Hey everyone! We are now up to day sixty….something in New York quarantine. My 16 year old writes music until 3:00 am and FaceTimes his girlfriend 24/7; my 14 year old has started an online business (CompletelyCustomFlags.com – and no, they’re not completely custom); my husband goes to his empty office in case one of his patients has an emergency; my dog snags treats from all of us; and I have learned how to draw exotic Birkins so that I can still get my eye candy even though it’s been two months since I’ve set foot in a boutique. I know we’re all trying to pass the time staying healthy until life can resume somewhat, and so I thought I’d share some of my favorite Hermès websites to keep you busy for a few fun hours.
Hermès
Did you know that the Hermès website is back online? Yes, as of recently the US website is up and running as usual. Get your fix of scarves, ties and housewares, or snag one of those lipsticks that sold out when they were released in early March. Even better, if you check in frequently you might be able to snag a Rodeo or a mini Lindy, both of which have been spotted recently. As always, stock is updated regularly, so check often. If you really want a deep dive, bear in mind that although you can only purchase items from your home country’s website, you can look at all of them. Just click on the country name toward the upper right corner of your screen and you’ll toggle to another country’s Hermès site and you can see what’s on offer everywhere.
The PurseForum
Well, obviously this is going to be my number two pick. There is no website that is truly more comprehensive, more wide ranging and more up-to-date than the Hermès subforum on tPF. With threads dedicated to prices, leathers, designs, shows, seasons and every bit of minutiae you can think of (and some that you can’t!), there is no better rabbit hole to go down during quarantine, if you haven’t done so already. Go for the content, stay for the vibe: I’ve been a regular there for the past 13 years and the content is all user-generated; people posting what they’re seeing, hearing and buying firsthand, and even better, this subforum is, for the most part, drama-free. I’ve made lifelong friendships there, and it’s why I’m writing here, so naturally I may be a little biased – but with excellent reason.
HSCI Photo Catalog
This is the HSCI scarf database, which is in the process of being migrated from the prior website location. HSCI (Hermès Scarf Collectors International) was an Hermès-themed Yahoo group that was pretty active about 20 years ago (and yes, I was/am a member and I donated a number of my photos to the site). We decided to start a photo catalog of all scarf designs and originally we all donated our photos – the site just exploded from there. It’s an incredible and fairly comprehensive database. You do need to register, but it’s free, it has no advertisements, and as far as I know they don’t use your email for anything. This has been run on a 100% volunteer basis and has been lovingly maintained by the incredible and tireless Denise B.
LeCrin
LeCrin is a resale site located in Tokyo, Japan, but I’m not listing this website here for the bags on sale (although it is tons of fun to look through the many bags and accessories they have on offer). The big draw for me is the color and leather catalog, which is fairly comprehensive, and lists nearly 65 different leathers/bag materials (including discontinued materials) and about 230 different colors (some in multiple leathers).
HeyChenny
I admit that I’m not much of a blog reader; for one thing, when it comes to Hermès I probably already know whatever the blogger is talking about, so when I see something genuinely useful to me, it’s worth my notice. Although this is a blog, the real value to me is the photos; this is my go-to for quick leather color comparisons. While its easy enough for me to swatch out colors, when I need to compare a bunch of similar shades it can get a little tricky, so in that case I come here. You may find her color charts familiar (I see them frequently on Pinterest) and they are grouped by theme (pastels, neutrals, yellow colors, etc). She also has a good individual color chart.
MaiTai’s Picture Book
I’ve known T for about as long as I’ve known anyone regarding Hermès, and her website is a regular stop for me; it’s the only personal blog I actually read. She’s been blogging regularly since 2009. Of course she’s a fabulous resource for scarf tying information – her most recent post highlights Dr. Deborah Birx’ many scarves and various knots – and she is also known for her scarf rings, bag inserts and jewelry, but her lifestyle blog which, while scarf-heavy, also includes travel, shopping, nature and good living, is like a breath of fresh air and a brief escape to Europe every time I read it.
Auction Houses
Christie’s and Sotheby’s
The auction house websites are a great resource for information and photos. If you do a simple Hermès search on the main page, you can find a variety of articles and links to upcoming and past auctions. These websites are also good for finding odd or unusual pieces. While most of the major auction houses have some information and/or photos, Sotheby’s and Christie’s have the most resources available online.
There are many great accounts on Instagram, and using the right hashtags will make it easy to find whatever you are looking for. For pure visual inspiration, I love looking up the window displays, so I search for the Leila Menchari and Hermès Windows hashtags. For more real life inspiration I look to a variety of accounts all over the world, including @hermes (of course!), @thehermesworld , @hermes_community, @clubhermesparis, @hermes.addict, @hermes.reetzy and of course, mine – @The_Notorious_Pink, and @purseblog. Don’t forget the individual boutique pages, which seem to be run by most of the French boutiques, including @hermessevres and @hermes_gv.
Scarf Artists Websites
For my last suggestion, I thought it would be fun to let you know about the amazing and entertaining websites run by some of the Hermès scarf artists. Don’t forget to check out their interesting sites; many of them are also active on Instagram.
Alice Shirley
Anamorphee
BaliBarret
Benoit Pierre Emery
Christine Henry
Claire Fanjul
Claudia Stuhlhofer-Mayr
Dimitri Rybalchencko
Daiske Nomura
Edouard Baribeaud
Elias Kafouros
Jan Bajtlik
Octave Marsal
Thèo de Gueltzl
Ugo Gattoni
Virginie Jamin
