Many of you know the procedures and steps it takes at Hermès to score the bag you are looking for, and if you don’t, let me give you a mini breakdown. While there have been rumors and stories swirling for decades on waitlists and spend thresholds to get the Hermès bag of your dreams, many times, it simply comes down to customer loyalty and availability. There is also a new setup revolving around how many Birkins and Kellys you are allotted per year. And let’s be honest, life is often also about relationships and luck, which plays a role at Hermès as well. It’s far deeper than that all, so I am merely sharing some surface-level musings that by no means define who is offered a bag and why.
I haven’t been shopping in Hermès as much since I had my kids; I took a pause and haven’t added a bag to my collection from the brand until last week. I went into the store to reconnect with the SA (sales associate) I had used this past holiday season to get my mom an Hermès Evelyne. After saying hi for a few minutes, she remembered me, and we got to chatting. She asked what I was looking for, and I said, “A Kelly.” She answered me honestly, let me know that it is pretty hard to get a Kelly right now, and then asked a bit more about colors, sizes, or other bags I’d be open to. I have a few Birkins, so my heart is set on a Kelly, but I am in no rush, so I shared that with her, and I wasn’t set on color either. I just shared that if she could keep me in mind, if she thought something came up that I might like, to let me know. We talked about how there are so few bags on the shelves right now or even readily available (in fact, there aren’t even Evelyne bags which were typically readily available).
Went for Shoes, Left with a Bag
I decided to look at shoes because I wanted a new pair of sandals for my upcoming tropical trip. When she went back to check on my size, she came back out and said they had just gotten a Mini Evelyne in and wanted to see if I was interested. I did not intend to buy a bag that day, definitely didn’t have my mind on a Mini Evelyne (which is properly called the Evelyne TPM which is 16cm). But there she was, a bag I had been seeing being carried more by friends and in the wild recently, small yet mighty, and instead of mulling it over, I said yes.
Did I need this bag? Of course not. Could I convince myself that I did? Clearly so. I will say that it has been one of my favorite bag purchases. It’s mini but still fits my phone, is easy to open and access, and is light with a long shoulder strap. It’s a bag I’ve quickly come to love, and I am so thankful (is that even the right word, probably not) that I wound up getting offered this bag on that day.
And so, that is the story of my latest Hermès acquisition. I am reeled back in, hoping that I get the call on a Kelly that I would really like one day, but in all honesty, this bag may be a far better purchase in many ways. The price is really reasonable by current-day luxury standards (even by luxury mini bag standards in my opinion): $1,900 before tax.
