time, I did a full, cold wash with a tiny amount of liquid soap (for laundry purposes rather than toiletry soap). It was a bit reckless but I felt there was no point in half measures. I did mean to add a couple of pillow cases as a buffer during the spin but I forgot. But bear in mind it was a tough, well-worn, old school leather - nothing buttery soft about it!
<disclaimer> This is not an endorsement - I seem to have got away with it but there's no guarantee I will next time!

Voltefarce · 03/04/2023 18:02

I’ve certainly put leather bags in the washing machine before, on a delicates wash. They come out a little more porous than normal, but with some renapur are good as new. Insert disclaimer here.

Original poster

botemp · 04/04/2023 08:23

I used to have some Cos clothes with leather details (the soft thinner kind, yes buttery), after the dry cleaner charged me a mega fortune for cleaning one item with leather details I just chucked it in the wash. The results were actually better than from the specialist cleaner. I think it just went in with the delicates, it's the rest of the item that gave up the ghost eventually, the leather details seemed indestructible. I've heard about bags but never tried it, I do assume some would lose colour as I've had bags that would leak colour in the rain.

Time, it's more than just blackface if they're going the whole gamut of diversity. And my question is whether AI is going to determine which one I get to see (first) like with Netflix where they alter the image/poster thing depending on user? I've always been very skeptical on the representation research (it's in the woolly research end of social sciences where politics slip in easily), I think I'd be quite annoyed to constantly be shown someone that they think looks like me instead of a variation of people because they think that would make me more inclined to buy (or maybe the AI will be sophisticated enough to know I prefer a polar opposite of myself 🤔).

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Redandblue11 · 04/04/2023 14:31

A bland world and sold by AI 🙄

I am an optimistic and all that I hope will balance itself out by people’s creativity and by common sense. In my industry there is a huge push by certain clients to be producing digital twins and super smart systems that can do it all, at the end the cleverest system is always the simplest and really AI is not quite there yet for stuff that really matters.
there might be a market for people that like the comfort of certain aesthetics and predictability, but there is also a large portion of the population that have an itch to see and wear and feel different things, no right or wrong I think it just depends on the individual.
I have noticed that in the coffee bars, but interestingly late last year a new coffee place opened in my town with a different look to those and comfy sofas and proper comfy chairs and no bland colours in sight and is the most popular place always full, the other two hipster coffee places are also full.

Redandblue11 · 04/04/2023 14:32

It does piss me off thought the use of those AI models.

Floisme · 04/04/2023 16:10

I'm still too scared to read that article. I'm reminded of the first time I saw Bladerunner and thought the plot was preposterous.

To be fair, we do have coffee shops with comfy chairs in these parts, it's just that the coffee is invariably shite. There seems to be an unwritten law that you can only drink decent coffee if you're prepared to sit on a plank.

Anyway my friends, it's looking good for the leather jacket. There's not enough light for a photo now but I'll try and remember to take one in the morning.

Redandblue11 · 04/04/2023 16:34

leather jacket sounds promising Flo!
these last two days have been sunny sunny so I am thinking about light colours and sandals again but I have not seen anything that really caught my attention yet.
the only thing that I keep looking from time to time is Farm Rio stuff…

Original poster

botemp · 04/04/2023 17:21

I tend to lean cynical/pessimistic and AI is yet to really trouble me. It's great for dumb tasks, I can see its potential there. But from playing around with ChatGPT it's very obvious that the quality of its output is very much determined by how you pose the question/set the brief so it's not that time saving. For now, aside from coding (which still requires lots of checks and it looks promising for building websites) it's just for people to have fun and write crack fanfiction. I'd be worried if I were a graphic designer though...

I always avoided the independent coffee shop look though, but I'm no coffee fan so that's not really a sacrifice. Did people not notice previously? It's up there with the tourist trap restaurants of matching table cloths/staff shirts. It kind of slots in with my annoyance rants about fake LGBTQ gentrified areas. On the flip side, hotels all look the same these days so I tend to be a lot less picky about them, so that's kind of worked against them as I spend much less now 🤷

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Original poster

botemp · 06/04/2023 16:04

Antwerp sample sales dates for anyone interested, May 9th-14th. Dries van Noten requires an appointment but I haven't received a notification of that yet.

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Floisme · 06/04/2023 17:27

What are the fights be like on ChatGPT? I'm feeling so cantankerous today I got into an argument on a thread about Vinted. I don't even use Vinted.

It's not so much the look of coffee shops that annoys me, just as long as the coffee is decent, it's the wooden seats. I tell you, the softer the seats, the worse the coffee.

I'll look forward to reports if anyone gets to the sample sales.

Original poster

botemp · 06/04/2023 17:45

Flo do I need to host an Intervention? First you're barging in on trainer threads with no interest in trainers and now Vinted 🧐

ChatGPT can be pretty snarky but I've yet to make it fight itself. I shall report back, maybe something about handbags...

There's a lot of soft seat places here, I don't know about the coffee but for me it always spells soggy cake (frozen cake that sort of sits in it defrosted juices 🤢).

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Floisme · 06/04/2023 17:49

It's ok bo I backed away in time and went to the coffee shop. I'm all caffeine and sunshine now.

Original poster

botemp · 06/04/2023 18:01

Well I asked ChatGPT how poster of S&B would respond whether to buy a community bench or designer handbag and I think I've broken ChatGPT MN S&B seems to be safe for now...

I asked for a passive aggressive tone instead but it didn't seem very PA to me 🤷 and it didn't feel very Mumsnet to me in tone.

Les Parisiennes des Mamansnet: JesusFlo Superstar in a Back Lit Kaftan (Toyboy Not Included)

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Floisme · 06/04/2023 18:19

What does it say about 'frumpy'?

Floisme · 06/04/2023 18:21

Poster 2 is definitely on S&B, or at least pops in from time to time

Original poster

botemp · 06/04/2023 18:33

Getting more specific with the request seems to help, this is more like it. I didn't mean agro provoking more thought provoking, when asked for that additionally, I really do seem to have broken it. It says error and it won't respond anymore 💔

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Floisme · 06/04/2023 18:41

Ooh I like the passive aggressive one, I may use that. Not tonight though.

mm47 · 07/04/2023 05:27

bo more please, I’m trying to think of the many things that always turn into a shitstorm in double quick time on MN S&B! And flo is your leather jacket dry yet 😉

Redandblue11 · 07/04/2023 10:30

I have genuinely lost the plot here … what are those post extracts? Is that Bo trying to break AI or something else?
Trying to read this while in a car heading to my annual trip to the festival of antiques in Peterborough.
sample sales … May always tricky as I have too many things and that partially clashes with my trip to Amsterdam … I wonder if I can move one of the legs and head from Amsterdam there…

Original poster

botemp · 07/04/2023 10:40

Amsterdam to Antwerp by train is fairly easy to do Red and not very expensive, just book it a week in advance at the latest for the cheapest prices and you can take any train on that day (except the Thalys).

Yes the screenshots are me annoying ChatGPT, it really doesn't like conflict and prefers consensus opinion. I asked it to respond like posters on MN S&B. I'd ask it more but it really is stuck in error mode after asking for a thought provoking post. I'd have to start up a new query (not that hard). I'd probably do better if I gave it profiles of archetype MN posters and respond accordingly but despite unexpectedly having oodles of time after having to cancel our holiday due to circumstances I'm poorly motivated.

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Floisme · 07/04/2023 11:45

Ta da, I finally remembered the photos!

The sleeves are slightly less roomy now so it doesn't fit as easily over lots of layers or a chunky jumper but that's a small price to pay for not being followed around by the smell of mildew. And the shape is exactly what I'd been looking for all this time. It's the kind of leather that you used to have to wear for a couple of years before it started to look good but then it would just get better and better, so I'm very grateful to the original owner, whoever they are, for breaking it in for me.

Floisme · 07/04/2023 11:49

Ffs sorry. I took a second pic where it's just lying flat but it won't post

RhadamanthNemes · 08/04/2023 00:30

I'm loving that jacket @Floisme

mm47 · 08/04/2023 07:50

💐💐💐bo for holiday cancellation- virtual flowers are small consolation so I hope you will have a lot of fun at the Antwerp sample sales when they start.

and flo what a result, your jacket looks like it’s coming into its prime in terms of beaten upness, it really suits you. I imagine the sleeves will stretch out a bit with wear (like shoes do IYSWIM).

Floisme · 08/04/2023 08:04

Yes I'm really pleased. It's very satisfying when you spend ages looking for something and then find it. The colour is just right too - I didn't want black.

It's really brought home to me the difference between old school leather jackets, which were horribly stiff and demanded a commitment from you to wear them in, but that then got better and better, and modern ones which are beautifully soft from the beginning but don't wear half as well.

I'm sorry to hear about your holiday bo.

Hope everyone has a good Easter, whatever you're doing.

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