Pre-owned Loewe

Nappa is where you begin with Loewe, because the house began as a leather workshop in Madrid. On a used bag it softens further and picks up a faint sheen where a hand or a shoulder has rested. On the Puzzle, the flat panels are stitched into a shape that folds, so the panel seams sit on the outside. Read the stitching at the handle base and the corners first, since a repair may show there as thread of a different weight or colour. On the Hammock, the sides drop open or pull closed, and the leather bends at the same points each time it is carried, so look for creasing along those folds.

Where the calfskin is firmer, it keeps a sharper edge. Wear shows as rubbed colour at the corners, and the engraved hardware sitting on it should be crisp and the same tone across every clasp, zip pull and foot. If one foot reads darker than the rest, compare it with the base before you decide what that means.

Suede and calf interiors mark more easily than the outside. Check the lining for ink, for colour transfer from the exterior and for softening at the pocket edges, where fingers go every day.

Wool, leather and heavy cotton make up the clothing, and you buy these for the fabric more than the label. Wool pills at the cuffs and under the arms. Heavy cotton fades at the seams. Leather clothing creases at the elbows and softens across the back.

Shoe leather is where wear is easiest to read and hardest to hide. Look at the sole, the heel edge and the toe, and set what you see against the condition written for that pair.

Start with the bags, then look at the accessories, clothing and shoes. The condition of each piece is described on its page, and where a laboratory document exists the page says so. The price you see is the final published price.