The Hermes Birkin is synonymous with classic. But what do you think about Hermes’ take on the Birkin Club for Spring/Summer 2011? The bag features stripes (some refer to them as racing stripes). Tri-colored, we think the colors are gris, perle and Mykonos blue lizard.
The overall vibe of the Hermes Birkin Club has a younger feel to it – something meant to be seen as more fun, with even a tad of a sporty finish. Do you prefer the classic Birkin or the Birkin Club?
The Thursday Friday Together Bag
Fashion is meant to be fun. Sometimes I notice others in the fashion world taking everything so seriously. That has never been my stance and I try to catch myself before I feel wound up over something that I have fallen in love with, mainly because of its playful nature. When it comes to accessories, my stance is even stronger.
Be daring, be bold, pick an accessory that is out of your comfort zone to give that perfect touch to your outfit. And this is where Thursday Friday comes in. The company was launched with the idea of bringing fashion to canvas bags. Their Together Bag is available in either a red, camel, or blue print of a Hermes Birkin on the canvas tote. Yes, A Hermes Birkin print.
Rue La La Hermes Event Preview
Last week we gave you an intimate insight into the inner workings behind the private sales site that is Rue La La. While we toured the premises, the team of 300 strong was diligently preparing for the big Hermes Sales event that launches tomorrow, November 16th at 11am EST sharp.
I already uncovered some of the pieces that will be available tomorrow in the Hermes forum on TPF a few days back, now it’s time to see a few of the treasures up close before they go on sale tomorrow.
Fashion Week Handbags: Hermes Spring 2011
It has often seemed as though Jean Paul Gaultier’s favorite thing to do on the Hermes runway is riff on the classics that make the brand so iconic and successful, and Hermes Spring 2011, Gaultier’s swan song with the brand, was a horse-tastic, S&M-tinged ode to exactly those tendencies. The handbags mostly stayed clear of the psychosexual leanings of clothing, but that isn’t to say that they weren’t interesting.
If I told you that the bag to the left were actually made of real, honest-to-God crocodile, would you think I was lying? I wouldn’t blame you if you did, because I’ve never before encountered crocodile skin that I could see through, but Style.com seems to indicate that it’s the genuine article. From that to picnic basket and fanny pack Kellys and tiny Birkins hanging from cuff bracelets, it seems as though Gaultier had a fine time with his last trip through the Hermes accessory archives.
Rachel Zoe Project: “How do you pose without a train? I mean, it’s tricky.”
As anyone who has watched previous seasons of The Rachel Zoe Project knows, Rachel literally (Rachel’s definition, not the actual definition that exists in objective reality) lives and breathes on awards shows. The first episode of season three was oddly free of any red carpet machinations, but we ran into the Golden Globes face-first last night.
There were gowns! And problems! And late fittings! It’s become clear that this show could exist without any narrative at all, because I think we all really watch to see Rachel’s Birkins and the ridiculous dresses and Brad dancing around and trying on the clothes. They could just do that for an hour every week and I’d still watch, plus they wouldn’t have to worry about heavy-handedly trying to remind us all that Rodger is a football-loving, beer-drinking, straight dudebro. None of us care – more Van Cleef, please.
Lady Gaga Implements the Stud Trend on her Hermes Birkin
I have decided that Lady Gaga performs makeovers on her Hermes Birkins just for us. She wants the handbag lovers of the world to get a rise out of what she is doing to her bag. And how can you not? Her last Hermes Birkin was taken over by what looked like a Sharpie marker with a message to her Japanese fans.
This Birkin has been taken over with studs, and not just any studs, seemingly sharp studs. The kind of studs that can poke you and get an “Ouch” reaction from your mouth. And when you inspect the bag closely, they are not perfectly set apart, rather tried to be somewhat in pattern but it is a bit of a free-form design.
Lady Gaga sends a Birkin message to her Japanese fans
If you’re a fan of the Hermes Birkin (or simply not a fan of Lady Gaga), gird your loins for this one.
When her Monster Ball tour landed recently in Tokyo, La Gagita was seen in the airport carrying a white Hermes Birkin inscribed with a message that loosely translates to “I love small monster. Toyko love.”
In case you’re not familiar with the Gaga vernacular, “little monsters” is the name that she uses to refer to her fans, so her Birkin message was a shout-out to those that would be attending her Japanese shows. Using accessories and the paparazzi to communicate – clever, or not so much?
Regular readers of the blog will know that I’m a huge Lady Gaga fangirl, so I think it’s fairly clever. It’s not the most interesting thing she’s ever done, but playing with fashion and blurring the lines of social acceptability are two things that are integral to her public image, and not only does a Sharpie’d Birkin combine those things effectively, but it has managed set tongues wagging all over the internet.
UPDATE: As commenter Allen pointed out, it looks as though Gaga has now had her Japanese fans sign the back of the same Birkin, according the the pictures that she posted on Twitter today.
Debate: Would you bedazzle a bag, real or fake?
During NYC Fashion Week Tommy Ton, of Jak and Jill Blog, snapped photos for Style.com. His focus was on street style and what was being worn outside of the tents. There was one photo that caught my eye. A bedazzled Hermes Birkin.
Fashion Week Handbags: Hermes
Looking through the pictures of an Hermes runway show can be almost anticlimactic – we know that Jean Paul Gaultier is going to do something brilliant and that Hermes only uses the absolute best in luxury materials and finishes. They’ve set such a high bar for themselves that even though the team behind the brand almost always turns out brilliant work, I find that the attitude tends to be, “Of course it’s good. It’s Hermes.” Their perfection can feel repetitive at times.
For Fall/Winter 2010, however, Hermes did something that had a few people wrinkling their noses. Instead of the traditionally luxurious inspirations that we’ve seen them use recently, Gauliter went for a collection based on The Avengers and Emma Peel and created a retro superhero fantasy covered in the finest black leather. I’m not one of those people that’s going to question them – I adored it, from beginning to end. It may have used more leather than some people would have preferred, but leather goods are their bread and butter – why not extend that to normal garments, as well?
As for the bags, you really can’t go wrong with an enormous black crocodile Birkin. Or black croc anything – it was abundant in this show. The tiny Kellys attached to umbrella handles were adorable and irreverent, so long as you only intend to use the umbrella as a walking stick. The regular-size studded Kellys felt a little like they were grabbing on to the tail end of a trend, but the studding was fine enough that the bags still looked fairly fresh and desirable.
PurseBlog partners to Giveaway this Hermes Birkin! Birkin 580×435
A week ago today, I leaked a teaser about a fabulous giveaway on the horizon. While I couldn’t divulge which bag would be up for grabs, I did get a chance to offer a few hints. For the past week, many of you have jotted down one guess while others made a few guesses. It is fair to say that the majority of the guesses were correct, and today, I get to shout from the rooftops: WE’RE GIVING AWAY THIS HERMES BIRKIN!!!
Fashion Week Handbags: Hermes
In case you have previously considered the idea of wearing a $10,000 purse as a gym bag and ruled it out, Hermes would apparently like you to rethink that decision.
Jean Paul Gaultier’s entire Hermes Spring 2010 collection was a riff on country club chic, and enormous Kellys and Birkins as workout wear, replete with leather tennis ball carriers, were the icing on top of the luxe-prepster cake. Obviously the idea that a white travel Kelly should be slung around the local tennis court is in jest, but the aesthetic does work nicely with the ultraclean lines of Hermes’s signature bags.
Overall, though, I didn’t find myself nearly as blown away as I usually do when looking at a series of the world’s finest handbags. I have wondered before why Hermes doesn’t use more snakeskin in their line, and the oversized python Birkins and Kellys answered that quite nicely – it just doesn’t work. All of the snakeskin bags looked rumpled and, dare I say it, fake. Unless there’s a point that I’m missing, I’m surprised that Gaultier let them walk the runway.
Overall, I find myself a little underwhelmed. The exotic clutches were predictably drool-inducing, and the tennis influence that found its way into the accessories line is very appropriate for brand whose customers probably all count themselves as members of various country clubs. But with the resources and craftsmanship that Hermes has at their disposal, I was hoping for a bit more.
