Is this overnight bag overpriced (Varvatos) ?

[waldenbags]

The real value of those Varvatos bags should be in the $160 to $200 range. Even those Cutter & Buck bags appear to have a higher construction value. I still don't get how marketing can get $1200 for a $200 item. It makes me wonder if the real function of higher education, a major contributing factor that would allow for a high purchase price, is not the honing of discernment, judgment, perception, critique, and insight, but the cultivation of extremely well trained and well behaved sheep.

 

[Hehlol]

Originally Posted by waldenbags

The real value of those Varvatos bags should be in the $160 to $200 range. Even those Cutter & Buck bags appear to have a higher construction value. I still don't get how marketing can get $1200 for a $200 item. It makes me wonder if the real function of higher education, a major contributing factor that would allow for a high purchase price, is not the honing of discernmnet, judgement, perception, critique, and insight, but the cultivation of extrememly well trained and well behaved sheep.

So everyone else is sheep even though you agree with them that the bag is overpriced?

I've never understood why people like to use the word 'sheep' to describe 'the masses' - everyone uses the word sheep, couldn't you be a little more creative? Maybe you would be if you weren't one of the sheep you so clearly detest.

 

[makewayhomer]

Originally Posted by aj_del

This thread made me wonder if SF thinks any product is worth the full retail ?

I think a decent proxy for the this is resale value

Alden Shell Cordovan shoes and boots are half the cost of some UK brands. but brand new or even slightly used, they sell on Ebay or on B/S for about the same amount. at least, much closer than their MSRP's should suggest

 

[aj_del]

Originally Posted by makewayhomer

I think a decent proxy for the this is resale value

Alden Shell Cordovan shoes and boots are half the cost of some UK brands. but brand new or even slightly used, they sell on Ebay or on B/S for about the same amount. at least, much closer than their MSRP's should suggest

I have been able to sell BNIB C&Js for 90% of the full retail.

 

[Reevolving]

How can you tell the construction is good or bad from a picture?

Can someone point out the flaws in the Varvatos picture that would make its fair mkt value closer to $200 to $600 ?

What about the Cutter/Buck bags indicates higher quality?

Thanks.

 

[westinghouse]

Buy the bag if you can afford it.

 

[waldenbags]

Though you can never assess quality completely without being able to examine the bag physically, you can often see cheapness in pictures. There are a few things about this bag that send up red flags. This is a bag being sold for $1200. If it's really worth that much, it should hold up to close examination, even basic scrutiny.

1. Cheap hardware is a tell-tale sign. The buckle on that bag looks to be made of antique plated pot metal or some other cheap metal. I'm willing to bet that if you examine the buckle in person, you'll find that it has a cheap, trinkety feel to it and the tip of the tongue will be rough , due to inexpensive casting. I'm willing to bet that the buckles are butt-ended wire and not even one-piece cast. Any designer/maker who is committed to craftsmanship, is not going to put such cheap hardware on an expensive item, especially if craftsmanship was the main focus. To me, the main focus here seems to be marketing: Produce a mediocre item and frame it with the brand atmosphere that has already been created and invested in by the company. This is just the hardware, but it sends up a warning flag that other aspects may not be up to par.

2. The shoulder strap lacks body, which can be seen in the way it drapes listlessly across the bag with very little firmness. I would expect on physical examination that the strap leather is of mediocre quality. Why not just use thicker black bridle leather? The strap would be stronger and add aesthetically to the rest of the bag. Again, the maker/designer shows little respect for the consumer, who in his mind is not able to judge quality and is more likely to respond to the brand atmosphere.

3. The vegetable tanned bag leather itself on this bag is probably the best thing going for this bag, but because of willful neglect in the previously discussed areas, I would venture that a better milled vegetable tanned leather would show more body and less pulling at stresspoints.

4. The handle leather looks rather listless in the way it wilts around the hidden rope. Leather with more body would be nice.

5. Handle stitching looks inadequate and seems to lack hidden anchor support. To put it another way:Is the handle simply stitched to the bag leather, or is there a third layer on the inside of the bag leather? I don't like the way the bag leather pulls away from the handle stitching when under even a light load used for illustration in the online picture.

Now I'm very interested in paying a visit to a Varvatos store and testing out this appraisal. Ghurka has waned some in quality over the years, but if you put a similar Ghurka bag up to this one, the Varvatos will come off as inferior in many ways.

But if someone justs wants a particular style of bag to use for six months and then toss, none of this matters. I just happen to think that a $1200 bag should never leave anyone second guessing quality.

The trumping of marketing over substance seems to be the new norm. See Dana Thomas' "Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster":

Originally Posted by Reevolving

How can you tell the construction is good or bad from a picture?

Can someone point out the flaws in the Varvatos picture that would make its fair mkt value closer to $200 to $600 ?

What about the Cutter/Buck bags indicates higher quality?

Thanks.

 

[RSS]

Originally Posted by Reevolving

My banker friend owns this.
While nice looking, it seems a bit pricey for a leather bag.
What say you?
Having just shopped for a new briefcase, the price does not seem unreasonable. Of course, much depends upon the actual quality of the piece.

However, unless you too are considering buying the bag ... why you are concerned about the price of a friend's purchase?

EDIT: The music was enough to drive me away the site without much pause.

 

[WhateverYouLike]

Originally Posted by waldenbags

Though you can never assess quality completely without being able to examine the bag physically, you can often see cheapness in pictures. There are a few things about this bag that send up red flags. This is a bag being sold for $1200. If it's really worth that much, it should hold up to close examination, even basic scrutiny.

1. Cheap hardware is a tell-tale sign. The buckle on that bag looks to be made of antique plated pot metal or some other cheap metal. I'm willing to bet that if you examine the buckle in person, you'll find that it has a cheap, trinkety feel to it and the tip of the tongue will be rough , due to inexpensive casting. I'm willing to bet that the buckles are butt-ended wire and not even one-piece cast. Any designer/maker who is committed to craftsmanship, is not going to put such cheap hardware on an expensive item, especially if craftsmanship was the main focus. To me, the main focus here seems to be marketing: Produce a mediocre item and frame it with the brand atmosphere that has already been created and invested in by the company. This is just the hardware, but it sends up a warning flag that other aspects may not be up to par.

2. The shoulder strap lacks body, which can be seen in the way it drapes listlessly across the bag with very little firmness. I would expect on physical examination that the strap leather is of mediocre quality. Why not just use thicker black bridle leather? The strap would be stronger and add aesthetically to the rest of the bag. Again, the maker/designer shows little respect for the consumer, who in his mind is not able to judge quality and is more likely to respond to the brand atmosphere.

3. The vegetable tanned bag leather itself on this bag is probably the best thing going for this bag, but because of willful neglect in the previously discussed areas, I would venture that a better milled vegetable tanned leather would show more body and less pulling at stresspoints.

4. The handle leather looks rather listless in the way it wilts around the hidden rope. Leather with more body would be nice.

5. Handle stitching looks inadequate and seems to lack hidden anchor support. To put it another way:Is the handle simply stitched to the bag leather, or is there a third layer on the inside of the bag leather? I don't like the way the bag leather pulls away from the handle stitching when under even a light load used for illustration in the online picture.

Now I'm very interested in paying a visit to a Varvatos store and testing out this appraisal. Ghurka has waned some in quality over the years, but if you put a similar Ghurka bag up to this one, the Varvatos will come off as inferior in many ways.

But if someone justs wants a particular style of bag to use for six months and then toss, none of this matters. I just happen to think that a $1200 bag should never leave anyone second guessing quality.

The trumping of marketing over substance seems to be the new norm. See Dana Thomas' "Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster":

Great post, and your walden bags are sexy as hell. Can't really justify a 925 dollar bag right now, but it's definitely in my mind for the future...

 

[Reevolving]

Walden, thanks for the lesson. But, is there any way you can counterpoint those 5 Varvatos observations with bag picture(s) that does NOT exhibit those flaws? Right vs. wrong.

Very excited to see that video. Thanks x2.

 

[waldenbags]

Glaser Designs makes some beautifully engineered bags, worth every penny. I'm not over the top about their overall style but I absolutely love and am inspired by their devotion to craftsmanship. You can see by pictures alone how they obsess over design moves. Many very good pictures of those bags are available around here. Swaine Adeney Brigg, while maybe a bit overpriced are still much more worth the money than are leather bags by Varvatos. For example, take a look at this Oxford holdall: http://www.swaineadeney.co.uk/produc...9_h/index.html While I don't care for the cross stitching on the handle anchors, and feel that those anchors should have been styled more similarly to that of the strap ends, that picture alone shows the aesthetics of quality hardware and vegetable tanned leather with body. Put that picture up against the Varvatos holdall and examine the specifics. Pictures alone are not enough; eventually one has to compare both in person. But pictures still do reveal important information. I realize that the Varvatos has a "hipper" dimension to it than do the SAB and the GD, which are more classic designs, but for $1200 Varvatos could have fortified that hipper ethic with integrity of construction (but perhaps those two were never meant to be married). They're just not interested, and their market research tells them what they can get away with. Yes, Ghurka has declined in quality some, but this Express for roughly the same price as the Varvatos is a much better buy: http://www.ghurka.com/product/shop/T...brand/EXPRESS_ This Cavalier is more apples to apples: http://www.ghurka.com/product/shop/T...and/CAVALIER_I I would like to see Ghurka do wrap around side stitching at stitch ends, as Tumi does with most of its bags. Bown also does very nice work and is committed to craft: http://www.bowndesigns.com/shop/item/1 When I get around to doing a holdall, it will be some kind of polygamous marriage among all of these. These are all still around $1K. There are a few good $400 duffel bags that are well built. I think Orvis does one, or whoever makes them for Orvis.

Originally Posted by Reevolving

Walden, thanks for the lesson. But, is there any way you can counterpoint those 5 Varvatos observations with bag picture(s) that does NOT exhibit those flaws? Right vs. wrong. Very excited to see that video. Thanks x2.

 

[Iceball]

What do you guys think of this Aspinal? Was quite tempted since again I'm not quite in the SAB/Bown timer league yet http://www.aspinaloflondon.com/eshop...-smooth-cognac

 

[politico]

I was wondering about the brand. There isa Gilt sale with plenty of Varvatos suits still available, I'm just not sure if they're worth $350.

 

[Reevolving]

I finally pulled the trigger on an overnight bag. I bought this large handmade leather duffle bag while on an overseas vacation. 25L x 11.5D x 11H Let's hear a critical analysis... What do you think of the style? I can take additional close-ups for further clarification of detail/quality