H Bags as Signifiers of Status: 2022 and Beyond Discussion

[maxroxxherhandbags]

My contribution to this discussion is as follows..
The widespread recognition of Hermes bags being signifiers of wealth and status thanks to their visibility on social media have actually made me reluctant to wear anything with sangles..I thought the Jypsiere was pretty 'under the radar' so to speak and then when I last wore it on the underground a few months ago I saw it getting 'looks' from several other women (and no they did'nt look like fellow Hermes owners!).
I have wanted a Birkin since they first launched...for various reasons I don't yet own one because I truly do actually see the Birkin as a utililitarian tote what I refer to as a workhorse bag, I have over the years turned 3 offers from the boutique (1st because I was buying my first home and the bag was a low priority, second because it was between covid lockdowns and I was'nt sure how secure my job was, and the 3rd because it was an officer Birkin and the style just did'nt feel right for me..)..anyway I digress
I am still seeking the Birkin(on the preowned market because the specs I want are no longer in production)that I know i'll be able to use to carry my work-stuff, and go to the beach, and use for travel and shopping without feeling like I'm carrying a 'status symbol'.
This is the reason why I only like Birkins in 35 and above.....(at the moment I use a garden party or a Victoria to do these things)
I do own Kelly's and love them but sadly use them rarely because right now living in the inner city and using public transport with crime statistics as they are I don't want anything thats percieved as 'expensive'.
The prices are so inflated on social media and also on resale sites that even if the streets were safer I would never want to be percieved as the woman wearing a bag costing many thousands..
Its just not me..I buy things because I like the design of them not as a wealth or status signifier.
This extends to jewellery as well as clothing.
apologies if I've droned on..
In a nutshell I've always wanted and loved Hermes for what I saw as its good design and quality not because its 'expensive' and a signifier of status.

 

[sweetpea_2009]

I agree with the comment about it being a status symbol. I have to laugh about the signal of wealth part when there are people going into debt to be able to say they own one. SM has driven people to live way beyond their means. Fast forward to retirement, I’m not sure that having a Birkin will bring much solice for those that didn’t prioritize financial stability. Don’t get me wrong I love my luxuries but it comes well after 8 other things that have to be taken care of first.

 

[iseebearbears]

i hate the jane birkin/olsen twin bag look. To me it's not just being careless ; it goes beyond the'I'm so rich I don't need to baby my bag because I can just get another' to disrespectful of an expensive well crafted item.
And no I don't baby my bags , and I believe in using them but not destroying them.

I also feel that it's just sloppy at that point.

 

[rumes]

Back in the day when the bag was created for Jane Birkin,
Hermes, Goyard, Gucci and LV were just, to use an appropriate verb, purveyors of high quality luggage.

First of all, I’d like to correct a misunderstanding. LV's first handbag was designed by Chanel in 1925 as a special production, and it was introduced to the public around the mid-1930s. In other words, if we're talking specifically about LV, the Birkin bag was designed at a time when the brand had already established its reputation in the handbag market.

I was born at the end of the 80s, and during my childhood (the 90s), brands like Chanel, Fendi, and LV were notable in my home country.

While SATC was a reason for me to travel to New York, it was never a reason for me to follow fashion trends.

 

[rumes]

Additionally, when I took a course on brand history at university, my project focused on Gucci and the Industrial Revolution. I explored how the Industrial Revolution led to the rise of the bourgeoisie in European society and how bourgeois women, due to their husbands' work commitments, turned to brands as a form of solace and distraction.

This discussion can actually raise a lot of controversy.

Everyone may have their own personal preferences or reasons. The only important thing is that we have found some happiness in this fleeting world.

 

[rumes]

But, I’m an elderly woman

I find it more fitting to describe as a woman like fine wine.

 

[rumes]

I've always wanted and loved Hermes for what I saw as its good design and quality not because its 'expensive' and a signifier of status.

Plus, I believe that the way others view this handbag as a status symbol is more related to their perspectives than the actual value of the handbag itself. Just as Fidel wore a Rolex merely to tell the time, today some people wear it for entirely different reasons.

 

[WhiteBus]

Plus, I believe that the way others view this handbag as a status symbol is more related to their perspectives than the actual value of the handbag itself. Just as Fidel wore a Rolex merely to tell the time, today some people wear it for entirely different reasons.

This is the crux of the discussion.

 

[WhiteBus]

rumes,

a little bit in my defence, I would like to refer to the point I made in #6

you do not have to go back many decades to the time when you would go to a butcher to buy meat, a fishmonger for fish or an ironmonger to buy door furniture:
items were bought from specialist outlets
it really makes better sense in the context of the original thread, from which my post was clumsily lifted to headline this one

hence my description of Hermes, Gucci et al as primarily purveyors of fine luggage - just look at the context of early twentieth century Hermes advertisements offering bags

I was not intending to address the cult of brand identity, how and when it arose - the explanation of the roots of the cultural aspect is another fascinating and important aspect

 

[coffee2go]

Do we have Sex in the City and other similar 'television' (equated by Graham Norton in conversation with Dame Maggie Smith as 'common') series, to blame for the present 'wealth flags' these items have become?

I think both television, celebrity culture of the 00s, and later the rise of social media have all contributed to H and Chanel becoming status symbols… especially in some countries like China and India display of status are culturally important, so the brands became a way to signal that status… and some even end up buying fakes to be perceived in a certain way

Social media in particular has created a sort of pressure to “appear”, and given how fast fashion trends have become, some items like Hermes or Chanel bags can give the security to the wearer of always “being in”… plus the scarcity, FOMO, H game, all contribute to the hype of the Hermes bags, so if you’re owning one, might be perceived like “you’ve made it/better than others”… human psychology is complex….

 

[Letter]

this year Hermes dropped off the top ten of most searched brands on TRR - Gucci was maybe #1? Can’t quite remember. Cassie went over it.

 

[showgratitude]

It is now 2024. Almost all "fashion influencers" have an H product or two in their collection. That said, I do not believe that it is an accurate signifier of status. A sensible way to know if one is moneyed/financially stable is if one showed you their pay slip, credit score, tax forms, and certified financial statements by an Accounting firm. Otherwise, everything else is just an assumption. Just look at the Anna Delvey story.