Material: 100% Leather; Suede Interior
Height: 10"
Width: 11.5"
Depth: 4"
Strap Drop: 13"
Starting Bid: $19.99, 1 Bid
S&H: $9.95
Ends: December 19, 2010; 6:35PM PST (9:35PM EST)
Saw a bag in a display window at a high end vintage/consignment store, fell in love, and ran in to look at the brand/price . . . turns out, it was a Kieselstein Cord, and was $700 still. Prob one of the few times in my life where I loved something and it turned out to be haute couture, and not the other way around. All their bags are simple, yet ornate . . . the perfect mix. Apparently, they retail for $3k-$7k, to more, easily . . . same re: their jewelry, too. And, gasp, this might be blasphemous, but I want a Kieselstein Cord more than a Hermes birkin because it's less ubiquitous. This particular bag is a little small for my taste, and there are a few pen marks on the bag that bother me. Either way, though, I expect it to go for several hundred, at least, so I can only watch . . .
12/17/10: Hmm...I like it, but not immensely. My fav part is prolly the hardware, altho I like the doghead hardware on the other one you showed me waaay more; I'd probably want to get it solely for that haha. What would your max be for this? I'd prolly say around $80? But then this is a new one, I'm not sure how to gauge the effect of your love for it yet =)
T, 12/19/10: I won at $87, 19 bids, so total is $96.95. My orig max was $100, your influence + my guilt over xmas spending brought it to $80, but at 40secs left, the bid was $82, so I avg'ed my max and your max and settled on $90. I tried bidding with 25secs left, freaking internet died (maybe God was trying to prevent me from spending more money), and eventually got through with 4secs remaining. Honestly, I'd be a lot more excited if xmas hadn't dampened my bank statement, lol. I couldn't let a Kieselstein Cord get away for under $100, though . . . this combines many of my recent wishlist items -- brown + flapover + Kieselstein Cord. I equate it to my vtg leopard calfhair bottega -- it's not the best deal, but for what it is, I had to have it. Last wkd, I ditched o.g. to bid on Chanel, same re: this item, too. Hee hee.
A -- 12/21/10: Congrats!!! You def could not pass up the deal, I completely understand the feeling! I can't wait to see this in person, this and the Chanel skirt! You are getting so much vintage stuff, yay!
T, 12/23/10: Received bag a couple of days ago, was pretty disappointed by how poor condition was. You can already tell there are stains/pen marks on the bag, but what you can't tell based on the pic, and would prob attribute to lighting, is how dirty and beaten it looks. E.g., some of the darker areas on the bag are NOT shadowing; the bag is just that filthy.
Sooo, based on a couple internet reviews, tried using Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to remove stains -- used it on the bottom first as a test run, and luckily so, because IT DOES NOT WORK!!! Ended up removing some color, and part of the bottom of the bag is white-ish, now. Hope I save some ppl from making the some mistake I did with this post, too.
Google'd "handbag repair" and ran across a blog (linked) listing a few sites that professionally refurbish bags. Chose avelle.com (linked), because (1) it seems trusted, as bagborrowsteal.com has been around for a while and ppl seem to love it; (2) prices are reasonable, seeing as how you got your bag cleaned at a place nr your apt for $125ish (I think?), and your wallet for $50-75; and (3) free shipping and returns!
So I stole a box from work, printed a label, and mailed it off today . . . it's nice, avelle uses priority USPS mail for packages going to its workplace, meaning it should get there early next wk. Only downside was when I tried to buy tracking, I couldn't, because postman said that since postage was prepaid, I had to repay for actual mailing if I wanted that.
Honestly, the bag was in fair condition, at best, so it really doesn't parallel any of the before/after pics on the site (which, as the other blog noted, was reassuring as to how good these refurbishers are). My own "fix-it," however, failed miserably and served as an annoying reminder of all the other blemishes, exaggerating its crap condition.
Plus, I gotta remember . . . ppl spend $200-400ish on brand new, cheapy Coach bags . . . the least I can do is get a brand new-er looking $3k-$7k Kieselstein Cord, for $80-$100 more.
Will let you know how avelle works out . . . one of the options, on the form, was to to have someone call me to discuss what the bag needed to have done, so I chose that. This should be interesting, a great learning experience, and a prime example of how the internet globalized the sale of services and products. And this quells my internet shopping since my last two purchases were minor letdowns.*
*Although, in this bag's defense, and like my other bags in the past, it does combine a style I'm looking for + a brand I want (because labels = status I can't achieve otherwise). E.g., (1) turquoise + Tod's; (2) leopard calfhair + Bottega; and (3) brown flapover + Kieselstein Cord. Each bag has a minor prob, though: (1) sadly, although the turquoise is nicely muted, the bag is light, and is a good/large size, I realize the turquoise doesn't actually match that well with a lot of things; (2) I think the Bottega is meant to be a handbag (think LV's speedy), so the handles are short, and while I can slip it over my shoulder in the summertime, or even underneath a long sleeved tee or cardi/sweater, I can't do it with wintercoats and blazers; and (3) the Kieselstein Cord is pretty f*ing heavy, hardware notwithstanding. The leather is thick . . .
T, 1/9/11: exact same bag, but in tons better cond, sold for $207.50, with 2 bids. Considering I still haven't heard back from avelle (wtf? what happened to those reviews with a 2wk turn around), I wish I had gotten this instead.
T, 1/26/11: been calling avelle almost wkly since I sent in the bag. Called again today, spoke with someone who claims they sent me an email on 1/10 recommending the $80 exterior package (which was what I suspected -- immaculate inside, POS outside). Turns out, they had my email down wrong, so I never got it. Cleared that up, quickly gave my billing, and was told estimated completion is late Feb or early March. Also got word that if I wanted to change my shipping info, they could do that as well, since completion is so far away. This better be good . . .
P.S. Another one sold on 1/23/11 for $220, with 1 bid. $8 S&H.
T, 3/1/11: Okay, so I'm kind of annoyed. Changed shipping address via their livetime chat, easy enough to do. Then, they send me a confirmation, which shows the bag was already shipped, and now is being re-routed. Goddamn this bag has been on a long journey.
T, 3/6/11: Wrote a LONG email chronicling all the above to avelle, i.e., when I shipped, how I had to call multiple times to fig out if they received my bag and what package they chose, how I changed address bc they didn't tell me they already shipped my bag and was pretty much at the destination, etc. Blog came in handy when it came to reciting exact dates! Avelle issued me 25% off -- $20 refund. That was really nice, but honestly, I don't know if it was worth the hassle and having to keep on the ball. New delivery set for 3/8 . . . to my new address. Too bad I won't get to see it for a while.
T, 3/14/11: And . . . the Kieselstein chronicles finally draw to a close. I have to admit, they did a great job. Stains are all gone; the bag looks like it's been painted -- the color is that fresh/vibrant. Price was good, if only the service were a bit better . . .
T, 3/23/11: Since I'm neurotic and like to check completed listings to make sure my deal is good, I saw this bag sold for $399, $14 S&H, 1 bid. Woo!
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