Great thread! The first item I ever purchased was a reversible leather bracelet at FSH on my honeymoon back in 2005. I still have and treasure it. I was well aware of the brand from years of pouring over fashion magazines while growing up and jumped at the opportunity to make my first purchase at the mothership. It was true love at first sight.
What was your starter drug?
- Thread starter chartreusian
- Start date
Lindy 26! Purchased it together with a rodeo and a leather double-tour bracelet at my home store while shopping with an out-of-town friend visiting me who was already a longtime H collector. I still remember the excitement if the purchase as if it were yesterday!
Oh my goodness.... that's easy! The Collier de Chien. I fell in love with the "cuff" bracelet J Lo wore in her Fiat commercial in 2011. I came to the Hermes sub-forum from Chanel to do a search and quickly figured out what brand it was... was intimidated but determined... walked into Hermes and asked for one ... the rest is EXPENSIVE history
View attachment 4771285
I have never seen that commercial, but I can see how it is very inspiring! Is hers smooth leather or exotic
Honestly, my first intro to the brand was terrible. My mother-in-law-to-be, who was and is almost certainly a demon in human form, had given me a Kelly Double Tour that was a weird color and so big on me it could be a belt. I exchanged it for my size and was treated like dirt on the SA's shoe (I was young but no possible reason for the attitude). So I just avoided H.
Then my husband (different guy, I bailed on the son of the demon) decided I should have a Birkin and unbeknownst to me he went on the hunt and gave me one as a gift. I could not deny it was beautiful. So I bought a vintage Kelly next.
And from there it just went on. What is funny is that one of my "home stores" (I guess I have four in three countries?) is the same store that treated me so badly. So, I guess it's all in how the stars align.
glad you got out of this crazy family. Hopefully you at least kept the bracelet
)Wow — that’s a lot of pocket squares. Were you pleased when you stopped wearing suits to work or worth it a disappointment? Did you sell them as a collection or individually?
My first H was a gift from DH - a lovely bracelet. At the time I never took much interest in luxury brands, even though DH would tell me to look. He had to take the jump for me. After, I started learning more and more about how the bags were made, and it was incredible. I've been hooked since then...
I had to think back about 17 years to answer this question. I am pretty sure my whole collection started with a white KDT when I was about 15 years old. Great bracelet that I have purchased several times over since, but a bad idea to give a teenager anything white leather during an experimental self-tanner phase. I think I either sold it to Fashionphile or on eBay.
In middle school, I was aware of the handbags that some of my friends' chic moms wore, and my dad made anecdotal references to brands like Hermes and John Lobb that were lost on me as a younger kid, but I didn't know what the Birkin really was until I finally managed to convince my mom to let me watch SATC in 2004 (yes, at the age of 16). Around that time was also when I realized that the tiny, unreadable, weird watch that my best friend's mom wore was actually the Kelly double tour watch in barenia. At that point, my interest was fully piqued and the rest is history.
In middle school, I was aware of the handbags that some of my friends' chic moms wore, and my dad made anecdotal references to brands like Hermes and John Lobb that were lost on me as a younger kid, but I didn't know what the Birkin really was until I finally managed to convince my mom to let me watch SATC in 2004 (yes, at the age of 16). Around that time was also when I realized that the tiny, unreadable, weird watch that my best friend's mom wore was actually the Kelly double tour watch in barenia. At that point, my interest was fully piqued and the rest is history.
13 years ago I decided to wander into Hermés because I was bored of Louis Vuitton (my first love!) and ended up walking out with a Black Chèvre Keyholder. Since then it’s become an expensive, slippery slope!
Honestly, my first intro to the brand was terrible. My mother-in-law-to-be, who was and is almost certainly a demon in human form, had given me a Kelly Double Tour that was a weird color and so big on me it could be a belt. I exchanged it for my size and was treated like dirt on the SA's shoe (I was young but no possible reason for the attitude). So I just avoided H.
Then my husband (different guy, I bailed on the son of the demon) decided I should have a Birkin and unbeknownst to me he went on the hunt and gave me one as a gift. I could not deny it was beautiful. So I bought a vintage Kelly next.
And from there it just went on. What is funny is that one of my "home stores" (I guess I have four in three countries?) is the same store that treated me so badly. So, I guess it's all in how the stars align.
Too funny because I had a similar experience my first time in. While I loved the store and the tie, the SA keyed in on my ignorance of the brand and mocked me for some of the questions I asked...and refused to sell me a pair of shoes because I didn’t know how to “wear them right.” The guy sucked but I decided I liked the products anyway and wasn’t going to let one jerk ruin my day! And TBH he probably wasn’t trying to be rude he was just very French and he really did know his stuff!
It all started with a Constance belt... one puff and now a full on addict! The one who is always breaking out of rehab(ban island) only to find herself strutting right back to where it started, the Hermes store.
I went in the first time for a Kelly wallet. I was looking for a wallet that can double as a small clutch. I use it daily now. But what really got me hooked are their shawls. So pretty the way they drape and make an outfit. I find an excuse to get a couple every season.
Black with palladium HW CDC in 2011...what a slippery slope!
The quintessential Hermes item will always be for me the 90 Carre.
Mine was only a few years ago. I started out with the Rivale Double Tour and thought I was so cool with it. Things have really snowballed since then. 
The H scarves. I grew up with my mum wearing them. I was a teenager I experimented with wearing vintage H scarves I found on the pre-loved market. It was first after university I started to seriously build a collection of my own, both hunting vintage scarves and buying new from the H store. Since then it has been an orange slippery slope... 
I have briefly looked at other luxury brands but never found one that I think compares with H in terms of quality.
I have briefly looked at other luxury brands but never found one that I think compares with H in terms of quality.
So I started big . . . I purchased a B35 from a reputable reseller. I did not live near a boutique, and I wanted to see if Hermes was really worth it . . . and it was! Years later, I started purchasing directly from boutique and have been hooked ever since!
This is such an interesting thread. I'm a longtime lurker of Hermes, but I've only ever bought perfume from them. I am hoping this fall to start my collection so it's great to hear from you all what you're first items were!