DIY Review: Tarrago Leather Dye Bright Red 102

I already wrote about my experiences with Tarrago Leather Dye here, but I felt another review was needed, since things went slightly differently this time around.

I bought this cute little Abro handbag for $15 (near $500 retail) at a swap meet in Saugus. I had no idea at the time, but Abro is a German company which makes really fabulous and current-looking bags, shoes, belts, and wallets. The one I spotted was a bit worse for wear, with the color faded and uneven - but in the end, the bag lover in me couldn't let the buttery-soft leather remain discolored and un-restored.

 My super-helpful internet friends at You Look Fab helped me decide on a bright tomato red for this bag, so I ended up ordering Tarrago's Bright Red dye. Recommendations had previously suggested way too much dye (3 bottles for boots when I only used 1/2 a bottle - and 2 bottles for a handbag when I only used 1), so this time I only bought a single bottle.

Check out the bag after a single coat of dye - my spidey sense was already telling me that I would run out of dye before the project was complete.

True to my fears, after 2.5 coats of dye, I still had not achieved bottle color. I suspect that the very high contrast between the pale blue and red colors - plus the fact that this bag sports more straps, flaps, and pockets - accounts for the disparity.

In the end, I was happy with the color after about 1.5 bottles of dye.

Seeing as how that left me with 1/2 bottle extra, I attacked a pair of black leather loafers that, while still cute, looked a little worse for wear and brought me up to an unnecessary amount of black footwear.

I don't know if it's because the shoe leather had been treated to be more durable than the bags or what, but the dye didn't cover as well as it had on my other projects. Even after about 6 coats, the shoes were not a perfectly solid red. If I could do it again, I might try stripping the leather with acetone or bleach before applying the dye. Maybe next time!

Still, the texture is kind of cool, and it's hardly noticeable at all when you look down at them from eye level. Plus, I scored a few compliments on these babies at work!