New Hancock And Moore Leathers Spring 2010

[drcollie]

Correct. A moot point on that leather, however.....its already been dropped (just got a fax today) along with Echo Magenta, Gina Sable, and the Terra Cotta Burnished leathers. Too bad, Caribou I thought would be big.

[nhpinnacles]

Which one was dropped the Caribou or the Capri?

[drcollie]

The Caribou was not picked up by H&M. Either the supplier can't deliver in a timely manner or there didn't sell well at Market....

[Odd I/O]

Burnished leathers are always GR3, they are simply GR2 hides that are glazed or hand-antiqued at H&M. Embossed leathers are considerably more complex and usually GR 5 price class.

Duane that's why I was surprised that you had the Tangiers burnished leathers (with crocodile skin pattern) listed as a grade 3 and not grade 5. It's good to have these types of leathers in a more affordable grade. Is there a reason these are a grade 3 and not a grade 5 like Nile Croc Burnished/the Cayman series or any of the other animal print leathers?

The only other grade 3 animal print is the Lizard Bisque.

[nhpinnacles]

My favorite leather is the Capri Butternut are there any of the new leathers in the less expensive grades that in your opinion may have the same soft feel and taylor well on the Austin 2038 ?

[drcollie]

Nothing is going to feel like Capri! That's a unique hide, and expensive. Only its sister hide, Quintessence is similar. Its also a GR4, has less protection on it and less special effects. That new Caribou was very nice and similar in a GR3, but it never got out of the starting gate for some reason.

[drcollie]

Duane that's why I was surprised that you had the Tangiers burnished leathers (with crocodile skin pattern) listed as a grade 3 and not grade 5. It's good to have these types of leathers in a more affordable grade. Is there a reason these are a grade 3 and not a grade 5 like Nile Croc Burnished/the Cayman series or any of the other animal print leathers?

The only other grade 3 animal print is the Lizard Bisque.

Grades are not quality grades, they are pricing grades. H&M can buy certain hides for less than others depending on country of origin, complexity of the specialty hide, etc. They can source some for less cost than others.

[nhpinnacles]

Does Capri have less protection than other aniline's I thought they were all some what equal in that regard.

Also looking at Southwood sofas the interior seat depth is on average 23-24 inches which seems as if it would not offer any lower back support for the average person. Do they seat deep or are the back cushions fuller or somehow different than other brands ? I have found a fabric of theirs that I like but the sofa depth has me concerned. I wonder if Taylor King has the same fabric its pattern # 1759-05 Red Chenille Diamond when you have a chance could you check and see if they do. Then I could just order one of there sofas instead. Thanks Susan

[drcollie]

Hi Susan,

Different leathers have various resistance to spills and stains, and Capri is pretty good at sluffing off most. Best way is to order samples, then take them to your kitchen and spill things on the swatches and see what rolls off - and what doesn't. Use a reasonable standard of course (putting 10w-30 motor oil on leather may be fun to see the result, but in reality its unlikey to ever be around a high end sofa). Once you do that, you can decide what you can live with - or not.

Southwood doesn't sit particularly deep, I'd give them an "average" sit. Its hard to buy on dimensional measurements, because they're not all that accurate and seat height comes into play, density of foam, spring tensions, back angles, etc. As a rule I like the way most Southwood sits - I have seven of their pieces in my own home.

I can't cross check fabrics for you, sorry. There are 1,400 Southwood fabrics and nearly 2,000 Taylor King ones in no particular order. It would take me three to four hours to try to do that.

[choubeck]

Duane that's why I was surprised that you had the Tangiers burnished leathers (with crocodile skin pattern) listed as a grade 3 and not grade 5. It's good to have these types of leathers in a more affordable grade. Is there a reason these are a grade 3 and not a grade 5 like Nile Croc Burnished/the Cayman series or any of the other animal print leathers?

The only other grade 3 animal print is the Lizard Bisque.

I had a chance to view and compare a piece made up in the Tangier and the Nile Croc Burnished side-by-side and overall the Tangier was very similar. The print is perhaps a bit less natural looking and the hand a bit less soft, but for the price it was very impressive.

Also, the Echo series was really impressive in person. Not an animal print obviously, but the hand and overall look was fantastic. I preferred it to the Continental I saw made up.