Determining The Quality Of A Luxury Leather Handbag

Luxury leather handbags are an extremely popular fashion accessory. Consequently, the market is flooded with leather bags of every description. Unscrupulous retailers attempt to capitalize on the fame of certain designers, creating logos that are very close to the original. Fake leather is common, as is shoddy workmanship and poor design. Even among genuine leather products, quality varies dramatically. Even price is not necessarily indicative of quality. How should one go about determining quality? How can you know whether a handbag is worth the price?

The first step is, of course, to decide on your budget and what factors are important to you. Unless price is truly no object, you may need to choose between a lower-end designer handbag and a higher-end product without the designer label. Be especially careful of designer labels on inexpensive handbags, which may be reproductions or fakes. Real designer bags usually have the designer’s name embedded somewhere hidden deep inside the bag. If you can, try to see a handbag that is definitively made by that designer, perhaps in a showroom, before purchasing from a questionable source. Compare the questionable bag to the original to be sure that you are satisfied with the authenticity.

Beyond designer labels, a number of other factors should be considered before purchasing a leather handbag. Check the structural integrity of the bag. Your handbag should be able to easily support its own weight, without leaning or collapsing. Also check the strength and stitch patterns of the seams. You want to be sure that the seams will not unravel from the weight of the leather.

Style and beauty are subjective qualities, so you will need to develop an eye for your own style. Be sure that the handbag is pleasing to your eye. Better quality bags will include hidden zippers or snaps and upgraded pull tabs. Nothing ruins the line of a leather handbag more easily than a cheap plastic zipper showing through. Open and close the zipper and snaps a few times, checking for ease of movement and no snagging.

Remember that when you carry the handbag, it will generally be full or close to it. Be certain that the bag has enough weight and structure to comfortably support the items you will carry, without straining or losing its shape. If you are uncertain whether a handbag will really hold everything you need to carry, consider the next larger size or a different design.

Determine the type of leather from which the handbag is constructed, and decide whether that type of leather will best suit your needs. Very high end bags are often made of calfskin, which is extremely soft and supple. However, calfskin is also more prone to damage than some other leathers and may not be appropriate for everyday use.

Your luxury leather handbag is a long term investment; with proper care it will serve you for many years. It is therefore worth the effort and expense to choose a high quality handbag. Whether or not to go with a designer label is a decision that only you can make, but quality will make the difference between a long-lasting product of which you can be truly proud and a cheap imitation that will last only a few months.

Gale Boone is the founder of eLuxe Bags. For more information about luxury leather handbags, visit www.eluxebags.com

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