Balenciaga Hardware 101

I have recently done some research on Balenciaga, because this is a long-coveted brand by many handbag lovers. In the meantime, when I decided to take some pics of Balenciaga bags I got, I discovered an eternal truth:

The difference between a professional photographer and an amateur is that a pro always has a team behind to help him with lighting and positioning and taking care of his mess, but an amateur has to do all these things on his own.

Don't you believe that? I have proof here:

OK, go ahead if you want a good laugh. I officially hate photo-shooting, which means I may get mad at you when you are going to ask for preshipment pics. Don't even try!

Enough for the warm-up. I am going to share with you some really important information I obtained from the almighty Internet:

The abbreviations below are some of the common terminologies used by shoppers/boutiques and it'll be really useful to memorize them. People in the fashion forums and blogs also use this a lot. 

 Here are examples with an illustration:

    Flat brass hardware (2000-2002)                                  Pewter classic hardware (2003-2004)

The flat brass hardware was the type of hardware produced in this motorcycle line.

Aged brass hardware (2004)

Also called as RH or regular hardware. This is the only classic hardware that is still produced nowadays. The hardware is made of aged brass which has been oxidized in color, but over time it will wear off and show the true brass color (right picture).

Giant gold hardware and Giant silver hardware (2007)

Also known as GSH or GGH or Giant 21. Bigger than regular hardware and thus make the bag much heavier. In the new Spring/Summer 2012 collection Giant silver and Giant rose gold have been discontinued and replaced with the new "Mini" giant hardware or Giant 12.

Giant gunmetal hardware (2007)

Giant gunmetal hardware was produced only for 2007 limited edition bags. 

Classic covered hardware and Giant covered hardware (Fall/Winter 2008)

The classic covered hardware looks like regular hardware, but with a layer of matching leather over it. Only produced in Fall 2008 and discontinued not long after. Also covered with a layer of matching leather, the Giant covered hardware comes with perforated trim along the bag. It's still in production now.

Giant rose gold hard (2010)

Light pink gold hardware with a vintage look, achieved by darkening the grooves of the thimbles. In the early production, the zippers are not darkened so they are still in light pink gold color. But since Fall/Winter 2012 the zippers are also darkened to get the "aged" look. Now it's replaced by "Mini" giant rose gold hardware.

Classic hardware in nickel and gold (2010)

Produced to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the classic bag. Also used on various other styles such as animal print (right pic).

Giant covered hardware with "Brogues" trim (2011)

This is supposed to be the replacement of Giant covered hardware (right picture) because of its lack of popularity. The giant hardware is smaller in size and the perforations are larger, with a contrasting color underneath.

Mini rose gold and silver giant hardware (2012)

Since Spring/Summer 2012, Balenciaga replaces all its bags from using Giant hardware (Giant 21) to Mini Giant hardware (Giant 12). Rumours are many people complain that the Giant hardware bags are too heavy and this has prompted Balen management to resize the hardware. 

Mini giant hardware comes in two sizes: Slighty larger size for Balenciaga Day, Work, Weekender, and smaller size for Balenciaga Hip, Envelope, Mini Pompon, First, Town City, Velo, Part-time. Some said it's possible that the Giant hardware will be re-introduced as a boutique exclusive.

Giant rose gold V.S. Mini giant rose gold (Work)

Mini giant rose gold V.S.  Giant rose gold (Part-Time)

I hope I am not missing anything. You are welcome to add up in the comments, and I will re-edit the post. PS: Most of the information here is courtesy of the B-bags fanblog LoveBbags and PurseBlog.

Some Catching-up and Buying Tips

You know it's a little bit unfair when Chinese New Year is almost a whole month behind the new year in Gregorian calendar, as all businesses turn out to be suspended during the Chinese Spring Festival. You will see a notice like this "Closed for CNY" almost everywhere. It's like the Earth stops rotating when China is celebrating its most important festival.  Well you don't have to agree on that, coz even I myself do not.

CNY is partly the reason I haven't been updating my blog. I haven't been on Facebook for a while either. My store on Aliexpress was closed too. People could only reach me via email, which once in a while I would check. 

All companies open (back in business) at Feb. 9, however, it's almost the same case every year that most factories have been understaffed. This is the reason when you order a bag, which is out of stock, and you are informed to wait 10 or more days. A lot of seasonal colors have been sold out, and supplies are restricted. The regular permanent colors like black or red are good to go though. I guess what I am saying here is, when you are planning an order, please double or triple check with the sellers about the availability. 

There's some other information that I want to share with you in this post:

About AliExpress:

Some of you are still not familiar with how AliExpress works. It's a funny story that a client placed an order on AliExpress and emailed me the screenshot of this order, but I never received it. Her emails went on and on, and I then discovered that she thought I own AliExpress, and every payment she made on there goes to me. AliExpress, like eBay, is an open platform for Chinese sellers to sell internationally. Everyone with a Chinese IP can register with AliExpress and start selling. There are hundreds of thousands of independent sellers/stores on there.

Paying via AliExpress is safe. AliExpress holds the payment till the buyer confirms delivery of the order. This means when you place an order with AliExpress, the money does not go directly to the seller. Ali will not release the money before you confirm receipt of the goods. In the meantime, the seller has to pay an earnest money for each single order received, and Ali will hold this part for 2 good months. If you are buying from AliExpress, make sure you confirm delivery after you receive your goods. The deal is only closed after you hit the "Confirm Order" button and leave a review/rating on AliExpress.

About Shipping:  

Shipping details are only available on EMS/DHL website in at least 24 hours after the tracking number is updated to AliExpress. Some sellers update the tracking even before the packages are mailed out (to buy them time because Ali has a time limit for shipping), but some will wait till 24 hours later, so when you get the tracking number, you can already track it. Some buyers freak out when there seems to be no updates after they get the tracking number. This is totally unnecessary because, first of all, Ali protects the buyer like I said above; and secondly, it's perfectly normal that EMS doesn't show updates in 3-5 days (in cases even longer). For example, some shipping agents send the packages in Guangzhou, where the warehouse is located, but when there is a mailing rush and Guangzhou customs/airport is stuck with too many parcels, your order may either be transferred via other cities, which takes 1-2 days longer, or wait in line for its flight, which takes even longer, in some cases up to 10-15 days, especially during Christmas. If the parcel stays in China customs for 5-7 days, don't worry, EMS is ensured to clear. However, if the parcel stays in the customs of the destination country for more than 7 days, you should worry. You may either get a fine/ duty to get your packages, or nothing at all. This happens every 5 out of 100 orders according to my own experiences. 

About Quality:

People have been asking about the differences between 1:1 and original quality. You better refer to my previous post: Some ABCs About Replicas.

I would like to add something more:

Usually only leather bags have this kind of grading. 1:1 means comparable leather (made in China), while original leather means imported (almost identical to the real thing), but both are authentic leather to be sure. HOWEVER, all 1:1 quality replicas do not have genuine leather interior/lining, they are most likely leatherette, in some cases, just PU, which technically should only be used for AAA or Super A quality. So to summarize:

AAA: Leatherette outside + PU interior;
1:1: Authentic leather outside + Leatherette interior;
Original: Authentic imported leather inside out

However, this is not 100% absolutely the case, because some factories use original leather + leatherette interior for their so called "original grade", and some use authentic leather + PU lining for their "1:1 grade". What's worse, I even know of some trusted sellers who sell AAA as 1:1 and 1:1 as original. Now you can imagine why there is such a big price difference among replicas when they are just a copy of the authentic. The best way to test if a seller can be trusted is to inspect if the interior of the bag sold is leather or not when he/she claims it to be original quality. 

Too much to be said. I guess I have to shut up myself before somebody else shut me down. 

Smart Shares: Chanel Classic Flap 101

The following information are quoted from Spotted Fashion:

The Chanel Classic Flap Bag is the ultimate in luxury inspired by straps found on soldiers’ bags, Coco Chanel created this bag, as she grew tired of carrying her handbags in her arms. In the 1980s, Karl Lagerfeld introduced the signature CC turnlock on the classic flap bag.

It comes in 5 different sizes, Mini, Small, Medium, Jumbo and Maxi. Available in Lambskin, Caviar and Patent leather.

STYLE, SIZE and PRICES (Updated as of May 2013)

Style	Price	Size
Chanel Classic Flap Mini Bag	6.5” (L) x 5.5” (H) x 2.5” (W)	$2,400.00 (USD)
Chanel Classic Flap Small Bag	9.55” (L) x 5.5” (H) x 2” (W)	$4,200.00 (USD)
Chanel Classic Flap Medium Bag	10” (L) x 6” (H) x 2.5” (W)	$4,400.00 (USD)
Chanel Classic Flap Jumbo Bag	12” (L) x 8” (H) x 3” (W)	$4,900.00 (USD)
Chanel Classic Flap Maxi Bag	13” (L) x 9” (H) x 4” (W)	$5,300.00 (USD)

I believe if you really like Chanel, you should already have the above information, which is quite commonsensical. However, I would like to say that if you are a real Chanel fan, you should also know that Chanel makes changes constantly:

1. The CC closure: the CC closures were thicker before 2009, and now it has the thinner Cs. Either way, it's the correct version, just depending on which year the bag was produced. 

2. The caviar leather: caviar leather was supposed to be matte in early years, and now it has a shinier finish, but no matter what, the leather, unlike lambskin, is soft yet sturdy to keep the bag in shape. This year, Chanel introduced the new caviar, aka the suede caviar, which is buttery soft like the lambskin. You can see the suede caviar bags from 2013 collection, which includes a newly released Iridescent bag (comes in a tote bag and a flap bag). Also, the grains on the caviar leather were more raised before, but a lot flatter in recent years that you can hardly feel the grains.

Older model on the left, Newer model on the right

The above is a Mini flap (please read more detailed comparison on the PurseForum). The leather on the left has a matte finish and the grains are more raised, while the newer model is shinier and the grains are flat (you can feel the difference with your fingers).

3. The lining: I don't remember the exact year (a friend of mine told me it's back in 2009 when Chanel discontinued the single flaps) when Chanel introduced a burgundy lining to all BLACK caviar flap bags, which used to have the black calfskin lined inside. For black lambskin, it's always the burgundy lining. Also, there have been different shades for the color burgundy. As far as I know, there are a reddish burgundy and a dark burgundy. 

Black caviar with both black and burgundy lining

Dark burgundy on the left and reddish burgundy on the right

There may be other changes as well that I might have been missing. You are more than welcome to leave a comment and share your knowledge about Chanel classic flap bags. Just to be sure, my summaries are based on some informative posts on the PurseForum and on a few authentic models listed on the malleries.com and the fashionphile.com:

1. Black caviar Maxi in thicker CC closure and black calfskin lining

2. Black caviar Maxi in thinner CC closure and reddish burgundy calfskin lining

3. Black lambsk Maxi in thinner CC closure and dark burgundy calfskin lining

Go Crazy on Black Friday and Prepare for Christmas

A customer asked why the Black Friday Promotion is limited to the items listed on my AliExpress store only. Well that's because I want to give you another BIG SURPRISE on Thanksgiving, which is TODAY. Here is the deal:

1. For items listed on http://www.aliexpress.com/store/228111, you will get 20% discount for the first ten pieces sold;
2. For items not listed on my AliExpress store (please refer to http://smarthandbags.v.yupoo.com/), you get a $100 deduction on each $500+ order, $200 off each $800+ order, and it's effect right on spot.  

Please note that during this promotion, the wholesale discount will be invalid. All prices I am going to quote will be shipping included, but unfortunately, I am not able to ship to Europe, Africa, and Latin America due to customs restriction in these regions.

Any one who spreads the news will get an autographed gift from me. For those who spread the news and place the order in the same time, the gift will be included in the parcels; for those who spread the news without placing the order, please PM me your address and I will mail you the gift separately.

Smart Smith on Thanksgiving 2013

Smart Presents: Celine Winter 2013 Collection

Introducing the bags of the Celine Winter 2013 collection which include some of the bags that were shown during the Fall/Winter 2013 Runway show. A few new bag styles are available include the newest tote, the “Tie” bag which almost looks like a larger Phantom with ties on the bottom of the handles. This new tote bag also includes a top closure that the totes don’t normally feature.

Special credits to the Celine Tie Tote Bag. This latest tote bag from Celine first appeared during the brand’s Winter 2013 Collection. It also appears in the Celine’s Spring (Resort) 2014 Collection in fresh new colors. The bag features a flap front which can be tucked in or shown on the exterior. The bag is aptly named by the “knots” or “ties” at the base of the handles. The Celine Tie Tote bag is an updated version of the Celine Phantom bag and coincidentally the Spring collection no longer includes the Phantom in the lineup. It includes a mini pouch, has an internal zipped pocket and two slip pockets. The flap can be tucked inside the bag, and it has a much larger roomy interior.

The Celine Tie Tote Bag:

The Celine Edge Shoulder Bag:

Celine Trapeze:

 Celine Phantom Luggage:

 Celine Luggage Mini

Celine Cabas Tote:

 Celine Box Flap Bag:

See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fL2MWtzUWrI, or you can view the entire collection here: http://v.yupoo.com/photos/smarthandbags/albums/9623126/

Smart Presents: Celine Trapeze and Christina Aguilera

It seems like everybody is on YouTube, so I guess video up some of my favorite bags won't be such a bad idea. Smart is a silent guy who doesn't talk much (instead he writes), so you are not gonna hear his voice on any of his videos. Instead, he uses some of his favorite songs so you don't get bored watching.

I started making these videos with "ezvid", but later I found Microsoft Movie Maker is bit more practical to use. Here you go, this is not my first video, but the most recent one. The first a few videos are not really good, as I am not video-savvy. It's a beloved Celine Trapeze bag in tri-color smooth calf and suede, and it's available in 2 combinations: smooth calf plus suede ears and smooth calf and suede flap. The song was from an Oscar-winning cartoon that's adapted from a Chinese folk tale "Mulan": Reflection by Christina Aguilera. I like the match, as Christina Aguilera is always sharp in music and fashion as well (the combination of her white hair and metal studs is always the center of attention) and this Celine Trapeze is quite catchy, especially for the tri-color combinations.

If you think the video is good, please subscribe to Smart's YouTube Channel here. Thanks in advance.

 

Smart Urban Dictionary: What is a Diao Si

A friend of mine asked what "屌丝" (diao si) means when she learned this word from a movie. It's a pretty new word and you can't find it in a published dictionary. This word was first known on a forum (exclusive for fans of a star) where an intruder got in accidentally and he happened not a fan of that star, so he called those fans "屌丝".

"屌丝" literally means pubic hair of a male, "cock hair". It's used to describe somebody who is ugly, fat, sloppy, impoverished, and slow (I meant to say stupid, I guess slow is a more proper word), to sum up in one word "unwanted", that no woman wants to have sex with him so he has to do it himself (masturbate). Therefore it's very rude to call somebody else a "屌丝".

However in the forum, instead of fighting against the intruder, some forum members started to accept the "name" and even used it for self-mocking. They believe we are in one way or another like that, "unwanted loser". The term soon got popular, not just inside the forum but all over the Internet. And since it's got popular, the bullying effect has been weakened. We can not only use it for self-mocking, we can also call a close friend "屌丝" and he won't get angry. However, if you really want to call somebody not a friend a stupid loser, yeah, that's the right word to use.

The antonym of "屌丝" is "高富帅", literally meaning a man who is tall, wealthy and handsome, in one word "desirable", while "白富美" is to describe a woman who is fair, wealthy and pretty.

Here is a typical example clipped from China's best-selling movie ever in history - "Lost in Thailand" that explains without a single word what a real 屌丝 acts when he sees a 白富美.