Hermes Handbags and Purses (Page 3)

Images via Moda Operandi

Some days, talking about trends and design and the fashion industry just seems a little strenuous, particularly first thing in the morning. Today was starting to feel like one of those days, which calls for some totally gratuitous eye candy. Luckily, online trunk sale pioneer Moda Operandi is currently offering a generous selection of gorgeous vintage Hermes bags, and even though the sale is only open to Moda members, we have all the pictures.

The Hermes pieces range in price from $4,950 for a slightly worn leather Kelly bag to $79,900 for a rare, pristine Himalayan crocodile Birkin, which has evidently already been snapped up by an enthusiastic collector. The selection of croc, alligator and ostrich is truly impressive and ranges from the expected neutrals to brights like lovely vert anis green, and there are also a few nontraditional bags with a mixture of leather and printed canvas. Take a look for yourself after the jump, or if you’ve got deep pockets, shop the sale via Moda Operandi through tomorrow.

Photo via Things Organized Neatly

Ever wonder what a Hermes Kelly looks like before it is put together? I hadn’t given much thought to the question, but Jeroen van Rooijen clearly has; he deconstructed the iconic bag for his book Zerlegt. What struck me the most is what’s not in the photo – the Kelly has no fussy linings, zippers or unnecessary elements of any kind. The beauty of the design is in its simplicity.

Do you ever get the sense that luxury monolith LVMH might be trolling Hermes, purely for CEO Bernard Arnault’s amusement? With yesterday’s report from British Vogue that LVMH’s ownership percentage in the family-run French leather goods company has increased once again, the possibility seems not altogether unlikely.

The increase – from 20.2% to 21.4% – may seem tiny on its face and to those who haven’t followed the story. In this case, though, context is important. The move comes in the wake of Hermes’ redoubled efforts to block LVMH from gaining additional shares after news that Arnault had quietly acquired a full fifth of Hermes stock without the family’s knowledge shocked the accessories world late last year. Will Arnault and LVMH stop before they own a controlling share in the seemingly boundlessly profitable brand?

Photos via Hermes

We’ve all heard the phrase “good enough to eat” used to describe a whole range of visually delectable non-edibles, but it looks as though Hermes has taken the words to heart in celebration of its new Hermes Kelly Picnic Bag; the brand put together homages to the icnonic Kelly bag made out of all the foods you’d need for a proper outdoor meal.

As you might have quessed, the new Kelly Picnic is made out of the familiar woven wicker of a traditional picnic basket, only topped with a barenia leather flap and Kelly closure for that special Hermes touch. You can see it and the rest of the food Kellys after the jump, but considering the scorching heat that New York City endured this weekend, the oranges above are the most enticing of the bunch to me.

If you watched Newlyweds back in the day like I did (and I did it without shame, thankyouverymuch), then you know that Jessica Simpson is an inveterate bag lover just like the rest of us. She toted a lot of multicolore Louis Vuitton at the time because that was the hot new thing, but now that Jessica has gotten older (and richer – that shoe line she has is no joke, y’all), she’s made a bit of an upgrade: an orange Hermes Birkin. Although based on the rest of the photo, it’s kind of refreshing to see that Jessica sits around the house in the same pajamas she had back then.

Photo via Style.com

I love a good print as much as anyone in the world, which means that things like Style.com’s recent feature on the resurgence of traditional scarf patterns are like crack to me, particularly when they they lead off with a printed handbag. As is likely predictable when the worlds of purses and scarves collide, Hermes is the culprit. As is also predictable with the brand, the price for the Hermes Catenina Silk Bag is astronomical. But at $5450, the number even caught this veteran accessories fan off guard. Is there any way that you’d plunk down that much for a bag that wasn’t leather, encrusted in Swarovskis or some combination of the two?

With all the thinking I’ve been doing today about Hermes, it seemed particularly serendipitous that I would come across this utterly lovely photo of a very fashionable lady carrying the Hermes Constance on photographer Tommy Ton’s Jak & Jil blog. While this design doesn’t have the ardent and ravenous following of the Birkin or Kelly, I think we can all agree that its lines are elegant in a way that only Hermes can pull off. The curve of the gussets, the sharp corners of the handle attachement – it’s all perfect. And what’s even more perfect is that the Constance costs thousands of dollars less than a Birkin. Maybe this is the Hermes bag for me.