I have been lurking around on TPF and at the Hayden-Harnett site recently, flirting with the idea of purchasing my first HH bag. I love the Barnard and the Beatrice (in the saddle color). I am so impressed with the loyalty here at TPF to this brand, and their prices are downright reasonable. I want to go to the store and purchase my bag, but would love some advice from all of the HH girls. What would be a good starter bag for me? What is your favorite or is there a classic bag that has endured with this brand? Thanks!!
Hayden-Harnett - Which One for a Newbie??
- Thread starter mombug
- Start date
WELL! You've certainly come to the right place, but alas - I am head-over-heels in love with the Inka.
If you go to the HH store (and aren't you the lucky one for living close enough to do that!) I'm sure the SAs there would be MORE than helpful in helping you decide. AND - there may be better sale prices in store than on their web site.
Oooo! I'm jealous! I'll never get to NYC in a million years!
If you go to the HH store (and aren't you the lucky one for living close enough to do that!) I'm sure the SAs there would be MORE than helpful in helping you decide. AND - there may be better sale prices in store than on their web site.
Oooo! I'm jealous! I'll never get to NYC in a million years!
the Beatrice is a beautiful bag, and the lining is a delight to look at (the red floral Paule Marrot), *but* it is the heaviest HH i've carried - it has brass hardware rings that contribute to the weight. it's also a big, big bag - it's not too big for me at all, but for some here on tPF, the Havana Hobo is too big, and the Beatrice is way bigger than the Havana.
speaking of Havana Hobo, I just got mine in Chalk, and it's *lovely* - that might be a good bag to start with! it's more classic and less funky than some other HH designs, but it seems to be universally loved by the "HH hos" here
It comes in some awesome colors for the fall line - i've had my eye on the eggplant.
definitely go to the HH store and model everything! i had thought i wanted the Beatrice or the Louvre, and after seeing bags in person at Luna Boston, I fell in love with the Suki which ended up being my first HH. of course, i just bought the Louvre, so it wasn't like chopped liver or anything
to give us some sense of where to start advising you, do you like roomy bags or smaller ones? boxy/structured or slouchy? matte leather or shinier? distressed vs. clean?
speaking of Havana Hobo, I just got mine in Chalk, and it's *lovely* - that might be a good bag to start with! it's more classic and less funky than some other HH designs, but it seems to be universally loved by the "HH hos" here
It comes in some awesome colors for the fall line - i've had my eye on the eggplant.definitely go to the HH store and model everything! i had thought i wanted the Beatrice or the Louvre, and after seeing bags in person at Luna Boston, I fell in love with the Suki which ended up being my first HH. of course, i just bought the Louvre, so it wasn't like chopped liver or anything
to give us some sense of where to start advising you, do you like roomy bags or smaller ones? boxy/structured or slouchy? matte leather or shinier? distressed vs. clean?
you keep sayin' that, honey! you never know! maybe that A+ DH of yours will ship you out to Brooklyn for a "purse holiday" sometime!
Hi,
I was a fellow lurker until I joined tPF after the madness of the HH Big Bang sale and their current summer sale. I first saw HH bags two years ago at Luna Boston, and fell in love with the Mercer clutch in iznik yellow. But I was a poor grad student, and although HH bags are very reasonably priced for the level of design, detail, and quality of leathers and construction, it was still too much for me. Then I looked on the HH site, and decided that the Mercer triple-compartment satchel was a better size for every day use, and I quietly coveted it for two years.
The first time I caught an HH sale was last winter, but it ended just before I started a new job, so I still couldn't purchase it. Finally, in the Big Bang Sale, my adored Mecer satchel was 50% off, and in the exact color I wanted, and I now had a grown-up salary that allows me to indulge every now and then. I've been shopping vintage since I was 12, (and have worked as a museum textile curator, so I know my stuff) and spending over $200 on something new, when I know most new clothes and accessories, even the expensive ones, simply aren't as well made as similar items from 40, 50, 60 years ago, was a leap for me. Most of my bags are from my grandmother or careful shopping from vintage dealers, but the HH Mercer was every bit as well constructed, and the style, while modern, melts seamlessly into my wardrobe-of-many-decades.
It is a very soft and slouchy leather, but the compartments give it some structure. It does tend to kind of skoosh down when you put it down, because the magnets that hold each side compartment closed aren't quite strong enough to keep the two side compartments together when you've loaded the bag, but this is minor as the bag comes together neatly under your arm when carried. It has great interior organization, as do all the HH bags, and comes in the widest range of colors. The iznik yellow is a wonderful alternative to a more typical tan bag (and on sale right now) - not bright, but a soft, warm ochre-egg yolk-goldenrod color that looks great in the summer, will work equally well in the fall, and will warm up winter. I plan on wearing mine with my 60's Bonnie Cashin coat in olive/moss/indigo/magenta plaid wool with caramel-ochre leather trim.
A note on care - the Mercer line is made out of "naked" untreated leather, so people get worried about damaging it. The very first day I carried mine, a water bottle I hadn't capped properly leaked in it, and I didn't notice it for about an hour as I was busy shopping at a farmer's market. I was devastated - I'd been waiting two years for this bag, it was it's first time out, and now a green-tinged stain had spread across the bottom and part of one side. My husband tried to buck me up, as at fist I thought dye had run from the lining, but I merely gritted my teeth and spread it out, open, to dry. A couple of hours later, not a mark was on it, not even a faint shadow of a water stain. I'm still getting pro-treatment for water and oil repellent from lovinmybags.com, but I was so relieved and happy - HH leather is not only supple and richly-colored, it's tougher than it seems!
HH is the only bag company that has made me ever-so-slightly obsessed, and I don't even bother looking at other new bags anymore. Now, I'm waiting for the Suki to come out in deep emerald green for Spring 08! Happy shopping.
I was a fellow lurker until I joined tPF after the madness of the HH Big Bang sale and their current summer sale. I first saw HH bags two years ago at Luna Boston, and fell in love with the Mercer clutch in iznik yellow. But I was a poor grad student, and although HH bags are very reasonably priced for the level of design, detail, and quality of leathers and construction, it was still too much for me. Then I looked on the HH site, and decided that the Mercer triple-compartment satchel was a better size for every day use, and I quietly coveted it for two years.
The first time I caught an HH sale was last winter, but it ended just before I started a new job, so I still couldn't purchase it. Finally, in the Big Bang Sale, my adored Mecer satchel was 50% off, and in the exact color I wanted, and I now had a grown-up salary that allows me to indulge every now and then. I've been shopping vintage since I was 12, (and have worked as a museum textile curator, so I know my stuff) and spending over $200 on something new, when I know most new clothes and accessories, even the expensive ones, simply aren't as well made as similar items from 40, 50, 60 years ago, was a leap for me. Most of my bags are from my grandmother or careful shopping from vintage dealers, but the HH Mercer was every bit as well constructed, and the style, while modern, melts seamlessly into my wardrobe-of-many-decades.
It is a very soft and slouchy leather, but the compartments give it some structure. It does tend to kind of skoosh down when you put it down, because the magnets that hold each side compartment closed aren't quite strong enough to keep the two side compartments together when you've loaded the bag, but this is minor as the bag comes together neatly under your arm when carried. It has great interior organization, as do all the HH bags, and comes in the widest range of colors. The iznik yellow is a wonderful alternative to a more typical tan bag (and on sale right now) - not bright, but a soft, warm ochre-egg yolk-goldenrod color that looks great in the summer, will work equally well in the fall, and will warm up winter. I plan on wearing mine with my 60's Bonnie Cashin coat in olive/moss/indigo/magenta plaid wool with caramel-ochre leather trim.
A note on care - the Mercer line is made out of "naked" untreated leather, so people get worried about damaging it. The very first day I carried mine, a water bottle I hadn't capped properly leaked in it, and I didn't notice it for about an hour as I was busy shopping at a farmer's market. I was devastated - I'd been waiting two years for this bag, it was it's first time out, and now a green-tinged stain had spread across the bottom and part of one side. My husband tried to buck me up, as at fist I thought dye had run from the lining, but I merely gritted my teeth and spread it out, open, to dry. A couple of hours later, not a mark was on it, not even a faint shadow of a water stain. I'm still getting pro-treatment for water and oil repellent from lovinmybags.com, but I was so relieved and happy - HH leather is not only supple and richly-colored, it's tougher than it seems!
HH is the only bag company that has made me ever-so-slightly obsessed, and I don't even bother looking at other new bags anymore. Now, I'm waiting for the Suki to come out in deep emerald green for Spring 08! Happy shopping.
Yes, I credit TPF for introducing me to this wonderful new designer! For me, the Lorca is "it." It's my everyday purse when I just want to pack my wallet, keys and phone. The new fall colors (ruby and yam, especially!) look beautiful! Good luck browsing the store, and hope you find that perfect HH bag!
Ruth! GlamaRuth! What a totally cool post, and I love you! A true story altogether that kept me mesmerized! What a writer! I am so glad you finally got your Mercer Triple-C; I have one in poppy, and it's just a wonderful bag altogether. WELCOME to the HHH club! (that would be, natch, Hayden-Harnett Ho!)
P.S. - May I copy your post to my blog? Of course, I would credit you with the writing - I swear, that's the best testimonial I've read yet. There's another wonderful testimonial here someplace, but I've lost track of which thread it was in ... If we had our own HH Forum, these things wouldn't be so hard to find ...
P.S. - May I copy your post to my blog? Of course, I would credit you with the writing - I swear, that's the best testimonial I've read yet. There's another wonderful testimonial here someplace, but I've lost track of which thread it was in ... If we had our own HH Forum, these things wouldn't be so hard to find ...
you keep sayin' that, honey! you never know! maybe that A+ DH of yours will ship you out to Brooklyn for a "purse holiday" sometime!
He'd probably come with me - he loves leather goods as well, and is now a confirmed HH kinda-guy!
'Mombug',I think if you browse the HH web site you will definately find a bag that will sing to you...for me,it was the Havana Hobo...it's so beautiful and the leather is so soft.I'm going to get the Lorca,Thalia and Sonia tote now.
Good luck and happy searching to you...
GlamaRuth, I LOVED your post! It's one of the best written I have read (and that says a lot)!
Mombug, I think if you have the opportunity to go and try them on, you should. So many bags that are great for one, aren't great for another... there's no universal answer. Having said that, my opinion would depend on so many other factors: do you usually carry large or small bags, what colors are most abundant in your wardrobe, are you more conservative (because HH does have some rather "funky" bags as another poster put it)? There's a lot to factor in. My first thoughts would be the Suki Ladybug or the mercer Triple compartment. I also think the gaza or havana hobo would be a good choice as well.
Mombug, I think if you have the opportunity to go and try them on, you should. So many bags that are great for one, aren't great for another... there's no universal answer. Having said that, my opinion would depend on so many other factors: do you usually carry large or small bags, what colors are most abundant in your wardrobe, are you more conservative (because HH does have some rather "funky" bags as another poster put it)? There's a lot to factor in. My first thoughts would be the Suki Ladybug or the mercer Triple compartment. I also think the gaza or havana hobo would be a good choice as well.
India, I feel so fortunate to live so close to NYC and have made frequent trips there in the past, but now my son will be attending college in the city, and will have even more occasion to visit. I want to see these bags in real life because everyone is so passionate about them. Can't wait to browse!! Thanks so much for your help!!
Jan, I appreciate your advice. Heavy bags do not bother me as I have been carrying Mulberry bags, and will tolerate slouching and back pain for a beautiful bag. Therefore, the Beatrice might just be the bag for me!! I will shop at HH at the end of the month, can't wait!!the Beatrice is a beautiful bag, and the lining is a delight to look at (the red floral Paule Marrot), *but* it is the heaviest HH i've carried - it has brass hardware rings that contribute to the weight. it's also a big, big bag - it's not too big for me at all, but for some here on tPF, the Havana Hobo is too big, and the Beatrice is way bigger than the Havana.
speaking of Havana Hobo, I just got mine in Chalk, and it's *lovely* - that might be a good bag to start with! it's more classic and less funky than some other HH designs, but it seems to be universally loved by the "HH hos" here
definitely go to the HH store and model everything! i had thought i wanted the Beatrice or the Louvre, and after seeing bags in person at Luna Boston, I fell in love with the Suki which ended up being my first HH. of course, i just bought the Louvre, so it wasn't like chopped liver or anything
to give us some sense of where to start advising you, do you like roomy bags or smaller ones? boxy/structured or slouchy? matte leather or shinier? distressed vs. clean?
Mombug
Have you read Bessie's report of her visit to HH?
It seems like it is a veritable Aladdin's cave of treasures - lucky you to be able to try on all of the purses for size.
Have you read Bessie's report of her visit to HH?
It seems like it is a veritable Aladdin's cave of treasures - lucky you to be able to try on all of the purses for size.