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Choosing and Caring for a Handbag

Choosing and Caring for a Handbag

ChoosingTips from designers and manufacturers on how to get the best bag for your buck
Choosing Your Bag
  • Bags with piping wear faster along the corners, but piping is fairly easy to repair or replace.
  • White topstitching on a bag soils quickly, making the bag look older than it is. But the stitching can be cleaned or replaced by a professional.
  • Stay away from bags with handles that are not stitched along the edges of the straps. Handles that are only glued will eventually separate. "Nothing is stronger than stitching," says Tony Pecorella, owner of Modern Leather Goods, in New York City.
  • "The fewer moving parts, the better," says Christopher Moore, owner of Artbag, a handbag repair shop in New York City. Fewer pieces mean less possibility of breakage.
  • Pebbled leather will wear better over time. It shows fewer scratches and rain spots. Smooth leather, like calfskin, can be sensitive to scratches but is easily restored by a handbag specialist.

    Caring for Your Bag
  • About once or twice a year, treat your leather bag with a neutral (colorless) shoe polish (such as Meltonian; $2.75, www.shoeshinekit.com) to keep it conditioned.
  • For repairs and stains, avoid the dry cleaner and shoe repair shop (there's too high a risk of damage from the wrong machines or tools). Instead, take it to a handbag professional, like Artbag, in New York City (www.artbag.com). People send bags to Artbag from around the country.
  • Never store a leather handbag in plastic, which can dry the bag out or stick to the leather. Stuff the bag with tissue paper or an old T-shirt to maintain the shape. Place the handbag in the felt bag it came in or a pillowcase and store upright.

    How to Keep Shoes in Shape

    How to Keep Shoes in Shape

    HowProfessional or at-home repairs that will save your soles.

    When to Go to a Pro
    While you can do a few quick repairs at home, it's often easier ? and just as affordable ? to make that (wobbly) trip to the shoe-repair shop.

    Broken Heel
    The Solution: A shoe pro can replace the metal pin that runs down the center of the heel. "Replace both heels at once for better balance," says Louise Ramuta of Ramuta's Shoe Repair, in Seattle.
    Cost: $10 to $30 per heel.
    Options:If your stilettos tend to snap, create a sturdier pair of shoes by having the shop grind a quarter inch off the existing heels. Cost: $10.

    Torn Strap
    The Solution: Your shoe repairman can sew, glue, or tack a ripped strap back into place. Resist the urge to DIY with superglue, says Ramuta ? it tends to crack leather.
    Cost: $6 to $12 per strap.
    Options: If your straps are so brittle that you'd rather have them replaced, a shoe repairman can sew on a new, bone-colored strap, then dye it to match your shoes. Cost: $15 to $18.

    Worn-Out Soles
    The Solution: "Replace your soles when the centers feel soft and spongy," says Frank Sorrentino, who replaces 50 to 100 soles a week as owner of Mont Clare Shoe Repair, in Chicago.
    Cost: $25 to replace leather soles; $15 to replace rubber soles.
    Options: Apply thin rubber sole guards to the bottoms of new shoes to prolong their life. When the guards wear out, you can replace them rather than the soles. Cost: $15 to $20.

    Ill-Fitting Slingbacks
    The Solution: Your shoe repairman can shorten the straps, add elastic, or punch an extra hole in the buckle, says Nick Valenti of B. Nelson Shoes, in New York City.
    Cost: $5 and up to shorten the straps or add an extra hole; $8 and up to add elastic. Options: Transform slingbacks into slides by having the back straps removed. Ask a shoe pro for advice, though, since the front part alone might not be enough to hold your foot. Cost: $5.

    Fading Color
    The Solution: To restore your black pumps to their original shade, pros remove as much of the existing color as possible, then apply at least two coats of dye, allowing 48 hours between coats.
    Cost: $12 to $20.
    Options: If those pink slingbacks are now a bit too Barbie for your tastes, you can dye them a new color, like black, navy, or camel. However, going from light to dark works best. Cost: $12 to $20.

    Badly Scuffed or Torn Shoes
    The Solution: A shoe repairman can sand and smooth the plastic base of the heel or replace the heel cover. But if there are deep gouges in the leather, you may need new shoes.
    Cost: $20 to $30.
    Options: If your dog is the culprit, Valenti recommends spritzing your shoes with bitter apple. RS pick: Grannick's Bitter Apple Spray, $5, PetSmart, www.petsmart.com.

    Boots That Don't Fit in the Calf
    The Solution: Can't get that zipper all...the...way...up? Your shoe-repair shop can stretch the calf area or add a zipper or an elastic gusset (a triangular insert that allows more stretch up top).
    Cost: $15 to stretch the calf area; $35 to add an elastic gusset or a zipper.
    Options: Alternatively, if your boots are too big up top, have them taken in. "We take the boot apart, recut it to fit the contour of your leg, then resew it," says Sorrentino. Cost: $35 and up.

    Uncomfortable Pointy-Toes Shoes
    The Solution: If your pointiest shoes have become unbearable, your shoe repairman can give them a more comfortable round-toe shape by using a round mold, says Ramuta.
    Cost: $35 and up.
    Options: You can also go from round to pointy-toed or change your conservative pumps into open-toed shoes. Cost: $35 and up.

    When to Do It Yourself
    You're not quite ready to hand tool a pair of loafers, but you can do your own quick fixes to solve these common shoe problems.
    Scratched Leather
    The Solution: Camouflage scratches on black or brown shoes with a matching fine Sharpie pen, then apply a cream polish in the same color. Buff the leather with an old T-shirt, then top off the job with a horsehair brush (plastic bristles leave marks).
    What to Use: Meltonian Shoe Cream, about $3 at shoe-repair shops. Horsehair brush, $7, www.joesshoeservice.com.

    Salt Stains
    The Solution: To remove salt marks on leather or suede, Ada Hopkins, a conservator at the Bata Shoe Museum, in Toronto, recommends using a soft sponge dipped in a solution of one cup of water and one teaspoon of white vinegar.
    What to Use: White vinegar (16 ounces), about $1 at supermarkets.

    Bad Odor
    The Solution: Shoe deodorants with odor-absorbing ingredients, like baking soda and charcoal, will help. But your best bet is to "wear them on alternate days to give them time to dry out," says Tom Adams, owner of Tom's Shoe Repair, in Mineral Point, Wisconsin.
    What to Use: Odor-Eaters Foot & Sneaker Spray Powder, $6 at drugstores.

    Water Damage
    The Solution: If you get caught in a downpour, place your rain-soaked shoes on cedar shoe trees (cedar absorbs moisture) as soon as you get home. Make sure they're at least a few feet away from a direct heat source so they can dry naturally.
    What to Use: Cedar shoe trees, $17, .

    Shoes That Are Too Small
    The Solution: Spray-on shoe-stretching liquid makes leather more pliable, says Howard Davis, a professor of footwear design at Parsons the New School for Design, in New York City. Saturate your shoes with the spray, then wear them around the house for about a half hour.
    What to Use: Premier Shoe Stretch, $3, www.shoeshinekit.com.

    Shoes That Are Too Large
    The Solution: Insert Spenco pads, which have a thick, flat insole and a heel grip in the back to fill out a shoe that's a bit too big. "Your shoe will feel a half-size smaller," says Ramuta. Note: These pads work only with closed shoes, like pumps and boots - not sandals.
    What to Use: Spenco Heel Supports, about $20, www.spenco.com for store locations.

    Dry, Brittle Leather
    The Solution: Perspiration usually keeps leather lubricated, but if your shoes have been sitting in storage over the summer, you can apply cream polish or mink oil to restore them. And if patent-leather pumps have lost their shine, use Windex or Pledge, says Nick Valenti.
    What to Use: Meltonian Mink Oil, $4, www.shoeshinekit.com.
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