I just discovered this thread and especially loved hearing from those who've respected, adored, and followed Hermes for
decades. You have a unique perspective. This thread's question sure did resonate with me: "...when will you be done with Hermes?" At 66 yrs of age I just retired from a 35-year professional career. Over the months leading up to my retirement I made
major, brutally honest edits to my wardrobe to reflect what would surely be very different lifestyle needs. I'm very satisfied with the outcome and the local consignment shop (and my wallet--the resulting incoming "pin" money) are quite happy! Those edits included handbags. I sold my only "had-to-have-it" Birkin 30 (2003 SO from Beverly Hills, finally arrived in 2006, still in the era of needing neither to spend certain $$$, nor have a "relationship with an SA") and a few other Hermes bags that just no longer worked for me. It was hard to part with them and the process required that I really consider why I'd hung on to them, but not often carried. I decided that they stayed on my closet shelf "because they were Hermes" and, ultimately, I came to my senses that that was no longer good enough reason. Off they went.
So, back to the original question about being "done" with Hermes. Back story, for what it's worth: I discovered Hermes around 1988, right after finishing graduate school. My first two purchases were gifts to myself for hard-won achievements: A red courchevel Rio clutch from San Francisco, and followed by a "Les Artificiers" 90 cm scarf from Beverly Hills. I wore both A LOT and loved them. Items were added regularly through the next 25 years. At the time we lived in Southern California with several boutiques available to visit easily. Everything I've ever purchased was done so from a boutique, never resale (have been too chicken). Hermes' quality, mystique, and true understated elegance was initially discovered completely on my own; I recall that while out shopping one day I just happened to wander into the BH boutique...the shop wasn't a destination and I'd never heard of the maison. In those days (no i-net, no H "processes," etc.) my immediate impressions of having arrived in "not just any other shop" were undeniable and would never be duplicated in any other shop, to date. I felt like I'd found something really wonderful. I didn't grow up in a family who had luxury items and I had no peers or colleagues patronizing a maison like Hermes. But, even without any previous awareness of the label, I knew intuitively that I'd found a truly exceptional heritage. And, over these past almost 40 years, several bags have come home with me and been loved, scarves worn with delight, RTW enjoyed. I've never bought jewelry other than one scarf ring--jewelry's never been my thing--and I've never been into their home goods or china. The bags have always been classics and the scarves, the same. I don't really care for many of the (around) post-2010 scarf designs. I've enjoyed wearing every treasure, every time, with or without any recognition or compliments from others....wearing a bit of Hermes has always had the effect of elevating my confidence in how I was presenting myself whether it was professionally or maybe just a quick stop at the grocery! Wearing Hermes just makes me feel good! It can put a bounce in my step. Simple as that. I'll bet that's a shared experience with other members on TPF. For me, nobody else needs to know who created the bag I'm carrying, or whatever else from the house I may be wearing, but
I know and it's always brought me joy all through the various life stages/events during which they've "accompanied" me. With that said, I don't believe I've bought any Hermes for about ten years (we moved to a locale where the closest boutique is six hours away). But, that doesn't mean that I stopped enjoying following along about the house!
Now, fast forward 40 years from that first Rio purchase (rouge vif!) to this moment and I feel like I'm now re-connecting with Hermes in a fresh, new way. This may be in thanks to reading many members' reflections about Hermes...thank you!! Even in retirement, I will still enjoy my scarves (pared the number down to only SEVEN beloveds, if you can you believe it: Les Rubans Du Cheval, all black CW; Regina, navy cw w/gold border ruban; Les Artificiers, navy cw; Aux Champs, black cw; Les Folies Du Ciel, yellow cw; Les Fleurs et Fuschia, black cw; Mediterranee plisse, royal blue cw-which Hermes, Paris re-pleated for me last year for free!!...will wear them gladly with jeans and Repettos instead of professional attire!) and my couple of remaining bags (Kelly Mou, 28, black; Kabana, rouge H), and I've decided that I'd like to add a couple more bags since I now finally have the time to do the "bag change out" thing that's required (we all know that this takes time and, while still working and juggling other competing priorities, this change-out was definitely low on the totem poll resulting in my carrying the same bag for months at a time!). My bags will now get their equitable use and rotation deserved. I'd like the "quiet," elegant black negonda garden party 36 and black bolide 1923 30, both of which I've happily found "new/never worn" through a wonderful U.S. source---no gambling for me with all of the other reseller options. I just don't have the patience to cope with this risk. I know that it works well for many, but since I don't plan to keep buying, buying, buying, I'm okay with taking a path of lesser resistance so to speak.
So, you see, even with a long history with the maison, and recent absence from giving them my money, I'm not done with Hermes. She's like an old friend that one sees every five-ten years and the reunion is as though no time has passed at all. If it's right, it's just right. Each of us knows what our connection with Hermes means to us. It may be nostalgic, it may be status-based...only the individual can answer that. For me, it's part nostalgia for the era when I could phone a boutique, talk about a bag style I might be looking for and we'd talk about what they had available at the moment, I'd buy it and it would be shipped to me. So accessible! But it's also partly the pure pleasure of wearing such beautiful, quality, really elegant pieces. We all know that it's wonderful to wear Hermes. Each of us also has to determine how invested we become in the current "ways" of Hermes, whether we agree with them or not. Yes, the process has changed and if your goal is to have latest, most, etc. I can appreciate that it would be extremely off-putting. It's our choice as to whether we let it bother us or let it go. I'm going to choose to focus on the pleasure that Hermes has brought me over the years and, I hope, will continue to bring me, whether it's in the only occasional purchase or simply via reading about your experiences and learning about Hermes. It's all good!
Thanks for reading! I feel like I've found kin, in this Hermes forum.
.
As with many in this group I appreciate the quality and also the lack of in-your-face logo. Over the years I have tried other brands both in RTW and bags - Celine, 
