plastic feel to the bag. I just don't see this one being an easy bag to carry. I wish it had worked. Hope others have a better experience.

[Ladybrat]

I received mine on Tuesday. I ordered the black, croco, and the gray ostrich. I have been trying out the black one. I have to say, I have mixed feelings on these bags are mixed. I like the style, but the zippers are stiff, and I miss having an outside pocket for my cell phone. The leather is okay, but is much softer on the brown vintage Roma II, as well as on the G.I.L.I. Backpack. That being said, I am on the fence about whether or not to keep one or any of them.

[howwhatwhen]

Repost from another thread.

OK here are my thoughts on the croco design.

Size: Yes it is a big bag mush bigger than my go to Dooney Wayfarer Sac but it isn't so big that I can't use it.

Softness: Yes it is structured so it doesn't puddle but I don't find that it's stiff at all. I put a 64oz bottle of juice inside and it already drapes nicely. I think if someone ordered both this bag and one of the softer options (snake or black) then maybe this one would seem stiff in comparison.

Zipper: When the zippers are both in the center position the zipper is perfect if I move both zippers to one end then the zipper becomes wavy. I prefer to use it this way so I may have to learn to live with the wave however when it is on my shoulder (being carried) my arm blocks the zipper anyway so it is barely noticeable unless of course you are looking really hard, lol

Hornback: Fortunately the hornback pattern on the front of the bag is perfectly symmetrical on both sides of the center seam, it even has the trademark (Brahmin) round hornback pattern dead center on the bag (nice touch) however on the backside of the bag the hornback pattern is only on one side of the seam (bummer but not a deal breaker)

Tassel: It is the same color as the bag and the size doesn't bother me at all, it adds a nice touch to the bag however I have attached it to one of the zipper pulls and I use it to open and close the zipper (remember I only use one zipper to open and close the bag). BTW, as an added bonus the tassel can be attach to both zippers pulls which prevents the zipper from being unzipped at all. Regardless of which way you pull the tassel the bag remains zipped.

Strap: It isn't to short for me and the seam on top isn't an issue either but if it is every damaged or needs replacing the longer crossbody strap can be attached in a fashion that works as a short shoulder strap. Just undo the bucket, attach both clips to the same side of the bag, thread the longer length of the strap to the opposite side of bag then rebuckle the straps together. I hope that makes sense. I do wish the strap drop to the side when the bag isn't on the shoulder. I like for straps to fall away from the opening for ease of use (putting things in or taking things out)

Hardware: The G's aren't noticeable at least not to me so I am not bothered by them at all. It is a bit squeaky where the strap attaches to the hardware but I think this will stop with wear.

Well those are my initial thoughts on my first GILI purchase. If something else comes up I'll be sure to post again.