What’s your unpopular Hermes opinion?

[Love Of My Life]

My unpopular opinion #Forcal* is that all this talk about "the game" and "pre-spend" and how difficult it all is....is actually making things more difficult and less fun. Everyone walks into an Hermès store now (after choosing an auspicious date, lighting candles, and praying to the patron saint of handbags) expecting to go through an excruciating stress test of "building relationship" and "spend profile". People are SELLING GUIDES on how to "score" a bag So much headspace is taken up with things unrelated to discovering, owning and using a beautiful item. We are told constantly how hard it's going to be - of course we will now approach it as such.
SAs, SMs, and corporate see all this stuff too, and everyone in every store (particularly in my home town) is all keyed up about the "journey". It's become a self-fulfilling prophecy.


*Forcal is a really, really, really large number

Unfortunately the brand is attracting the client that is not interested in discovering, recognizing the history
or learning about the past or present of many Hermes items.
It's all about the "bag" & how to "score it".. The idea that a SELLING GUIDE is available is appalling to me, JMO
For many of us the methods & mindset that one subjects themselves to is foreign & the last thing that
many of us who have a long history with Hermes would think is happening & has happened & that one
should have a bag to be "validated' is beyond , JMO

 

[benjinito]

My unpopular opinion #Forcal* is that all this talk about "the game" and "pre-spend" and how difficult it all is....is actually making things more difficult and less fun. Everyone walks into an Hermès store now (after choosing an auspicious date, lighting candles, and praying to the patron saint of handbags) expecting to go through an excruciating stress test of "building relationship" and "spend profile". People are SELLING GUIDES on how to "score" a bag So much headspace is taken up with things unrelated to discovering, owning and using a beautiful item. We are told constantly how hard it's going to be - of course we will now approach it as such.
SAs, SMs, and corporate see all this stuff too, and everyone in every store (particularly in my home town) is all keyed up about the "journey". It's become a self-fulfilling prophecy.


*Forcal is a really, really, really large number

I personally know someone (a woman) who buys men’s RTW. Not because she enjoys styling men’s pieces, but because she read on Facebook groups that it’s a “good” category to spend on She outright called the stuff she bought “ugly”.

THIS is why the competition is so fierce.

 

[Midge Maisel]

Unfortunately the brand is attracting the client that is not interested in discovering, recognizing the history
or learning about the past or present of many Hermes items.
It's all about the "bag" & how to "score it".. The idea that a SELLING GUIDE is available is appalling to me, JMO
For many of us the methods & mindset that one subjects themselves to is foreign & the last thing that
many of us who have a long history with Hermes would think is happening & has happened & that one
should have a bag to be "validated' is beyond , JMO

Even more unfortunately, I find this is true across the board. There are so many people who just don't care about history, period. People who work for or shop at or deal with companies with longstanding history who never take the time to learn about the organization at all. I find the history of this stuff so fascinating. I can't imagine not exploring! Especially something like Hermes.

 

[Love Of My Life]

Even more unfortunately, I find this is true across the board. There are so many people who just don't care about history, period. People who work for or shop at or deal with companies with longstanding history who never take the time to learn about the organization at all. I find the history of this stuff so fascinating. I can't imagine not exploring! Especially something like Hermes.

The world of Hermes is quite fascinating & the opportunity to see how a bag or a scarf is
made from start to finish, well it just leaves one in awe.
. I just don't think there is another brand in the league of Hermes that offers the
array of products that Hermes does nor the history & its unfortunate that as times goes on this
lack of interest will continue.
Anyone that has had a special invite or access into certain areas of Hermes will surely say that
what they have experienced has been informative & in many ways memorable including the
process of a SO, the Maison, etc

 

[textilegirl]

....moved my thought to Chat because I don't want to be put in Time Out

 

[maxroxxherhandbags]

latest opinion...
I see introducing a Birkin 20 as a form of 'selling out' .
The Birkin is a TOTE, was designed as such, a throw everything in bag for everyday life and work.
producing it in a size 20 which one can only carry as a dainty hand held bag is surely compromising the principle behind the bags design
its whole raison d'être.
There I've said it!

 

[Mrs.Hermess]

I'm must confess I'm getting ever more irritated by some posters obsession over spend vs bag offers.
It just seems really stupid to spend spend spend on 'stuff' when the only thing that seems to matter is getting the eventual bag offer not the joy of having all the 'stuff' they've purchased.
And the obsessive (it seems to me) adding up of spend on said 'stuff'.
I'm very anti resellers/flippers of new bags but really if all one wants is THE bag then go to a reseller.
And if one only wants to buy from the boutique for reasons of authenticity or the 'experience' of getting an offer in store then stop going on about how much you've spent for how long or 2x this or 4x that and just enjoy the 'stuff' you've purchased .

This!! And if some do go to resellers for bags, we can get all the items (non leather) without running out of stock. I don’t want a bag currently, I just want non leather home goods!!

 

[Midge Maisel]

latest opinion...
I see introducing a Birkin 20 as a form of 'selling out' .
The Birkin is a TOTE, was designed as such, a throw everything in bag for everyday life and work.
producing it in a size 20 which one can only carry as a dainty hand held bag is surely compromising the principle behind the bags design
its whole raison d'être.
There I've said it!

You know, I never would've thought of this myself, but you make a convincing argument.

 

[periogirl28]

The world of Hermes is quite fascinating & the opportunity to see how a bag or a scarf is
made from start to finish, well it just leaves one in awe.
. I just don't think there is another brand in the league of Hermes that offers the
array of products that Hermes does nor the history & its unfortunate that as times goes on this
lack of interest will continue.
Anyone that has had a special invite or access into certain areas of Hermes will surely say that
what they have experienced has been informative & in many ways memorable including the
process of a SO, the Maison, etc

I would personally absolutely agree with the bolded part of what you said. It has been DH's and my privilege to have been shown immense kindness and given inside knowledge through the years. I can definitely attest that this has strengthened and helped maintain our interest in the Maison.
At the same time however we can alas think of some who have shared on their social media, said access to such as the Jardin, RTW shows and re-sees, offered SOs, Horizon opportunities and all this has just gone over their heads with only the most superficial write ups and not much appreciation. In a way (unpopular opinion) I am glad that invitations to the private museum are now very, very, very limited.

 

[CBZ]

latest opinion...
I see introducing a Birkin 20 as a form of 'selling out' .
The Birkin is a TOTE, was designed as such, a throw everything in bag for everyday life and work.
producing it in a size 20 which one can only carry as a dainty hand held bag is surely compromising the principle behind the bags design
its whole raison d'être.
There I've said it!

Agreed… and may I say it’s kind of how I feel about the mini Lindy. I know I know… SCANDALOUS! I’m sorry to those who love that bag but to me the whole appeal of the original Lindy was that folded ‘fortune cookie’ shape. The casual but glorious representation of soft leather and how it folds. The mini can’t do that and looks soooo different. Its essentially a different bag to me. The mini feels like an afterthought to bank on the mini bag trend. Obviously they succeeded. Maybe I’m just saucy that they didn’t make the 26 with a crossbody strap option.

And now please pass me the shovel for the grave I need to dig for myself.

 

[allanrvj]

Agreed… and may I say it’s kind of how I feel about the mini Lindy. I know I know… SCANDALOUS! I’m sorry to those who love that bag but to me the whole appeal of the original Lindy was that folded ‘fortune cookie’ shape. The casual but glorious representation of soft leather and how it folds. The mini can’t do that and looks soooo different.

It looks like a toaster, yes.

 

[carrie8]

It looks like a toaster, yes.

Now i have an image of an Cylon toaster in my head

 

[CTLover]

Hermes needs to make more cotton silk blend scarves for those of us living in hot weather areas but still deal with AC... you only make 1 design a year Hermes and it's always in the men's section! Step it up!

And more of the mouseline scarves. I have one in pink tones, and am always waiting for more colors I'd wear. They same to only make them in pink and turquoise.

I do not understand tying Hermes Twillies around the handles of bags. It looks twee.

An unstylish woman wearing cheap clothes but carrying an H bag looks like an unstylish woman wearing cheap clothes who thinks an Hermes bag elevates her look. It doesn’t. It just looks like her priorities are off.

And I agree with the H sandals. Ugly. Worse are the furry Gucci mules. Truly hideous. Just because it has a designer name does not mean it looks good!

I agree with the tying twillies thing, but for another reason. The bags, IMHO, are so beautiful almost like works of art, why tart them up with twillies, bag charms etc? I believe in minimalism when it comes to my bags. Let their beauty shine through all on their own.

I have a love hate relationship with bag inserts. On one hand they do take up space and i don’t like that, but i’ve also had perfume leak in a bag before that had a fabric lining and stained it. So since then i use bag inserts for almost all my designer bags (except very small ones or accordion style). I like the extra pockets and the protection especially since H don’t spa the inside of your bag.

Same here. Love/Hate. Love that they protect the bag interior (I have to confess I like my bags as pristine as possible), but hate the space they take up. I also always use bag shapers in all my bags, because I hate saggy bottoms.

Carrying on from the former post.
I cannot abide rose gold anything!
Hardware or fine jewellery I know its a personal thing but I do find it really cheap looking (Sorry!)0
that said rose gold in vintage jewellery is quite lovely-I have an antique (art deco) rose gold ruby and diamond ring where the gold looks really warm/rich and rather lovely but I find newer rose gold even in high jewellery brands looks too 'pink' somehow.

LOL, I'm over 60 with gray hair. As I've aged, yellow gold looks less complimentary on me, and I've gravitated to rose gold more and more. I also have always worn a lot of white gold/platinum, but I'm pretty much only wearing the yellow gold because I have it. My older sister wants to sell all her yellow gold for similar reasons.

Unless it’s the natural color stitching like what’s found on gold or etoupe which I actually love, I have a strong aversion to contrast stitching on SOs. Sorry!

(I’ll be in the bushes if you need me)

Me too. I also don't like it when it's say white stitching on a black bag, because if it gets the slightest bit dirty, you see it.

Agreed. I have 5 H bags, 4 of which were purchased years ago before this mad craze for pre-spend was even a major conversation. Of the 4, 3 were purchased in store and 1 online. I spent money on bracelets, a wallet and the occasional scarf for my mom but nothing crazy. I didn't have any special relationship with a specific SA and still managed to get everything I wanted (this was over a decade ago). Then I had kids and stopped spending at H altogether.

The 'game' has become so intense that when I decided I would like a B30 recently I preferred to go the resale route because while I love their jewelry and RTW on others the H collections don't really fit my aesthetic. I've actually sold all my CDCs and other pieces since I hadn't worn them in a while. I would definitely end up as one of the people buying just to reach that pre-spend point of being offered a B30 instead of spending because I genuinely loved the products. It made more sense to me to spend about $2k more than store pricing to get a lightly used B that I absolutely ADORE from a reputable reseller than spending WAY more in time and money in an attempt to get offered a B. Fortunately, I'm not interested in any of the more popular mini sizes so this is more feasible. Also I'm not someone who wants a huge collection of bags anymore and have become very selective with what I purchase.

This isn't to say I wouldn't try my hand at the lottery appointments in Paris for a Verrou (though I'm still open to resale for that too).

But yes, unless you're in love with everything you buy from H the time and money (and stress for some) isn't worth some of these bags. Afterall they are just bags.

Frankly, I think the pre-spend is either a myth or just not done at my store. I've bought both a birkin and a Kelly in the last 5 years, and I in no way spent close to what the bag cost to get them. I bought some scarves, a GP and a Halzan, and shoes, but not the tens of thousands I keep hearing you're supposed to spend.

latest opinion...
I see introducing a Birkin 20 as a form of 'selling out' .
The Birkin is a TOTE, was designed as such, a throw everything in bag for everyday life and work.
producing it in a size 20 which one can only carry as a dainty hand held bag is surely compromising the principle behind the bags design
its whole raison d'être.
There I've said it!

and, they need to start selling the Birkin with the strap again as it was in the original design for JB.

 

[maxroxxherhandbags]

LOL, I'm over 60 with gray hair. As I've aged, yellow gold looks less complimentary on me, and I've gravitated to rose gold more and more. I also have always worn a lot of white gold/platinum, but I'm pretty much only wearing the yellow gold because I have it. My older sister wants to sell all her yellow gold for similar reasons.

Interesting,
I too am over 60 with Grey hair but not had the same problem.
I still find Yellow and especially white gold work better on me than 'modern' rose gold That said I don't wear earrings so maybe I'd feel differently then.
Back on topic...
Still on the age theme however and pertaining to an earlier post about the Bolide being an 'old lady bag'.
I think style has no age (I've always thought this even in my 20's when I was a fashion student..I always admired impossibly chic older women).
And Hermes has always been perceived of as a stylish and to my mind ageless brand (as opposed to say Miu Miu which is definitely best on younger women JMO).
I know a 98year old who wears beautiful co-ordinated clothes and bags, always sports a manicure and pedicure and the only Hermes bag she wears is actually an Evie TPM because she walks with a stick, its X-body and most importantly relatively lightweight and can be worn underneath a large Max Mara coat so she feels safe from muggers going out.
The same person who made the Bolide comment probably considered the Kelly and Constance 'old lady bags' before they became the must be seen with accessory.
I will add here that until I reached my 40's I personally always considered The Kelly,Constance, and Trim styles were more mature and somehow sophisticated and therefore more suited to an older client base BUT I would never deem them 'old lady bags'.

 

[CTLover]

Interesting,
I too am over 60 with Grey hair but not had the same problem.
I still find Yellow and especially white gold work better on me than 'modern' rose gold That said I don't wear earrings so maybe I'd feel differently then.
Back on topic...
Still on the age theme however and pertaining to an earlier post about the Bolide being an 'old lady bag'.
I think style has no age (I've always thought this even in my 20's when I was a fashion student..I always admired impossibly chic older women).
And Hermes has always been perceived of as a stylish and to my mind ageless brand (as opposed to say Miu Miu which is definitely best on younger women JMO).
I know a 98year old who wears beautiful co-ordinated clothes and bags, always sports a manicure and pedicure and the only Hermes bag she wears is actually an Evie TPM because she walks with a stick, its X-body and most importantly relatively lightweight and can be worn underneath a large Max Mara coat so she feels safe from muggers going out.
The same person who made the Bolide comment probably considered the Kelly and Constance 'old lady bags' before they became the must be seen with accessory.
I will add here that until I reached my 40's I personally always considered The Kelly,Constance, and Trim styles were more mature and somehow sophisticated and therefore more suited to an older client base BUT I would never deem them 'old lady bags'.

I guess it depends on your skin tone. In my 20's and early 30's I had very dark hair, and darker, olive toned skin due to my Italian background. As I got older, I kept lightening my hair as I became grayer, before I abandoned dying my hair around 5-6 years ago.
My mother was in the fashion industry, so I knew about Hermès early on, and bought my first scarf when I was in college. I have pretty much loved the Kelly style since I was in my 20's, and even had a Kelly knock-off in black with GHW I bought in Spain that I wore for several years in my 20's and early 30's until it fell apart. Funny thing is that I now own the actual Hermès version. K28 noir with GHW. I never saw it as an "old lady bag" but then, I've always been a traditionalist.