This story is a long Prada Wallet related saga.
It’s about a wallet that took over my life for two whole days. It’s a story about greed, a story about recycling, an epic drama about craft… and one Prada wallet.
This silly little thing was the cause of many many hours of my life being wasted:
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Jamesand I were at a thrift store one day looking for some bits and pieces. While we were waiting for the clerk to ring up our purchases it caught my eye from under the glass counter. It was barely noticeable… just a tiny corner of pink peaking out from under a mess of costume jewelery and decorative soaps.They lady brought it up for me to take a look at and I saw the price tag… as well as the gigantic Prada stamp on the front. I did need a new wallet, my previous Hello Kitty one was fairly thread bare… for only AU$5 even a fake was good value. But thinking of our budget I put it back.
Overnight, stories of friends finding pristine authentic Louis Vitton, Chanel and other high end brands among the thrift store junk floated through my brain. What if it was real, what if I had just missed out on the find of a lifetime? It was certainly decent quality leather whether it was a fake or not… it was just a bit beaten and up and dirty. |
So I decided to venture back… and if it was still unsold I would take that as a sign from fate that it was meant to be.
And it was. And I bought it.
And thus started an obsession that lasted several hours.
I used Twitter to find out more about Prada and how to discern a fake. In the process I had a hilarious conversation with Cheesie and Audand was given lots of advice from others!
I googled and googled, finding number after number of “Signs to tell it’s real” websites. I’m sure an aficionado of high end brands would have spotted in a moment what I was searching for but as someone who has never handled anything of a high end brand it was an adventure for me. Had I stumbled onto the holy grail of thrift store finds?
- Quality of the stitching…Check.
- Quality of the lining…Check.
- Leather stamp inside and out…Check
- Correct establishment date… Check
- Correct curve of the “R”… Check
- Prada branded zip and closure… FAIL.
Ok so it failed the final test… I have to admit I was slightly disappointed. The day dreams of selling it to pay for a trip to Japan or a puppy suddenly plummeted just like the bank balance of someone who had just bought a real Prada wallet.
But then I thought for a little while… even if it wasn’t going to be buying me a pony it was still quite a nice wallet. I liked the leather even it was a bit dirty, I liked the colour, I liked the size and I liked the idea of having a new cute wallet.
So out came the leather cleaner, glue gun, ribbon and lace… and my new wallet was born!
I scrubbed the leather clean with a combination of leather cleaner and a moisture sealant to make it nice and tough again.
I hot glued lace all around the edges on both inside and out to strengthen and disguise the cracked edges.
I found some matching pink polka dot ribbon in my stash and added accents to cover damage and add strength. I think it accents the card holder spots beautifully.
And finished off with a bow.
Even though it turned out to be a fake this pre-loved $5 wallet was worth every penny. It entertained me for two days, it gave me great conversations with my friends online and offline, it brought out my creativity and thriftiness, it sharpened my google-fu skills and it’s now holding all of my money, cards and old receipts. 1 month on, it’s in better condition than when I found it. Now it is the ultimate hime style wallet!
Very pleased!
And my idea is catching on, when I was in Melbourne, Super Kawaii Mamathought the idea was so cool, she re-vamped her old wallet too!
The verdict= $5 for several days of entertainment and a fantastic wallet is a great deal ^_^
Real Prada wallet or not, I can’t say I really care!
