birkin

Hermes Wins the Luxist Awards' Editors' Choice Award for Best in Accessories

Filed under: Apparel

Hermès, the Paris-based fashion house known for its designs that evoke refined elegance, is the winner of the Luxist Awards' Editors' Choice Award for Best in Accessories.

What is better in life than receiving a gift presented in Hermès' iconic orange box with that lovely brown ribbon wrapped tightly around it? The only thing that is better than its signature packaging is the gorgeous Hermès handbag, wallet, watch, belt, scarf or tie that might happen to be hidden inside.

Hermès is the epitome of true luxury. Each and every one of its products are made extraordinarily well, with the best of design and highest of craftsmanship. The company, which has roots as a maker of equestrian equipment, carefully guards its brand. Hermès never discounts the prices of the merchandise offered at its boutiques and maintains strict control over its brand and image.

Gallery: More from Hermes

Tags: awards-main, Best accessories, birkin, birkin bags, BirkinBag, editors choice, editors choice award, hermes, Kelly Bag, Luxist-awards, winners-accessories, winners-editors-choice

Continue reading “Hermes Wins the Luxist Awards' Editors' Choice Award for Best in Accessories”

Hermes: Classic and Coveted

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Handbags, Shoes

A Readers' Choice nominee in the Best Leather Goods Category, Hermes has come a long way since its inception nearly two centuries ago. The company was founded by a Frenchman named Thierry Hermes in 1837 as a maker of harnesses and bridles. Since then, it has grown into one of the world's most sought-after luxury brands; customers have ranged from Humphrey Bogart to Paris Hilton.

Hermes is known for leather goods like the Kelly bag and Constance bag, favored by actress Grace Kelly and former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Like all Hermes products, these bags are made by hand without assembly lines; only one craftsman may work on a bag at a time.

The Birkin bag, which takes its name from actress Jane Birkin, is perhaps the most coveted of them all. Made from exotic animal skins and adorned with hardware hewn from precious metals, these bags boast waiting lists in excess of two years and price tags starting at $5000. A one-of-a-kind pink crocodile Birkin fetched $140,000 in 2007.

Hermes peddles its goods through boutiques sprinkled throughout posh U.S. enclaves like New York, East Hampton, Palm Beach and Beverly Hills. Based in Paris, the company continues to expand abroad into lucrative developing markets such as China. In a nod to its heritage, Hermes still offers equestrian paraphernalia.

Cast your vote for the Readers' Choice Awards at http://www.luxist.com/awards-vote/accessories-awards.

Gallery: More from Hermes

Tags: awards-main, birkin, birkin bag, BirkinBag, Grace Kelly, GraceKelly, Hermes, kelly bag, KellyBag, leather goods, LeatherGoods, luxist-awards

FabSugar's Birkin Bag Giveaway

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

There are a lot of great giveaways going on this season. Here on this blog we are running plenty of them including our ten-day Four Seasons giveaway but we have to give a nod to FabSugar which, along with PurseBlog, is giving away a black Hermes Birkin bag compliments of Portero Luxury. The bag is pre-owned and never worn (valued at $8,350). Registration for the giveaway is now open on www.fabsugar.com and will continue until midnight on December 31, 2009.

To enter to win you have to sign up for the PopSugar Network, PopSugar Daily, Portero.com and ThePurseBlog's emails but you can skirt that by filling out a 3" x 5" index card with your name, complete address, city, state, zip code, telephone number (including area code), and date of birth and mailing it via first class mail to: : "FabSugar Win A Hermès Birkin Bag Giveaway", Sugar Publishing, Inc., 111 Sutter Street, 15th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104.

Source

Tags: bag, birkin, giveaway, handbag, hermes

The Ultimate Resource for Vintage Hermes Scarves

by Deb West (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Handbags

While the economic slump may still be in full bloom, and some people are rushing to invest in gold, others are buying tangible assets of a different kind. Artcurial, a French based auction house and the only one to dedicate two sales annually to the Hermes label, recently pulled in over 1 million dollars during their latest sale held on November 10, 2009. Some items, including a Birkin bag sold for above the estimate and even the original retail price.

If you don't want to have to wait until spring and the next auction, Luxury-scarves.com has the most comprehensive collection of vintage Hermes scarves on the market. The site is the brain child of an antiques dealer, who began collecting the "carres" while scouring markets and secondhand shops for his other business. What began as a personal collection over ten years ago really has developed into an incredible resource for collectors and fashionistas alike.

There are plenty of dealers who collect and sell Hermes items. What makes this site so unique is not only the size and scope of the collection but the manner in which it is organized. One can search for a scarf based on name, color, size, condition, material or designer. Once a chosen item is located five different views of the scarf are shown along with its name, who designed it, when the scarf was first produced, subsequent reissues and available colorways and materials. The condition and any other point of reference, for example if the item has an "S" stamp is also noted. The price of the scarf is listed in both euros and dollars. There is in fact an on-line database of over 1,000 scarves with photos to be used for research and non-commercial purposes.

Should you desperately want a vintage Hermes bag to complement your scarf feel free to browse the sister site Luxury-shops.com which features all types of vintage designer items including several new and used Birkin bags ranging in price from $10,000 to over $50,000 for one made of matte alligator.

Gallery: Vintage Hermes Scarves

Tags: artcurial, auction, birkin, BirkinBag, hermes, hermes-birkin, scarf, scarves, vintage

Hermes Vows No Change In Strategy

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

One of the reasons that Hermes seems to thrive where other luxury brands falter is that the brand has always eschewed 'masstige' -- luxury aimed at the masses. While other brands have expanded and then discounted, Hermes has held on to a fine snobbery that has served it well even in the recession. That strategy isn't set to change. The Financial Times recently talked with Patrick Thomas the CEO of the luxury brand who has said the brand has held off on expanding as fast as they could because they don't want to squander the legacy of the company's history. Thomas refers to it as a "capital sin" to use the image of the company to try and make short term money.

The company has made some accommodations to deal with the growing demand for their products. Over the last 20 years the brand has expanded its cadre of artisans from around 300 to over 2,000 but they still can't keep up with the demand for the popular Birkin bags beloved of celebrities and the wealthy including Victoria Beckham, shown at right. Thomas also cleared up the rumor that Hermes might be investing in jewelry brand Asprey after picking up their London store. Thomas insists that the company was only after the prime real estate, not the company within.

Source

Tags: asprey, birkin, handbag, hermes, luxury

Can A Handbag Be An Investment?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

Retail therapy has changed a lot in the past year. The splurge has been replaced by the investment with the bag of the moment being released by the bag to last a lifetime. But is a handbag really a good investment? Lesley M. M. Blume of The Big Money crunches the numbers when it comes purchasing with an eye toward selling later. When it comes to jewelry, unless you are talking about highly collectible pieces or rare stones that possess certain qualities of color and size, you probably aren't going to be able to sell for what you purchased for in a retail store.

And what about the Holy Grail of investment purses, the Hermes Birkin bag? We've seen Birkins make big numbers at auctions and they are hot sellers at consignment stores. Victoria Beckham reportedly owns more than 100 of the hard-to-obtain bags. And the recent book "Bringing Home The Birkin" tells the story of a man who made a living obtaining the hard-to-get bags and then selling them to customers interesting in jumping the famous waiting list.

Blume says that if you bought a bag, one of the more modest models, for around $7,000 in 2007 you could likely resell it at a resale boutique for around $8,300 but you would then have to pay a cut to the shop leaving you with about $6,000. The article doesn't mention that you could sell the way "Bringing Home the Birkin" author Michael Tonello did and put your bag on up for sale online. Tonello used eBay which charges a smaller percentage. You could also try Portero.com but they take a whopping 30 percent of your haul so you'd have to mark up accordingly.

Other bags sell well in some places especially if the bag is vintage and rare but usually nothing beats a Birkin. Calling the bag an investment may be a bit of a stretch since you'd still be better off socking that money away somewhere where it would earn modest and stable interest but the article does make a good point for value. In the long run, whether you are looking with an eye toward resale or not, it is perhaps better to buy one more expensive and high quality item than several of lesser value. This viewpoint provides a bit of retooling the shopping strategy. The quick retail fix, the "must-have-it-now" era has been replaced by mulling, considering, evaluating and then finally purchasing.

Source

Tags: bag, birkin, handbag, investment, victoria beckham, VictoriaBeckham

Hermes Jypsi�re Bag, Handbag of the Day

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

The latest in the Hermes collection, the Jypsière (aka the Birkin messenger), was designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, who wore the androgynous shoulder bag down the runway following his Fall 08 show for Hermes. Waiting lists are long in the U.S., where the bag has yet to make an appearance. Eager shoppers have been told the satchel should be stateside by the end of the month.

Slung casually over the back of a wild yak in the fall ad campaign, we hope that acquiring this piece won't be quite so difficult as it looks in the pictures. Though if you must muscle a one-ton beast over a Himalayan mountain pass, best do it with your Hermes saddle and your Jypsière. The Jypsière will be available in multiple colors and leathers. The version seen above retails for $11,365.

Source

Tags: birkin, fall 08, Fall08, hermes, hermes ad campaign, HermesAdCampaign, jypsiere bag, JypsiereBag, messenger birkin, MessengerBirkin, yak

Your New Designer Piggy Bank

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Art, Charity

Designer Harry Allen crafted his resin cast gold finished piggy bank as part of his series, Reality. And in our current economic climate, everyone wants to look more penny pincher than spendthrift, whether you are truly concerned about your investments or have conscientiously decided to be a happy person just one-Birkin-fewer. With this piece on a shelf somewhere, your frugal side makes its subtle yet cheeky appearance and your charitable side does too: Allen will donate 5% of proceeds to The Humane Society. Available in gold or chrome finish at Moss online for $195.

Source

Tags: birkin, charity, harry allen, HarryAllen, moss, moss online, MossOnline, piggy bank, PiggyBank, the humane society, TheHumaneSociety

Sales Strong at Hermes

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Handbags, Jewelry, Timepieces / Watches, Men's Style

Hermes Paris has just posted a 12.8% increase in sales for the first half of the year and also announces plans to unveil 15 new or improved retail posts in the coming months. Further proof that what doesn't go out of style is worth investing in, the brisk sales at Hermes are mirrored in the vintage market, as well -- fashionistas hungry for rare silk scarves and enamel bracelets are in constant bidding wars on eBay. (Don't get me started on my recent loss of a safari-themed bangle from the early '80s. Damn you, iris1680!) A nice point of entree to the luxury brand? Perfect-for-summer scent "Un Jardin en Mediterranee," the eau de toilette equivalent of a stroll through Mediterranean gardens. At least until you justify that new Birkin.

Source

Tags: birkin, eau de toilette, EauDeToilette, ebay, hermes, hermes paris, HermesParis, jewelry, perfume, silk scarves, SilkScarves

iPhone Pouch Premieres At Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Luxury Cars & Autos

3G iPhone, check. Mercedes GLK, check. How to merge the two? Enter a new exclusive "pouch" (more like a Birkin for your cell phone), crafted from white napa leather and glittering in Swarovski crystals to stash your phone. Currently even trickier to come by than an iPhone last Friday, the pouch has been released in a group of just 40 limited editions to be raffled off during this week's Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin. But they'll come to market in October 2008, along with the GLK, the "compact SUV" (oxymoron, anyone?) that made its stylish debut driving Sex and the City star Kim Cattrall to her first Berlin fashion show.

Gallery: iPhone Pouch Premieres At Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin

Source

Tags: birkin, iphone, iphone 3g, Iphone3g, mercedes, mercedes benz, mercedes benz glk, MercedesBenz, MercedesBenzGlk, sex and the city, SexAndTheCity, swarovski

$1 Million Jewelry Theft at Heathrow

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Lindsay Lohan was leaving Heathrow Airport on Thursday when she noticed that her orange Hermes Birkin bag was missing. The bag itself might have gotten only a moment or two of mourning from the young celebrity, but the theft is now under investigation by Scotland Yard because that bag contained about $1 million worth of jewelry. Lindsay left it on her luggage trolley and must have turned away just long enough for someone to snag it. She is asking for the return her things, but given the value of the items taken, it seems unlikely that the thief will comply.