When I was starting my Hermes journey, I wish I knew...

LuxuryLvr

Member
Jul 7, 2018
73
227
Summing it up before you continue...long-time lurker, seldom poster and about to begin my Hermes journey.

I've finally decided it's time for me to begin dipping my toes into the orange pool of Hermes. I will be starting with a mix of shoes, fashion & fine jewelry, SLGS, two Evelynes (ideally looking for the 29 in Etoupe and a bright/fun color in the 16), home items (Avalon blanket and pillow and other items for my home office), and, once I am doing in-person meetings in Manhattan again, a black Garden Party to tote around my laptop and other "city" essentials when I am running around the city.

My question is this: when you were starting out with Hermes - whether your ultimate goal was to score a Birkin or Kelly - what do you wish you had known back then? Any regrets or coulda/woulda/shoulda moments? I want to go in knowing I'm in for the long haul and my wishlist is something I hope to work on over years to come. For those who have been in it for a while, what do you wish you had known prior to walking into the store for the first time?
 
I wish I’d known how difficult it was to get some non-B/K/C things, and how ironically getting them online made getting future purchases offline tougher. Yeah there are stories of immediately clicking with an SA, but a lot of home or RTW items are a surprisingly long wait, or not possible to get (unless it’s a 40k chess set which I’m sure they’d find instantly).

It’s not impossible or anything, but your, say, 7th dinnerware purchase has an easier time being available in 2 days than your first one, if of a special set or something. I thought the whole consistency/history thing only mattered for bags (which I don’t really care about).

Oh, and also the seasonality of colors - while I’m pretty open to SLGs/accessories of many colors, I wish I’d started looking at “available colors” lists like Notorious Pink publishes from the beginning!
 
I wish I had known the characteristics of shawls and scarves that would lead me to wear them regularly. I’ve done pretty well but in hindsight there are some that seemed great in theory but I don’t wear in practice. I don’t have many H regrets but there a few scarves and shawls in my collection I would have skipped.

Also things are often not in stock or available in the future so if you see something you want and you can afford it, buy it.
 
Lots of learnings!

1. I am sure this will be repeated many times here, but only buy what you love. and there will always be more items to desire in future seasons
2. To time-limit how much time i spend obsessing over different colours and styles for quota bags. Because ultimately, you don't have THAt much choise over what gets offered to you
3. Looking like an Hermes-bot (head to toe H, or even multiple H items at once) doesn't really work for me
4. That you will be treated differently in each H city, so dont waste too time on holidays exploring other boutiques (looking at you FSH...)
5. That it's not THAT easy to get a quote bag in Paris...maybe those days are gone
6. You will learn what works for you and what doesn't. Some things you will only know once purchased (i thought CGSM would be great. I hardly wear them, i don't like the look of volume it creates on me)
7. A good SA is really wonderful!
8. That actually, some of the higher priced items offer more value for money imo, e.g. fine jewelry, homewares

To be continued...
 
Your SA relationship is the key to H happiness.
Wait for the items that you truly love, don’t settle.
The colors and styles are ever-changing... so if you see something you love, snatch it up... with the vagaries of H, there’s no telling when/if it will be available again.
And always be prepared to purchase your dream items... you never know when your wishlist items will suddenly appear.
 
Your SA relationship is the key to H happiness.
Wait for the items that you truly love, don’t settle.
The colors and styles are ever-changing... so if you see something you love, snatch it up... with the vagaries of H, there’s no telling when/if it will be available again.
And always be prepared to purchase your dream items... you never know when your wishlist items will suddenly appear.
Totally agree with this! l can relate so much, my wonderful SA was able to get me pretty much anything l wanted and when l asked for a B30 noir togo GHW he got it for me in two months :love: Was not expecting it to come so soon!:nuts:
 
wou
I wish I had known the characteristics of shawls and scarves that would lead me to wear them regularly. I’ve done pretty well but in hindsight there are some that seemed great in theory but I don’t wear in practice. I don’t have many H regrets but there a few scarves and shawls in my collection I would have skipped.

Also things are often not in stock or available in the future so if you see something you want and you can afford it, buy it.
ld love to hear more about those characteristics that you love.
 
If you see something you love, buy it.
If you don't love something, don't buy it because its a must have or rare.
Don't be overly influenced by everyone else's opinions on what you should have. Its so personal
Don't settle for hardware that isn't your first choice, you'll regret it
If you are interested in enjoying the brand and becoming a long term customer find a SA you click with and stick with them. They will help you find what you want and give you amazing customer service.
This forum has loads of great information have a good look around. There are some H experts on here.
 
I wish I'd paid more attention to H throughout the years. It probably means I would have started earlier (which I do regret not doing as well), but while we all know the classic items and colors, knowing the recent archives of H helps me understand what I truly love that might not be as common and where a similar item might get released.

H is often a world of compromise based on availability and only you can determine where your lines are. I recommend having an idea beforehand, so you don't get swept up in the offer or turn something down you might regret later. The archives will help you reach a baseline.
 
Having a sale associate who explained to me that being "in relationship" with Hermes is a marathon and not a sprint...

This. It sounds as if you plan to buy quite a number of things at a rapid pace (unless your planned purchases/wish list will be spread out over time). Don't rush into spending a ton of money right away. Breathe and enjoy your H journey. Plus, if you spread your purchases out, you will have more time getting to know your SA and build your relationship.

Someone mentioned things being more available online. Always ask your SA to get you stuff you see online. Giving him or her the item number helps. SAs can bring stuff in or have them shipped to you and get credit for the sale.

This can be a trial and error process with regard to learning what products, leathers and colors you love. Another reason to take is slow.

As others said, only buy what you really love. It's hard not to get caught up in the "experience" and buy more than you really love.
 
This. It sounds as if you plan to buy quite a number of things at a rapid pace (unless your planned purchases/wish list will be spread out over time). Don't rush into spending a ton of money right away. Breathe and enjoy your H journey. Plus, if you spread your purchases out, you will have more time getting to know your SA and build your relationship.

Someone mentioned things being more available online. Always ask your SA to get you stuff you see online. Giving him or her the item number helps. SAs can bring stuff in or have them shipped to you and get credit for the sale.

This can be a trial and error process with regard to learning what products, leathers and colors you love. Another reason to take is slow.

As others said, only buy what you really love. It's hard not to get caught up in the "experience" and buy more than you really love.
I definitely plan to buy these items spread out over a good amount of time! For example, I would like a couple pairs of Oran sandals as we head into warmer weather and then a pair of boots later in the fall, with an Evelyne around the time of my birthday in July.

Also, very helpful to know I can ask an SA to get me stuff I see online. I want to really build a relationship with an SA over time - I'm not after a quota bag at the exact moment, though I will want to explore that in a couple years time when I'm approaching my 40th birthday.