like her? dislike her? perhaps you don’t even keep in mind her, however nobody can reject that the Luella Gisele was one of the It-Bags of the early 2000s. frequently seen on the arm of celebrities, including Gisele Bunchen herself, it seemed as though the bag was on a path to make itself a long-term area in the hands of collectors everywhere.
The Bag
Originally developed by Luella Bartley in partnership with Mulberry (pre Roxanne) the bag was just named the “Luella” when it very first debuted. The bag originally introduced in two sizes, as well as in two colors – black or brown. in spite of its popularity the bag was only offered for a restricted time, however it was sufficient to assist pave the method for Bartley’s own brand. This partnership led to Bartley getting an investment as well as a worldwide licensing contract for her own ready-to-wear as well as accessories label. The bag was then renamed the “Gisele” by the press (as she was the one bring it in the Mulberry show) as well as was offered in a broad range of colors as well as renditions.
In a quote Bartley provided to the Guardian she explains, “The press went ballistic as well as the bag ended up being understood as the Gisele—I didn’t plan it. I really had to compose to her as well as apologize, discuss I wasn’t utilizing her name, it just happened. though I believe if I were a model, I’d be rather delighted to have a bag named after me”. It retailed for about $600 back then, which would come out to be approximately $1,000 today, since believe it or not this bag is officially vintage. Unfortunately, after the 2008 economic downturn the brand had to close its doors, leaving the Gisele to fade into fashion obscurity.
Christina Aguilera
2004
Luella Gisele Bag
Personally I was a bit as well young to keep in mind back then so clearly. I wasn’t yet into bags like I am today, however I keep in mind seeing pictures of the bag slung on the arms of celebs in magazines, as well as look-a-likes filling the shelves whatsoever the pre-teen shops at the regional mall. now believing back to it, my buddy even had a small plastic knock off for her lip smackers as well as sour Altoids (which I miss so much). perhaps I’m feeling a bit nostalgic, particularly with all things early 2000s coming back around. I believed to myself that having this bag would be a fun method to lean into the pattern while likewise indulging my inner purse collector. I likewise like having a mission, besides nothing matches the excitement of the search right?
Lately I’ve been area on about predicting purse comebacks, as well as so far I’ve effectively predicted the return of the Fendi Baguette, Dior Saddle, Gucci Jackie, Mulberry Alexa as well as Roxanne, as well as Prada Tessuto. Some may suggest that a few of these bags never fell out of favor however resale trends, as well as my experience as a high-end SA state otherwise. As a matter of truth I keep in mind when the Fendi mom as well as Dior Saddle bags were on eBay in the low $200-$300 range!
But as all of us understand fashion is extremely cyclical, as well as having a huge rate of interest in vintage fashion has assisted me to see what age designers pull from. as well as as the early 2000s are rolling back in I’m seeing Von Dutch, chunky vibrant platform sandals, as well as rhinestone infant tees around my feed. even the charm scene is leaning into it, with additional sticky lip glosses as well as cool vibrant liners being advertised to me by all the huge cosmetic brands. If all these things are coming back into pattern isn’t it just a matter of time for the Luella Gisele?
Above are two of my preferred Instagram fashion icons taken fresh off my feed with their permission. Left: Yuri Tachi (@yuritachi) in a vintage Von Dutch Bag, Right: Sara brown (@sarabrowndesign) in chunky Pink platform sandals as well as a Prada throwback.
Another motivating element for grabbing the bag was their cost point, as you can quickly score one of these infants for a extremely great offer if you look in the best places. For example I bought each of my Luella bags for about $40 (special say thanks to you to my parents for driving an hour away to pick one of them up for me in CA), except for the big black one which I spent about $70 for with shipping since she was brand spanking new as well as in ideal condition. however keeping that being said, I have discovered that just within the last couple of months because I’ve been poking around the web for them the costs have slowly begun to creep up as well as the bags going for under $100 in great condition are getting snapped up quickly.
Suddenly the plentiful choices I believed I had ended up rapidly dwindling which lead me to believe that now was the time to strike. It turns out I may not be the only one foreseeing this bag’s possible revival. many of my bags were bought on Poshmark which I have a love/hate connection with. Some came with a bitmuch more wear as well as damage then anticipated, which has a tendency to be the situation with Poshmark in my experience. though thinking about I got the bags for a take as well as that they were going quicker than expected, I took up the chance to put a few of my old restoration skills to use.
The Process
Since many of these bags are twenty years old or close to it, it’s not uncommon to see color discoloration as well as light scratching. This was quickly fixed with a few rounds of conditioning with Collonil leather Gel. In general I would state the leather is truly solid, it has a big pebbly grain as well as is extremely thick however prone to drying out quickly. even now I’m still working on getting these bags back into shape, regularly moisturizing them up until their radiate as well as feel is resorted. If this is a bag you’re thinking about buying I certainly suggest getting a bottle (or two) of Collonil to assist perk your bags up as it is doing wonders on mine.
Another typical problem with these bags is the hardware getting boring as well as found over time. likewise three out of four of my bags had a strange secret goo on the rivets that was extremely stubborn, as well as a difficulty to eliminate to state the least. I likewise wished to be careful when it concerned polishes as well as metal cleaners, as I wasn’t specific about the hardware’s metal contents as well as didn’t want to cause any type of long-term damage as well as replacing the hardware would be difficult. I tried hot soap as well as water, peroxide, diluted alcohol, vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, as well as even ketchup without any success. clearly being gentle was not an option.
Tired, frustrated, as well as similarly as stubborn, I stated “If you’re not going to play nice, neither am I” as well as grabbed my nail kit. Yes, that’s right, I spoke out loud to my bag, are we surprised? No not really. So I proceeded to chip off the huge pieces of goo with a cuticle pusher, grinded away the staying goo with a nail file, as well as then buffed the taint away with a four sided nail buffer. just make sure if you go down this path to be cautious not to scratch up the surface of the leather, as well as keep in mind I am extremely comfortable as well as have great deals of experience toying around with bags.
Right: big size vs. medium.
The Details
Now let’s talk about the bag itself! The leather’s odor is absolutely amazing, particularly thinking about these bags are practically twenty years old. It’s a fairly rigid leather so it preserves its shape well, however it’s not so rigid that the leather feels fake or cardboard like. All four of my bags are in amazing shape after some TLC, as well as I believe a great deal of that has to finish with the heartiness of the leather, however it’s a double edged sword as the bag is extremely heavy. To put it in point of view each of them are heavier than my Birkin 35. I believe part of that is, of course, all the metal, however likewise just the leather itself is dense.
The bags are beautifully made, the leather is high high quality with a good huge grain making the bag quite scratch resistant (though the bag will show much more marks when dried out) as well as I certainly feel no requirement to infant them whatsoever. The lining is made from material with two pockets that are very useful for smaller bits like my secrets as well as passport. The big size fits my 17″ MacBook pro with sufficient space for the charger, a difficult drive, as well as all of my other everyday brings as well as might be utilized as a carryall or overnight bag no problem. personally I believe the medium is the ideal size for daily as well as I am currently on the search for a great offer on a mini.
I’ve noted the dimensions as well as some size references below:
Right: big size vs. shoulder.
Measurements taken in inches with bags stuffed:
Large: 16W x 10H x 7D
Shoulder: 14W x 9H x 6D
Medium: 12W x 9H x 6D
Mini: 9W X 6h X 3D (taken from web as I do not yet own).
For recommendation I am 5 feet tall as well as a size U.S. 12
Medium, on left, vs. big shown here
I won’t lie this bag has been very fun to compose about as well as research, as well as even much more fun to bring as well as style. There is something so special about having a bit bit of purse history, even if it was for just a short moment in time. I hope to see this bag come back in soon, the high quality is outstanding as well as it has a method of catching eyes as well as compliments. A buddy of mine even explained it as a “kinky equine bag”, which made me laugh. personally I tend to delight in bags that don’t take themselves as well seriously as well as I believe Luella Bartley was fantastic at making fashion fun. The autumn of the Luella Gisele certainly marked the end of an age however possibly we’ll see her in the spotlight once again soon…
Luella Gisele Bags
via The RealReal
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