Can someone explain the Birkin/Kelly obsession to me?

[Joybingebirkin]

Not too pull off topic too much but if you get a verrou chain I would love to hear how you like it! I LOVED the look of that bag in person. I have a very casual, slightly rock/punk/casual goth aesthetic most days so I felt like I stuck out like an absolute sore thumb in the boutique but my SA is so incredibly kind and never made me feel like I didn't belong there. But now I'm trying to decide if a Kelly would be too fancy for me. The verrou is SO COOL but so expensive and for a couple thousand or less extra, there's the kelly. ^_^

Yes I will! I do hope I get it soon!

 

[EdgyBagsPlz]

Well to touch base on this, Personally, I really wish people would get out their head a "Certain status of a woman" can carry a birkin. I'll use myself as an example. I chose to live in a moderately lower middle income neighborhood because paying $4k rent in is crazy to me when I can pay $1400 for a pre war. I don't wear exclusively designer clothing, I shop anywhere from high-end to super cheap if I like the clothes. With that being said, no one knows what I or DH makes. We don't look like your typical "Hermes shoppers" I don't think of myself as "I made it because of my bag" I like the craftsmanship and history behind the brand. I enjoy how sweet my SA is. I don't walk around with my bag like "OHH look at me I'm a powerful rich woman"

I carry a bag as "It matched my outfit and I love it !" If I care so much about my life matching my bag I would have never stepped foot into Hermes. I would never own my Current Birkin or any ones I plan to get in the future. Not even Jane Birkin herself takes the bag seriously. She beats hers up for the heck of it because at the end of the day it is just a bag. Be it a very expensive bag but still a bag. No one knows what you make and if they go based on your job that's petty. People can have different values on how they spend the money they make. People have multiple streams of income.

I'm Jamaican and we call it pocket-watching. What you spend your cash on has no bearing on others unless they buying it for you. If you can afford it and have the money buy it. Money always comes. Happiness is what you make of your time. Imposter-Syndrome is just some classist ******** stuck up people came up because they hated the fact a person they perceived to poor to sit with them could. Most Hermes SA makes a bit over Mini Wage. I doubt they care what your bank account says if your card accepts the charge.

I really really love this take. I also live in a lower-income neighborhood/area and I'm not a fancy dresser at ALL and it's one of the reasons I am worried about enjoying my bags publicly. I almost don't want people to look at them or think I'm trying to boast, I want to quietly enjoy them while out and about because I love the feeling of them, the leather smell, the colors etc. I'll walk around the block wearing an Hermes cashmere scarf and nobody knows but me , it just feels really nice against the skin and keeps me warm. (I don't have any Hermes bags, btw... I have two chanel and two LV bags and one coach bag.) Generally I don't want anyone to feel bad around me but wanna feel fancy sometimes and enjoy craftsmanship.

 

[Joybingebirkin]

I really really love this take. I also live in a lower-income neighborhood/area and I'm not a fancy dresser at ALL and it's one of the reasons I am worried about enjoying my bags publicly. I almost don't want people to look at them or think I'm trying to boast, I want to quietly enjoy them while out and about because I love the feeling of them, the leather smell, the colors etc. I'll walk around the block wearing an Hermes cashmere scarf and nobody knows but me , it just feels really nice against the skin and keeps me warm. (I don't have any Hermes bags, btw... I have two chanel and two LV bags and one coach bag.) Generally I don't want anyone to feel bad around me but wanna feel fancy sometimes and enjoy craftsmanship.

I agree it can feel like that but also i tend to realize people don't recognize my bag. I think only one person did and it was a convo like so sweet, She was just so amazed on how small it was haha My Dior bags gets more noticed if anything. Enjoy your bags in good health. Most people wont bat an eye on it.

 

[BowieFan1971]

I really really love this take. I also live in a lower-income neighborhood/area and I'm not a fancy dresser at ALL and it's one of the reasons I am worried about enjoying my bags publicly. I almost don't want people to look at them or think I'm trying to boast, I want to quietly enjoy them while out and about because I love the feeling of them, the leather smell, the colors etc. I'll walk around the block wearing an Hermes cashmere scarf and nobody knows but me , it just feels really nice against the skin and keeps me warm. (I don't have any Hermes bags, btw... I have two chanel and two LV bags and one coach bag.) Generally I don't want anyone to feel bad around me but wanna feel fancy sometimes and enjoy craftsmanship.

I was out yesterday in a high end shopping area with a friend to have lunch and mostly window shop. Both my friend and I are “straight to the clearance rack” kind of girls. I was wearing my Bolide 35 and it didn’t get a second glance from the primarily LV mono-toting crowd (saw one mini Antigona). I found it kind of funny, actually. So if a Hermès doesn’t get recognized in that crowd, don’t worry about it getting recognized in your neighborhood. Right under the radar....

 

[trendologist]

Why love B and K?
- The turnlock closure design is just so fabulous - I collect not only Birkin and Kelly, but also Kelly Double Tour.

Why love Hermes?
- I am addicted to H smooth leather feel (box, barenia, swift and ohhh butler!), they do not need to come in B or K to get me bring them home.

- I love the rarity and I have a lot of fun with my global hunt - items I really lust after are not quite available in H stores (size 40, discontinued models, past colors, etc)

- I love Hermes’ passion for color - when I heard new color names I always google to find out where the inspiration comes from - love origins of vert vertigo and rose scheherazade (but no, no pink for my collection thank you very much).

- Lastly, I had an outstanding experience at FSH with the chance to visit the in-house museum and also an exclusive store guided tour.

- But I also love some Moynat bags with exact same reasons above - the design, the leather feel, and the rarity. If I get to visit their artisan workshop, I think I will be loving Moynat as much as Hermes (mel in melbourne was so lucky!)

 

[Egel]

I really really love this take. I also live in a lower-income neighborhood/area and I'm not a fancy dresser at ALL and it's one of the reasons I am worried about enjoying my bags publicly. I almost don't want people to look at them or think I'm trying to boast, I want to quietly enjoy them while out and about because I love the feeling of them, the leather smell, the colors etc. I'll walk around the block wearing an Hermes cashmere scarf and nobody knows but me , it just feels really nice against the skin and keeps me warm. (I don't have any Hermes bags, btw... I have two chanel and two LV bags and one coach bag.) Generally I don't want anyone to feel bad around me but wanna feel fancy sometimes and enjoy craftsmanship.

I feel you. In my area people would assume I'm wearing a fake. That makes me feel a bit more safe. I also think an H bag will still be more under the radar than a bag with logos. If you already wear Chanel and LV, I don't think an Hermes bag will stand out more.

 

[Ms Stressa]

For Hermes bags and leather goods - you can see, feel and even smell the quality. There is nothing else like Hermes leather. It's immediately apparent that the pieces are crafted by a single artisan. With their scarves, the silk, the hand-rolled edges, the art, the colors - they stand apart from other accessories.

Now, in regards to K&B? They are incredible bags...and they aren't the ones for me. I have wanted a Kelly for some time (and will eventually get one), but for my lifestyle, I use sportier bags and carry too many things for them to be my go-to. I nearly went for a Birkin on the resale market, but with the top flap I would use it like a tote and make it look sloppy, so I held off, but they are gorgeous bags. I know that Birkin and Kelly 25s are super popular right now, but carry my life with me, so I guess I will be unfashionable. But I totally get the obsession with Hermes.

 

[papertiger]

I think the hardware is a part of it. The little locks and sangles glinting in the sunlight certainly caught my eye when I was a teen. Strangely (or not so strange) I love the covered locks of the exotics and white on Ks even more these days.

 

[EdgyBagsPlz]

For Hermes bags and leather goods - you can see, feel and even smell the quality. There is nothing else like Hermes leather. It's immediately apparent that the pieces are crafted by a single artisan. With their scarves, the silk, the hand-rolled edges, the art, the colors - they stand apart from other accessories.

Now, in regards to K&B? They are incredible bags...and they aren't the ones for me. I have wanted a Kelly for some time (and will eventually get one), but for my lifestyle, I use sportier bags and carry too many things for them to be my go-to. I nearly went for a Birkin on the resale market, but with the top flap I would use it like a tote and make it look sloppy, so I held off, but they are gorgeous bags. I know that Birkin and Kelly 25s are super popular right now, but carry my life with me, so I guess I will be unfashionable. But I totally get the obsession with Hermes.

Curious what bags you favor! I like the kelly in theory but the verrou is more my style; however, prices being almost equal it would be hard to take the plunge, mentally!

 

[Ms Stressa]

Curious what bags you favor! I like the kelly in theory but the verrou is more my style; however, prices being almost equal it would be hard to take the plunge, mentally!

I'm a huge fan of Picotins, Lindy, Toolbox - would love a Garden Party if they had a longer handle drop. The Verrou is gorgeous and I love the hardware, but I think it would drive me to tears after a few weeks of use. I have a vintage Trim which I love, but it's small for what I usually carry every day, so I'm getting a (new to me) Victoria ll, and I have an ancient Herbag Kabana that I love - it's not so huge that I put my house in it, but big enough to carry my "must-have" things. There are lots of bags I love, but I know myself well enough to know which bags will work well for me in the long run.

 

[Love Of My Life]

I think the pedigree & the history of the B & K give it a certain appeal. Of course the colors, hardware
materials, quality, workmanship speak for themselves.
H is simply in their own category in many ways. There are very stylish bags in the marketplace
but for many H does the "talking" ..

 

[voguekelly711]

Shopped around at various luxury brands and have consistently found that H’s quality is unbeatable from leather goods to shoes to jewelry. A true lifetime guarantee.
Same goes with a K or B - the history, craft, and beauty of each is timeless. Just the two stories behind each (Grace Kelly hiding her pregnancy / Jane Birkin meeting Jean-Louis Dumas on a flight) appeal to my “old soul.”

 

[BowieFan1971]

Shopped around at various luxury brands and have consistently found that H’s quality is unbeatable from leather goods to shoes to jewelry. A true lifetime guarantee.
Same goes with a K or B - the history, craft, and beauty of each is timeless. Just the two stories behind each (Grace Kelly hiding her pregnancy / Jane Birkin meeting Jean-Louis Dumas on a flight) appeal to my “old soul.”

The Bolide has a great story too- has been offered by Hermès since 1923 and was the first bag to feature a zipper. It’s available in a wide range of colors, two different models (regular and the 1923) and two different styles (mou or relaxed and rigid). It came out two years before the first Alma was made in 1925, so it is the original dome satchel.

 

[WhiteBus]

The question was about the obsession with Birkins and Kellys - not the obsession with Hermes.

As so many have shown, the quality of materials and workmanship is the attraction of Hermes.
But that was not the question. The word chosen was 'obsession' (one dictionary definition - domination of one's thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image, desire, etc). It was with specific reference to two styles of bag.
In many ways this was not the question to ask Hermes enthusiasts, because we have a different perspective. It needs to be addressed to the people who don't own any piece of Hermes, let alone a B or K, yet really covet one.

 

[iloveelmo]

I own luxury bags but I've never been interested in the Birkin/Kelly or pretty much anything Hermes. A brand's look needs to match your style and that just isn't Hermes for me. I have a friend who has been trying to get her hand on a Birkin/Kelly for a while now and has probably spent about $15K+ at Hermes over the past year in the hopes that she gets one. That alone has turned me off from Hermes as a brand. Seems like a toxic relationship with a guy you like who just won't commit LOL My friend tells me that one day I will understand and will want a Birkin/Kelly as well. I own Chanel and that is THRILLING for me haha can someone explain to me what the big deal with Birkin/Kelly is? *not trying to offend anybody's love for Hermes

When I was much younger, my Holy Grail was a Birkin, however during my “bag journey” i came to realize that the B/K bags DID NOT fit well with my lifestyle.

I live in a laid back beach city where casual is the vibe. It’s all about practicality for me.

I do own an Hermes Evelyn GM, which works so well in my life, that I’ve just put my name on the list for another one in a different color.

I also just picked up an Hermes Maline (canvas and leather backpack) that is extremely functional, low key, light and easy.

I don’t see a lot of chatter about the Maline bags, and there is no clubhouse here for them, so I assume that they are not very popular…..likely because they are canvas and very affordable ( for Hermes, anyways), so maybe some consider them basic?

IMHO, Hermes is Hermes. My Maline is the same incredible quality as my Evelyn and I ADORE them both.

life is too short, carry what you like and what suits your life!!

Cheers!