Your Love Affair with H...Tell Your Story

[tangle]

I bought my first H scarf when I was pregnant with my second child; unlike my first pregnancy, which was very easy, I felt exhausted and sick all through the second one, and I decided I needed a pick-me-up. The experience in the boutique was so positive I started researching the scarves, and building a collection.

It took me awhile to wander over into the leather goods. I was inspired to look into the bags by that picture of the plume on the bicycle in one of the scarf tying books . And, like Seton, one day I took a look at my scarf collection and thought . . . compared to what I had spent on scarves, the bags no longer seemed so expensive. Such a slippery slope, Hermes prices

 

[Plain&Simple]

My mom's coworker is a big Hermes fan and has a few scarves and a Garden party tote. Well she inspired mum to buy a scarf (Monsieur et Madame) and mum bought me a scarf (sequences, a horse design as I am an equestrian). I have started at 16 and plan on not stopping for a while hehe, we have decided 1 new scarf a year (at least I hope )

 

[Roxane]

I have never been into monograms, so Coach, LV, Gucci have never been on my radar, and I have always bought whatever strikes my fancy. I prefer much more understated bags that look a little beat-up, so when the Chloe Paddingtons came out, I was in love and still am, although the lock gives me a shoulder ache.

After I came on to tPF to research more on Paddies, I was seduced by Balenciaga (just my style – understated and beat-up!) and own close to 30 of these, which I use regularly still.

Recently, I decided to move away from the casual, beat-up look to something a little more structured and refined, so I wandered over to Chanel, but the quilted classic bags age me, and the DH really dislikes them. So, I ended up in Hermes, which seems to suit the days when I put on a proper dress and dainty heels.

To me (and the DH, who is my fashion advisor!), design is paramount, so while I love Hermes for its quality, I don't see myself buying only Hermes, because now and then, there are some really interesting designs that pop up in other brands, which I would buy, as long as the quality is reasonably good.

 

[gem]

before H, I started with bags from so many brands ... Ferragamo, Gucci, anya hindmarch, LV, Loewe, BV, Fendi, Burberry etc etc....

& one day you wonder & talk aloud, so many bags & $ spent on > 30 bags (as at oct 05) and how to indulge further into my bag craze?!

my girlfriend helped jumpstart the H wagon & now I never look back. The value of handstitched bag that last through age - as good as the tagline of Patek Phillippe ...

 

[Julide]

My H obsession just started! I was never into purses and when I finally got into them I found H and the tPF! I have been having a great time and though I don't own anything from another designer yet (just H)I hope that I can take off my H blinders and see if there is anything else out there that I like! Great thread!

 

[chakakhan]

Twiggers, once again you've come up with an amazing idea for a thread! I'm also new to H, and have been drawn in by their amazing craftsmanship. Seeing some posters with their vintage 40-and-50-year-old pieces, I think it would be amazing to start a collection now and add to it for the next 50 years!

 

[ocmommy]

Wow, I thought I had posted in this thread! Guess not!

For me, it started with a duck. The classic Dooney and Bourke was my first high end bag, at the ripe old age of 16. I begged and pleaded and got it as my Sweet 16 gift.

I see now that that bag was nothing more than a gateway drug, as I quickly moved on to the hard stuff pretty quickly.

In no time, I was obsessed with Coach and then soon, it was all about Louis. Louis and I hung out for many years and still have a close and personal relationship.

Sitting back, I realized that I don't seem to gravitate to a certain designer as much as I do a certain shape and style.

With the exception of my LV Noe and a Big Buddah that I use for an overnight bag, all of my bags are very structured and have clean, sturdy lines.

I started doing searches for other bags. I fell in love with the look and shape of the Birkin, which almost borders on not being structured enough for me.

I love, love, love the lines of the Bolide and Plume. The Bolide reminds me of an older Coccinelle bag that I bought in London 10 years ago.

What really drew me in, though, was the craftsmanship. Louis was starting to slip in his quality control and I wanted something...*more*.

I wanted luxury. I wanted quality that leaves the industry standard in the dust. I wanted to own a bag that I could carry for the next 40 years...something timeless.

So, here I am. I am sure that I have the most humble of all collections, consisting of a Twilly and a wide orange Clic-Clic.

However, I have found a wonderful gem of an SA and I am excited to work with him in the future.

And....my husband assures me that there is a very fabulous surprise on the horizon for me, hopefully before the end of the year.

So, that's my little story.

 

[Helpmeplease]

GQ and Men's Vogue got me into Hermes, my mom's been a Hermes admirer for about 25 years (she's only managed to bring herself to buy one Kelly, miser) I used to just buy average designer stuff, from normal department stores, but then i'd see people with the same stuff as me, so I thought, hey lets get a stand out designer bag, so I started searching on GQ (I think...) and the Cameron Silver video was what exposed me to Hermes, and I thought, wow, they do pretty cool guy's stuff too.
From then on I started looking at more of the different sort of things they did, the bespoke services they offered, the endless possibilities of different items, and how no 2 would ever exactly be the same.

 

[liness92]

My late Godmother was the woman who put the purse bug in me when I young. I fell in love with H when I was around 13 and saw photos of Grace Kelly carrying the Kelly bag. My Godmother told me about the Kelly bag and I knew that one day that bag would be mine (20 years later ). Along the way to acquiring the bag I also purchased the usual suspects first Coach and moving along to LV, Prada, Chanel and then the Kelly. I probably should have saved my money on the earlier ones and purchased the Kelly sooner but what is a bag lady suppose to do to get her fix? Since then the H purse, scarf and accessories collection has grown. I haven't looked back.

 

[preppycowgirl]

I remember Hermes from the mid-80s....We used to skip school and go to Walnut Street in Philadelphia. There was a shop called Nan Duskin and they had Hermes scarves on a table there. I was 14 and would drool over these H scarves. Of course my '14-year old wearing scarves' were mostly cotton or wool...and dare I admit...polyester!

Any way, I remember like it was yesterday that the scarves were the "classic" H scarves...nautical, horsey, etc. Probably Ledoux's, but I didn't know that at the time.

So, I would pick up these scarves and the older, coifed women who worked there would say "Young lady! PLEASE, put down the scarf! They are VERY expensive!" (In my head: ERGH!! I don't want to put it down, I want it to come home with me!) But, I didn't have $$$ back then for a scarf!! I think they were about $140. Long story short, I vowed that some day I WOULD have an H scarf!!

About 6-7 years ago I was on eBay and for the heck of it I typed in "Hermes Scarf." WOW! Was I shocked at how the style of their scarves had changed....and it was instant love all over again!! My first was a pink Neige D'Antan from eBay. And now, I not only have 1, but many H scarves!! Mostly Kermits and Dallets.

Then, of course, scarves led to jewelry...and now I am on the hunt for my first Birkin, which is why I joined tPF so I could learn all about the leathers, colors, etc. And it has been the best thing I have ever done! These ladies and gents really know their Hermes bags!! And I love all the reveals and modeling pix!!

Thanks for letting me reminisce!!