Marc By Marc Jacobs Baby Groovee Fall 2007 Bordeaux

As much as I love my Longchamp Pliage, I had serious handbag envy to kill. There's a chilli red Mulberry I perv on in the ladies change room at my gym. 

I used to think that red was not my colour but I found a red I like. It's burgundy, the colour of the MBMJ Groovee bag I bought from Ebay. I took a risk because I've never seen one in real life. 

It's a funny story. At first I was happy when it finally arrived from the Netherlands. Then I realised the lining was nothing I had seen on the internet. Upon closer inspection, the bag I received was different to the other Groovee bags on Ebay so I swiftly sent a message to the seller:

"I received the bag today and it s clearly a fake. The main reasons are: 1) The lining is wrong-it should be the oversized Marc Jacobs lettering in monochrome print. 2) The main zipper pull and large hexagonal rivets do not have Marc by Marc Jacobs imprinted on them. 3) The shape of the hardware on the shoulder strap is completely wrong. Also there is no designer name imprint and the buckles connected to strap should be round, not square. If you do a comparison of other Marc By Marc Jacob Groovee bags on Ebay or the internet, you will see what I mean. Photos of the bag I received is attached. I require a full refund and if you wish for the bag to be returned, you will need to reimburse me for the shipping cost. Looking forward to hearing from you."

After trawling through The Purse Forum, I realised that the bag was one of the first to be launched in the Groovee line. This bag was from the Fall 2007 line and the features I pointed out were actually legit. Oops! 

The seller told me that the bag was bought in 2008 and in fact the leather is better then than the current line. At the point I was happy and very apologetic for making a rash accusation. 

So here is my lovely new/old red bag. It's much heavier than my Longchamp but it's cuter and the leather speaks for itself. For it's age, it's in excellent condition. 

I moisturised the bag by smothering it with Wheelers Natural Beeswax Leather Balm. I massage it in generously with my hands. But not too much as it will smooth out the pebbled leather. I let the bag hang out to absorb overnight. The next morning I buff the excess out with a soft sock and voila! 

After buffing I let it hang to dry for another 12 hours to ensure the balm fully absorbs.

Pebbled leather, eye-poppingly luscious!