Dear tpfers, I would like to share my story of getting a bag in Paris. Hopefully it will help those who want to score their dream bags.
I booked a flight to India last-minute, stopping by Germany for a few days, So I thought, it would be a good time to make a little detour to visit some friends in Paris and show my support for Paris. So, booked my train tickets last-minute as well. I was there only for two and a half days (Dec. 2 - 4) but that is enough time to continue my trip with a big smile on my face.
I dropped off my bag at the hotel, which is 5 minute walk from the mother ship, and off I went. At the door the security check your bag and ask you to unbutton your coat just to make sure that you are not carrying bombs on your chest / waist. I was wearing a coat with probably 30 buttons on it so it felt like I accomplished quite a task when I was done. The hostess then greeted me with a big smile and asked me if there was anything she could help me. I was quite excited as this was the first time I was there so I told her that and asked her to introduce me a bit about the store, which she happily did so. She told me about the newly renovated shoe department and that they will have a new scarf section upstairs which will open on Friday. And when she was showing me the leather department, there was no one waiting so I confirmed with her that that is the place I should go if I want to get a bag. I couldn't believe that there was no one there so she said I was lucky. But I decided to walk around the store to get the vibe of the store as I'm a fan of H as a whole, not only bags. And somehow I think getting a better feeling of the whole store will also make the whole experience more pleasant.
After I picked some scarves I went over to the leather department. By then, there was a line formed by a few people. I didn't know how long I waited, but it wasn't long at all, probably 15 minutes? I was enjoying myself looking at all the bags on display (there was a croc bleu electrique kelly cut) and tried on the perfume tester by the host. I kept imagining that there were people upstairs inspecting us to see which of us in line have the uplifted spirits to give the bags to! haha. When I almost got to the front of the line someone took that stunning croc kelly cut. What a lucky girl! There were some VIPs there I believe because as soon as they arrived they just got to the front of the line and a few SAs went to greet them and brought them else where.
Now it's my turn, the SA wasn't that chatty or bubbly, but I didn't mind at all, I actually prefer SAs that say little and allow me to feel if the products are going to work with me. She is one of those. She asked me what she could do for me, so I told her I'm interested in Jige (only PM, no elan), Kelly pochette, Kelly 28 or 32 and maybe a birkin. But I wasn't so sure about the size for Birkin, so she pulled out the 25 (etoup), 30 (etain), and 35 (raisin) Birkins for me to try. All togo. I was quite happy because I've never seen a raisin in real life before. I loved all sizes, I can think of occasions for all of them so I told her the different color preferences for different sizes. Same with the Kelly. I told her I really love blue but I'm also picky with blue so not all blues and I told her which blues I like, which I don't. Same with the leather. She said she was really impressed with how much I know about their products. Before she left to check the stock she told me Jige and KP would be quite unlikely in stock as they are becoming really rare now but she would check. I kind of got a hunch that she would come back with something then my heart was beating very fast and I kept asking myself, are you ready to make this commitment today? Today! After a while she came back with a big box and asked me to follow her upstairs. On the way up she told me their stock is really low to choose from, which I believe as I didn't see so many orange boxes being offered, and she's not sure if I would like it but she hoped I would like what she found for me. It's a color between two of my preference. It was a capucine 35 Kelly. Although it's stunning with the gold hardware, my heart didn't sing. We were talking about how it would be perfect for me if it were a smaller size, not so in your face like a 35, instead being a pop of such color would be so fun, and the ghw with red(dish) color is so classic. And she said she totally understands if I don't take it, and I shouldn't get it because I don't want to hurt her feeling. It's a big investment and I should get something I like. So we chatted a bit and she gave me her name. She said I could ask for her when I go back the next day. I felt so thankful to have her to start my FSH experience with.
I went back the next day and I saw her helping some customers so I stood in line as the line was a bit longer that day. She saw me and she came over to greet me and told me that she's now helping someone and then she had to go to her lunch break for an hour and she didn't want to keep me waiting. That was nice of her. She didn't have to come over to tell me. I waited for probably 45min to an hour this time, time just went by fast for me as I was having fun watching the bags and the people in the store. I saw a maxibox with whimsical color combination and I was telling myself that maybe I'll try that one if they don't have anything interesting. I read somewhere that they might not get any shipment due to the COP 21 in town and a lot of freeways are blocked. But while I was waiting, I saw a lot of orange boxes were brought out, but mostly opened downstairs maybe because they're not Birkin or Kelly. I saw many Lindys in current season colors and bolides. So they had a shipment that day, I thought.
I was being helped by an intern that day so there was a supervisor accompanying her. This time I'm getting even more specific with my blues and narrowed down my other color preferences even more to three neutrals (gold, etain, gris tourterelle) and one red (rouge casaque). I know I won't pull the trigger if that's not the one so it's better to be specific and save everyone time. The supervisor was laughing when I was telling them about which blues I like and which ones I don't like. He said I was a real fan and was joking that I should work for them because I know them so well. When they left I got the feeling that I might get offered something, and this time they will offer me something that will make me scream and today I'm definitely ready to commit. If that doesn't happen, maybe it's time for me to bring a maxibox home. They came back with a smaller box than the previous day. So I had a very good feeling about the size. (Checked!) I followed them upstairs. As soon as they opened it, I told her that she didn't have to explain much to me at all, let's just wrap it up! I wanted to switch my bag to it immediately. But of course I would let her finish her introduction of the bag, the supervisor is watching her.
It is a 28 Gold Togo Kelly retourne. What a practical yet elegant bag! I always want a gold at some point but not sure which bag I should go for gold, and retourne is perfect for daily use. And that white stitching and the cute size! I'm the happiest girl at that moment!
I always got a alligator Gris Tourterelle CDC that day before I got the Kelly. They don't quite match (didn't know I would get a gold), but it's too pretty to pass and I know someday I will get a Gris Tourterelle bag, so it's a keeper.
Overall I had a wonderful time at FSH. All the SAs try really hard to make your wish come true when you know what you want. I also went to Sevres both days and same pleasant experience. It's much less hectic there so you can relax and spend as much time as you want there. During my trip there, they had only big sizes Kelly, which I'm not at the moment interested in. The options are much fewer than FSH for sure, but it's worth trying too. You never know.
Sorry for the lengthy post. I hope I didn't miss anything and that hopefully it will help some.
Here's my little cutie I will love dearly for years to come.
