I admit I was doubtful of restoration efforts for my Gray and neon pink Kate Spade purse. My love of dark-wash denim destroyed the delicate gray and the vibrant pink on the backside of this structured tote with a shoulder strap. The purse itself was in great shape, as it only took me a few months of jean-dye transfer to make me never want to wear or use it again. This was back around 2016. Fast forward to this past spring and I am rummaging through my closet, aimlessly searching the internet, looking through catalogs for a purse suitable for a special birthday trip with the family to Las Vegas. I could not find a single purse that I wanted to purchase – even if money were no object. I came across this purse, perched on my closet shelf and I desperately wanted this purse to accompany me to Vegas. I was nervous to send in photos for a quote for the purse to be restored at Rago Brothers before mailing it. I thought their answer would be “no” – that nothing could be done about this purse. That could have been their answer even when mailing it, but I sent it fully insured anyways. This was on April 6th, and I submitted the lengthy list of items to be repaired/recolored and the neon pink wallet for color comparison of what the purse color was supposed to be (pre-jean-dye exposure). To my surprise, I was contacted via email immediately when the purse arrived at Rago Brothers. They provided me a quote over the phone to do the repairs and I was ecstatic. Now I was only nervous that I may not receive the purse in time for our trip the first week of May. This was one of two purse/wallet combinations that I sent on April 6th to the Rago Brothers. I thought for sure it would take the longest to repair, but it was returned as good as new on April 20th, with plenty of time before our trip to Vegas. It was impeccably repaired. It was as though I was looking at this purse coming brand-new out of the Kate Spade box and tissue paper, 5 years earlier. I received compliments, but the best was from a friend we went to dinner with who leaned over to her husband saying she wanted “that” purse, and me thinking that the poor friend will need to wait for this style/color to resurface again or search eBay because this purse is no longer available. This speaks to the incredible craftsmanship of Rago Brothers but also the timeless beauty of Kate Spade purses. I love that I was able to give this purse a second life. In a way, it honors the lives (especially ones in the materials) used to make this purse. The only thing I can remark on improving the experience is that I wish Rago Brothers would provide a way to pay insurance for the purse’s return home trip from Rago Brothers, or somewhere on their website that gave an option for a signature required upon delivery. Perhaps this would not be as critical for the purses I had restored (both of which arrived safely to the home that we work from), but I know some couture purses I would not want to sit in wait to be poached by a porch pirate. And for this added security I would pay an additional fee.
