A collection is really first about how much discretionary income does one have for handbags. Then, lifestyle. Lots of dressy day events, work in an office which is "dressy", casual/family time, evening social life? For each one, there is a bag, except for truly dressy evening events - Hermes doesn't do this.
I'm an old lady and I have very little discretionary income these days. My first Hermes bag was a 32 Sellier Kelly in Cocoan Chèvre de Coromandel with GHW. This is my everyday bag. It works with leggings and a cashmere t-neck and Barbour jacket, it can go out to a "dressy casual" evening - just about anywhere I go. It's amazingly good in rain/snow but then I'm not in a large city using public transportation and walking a lot - it's going from car to store for me. It's a gorgeous bag and I enjoy it very much. Cocoan is a good color for me as my winter wardrobe is all grey/brown/black/navy. It works with all these.
My 2nd Hermes bag is a Black Box Retourne 32 Kelly with GHW. It is a vintage bag - 1973 - and is in amazing condition with the most gorgeous patina! It's the bag that makes my heart sing the most as it's just so iconic. I love the lighter weight - an issue for an old lady with back and breathing problems. I carry it just about anywhere I carry my Chèvre Kelly, but would not take it to anywhere where dampness/water might be an issue. It also goes to church with me sometimes.
My 3rd is a Clemence PM Picotin in Chartreuse. This is my May-to mid-Oct daily handbag. I could carry it in the fall and winter, but I prefer to save it for summer. Chartreuse is such a great color. In the summer, I go from neutral to lots of orange/hot pink with white shorts of pants, and it's perfect. At one point, I thought I might like a 2nd Picotin in Orange, but I really don't need it. In the summer, I also carry a 1964 Nantucket basket made for my late MIL and given to me by my late FIL after her death. I adore it and treasure it! It's for nicer occasions, not everyday.
I would adore to have a gorgeous Black Croc vintage Piano bag. I turned down one a tpf member spotted for me as I just couldn't justify the expense for a church bag when I had others that served the same purpose.
In it's place, I have 3 vintage Lederer bags I found on ebay. One is black prosorus croc in a style similar to one Hermes used to make. It is in perfect condition and is a gorgeous bag. I paid $225 for it on ebay. The 2nd, is also posorus croc, this time in a taupe color. It is very similar to the Piano - $175 on ebay. The 3rd, is a pale bone box leather bag in the same style - $150. These are bags of superb quality when Lederer's bags were made in Paris. The insides are lovely soft leather, and they all came with their own coin purse.
With an evening bag that hasn't been carried in 13 years and probably never will be again, I have all I need or have room to store! I'm not big on purse changing and don't like the purse liners many tpf members like for ease in changing bags - to me, it cheapens the inside of the bag - even the one Hermes makes, is not to be liking. I don't live in a house with huge closets so storing 20 Hermes bags would be impossible for me, even if I could afford them.
Hermes bags, like antiques, should be collected over the years based on changing taste/lifestyle/finances. When does it all at once - sort of a "binge" - one tends to tire of them and then move on to something else. Hermes bags are meant to be for life, not the moment.
I think it takes time to create a good capsule collection that actually gets used. It's not a matter of turning up and buying 4-5 bags in one go.
