Hermes: More Than The Kelly Or Birkin

We all get lost of the splendor of Hermès (pronounced “air mess”) and it’s easy to focus on its traditional beauties, the Kelly and the Birkin bags. Indeed the Birkin rests as the number two item on my Wish List (behind a specific Patek Philippe watch).

Let me share some fun facts:

• The average size Birkin or Kelly bag takes fifteen to sixteen hours to make
• The bigger bags take twenty-five to thirty hours
• Most Hermès bags are built from the inside out
• Everything on the bag except for the zipper is made of leather
• The Kelly comes in two styles: sellier {seams are on the outside} and retourner {seams are on the inside}
• The Birkin is only available in retourner
• On the Kelly, the flap is a continuation of the back of the bag
• On the Birkin, the flap is sewn on
• All the leather seams are sewn by hand

But enough about the Kelly and Birkin bags because Hermès has so many other fabulous bags and because Harper’s Bazaar saw fit to share, we wanted to provide a weekly glimpse into the world of Hermès, compliments of Couli Jobert, Hermès’s artistic director of leather and equestrian.

Each week, I’ll share a Hermès bag as rendered in Harper’s Bazaar’s August issue.

{notes: facts provided from Deluxe by Dana Thomas}