3 Hermes in 2 days

hermesgroupie

hermesgroupie

Orange crush
Feb 12, 2006
8,826
38
#1
.........and I managed to squeeze the Getty in as well. My family lives in the Central Valley of California, halfway between SF and LA so this is why I decided to take that road trip of the CA Hermes stores. Also, because Shopmom made me feel guilty for not seeing her when I flew to CA for Thanksgiving.:shame: So first on the agenda, SF on Friday, when I had the pleasure of seeing Shopmom again and meeting a few other TPFers, who I will allow to reveal their identities themselves. So after a 4 hour drive I met these fine ladies and one fine gent at the SF store and did some fine enabling if I say so myself. I also got a look at a new bag called the Casa, which was done in waffle, and I think it felt like agneau. It was a pleasure meeting all you fine folks and truly enjoyed myself. After having lunch over Mexican food I drove 4 hours back home and rested for part 2 of HG's Hermes Road Trip. This morning I left for a 3.5 hour trip to LA, this time with my sisters for company.......if you can call it that. It was 3.5 hours of listening to them complain about my driving. First destination, SCP. They had 3 Kellys and of interest was a Trim II in toile/barenia. Very nice. So after that brief stop and a few covert pictures.........off to Beverly Hills. Traffic by this time was starting to pick up and it took a while, but we made it. They had a very nice 50cm alligator travel Birkin in black and it appears Manuela, the craftsperson is back. Again, more covert pictures and off we were. It was 2 pm and we had time to hit the Getty Center. The museum was packed! We had to park in auxiliary parking and take a shuttle over, but the good news was that it was free parking. The architecture in the Center is gorgeous! Designed in full travertine marble, which held a few fossils that we found, by Richard Meyer. There was a special exhibit on Icons of the Sinai which focused on Byzantine art and iconography in case anyone is interested. Also, this museum holds a fine, but small collection of furniture from the period of Louis XIV through the XVI, which is of special interest to a particular friend of mine. We viewed the gardens, had lunch, and watched the sun set over the Pacific. Then we trudged home another 4 hours. Pictures will be posted later, I promise, when I get back to NYC and have access to my computer where I can edit and downsize the photos myself. I also made a special purchase which I must post later which I know a certain member on here will truly enjoy.

I just wanted to add, and please do not take this the wrong way, it is not meant to be disrespectful to members who live in these areas, but I now understand after seeing these stores how difficult it is to get a Birkin in the rest of the country. The stores were nice, but inventory in each of these stores is woefully lacking. Again no offense to those members who live in these areas, but I now can say I truly feel your pain and frustration in trying to land a Birkin. We members who live in NYC are truly blessed to live by a store that has the inventory that it has. And I can see why so many members have questions regarding colors and leathers. There really is nothing to see and I will now no longer suggest to anyone that they go into their local store and try a bag on for size...........you may actually never get to see one. I also understand the special niche that resellers hold in this market. SF and LA are 2 of the largest cities in the US and if inventory is lacking, one can only imagine the difficulty in obtaining a bag in the rest of the country.

Pics to follow, I promise. Now off to bed..........I am flying back to NYC in the am.
 
#4
hermesBB said:
wow!!! what a trip!!!!!!!!!!!! so how do u like LA HG???
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BB, I lived in LA in the late 80's when I went to UCLA. In some ways the city has changed and in other ways, it hasn't. The layout is still the same, the city looks the same, except a few new stores have popped up. There is still a layer of smog over downtown, but the traffic is worse than ever! But it still has that laid back feel that it had when I lived in it. People walk around in shorts and flip flops in the middle of winter.
 
#5
Thanks for sharing your story w/ us, HG!!! I live in Houston and also feel sometimes that my chances of scoring a birkin are slim to none, esp bc I feel so low on the totem pole. I almost hit the floor and fell over when my SA offered a gold 30cm birkin to me a couple months ago but I think it was only bc I was w/ the Queen of Birkins herself, Ms. Pazt!! Alas, I had to decline her bc I was going to the Mother Ship the next month. What's sad is I feel like going to a reseller could be my only hope for finding the right color, size, leather and hardware that I am after. I think my chances in Paris are even better than my own city!! Well, anyways, have a safe trip home and pls. post pics as soon as you can! We can't wait to see pics of your new purchase!!!
 
#6
oh my, HG, reading your road trip made me feel exhausted. don't take it the wrong way, i enjoyed reading it but i can feel your pain driving those endless hours (and with sisters too - i can DEFINITELY feel your woes). but all in all, it sounded fun and worthwhile.

re : CA inventory, i feel so lucky that my store may not be huge but it definitely has desirable bags almost every week. today, 2 friends picked up their after christmas birkins (one friend picked up 2 - BJ and ebene 35, another picked up ebene with GH 35). and loads of other bags i am fortunate to touch and feel!
 
#8
hermesgroupie said:
BB, I lived in LA in the late 80's when I went to UCLA. In some ways the city has changed and in other ways, it hasn't. The layout is still the same, the city looks the same, except a few new stores have popped up. There is still a layer of smog over downtown, but the traffic is worse than ever! But it still has that laid back feel that it had when I lived in it. People walk around in shorts and flip flops in the middle of winter.
Click to expand...

The book "Two Years Before the Mast," by Richard Dana (I think - written before 1850, at least I know that), tells of recognizing Los Angeles harbor by the brownish gray pall of dust over the city from - cattle runs! (Just a different type of cattle heading to downtown these days.)

As for laid back - for slightly dressy LA occasions, my DD and I have footwear we call "little black flip-flops."
 
#9
Moviegirl, Pazt, this trip opened up my eyes to how things work at Hermes in the rest of the country. Mind you, I didn't ask about birkin inventory and I'm sure they had some in the back. But from what I've gathered after talking to many people is that floor inventory is dependent on how much turnover the store has. The more they sell, the more bags they get from France. From what I've seen, Kellys are even rare in these stores. In NYC, they are a dime a dozen (okay, maybe not literally), but they are plentiful and not something that has to be hidden in the back room.

BTW, the purchase is nothing big and a bit of a joke on one of the other members.:P
 
#10
lvrjrt said:
The book "Two Years Before the Mast," by Richard Dana (I think - written before 1850, at least I know that), tells of recognizing Los Angeles harbor by the brownish gray pall of dust over the city from - cattle runs! (Just a different type of cattle heading to downtown these days.)

As for laid back - for slightly dressy LA occasions, my DD and I have footwear we call "little black flip-flops."
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Black flip flops!!! OMG!!!! I love it.:roflmfao: :roflmfao: :roflmfao:

They were Manolo Blahnik flip flops, right?
 
#13
hermesgroupie said:
BB, I lived in LA in the late 80's when I went to UCLA. In some ways the city has changed and in other ways, it hasn't. The layout is still the same, the city looks the same, except a few new stores have popped up. There is still a layer of smog over downtown, but the traffic is worse than ever! But it still has that laid back feel that it had when I lived in it. People walk around in shorts and flip flops in the middle of winter.
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HG and lvrjrt, the mention of flip flops always makes me smile.

HG, madison avenue and your H SA await your visit on the 2nd day of 2007!

safe travel and a Happy Healthy new year!
 
#14
It sounds as though you have had a lovely, and thoroughly eventful trip!Thank you for sharing such a nice account with the rest of us. It must have been so nice to meet up with tPF friends and if they were anything like myself (or like I would be), they were thrilled to meet up with you!!!
I hope that the remainder of your trip is safe. Happy New Year.
 
#15
Oh my Jesus! What a trip! I'm so happy to hear that you had such a wonderful time all in all. You needed the time off. It is very interesting that you mention the lack of inventory shown in the CA stores. We should help more girls here. Well when I say we I mean you! :angel: lol
 
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