iPods and Coach Bags!

[jedishampoo]

iPods and Coach purses in today's update!

Thanks for your suggestions about MP3 players, all-- I bought an iPod Nano, 8GB, 5th generation, and it's green and tiny and adorable. Now I just have to figure out how to delete songs from it-- when I synced it the first time, iTunes found every song on my computer, whether I wanted it on the iPod or not. The aux jack on my car stereo lets me play it in the car, woot!

As for Coach bags... I have one I bought myself a while back. I love her. Her name is Priscilla and she is pink suede and I love her. When I first got her, I carried her everywhere on my lap and wouldn't even put her on the cleanest floor.

Except... I dropped her in the garage. Of all filthy places to drop your suede Coach bag! She had icky black stains. Well, she came with a little cleaning bar and brush, which I attempted to use as per directions. Except they only made it worse! The pink started coming off, and the stains got blacker. I don't know if you can tell in the picture (below the cut), but there are weird stains, and the suede is so bright and fine and soft that I'm afraid to scrub it more. :(

ANYway, I went to Macy's, where I bought her, and they said to call Coach. I called Coach corporate, and they cannot help me, cannot offer cleaning, or whatever. I called a Coach store and asked for a place that could clean my purse safely and they cannot recommend a place, because chances are it will get messed up even more and I will blame them. :(

Does anybody have any suggestions? My cleaners down the street won't even clean rugs, so I daren't ask them. What sort of place would I look for that could do fine-cleaning like this?





Isn't she lovely? SO... if I cannot clean her properly, do you think she's still carryable? Will people look at me and say "look at that woman's messed-up Coach purse!" Or am I insane for being concerned over those little black smudges? :) IT COULD BE THAT I AM CRAZY. Well, shit, that was an EXPENSIVE freakin' purse.

::hugs y'all::

Comments

[whymzycal.livejournal.com]

Huzzah for the iPod! (Just re-sync it with the playlists you want checked, and it should delete the stuff you don't want.)

Priscilla is bright and cheerful! And she looks very, very soft. I think she looks fine. I mean, a purse is going to get a bit dirty eventually, so I think you can easily carry her still. Don't go by me, though. I wouldn't know what to do with a girly purse if someone handed me one and gave me instructions. o.o

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

I just need to sit down and fight with iTunes to create playlists. :) Right after I just figured out how to use Windows Media Player! Grrr..

She is soooo soft. There is striped satin inside. I just wish I hadn't dropped her. Sigh.

::hugs::

[caeseria.livejournal.com]

Honestly it doesn't look that bad to me. I would be inclined to leave it..because suede is a bitch to clean, and it depends on what you dropped it in as well. In my handy-dandy book it says to clean Tar (I guessed) with ecalyptus oil dabbed on and then dab with lighter fluid, but I doubt if you want to try that, incase it makes it a whole lot worse.

I thought Coach bags came with a super lifetime warranty against basically everything??

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

I fear the lighter-fluid solution, but thank you, dearest! :) Well, a little bird sent me the name of a leather cleaner, so I can always "consult." But if it's too expensive/they'll fuck it up, I'll just carry it.

I guess Coach used to be all about customer service, but I guess now it's just about awesome purses. :)

[sakuraharu.livejournal.com]

Have you thought about stopping by a really expensive hotel and asking the concierge where you can get an expensive suede purse cleaned? Given the clientele at those kinds of places they must have fielded the question before. And it's not like there's a shortage of hotels where you live...

I find it very, very amusing that you named your purse. The thing is, she really does look like a Priscilla!

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

I've also named my car. And a couple of my houseplants. Comes of not having children, I think. :)

Thanks for your thoughts! Someone found me a leather cleaner locally so I'll give them a ring, maybe...

[athena8.livejournal.com]

Oh noes! I'm so sorry you smudged your bag. ;___; I can totally understand how you must feel.

As for cleaners: I once put in a suede jacket to the cleaners, they sent it out in turn to a specialist who worked exclusively with leather. Try to look up some leather specialists and see if you can find any in your area. I'm sure they could give you an estimate.

That being said...I think she's still carryable! It doesn't look so bad in this photo. =)

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

The problem with pink suede-- it hides nothing! At least yours can be cleaned-- at least I hope!

Thanks for the help, dear. ::hugs::

[midnitemaraud-r.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't worry too much. I was expecting big ass smudges - those aren't bad at all. I'd suggest calling a specialized leather store (Like Wilsons or something) and asking them. People have to clean their suede coats and shoes and stuff, you know?

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

Hee, they look like horrible smudges to me, just because I finally had a "fancy purse" and was trying to take care of it! (I'm usually very hard on purses.)

I'll give a leather cleaner a call. Thank ya!

[eliz.livejournal.com]

doubt this works but for my suede birks they suggest emory boards or their special "eraser". Try a gum eraser and tiny strokes to ward against it making it worse

Good luck! I hate it when stuff happens like that!

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

The purse came with a little brush and a weird eraser-looking bar of something... but I don't know if I was using it incorrectly or what.

Thank you! :)

[moshesque.livejournal.com]

Oh that bag is adorable! I'm afraid I don't have suggestions, but I wanted to worship its cuteness. *worships*

I don't know if anyone else has suggested this, but there's an option in iTunes to only synch selected songs by you rather than all of them. You can change the settings in the tabs in iTunes, when you plug the iPod in (or in the FAQ on the Apple site).

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

Yay for Priscilla's cuteness, thank you! ♥♥ She is pretty freaking adorable, just a victim of my bad-purse-luck. :)

I do need to play with iTunes some more-- thanks for letting me know what to look for!

And I'm behind on e-mails again, but that's nothing new. ::hugs::

[sonowakaremichi.livejournal.com]

Whee iPod! :D And it's green! I'm super jealous.

Ouch, I hope you'll find a place where you can clean your bag. It's really cute. (And omg, Coach bags are very expensive.)

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

This purse cost me more than a car payment. Which is why I'm so ticked I dropped it, after spending so much foolishly on a purse, hee!

::hugs::

[lawless523.livejournal.com]

I'm also a little surprised Coach corporate couldn't help you. I have some Coach bags I bought ages ago, when you could buy a Coach handbag for less than $100, and they always took care of it for me (if I remember correctly, the zipper on one went bust, mostly because I put too much stuff in it), but they're leather. I eventually gave up on leather bags, as I'm too hard on them; black microfiber for me now! It's also lighter and less expensive.

As for cleaning it: It doesn't look bad in the picture at all, but on the assumption that eventually other things will happen to it, or wear will get it, it would be a good idea to locate a good suede/leather cleaner now. Look in the phone book, call around, or, as someone else suggested, ask at a store that sells leather goods. It's possible your local dry cleaner knows of some; if they don't do it, they may have referral sources as a courtesy to their customers.

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

Someone did find me a leather cleaner by my house! I just need to get my courage to go and see how much they charge. :)

Yeah, I was a little disappointed that Coach wouldn't/couldn't help me, at least even to give me a name.

[knitress.livejournal.com]

Coach used to have a lifetime guarantee on their bags, but they don't now (different owners, much more fashion driven now which is why they make pink suede!) I agree with calling around / googling for a dry cleaner who does leather and suede.

And you can set up a separate "K's ipod" list in iTunes and just load that list.

Enjoy the nano and I am thinking good thoughts for the purse!

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'd heard all this stuff about Coach's service, but apparently you're right, and that's all changed now. Sigh. :)

Thankya! Hope your weekend is good.

[rroselavy.livejournal.com]

I'm not a "pink" person, but that is a gorgeous bag! It looks fine in the pic, though. You need to find a suede-cleaning professional. Some dry cleaners offer the service.

YAY! for the iPod. In iTunes you need to turn off automatic syncing, then you can create a playlist to update your nano.

**hugs**

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

I need to learn iTunes, methinks! I've been still using WMP on my computer, just 'cause it's so darned easy. :)

Thank you-- the pink is sooo cool, I love it. Hee!

[kispexi2.livejournal.com]

U iz insane.

Of course, my eyesight is crap but I can't even see the smudges!

[helliongoddess.livejournal.com]

Indian people (feathered, not spotted) have always used these white clay balls to clean their buckskins ( http://www.crazycrow.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=6508-000-001&Store_Code=CCTP&search=white+clay&offset=0&filter_cat=&PowerSearch_Begin_Only=&sort=&range_low=&range_high= )

Given how much work goes into the average powwow dance outfit, that should tell you how important keeping them clean is, and with all the beadwork, etc., you can't just send them out to the dry cleaners, and this is the ONLY thing I have ever heard recommended, so I am guessing it's pretty good.

It's certainly cheap (the postage costs more than the clay ball itself - but you might want to order more than one, just in case) so it would sure be worth a try, if you love the bag that much- which I understand, Coach makes great stuff. I believe the white clay works especially well on grease-based stains. Hope this helps.

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

Thank you, ma'am... that looks sort of like the little thingy that came with the purse! Maybe if I go to the leather cleaner, they can show me how to use it properly. D'oh! :)

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

I know, I'm nuts. I realized that in the picture they don't look that bad. And not much worse in person-- but they are all I can see now, 'cause I'm so ticked I dropped it. grrrr... Should never have spent that much, haha!

[kispexi2.livejournal.com]

That's the thing, though, isn't it? When you buy something that perfect, you need it to stay perfect. Even the tinsiest flaw makes you twitchy. There's probably some deep pyschology/philosophical thing going on but it's very annoying.

[seshats-prodigy.livejournal.com]

Ooh! I'm also not a pink person, but what a totally awesome purse!! (Now if it came in purple, I'd be all over that!)

From the picture, it looks alright. And I think it's ok to have a bit of dirt on a purse - that's their job, right? To carry the stuff and keep it safe!

Yay on the nano! I turned off automatic synching and I think my iTunes put EVERYTHING on mine, and at the time I think I had to delete what I didn't want by hand. Bah. Good luck on that front! Mine's a sad little G2 Nano with a paltry 4GB...I feel so old school. **chuckles**

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

Thank you for saying so! Heh, and I wouldn't care about the smudges, except for what I paid for the darned thing... foolish, I tell you. ;)

I need to learn iTunes, darnit!

[jedihealer.livejournal.com]

I love the bag! I find I like pink more and more. I agree with those who suggest finding a good cleaner who deals with suede. And, can you use a special suede protective spray on it to prevent further problems? I have used it on suede shoes and it helped a lot.

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

If I pay to have it professionally leather-cleaned, you can bet your bippy I'll have it protected with something, hah. :) I learned my lesson!

[despina-moon.livejournal.com]

It looks fab to me, darling, but I think Athena is on the right track. It might cost you a pretty penny to get it cleaned by a leather cleaner, but they are the ones. They usually do conditioning and protection too, they'll make her look brand new.

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and she found one in my area, too! Hee, now I just have to buck up and go see how much it will cost me. ::bites nails::

♥♥

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

Yay for the iPod!

Woe on the purse. It looks okay to me, but I wouldn't know a Coach purse if it bit me on the ass, so!

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

Oh, I never thought I'd be the person who bought a Coach purse. Yet here I am. ;) It was so... pink.

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

It's cute! And very pink indeed. :D