Miracle Vintage Restorations from THe HUnt - Louis Vuitton and Chanel

TEXT, VIVIAN KELLY

I love old things - that is, old, beautiful vintage things. Two items from recent HUnt episodes are: a ruined beyond repair Louis V. monogram large sized drawstring bag and a pair of worn-out Chanel slippers.
Where some people see ruin, I tend to see potential, especially if I can pick-up said item for a few $.

The bag was missing a strap when Inga at Deja Vue Again sold it to me. She didn't have to do much selling, as I pretty much almost knocked-her up against the cash register to grab it before someone else spotted it [even though no one else was in the consignment shop that moment]. I left with it in a plastic Burberry bag, having paid $50 cash.

A few weeks later, I succumbed and made a deal with Inga to buy the Chanel slippers - badly scuffed and in need of new heels - for $65. Pre-Xmas, I'd passed at the $85 she wanted for them, citing "high repair costs".

Now, with my two latest treasures in hand, I set-about going to my go-to shoe repair guy, FELIPE, at Shoe Service Plaza in Bethel, CT. Felipe was one of the right-hand shoe and bag repair experts at the former Shoe Service in Midtown Manhattan in the Nineties. Back then, Shoe Service, was not just any old shoe repair shop - it was THE shoe and bag repair that Vogue and Harper's Assistants had on speed dial for fashion emergencies. It was also conveniently located near the old Manolo Blahnik store and the fact, that according to Felipe, the owner spoke half-a -dozen languages, was extremely helpful.
Today, lucky for me, Felipe and I have found one-another, thanks to friend Pat Murphy, who runs Bring-N-Buy Designer Consignment with her daughter Tina. Since Pat told me about Felipe a few months ago, Felipe and his brother's shop are on my speed dial today, in 2011 and #78 Stony Hill Road - Red Wood Plaza is on my weekly circuit.

The Projects So Far -
The Chanels - done! Picked them up today. Total cost of new heels, half sole and fixing the torn leather= $42.

The Louis Vuitton Bag - a work in progress. The guys have located just the right piece of lambskin to refashion the strap that goes around the body and they're working on redoing the bottom. I'll have it - "soon", but I'm in no rush. Good things are worth waiting for.