Swatch Souffle D'or Skin 2004 Fall/Winter - Washing Leather Straps

This Swatch takes casual wear to a new level. I bought it from the charity shop for £8. While it's made of plastic, I think it carries off as a smart looking watch. The watch face is elegant and looks like it's floating. The leather wristband however, has seen better days. 

 

I took the Swatch to the Oxford Street store and replaced the battery for £6. I also bought a new plastic translucent strap for £7. It's perfect as it's low maintenance, doesn't smell and you can get it dirty and wet. While I was there, I asked a salesperson how much she though the watch was worth and she said £80 as it was from the Skin range. I was pretty stoked to hear that!

As for the leather straps, I used Gliptone Leather cleaner spray, designed for cleaning upholstery to give them a good wash. Their products are amazing for leather. Here's what the straps looked like before-

And after three consecutive treatments, the black gunk melted off and I rinsed with cold water. It's not how you're supposed to treat leather but I had nothing to lose. And after drying, here's what the straps look like. Super clean!

Longchamp Metallic Pliage Bronze Large Shopper Bag

Only this summer was I coveting the Longchamp metallic bag which my friend bought on sale for £36. I searched high and low for the same bag but they were sold out. And now I have one for £30 from the charity shop!

There are a few pen marks inside but I figure non visible imperfections are fine and I'm not going to be as bothered keeping the bag pristine. It will inevitably get dirty over time anyway.

As I've never owned a Longchamp bag, I'm not 100% sure if this one is real however I ran a few checks from online research. Here are the characteristics of an authentic Longchamp Pliage:

1) The zipper is YKK branded.
2) The underside of the leather is not furry/shaggy.
3) The imprint of the jockey on the front flap is embossed underside.
4) You can see the fine detail on the zipper pull with the Longchamp logo and jockey. The horse's eye should be well defined.
5) The words modèle déposé at the rear of the flap must have the accent marks.
6) The dimensions of the bag and straps should match the respective bag measurements as given on the Longchamp website.
7) The rear of the snap should have a plastic disc to reinforce against the canvas.
8) The straps are double folded and not filled with tube or stuffing.

The bag fits all of these criterias so I went for it!