Shoes

[Campion]

On 11/4/2014 okiebug said:

On 11/4/2014 EastCoastViewer said:

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.

Thanks to all who either didn't send in a check for their croco bag or returned their croco bag. A croco bag shipped today and I am looking forward to receiving it. It seems the leather is the issue with the croco bag but the bag itself is gorgeous. That's fine with me. I didn't expect a ligh-weight back like this to be the thick, lux leather of a D&B florentine. I think i will enjoy the lighter-weight bag in this color.

Awesome!! I love the croco pattern and the color, not the stiffness of the leather. So, I've been working on mine - heavy weights in it at night, a "Rolf" massage whenever I have a minute during the day - rolling it up, rolling it down, from side to side, scrunching, twisting and wadding. It's unbelievable how much it has softened - it now has the hobo drape and with my stuff in it, does a semi-puddle - it stands up but it spreads out and the top folds over. This also shows it may be a thinner leather but it's still a good quality leather - if it wasn't it would have creases in it. But it still looks like I took it out of the box, just a lot softer.

So glad you got yours. Enjoy it!

I've been doing the same workout with weights and "Rolfing" (you are hilarious!) It softens up nicely. I have the nude ostrich, which I think is a stunning bag. It does look more pinkish in sunlight, but I was wanting a pink but not screaming pink bag so I'm delighted.

I love the snake versions but I think one is enough.

It's funny, but sometimes you have to carry a bag for a bit to appreciate it or have it break in. I got that Dooney TSV (the Sophie) and I've been carrying it for a few weeks and really come to appreciate it. And it's gotten a bit softer, as well.

[birkin baby]

I don't own any GILI,but love handbags. I have a question about GILI bags. I read lots of threads and posts about training,massaging, working stiff or wavy zippers,etc. I have not heard of doing any of these things with other bags.I have some very nice,high end bags. Never have I ended to do these things or been instructed by a sales person to do them. Have y'all ever had any other bag brands that ever needed these special training techniques? They are pretty bags!!!!

[KJPA]

I think the lower price on GILIs is partly due to them not breaking in the bags for you. If you buy a higher end bag that is already broken in is it worth the extra money so you don't have to do it yourself? Maybe yes, maybe no I think these GILI bags have a lot of leather and workmanship that makes them worth the price even without the "softening" they may still need.

We all have different ideas of how much a "higher end bag" costs. To some people that's $100 to other people it's $1000. To some it may be $4000. For me, before this year I never spent more than $100 for any bag. I spent $150 for one this year but I spent less than $100 for each of my two Roma 2s that I picked up at the outlet. They were well worth it to me even though I had to "massage" the natural ostrich to soften it up But if I paid $1000 for a bag I would expect it to already be soft. Someone else may tell us that depending on the type of leather and bag structure even a $1000 bag will be "stiff" or "hard" until it's broken in. I can't say since I've never touched a $1000 bag

JMO

[howwhatwhen]

On 11/5/2014 KJPA said:

I think the lower price on GILIs is partly due to them not breaking in the bags for you. If you buy a higher end bag that is already broken in is it worth the extra money so you don't have to do it yourself? Maybe yes, maybe no I think these GILI bags have a lot of leather and workmanship that makes them worth the price even without the "softening" they may still need.

We all have different ideas of how much a "higher end bag" costs. To some people that's $100 to other people it's $1000. To some it may be $4000. For me, before this year I never spent more than $100 for any bag. I spent $150 for one this year but I spent less than $100 for each of my two Roma 2s that I picked up at the outlet. They were well worth it to me even though I had to "massage" the natural ostrich to soften it up But if I paid $1000 for a bag I would expect it to already be soft. Someone else may tell us that depending on the type of leather and bag structure even a $1000 bag will be "stiff" or "hard" until it's broken in. I can't say since I've never touched a $1000 bag

JMO

This has been my thought also. I think if enough people complain about having to "train" and "soften" a GILI handbag maybe the Q will make a bag that has already been broken in and charge a higher price but then there will be a lot of threads about the "high" price of a GILI, lol

[PamB226]

Received mine yesterday. I bought the Black and the Brown Snake. I LOVE the Black, but sitting on the fence with the Brown Snake. I'll probably return it because for the price, I need to love it.

I love the fact the two zippers can be move together at the top and don't have to stay in the center

[Chi-town girl]

On 11/4/2014 tough_kitty said: At last, I got my black hobo! It's really pretty. What's interesting, even as soft as it is, it doesn't puddle as much as the brown snake! I will have to give it more time to decide if I keep it.... I'm leaning towards a yes. However, the handle is so squeaky!!! Any ideas how to fix that?? It seems like the leather is rubbing against the hardware and making a squeaky sound!

TK-Glad you are happy with your Milano handbags. And don't just use your IM "Chanel" bag for special occasions. I think it would look great with jeans & hip leather jacket/casual wear too! Enjoy!!!

[Chi-town girl]

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.

Favorite Son-excellent details, thanks for sharing. I only bought one-the Grey Ostrich and mine has a handful of smeared dots on both sides of the handbag. Not noticeable unless you look closely, but for $200, I expect to not have this type of issue. If I were looking at it in a store, given the price tag, I most likely would not purchase. It is a lovely design and size. Mine has a good hobo look to it and the zippers function perfectly. Wondering if I would be happier with the croco. Still considering sending it back and maybe picking up a croco.

[Chi-town girl]

On 10/30/2014 Krissie22 said:

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.

Hi Krissie-I am also not thrilled with the quality of the Grey Ostrich-dot paint smears. Most likely sending it back. Have you made any decisions yet?

[tough_kitty]

On 11/5/2014 Chi-town girl said:

On 11/4/2014 tough_kitty said: At last, I got my black hobo! It's really pretty. What's interesting, even as soft as it is, it doesn't puddle as much as the brown snake! I will have to give it more time to decide if I keep it.... I'm leaning towards a yes. However, the handle is so squeaky!!! Any ideas how to fix that?? It seems like the leather is rubbing against the hardware and making a squeaky sound!

TK-Glad you are happy with your Milano handbags. And don't just use your IM "Chanel" bag for special occasions. I think it would look great with jeans & hip leather jacket/casual wear too! Enjoy!!!

Hey, thanks! I read your comments about the hobo (( maybe you can exchange it for the brown snake?? It's lovely and if you do an exchange, they won't charge you the new price! Just something to consider.

[Chi-town girl]

On 11/5/2014 tough_kitty said:

On 11/5/2014 Chi-town girl said:

On 11/4/2014 tough_kitty said: At last, I got my black hobo! It's really pretty. What's interesting, even as soft as it is, it doesn't puddle as much as the brown snake! I will have to give it more time to decide if I keep it.... I'm leaning towards a yes. However, the handle is so squeaky!!! Any ideas how to fix that?? It seems like the leather is rubbing against the hardware and making a squeaky sound!

TK-Glad you are happy with your Milano handbags. And don't just use your IM "Chanel" bag for special occasions. I think it would look great with jeans & hip leather jacket/casual wear too! Enjoy!!!

Hey, thanks! I read your comments about the hobo (( maybe you can exchange it for the brown snake?? It's lovely and if you do an exchange, they won't charge you the new price! Just something to consider.

Yes, I'm considering options. Have a snake bag already-Roma2 cream snake, so I wanted to add something new to my wardrobe-the ostrich or croco. Disappointed about the smears. I read all of the reviews on the website plus the threads in this forum-seems to be a common problem with the ostrich finish. When I consider the fact that I would be reluctant to spend $200 at a retail store for something with this type of flaw, I'm compelled to return it....I hate indecision ;-)