While not exactly new designs, Hermes S/S2011 man bags left me wanting them very very much, I don’t know how to cope with them. Besides the bags, I am also so much into the clothes. Oh shit…
Images are courtesy of GQ.com
Hello Purseholic
I am a 30-year old corporate lawyer in Hong Kong and a purseholic. I have been dreaming of owning an Hermes Birkin bag ever since I bought my first designer bag with my first pay cheque (it was a Gucci). Since I have been a good repeat customer to the Hermes store in Central, HK for a few years now, I was recently offered a Togo 35 in gold with gold hardware but for whatever reason, I am now hesitating on whether or not I should get it. The bag is still on hold for me until next Tuesday. What do you think?
Mandy in HK
Hi Mandy
An Hermes Birkin or HAC in size 40 is also one of the bags I will have to have one day. However, the fact that recently I have seen more Birkins in a day compared to say, Vuitton Alma, is pretty off-putting. It could also be one of the reasons you are hesitating now. I don’t have a perfect answer to you but if you looking for something different, try to get a Birkin Jpg like the one Victoria Beckham is carrying in the picture above instead as it is rare. Having said that, the piece that you are being offered by the boutique is a worthy combo (gold Togo with gold hardware in size 35) so if it looks good on you, I think you should go ahead. Why? First, because you have a fabulous day job to justify owning a status bag like the Birkin and second, you could always sell it at some profit if you don’t really like it after a while.
J Purseholic
Write to us at askme@purseholic.com
After 7 years of bringing Hermes from a leather company to a respectable fashion house, Jean Paul Gaultier’s last collection for the French label will be the Spring/Summer 2011 collection. Hermes announced last Thursday that Christophe Lemaire of Lacoste will be taking over as the Artistic Director from the Fall/Winter 2011 collection onwards. It remains to be seen whether Lemaire could fill Gaultier’s shoes but I am pretty excited to see his take on Hermes, a younger, more casual Hermes maybe? Gaultier left Hermes to focus on his own label, of which 45% is owned by Hermes. Hermes’ biggest revenue generator remains its bags and accessories department although the clothes have been garnering rave reviews from the fashion and retail community.
To be fair, Gaultier’s appointment as the Artistic Director of Hermes 7 years ago raised as many eyebrows as Galliano’s appointment by Dior more than a decade ago but it ended up fruitful. Well, the least you could do is to grab all the JPG Birkin you could now. Who knows whether they will discontinue those? Fashionphile has a few pre-owned pieces in stock too, including this beauty in Vert Clemence.
Purseholic does not own the images
Hi Purseholic
Just curious, what are the bags on your wish list now?
Jay, Singapore
Hi Jay
I don’t wish to burst your bubble but honestly there is not any one bag high on my wish list for now. Blame it to the designers who, in my opinion, have been slacking on the man bag department lately. For the next season, however, there are some bags that might trip me back into love.
Gucci Unisex Hobo bag for Fall/Winter 2010
Gucci Fall/Winter 2010 promises the return of the unisex Hobo bag. Like the Jackie and the Bamboo, the Hobo is one of the house’s most iconic bags, made popular mostly by Peter Sellers. I have been waiting for Frida to bring this back into Gucci collection for a few years now and this is exciting me. I just hope it comes in a leather version instead of just the suede version because Singapore climate is just not forgiving to suede.
Givenchy Biker Bag Nightingale
Another bag I am coveting is the Givenchy Nightingale, which reached its IT status thanks to the Olsen twins but is now the house’s staple bag. Givenchy made the man bag out of the classic starting this year with at least two variations for its men’s Fall/Winter 2010 collection. I have not seen the bags in person so I am not sure whether it stands well to the original. However, even if it does not suit my taste eventually, I might just get the large version of the original. Givenchy is opening in Paragon Singapore soon and hopefully it satisfies the society’s cravings for the Nightingale.
Tod’s D Bag Bauletto
Of course, there are also some women bags that I love so much I hope the designers would have the sensibility to pick up the cues and come up with the man bag. If the bag is not girly to begin with and it could be a man bag just by blowing it up, why not? I am talking to Alexander Wang for the Rocco bag and Derek Lam for the Tod’s D Bag Bauletto here.
Hermes HAC 40 in black Clemence
Lastly, there are some classic bags on my list but they will wait simply because: one, I still have not got the moolah to spare and two, I still have other priorities in life (more holidays, more properties, cars, watches and art pieces, to name a few). Those babies are the Loewe Amazona 44 in dark green Ostrich and Hermes Birkin 40/HAC 40 in navy blue Fjord.
Just FYI… if you happen to be feeling generous, I will take any one of the above any time.
J Purseholic
Write to us at askme@purseholic.com
Images are not owned by Purseholic.com
Hey Purseholic
I am buying a purse for a girl I am trying to impress and came across your site when I tried doing research online. I have budget of up to $10,000. She collects designer bags and I need the bag to sweep her of her feet. How about that?
James in NYC
Hi James
Let me be honest. I am sure you are either a young and wealthy banker or a trader or someone who makes similar kind of money too easily. Unfortunately, it is kinda sad to know that you need to throw that kind of money just to impress a girl. No offense intended at all but does your look or personality repel girls?
Anyway, I am going to try to just focus on bags. Since she “collects” designer purses, I am sure the purchase of the season and the classics such as the Chanel flaps, Birkins and Kellys are already in her collection so we need to go exotics next. The question is now, what can USD10,000 get you when it comes to truly impressive bags for a true collectors? A decent alligator skin bag from one of the European designers is definitely out of question, so you will get only Python or Ostrich at the most. I suggest going for one of the Gucci Heritage collection or the YSL Vanity in Ostrich that I posted before and spend the rest of the cash on yourself. It seems like you need some internal confidence boost.
Alternatively, If you are really serious, you need to jack up the game by asking her out, ask her casually what bag tops her wish list and try to get that one. It might cause you a bomb or you will never get it anyway but if you do, it will mean so much more.
Good luck!
J Purseholic
PS: The above Hermes Birkin should cost about USD200,000 now. If you do not intend to ask ever, that one should be impressive enough.
Write to us at askme@purseholic.com
Image is courtesy of Hermes
What will you do to personalize your Hermes Birkin? Stamp it with your initials? Maybe. Hanging an Hermes bag charm on it? Perhaps. Tying a scarf around it? Mostly! For Lady Gaga, she was spotted with a white Birkin, graffitied with Japanese characters that translate to “I love little monster, Tokyo Love”. The “little monster” is what her fans in Japan refers her as, most of the time. I have two questions now – first, who wrote that for her because it does seem neat enough to not to be tacky. Second, will you ever do that to your bag? Then again, Lady Gaga with a plain Hermes Birkin, is really not “Lady Gaga”. Besides, with her fame, I suspect she could just walk into any Hermes store and get a Birkin off the shelf.
Image is courtesy of wireimage.com
Someone help me understand because I couldn’t – What is the point of designing a beautiful and coveted bag and put it on a runway when it is mostly not available at the stores when most people with money want to buy it? Look at this updated Hermes Kelly and how gorgeous and current it looks with the studs all over. I would have rushed to the store and get one but I couldn’t because even if I have the money in cash, I have to wait for years or to pay my dues to Hermes before I could start landing my hand on the prestigious Birkins and such Kellys.
I think the notion that those bags were so prestigious and being less accessible to most people (even the ones with money) were cool but the novelty has somehow run off and in the world today, why can’t Hermes just fulfill the needs of the people who could pay the bags they want right there and then? Wait list of 6 months is tolerable but anything above that, I would rather walk over to the Bottega or Loewe store next door where my money is good today and I get to be treated as a customer.
What a nice Kelly bag featured here from Hermes Fall 2010 Paris show but I bet you need to wait for a long long time to buy one unless you were a wife of a soccer star, star of your own reality show or have splurged enough money on Hermes scarves.
Image is courtesy of style.com