I’m really happy to hear this. Sometimes I beat myself up for spending so frivolously but it takes time to figure out if an item is for you or not and you just need to try to incorporate it into your life
Your Hermès Lessons Learned
- Thread starter foxyqt
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I also can’t (for the life of me) tie my H scarves elegantly. Always looks a bit wrong and wonky. But I still just keep wearing them because I really find the designs so beautiful. I just do the cowboy bandana look and not think twice.
Lessons learned for me:
1. If it’s not love at first sight, it’s a no. Do not talk yourself into liking an item just because it’s popular or classic
2. Any shades of brown is a straight no. Stick to the usual white and black
3. Palladium is a big no, unless it’s jewellery
I learned my lessons the hard way. Persuaded myself these items are classic and so versatile that can be incorporated into my wardrobe, only to realise that i can’t. Luckily there is a return period and credit notes can easily be spent on something i enjoy so much more!
1. If it’s not love at first sight, it’s a no. Do not talk yourself into liking an item just because it’s popular or classic
2. Any shades of brown is a straight no. Stick to the usual white and black
3. Palladium is a big no, unless it’s jewellery
I learned my lessons the hard way. Persuaded myself these items are classic and so versatile that can be incorporated into my wardrobe, only to realise that i can’t. Luckily there is a return period and credit notes can easily be spent on something i enjoy so much more!
My lessons learnt from my H shopping experience:
- For someone who only has been buying black bags in the past, I have learnt that some H bags are meant to be in colours. As I had mentioned several times in the past, I made a mistake with my black Picotin and decided to rehome her. Now I have Picotins in pinks and purples!
- For me, bleu nuit is the new black. My first BN bag is a Wallago Cabine and now I have BN B25 and B30 (same spec. but in different size). I am obsessed with this colour so much so that I now have scarves, twillys, SLGs in BN.
- Do not underestimate the simplicity of the Garden Partys! I gifted one to my mom but she swapped it for my black Halzan as she found the GP to be too big. And I have been using the GP as a carryall and loving it for its easy access. Now I am looking for a smaller GP in beton!
- I used to be paranoid about light coloured bags - heavy maintenance etc. But now I am loving my light coloured bags - in rose sakura, bleu pale, trench, and hopefully beton! Bring them on, I say! I think smaller bags are great in light colours.
- I used to get two-coloured scarves (mainly in dark colours). But now, the more colourful the better! I love Alice Shirley, Pierre Marie, and Jan Bajtlik the most and tend to collect their scarves and twillys in as many CWs as possible. I learn to appreciate the intricacies of H scarves' designs and production. Now one of my silly hobbies is hunting for vintage and limited edition scarves. Oh, I would also check out the designers' IG posts as I try to get the CWs that most closely replicate the original colours.
- I love the Passifolia homeware as they reminded me of my garden and my husband's passion for gardening.
- There is more to H than the B/K/C bags - also I used to be a big bag-girl due to my penchant for carrying everything including the kitchen sink. But I have learnt to love the smaller bags - even the B25 and H25, gasp! I have the Constance in all sizes (including the Cartable) but my most used one is the CTG!
What a fun thread! Thanks for starting.
Here are my lessons learned:
1. Big bags are beautiful but they are too heavy to carry around all day.
2. Naturally, big bags also take up a lot of room in the wardrobe (I have a tiny wardrobe *sobs*).
3. I don’t need one of each (e.g. B/K/C) just because other people have them all.
4. The whole relationship building with an SA is not for everyone.
5. H websites surprisingly have a lot of items I want.
6. Lastly, there are other brands than Hermes! XD
Here are my lessons learned:
1. Big bags are beautiful but they are too heavy to carry around all day.
2. Naturally, big bags also take up a lot of room in the wardrobe (I have a tiny wardrobe *sobs*).
3. I don’t need one of each (e.g. B/K/C) just because other people have them all.
4. The whole relationship building with an SA is not for everyone.
5. H websites surprisingly have a lot of items I want.
6. Lastly, there are other brands than Hermes! XD
1. You are not a small bag person. If it can't fit a pair of shoes in it, it's not for you.
2. GHW is never going to happen.
3. If you only like it in store, you will not love it at home.
4. You might love Soleil but Soleil will never love you back. Neither will Potiron.
5. You will only ever love large scales. Don't even look at small scales.
6. PASSIFOLIA GOES WITH NOTHING IN YOUR KITCHEN!
7. Just because it's pretty, doesn't mean you need to own it.
2. GHW is never going to happen.
3. If you only like it in store, you will not love it at home.
4. You might love Soleil but Soleil will never love you back. Neither will Potiron.
5. You will only ever love large scales. Don't even look at small scales.
6. PASSIFOLIA GOES WITH NOTHING IN YOUR KITCHEN!
7. Just because it's pretty, doesn't mean you need to own it.
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Lessons learned from me
1) If you buy a scarf you must love the whole scarf - every part of the design and all the colours - any part of it that jars or doesn't suit will just lead to buyer's remorse or endless fidgeting.
2) There will be some seasons when Hermes just doesn't do it for you - relax, walk away and save your cash for another time.
3) This took me ages to learn - if you fall out of love with an Hermes item it is OK to move on and allow someone else to enjoy it - I used to think I had to live with my (bad) choices forever. Hermes is a fashion house not an oath before God.
4) Stick to accessories - my body shape does nothing for Hermes Ready-to-Wear.
5) Listen to the SAs, particularly the experienced ones, they do this for a living.
6) It is not obligatory to have Hermes bags, scarves, jewellery, china, cushions, 'objets', shoes, furniture, towels, gloves and socks.
7) The lifestyle portrayed in 'Monde d'Hermes' is beautiful, impractical marketing fantasy - it is not how you should aspire to live!
1) If you buy a scarf you must love the whole scarf - every part of the design and all the colours - any part of it that jars or doesn't suit will just lead to buyer's remorse or endless fidgeting.
2) There will be some seasons when Hermes just doesn't do it for you - relax, walk away and save your cash for another time.
3) This took me ages to learn - if you fall out of love with an Hermes item it is OK to move on and allow someone else to enjoy it - I used to think I had to live with my (bad) choices forever. Hermes is a fashion house not an oath before God.
4) Stick to accessories - my body shape does nothing for Hermes Ready-to-Wear.
5) Listen to the SAs, particularly the experienced ones, they do this for a living.
6) It is not obligatory to have Hermes bags, scarves, jewellery, china, cushions, 'objets', shoes, furniture, towels, gloves and socks.
7) The lifestyle portrayed in 'Monde d'Hermes' is beautiful, impractical marketing fantasy - it is not how you should aspire to live!
Lolol not an oath to god. I dunno, it seems that’s what they expect to get a quota bag!
It counts!Does this count?
We were watching the 3rd Transformers the other night and the lady in a scene asks for her Birkin and when her assistant handed the lady her bag... it was a Kelly.
So, I guess my lesson learned, over the years of admiring Hermès bags, is the difference between a Birkin and a Kelly?
Buy what you love and use what you have!
The RTW is not for me unfortunately, love some of the motifs but the sizing and fit is just....not working for me 
The relationships you have with your boutique/ sales associate/ store manager are exceedingly more important than the amount of money you spend to secure a B/K/C.
Lessons learned:
1. Like so many, I used to be a hardware purist. Now, I still have a slight pref toward PHW but love GHW on many bags and it is not a dealbreaker. (I also think the acceptance of mixed metals overall has helped with this.)
2. Just because I can lift a ton of weights and do multiple pull-ups (ok, like five haha) does not mean I *want* to drag a 35 or even 30 cm Birkin around all day, so I lean to hands-free bags and smaller models. This might be influenced by living more in a city (Paris) that is all about walking.
3. RTW will never work for me. I don't know how other small-framed people do it.
4. Not everything needs to be neutral to be versatile. I like color AND it is wearable!! I wear my Bleu Electrique bags lots and they work with tons of things. Next up maybe Lime or Soleil?!
5. I can't do bag charms and twillies, as adorable as they may be. I tried this at work and ended up in a super serious meeting allocating billions of dollars and felt like a 12-year-old, had to kick the bag under the conference table to hide the charms.
6. The spend requirement, the quota, etc., are not rules; they're applied arbitrarily (often, but not always) and there are a TON of other factors.
1. Like so many, I used to be a hardware purist. Now, I still have a slight pref toward PHW but love GHW on many bags and it is not a dealbreaker. (I also think the acceptance of mixed metals overall has helped with this.)
2. Just because I can lift a ton of weights and do multiple pull-ups (ok, like five haha) does not mean I *want* to drag a 35 or even 30 cm Birkin around all day, so I lean to hands-free bags and smaller models. This might be influenced by living more in a city (Paris) that is all about walking.
3. RTW will never work for me. I don't know how other small-framed people do it.
4. Not everything needs to be neutral to be versatile. I like color AND it is wearable!! I wear my Bleu Electrique bags lots and they work with tons of things. Next up maybe Lime or Soleil?!
5. I can't do bag charms and twillies, as adorable as they may be. I tried this at work and ended up in a super serious meeting allocating billions of dollars and felt like a 12-year-old, had to kick the bag under the conference table to hide the charms.
6. The spend requirement, the quota, etc., are not rules; they're applied arbitrarily (often, but not always) and there are a TON of other factors.