Many of you have been asking for me to do another Purseonal and trust me, I have WANTED TO. But with a lovely vacation, Fashion Week and hiring a new member to the team, I’ve been a little swamped. This Purseonals entry is a treat for you and me, as its subject is considered one of the most iconic bags of all time (and in one of the most classic combinations leather and hardware combinations possible).

During the two previous season that new creative director Christophe Lemaire has shown for Hermes, the selection of handbags in the runway shows has left something to be desired. What’s there is beautiful, of course, but there’s just not much of it, particularly when you consider that Hermes’ brand identity is centered so heavily on the art of the leather bag.

Ok, so here’s the skinny: Designed by Hermes in collaboration with jeweler and shoe designer Pierre Hardy, this Hermes Kelly is made out of solid rose gold dotted with a total of 1160 diamonds. The bag (bag-bracelet?) can be carried conventionally or worn with the handles around the wrist as a sort of bangle. After a few minutes of imagining, I guess I can see how the body of the “bag” might hang from the wrist without looking too awkward.

Image via PopSugar

Something tells me that you guys will have plenty to say about this photo, so I won’t say much. A few days ago, reality star and attention-seeker extraordinaire Kim Kardashian hung out on the beach in Miami with her bestie Jonathan Cheban, and what did she use to tote her beach essentials? Why, a black leather Hermes Birkin, of course.

Did you miss last fall’s documentary on Hermes craftsmanship and the people who make it possible? So did we, but fret not, the Internet is a wondrous place full of second chances. (And cat pictures. Second chances and cat pictures.) If you’d like a chance to peer behind the curtain and see what happens in Hermes workshops and meet the people who make the world’s finest leather goods, Hermes.com now has the documentary, in its entirety, available for streaming.

When you’re a brand with a rabid, slavish following like French leathergoods giant Hermes, it’s important to think outside the box in order to both maximize profits and cater to your very particular customer’s every need. With quarterly growth in the double digits since time immemorial, Hermes has taken a page out of the Louis Vuitton book and now brands everything under the sun, including the simplest of writing implements: the pencil.

Hermes Steeple Canvas Horse Tote, $2700 via Hermes (for now)

Hold on to your horses, folks. Or at least hold on to your Hermes Steeple Canvas Horse Totes – prices for the most expensive handbags in the world are about to get even higher.

Leghila Neoprene B-Bag Tote, $375 via Luisa Via Roma

Around here, we have plenty of fun pointing out those companies who seek to ride each others’ design coattails to financial and sartorial success. Almost every company, big or small, well known or not, fits that descriptor from time to time, but then there are those who take the whole enterprise up several degrees of magnitude.

Image via Heritage Auctions

If you were to ask any handbag lover what the most expensive handbag to ever sell at auction was, I’m pretty sure that we’d all guess the same thing: an Hermes Crocodile Birkin with White Gold & Diamond Hardware. It just makes sense; not only are Hermes bags (and Birkins in particular) notorious for holding their value and doing well at resale, but a crocodile Birkin with diamond-encrusted hardware is one of the most elusive and expensive collector’s items in the world.

WGACA Hermes Vintage Crocodile Bags, $8000 ShopBop here and here

If you’re not familiar with vintage powerhouses What Goes Around Comes Around, you should be. The New York-based retro aggregator, often abbreviated WGACA, searches out and resells some of the best pre-owned duds in the country, and today, that includes two lovely Hermes Vintage Crocodile Bags that are up for grabs via ShopBop.