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5 Hermès Bags To NEVER Buy (And 5 That Are Actually Worth It) — Transcript

by Luxe & Loyalty · 2,405 words · 393 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00You walk into Hermes, buy a $10,000 bag,
0:03and never use it. That's not [music]
0:05luxury. It's an expensive mistake. The
0:07brand is often misunderstood. Not every
0:10bag justifies its price. Some are true
0:13investments, others fall short due to
0:15practicality, maintenance, or resale
0:17value. Yet, this distinction is rarely
0:20discussed. It's time to break the
0:22silence and separate the bags worth
0:24buying from those to avoid. So, let's
0:26get into the first bag and why it's not
0:29the easy entry people think it is. The
0:31Evelyn bag, casual, functional, and
0:34often underestimated at first glance,
0:36yet not always as versatile as many
0:38expect. The Evelyn is marketed as the
0:41accessible entry point into Hermes. And
0:44on the surface, that pitch makes sense.
0:47It is one of the lowest-priced bags in
0:48the range. The silhouette is clean. The
0:51perforated H on the front is instantly
0:54recognizable. But, here is what most
0:56people get wrong about the Evelyn.
0:58Accessible price does not mean
1:00accessible bag. Look past the brand
1:02name, and you are looking at a bag with
1:04no real closure, just a small flap that
1:06sits loosely over the opening. Tilt the
1:09bag at the wrong angle, and your
1:11belongings will slide out. There is no
1:13interior organization whatsoever. One
1:16open cavity, no zip pockets, no
1:19structure. The Clemence leather that
1:21most Evelyns are made in loses its shape
1:23without a dedicated organizer inside,
1:26which costs extra and defeats the
1:28purpose of the value positioning. The
1:30canvas shoulder strap is the final
1:33insult. [music]
1:34At over $4,000, you are wearing a canvas
1:37strap, not leather, canvas. And because
1:40the strap is not adjustable in any
1:42meaningful way, it either works for your
1:44body or it does not. And for most
1:47people, it does not.
1:49Reddit users who have owned the bag
1:51describe it as the most boring bag I've
1:53ever seen at a price point that cannot
1:55be justified by function, form, or
1:58resale value. On the secondary market,
2:00it sells for 30% to 55% less than
2:03retail. You are not buying a bag at
2:06$4,300.
2:08You are renting an introduction to the
2:10brand, and if you think that's
2:12frustrating, let's move to the Jige
2:14clutch. Because this one looks elegant,
2:16but fails in a completely different way.
2:19The Jige is one of the most photographed
2:21bags in the Hermes catalog. On a flat
2:24lay, it looks extraordinary. In real
2:27life, it is close to unusable. The
2:30problem is not the design. The problem
2:32is geometry. The Jige is a flat envelope
2:35clutch with no gusset, meaning it has no
2:38depth, no internal volume to speak of.
2:41You cannot fit a phone, a wallet, and a
2:43lipstick in this bag simultaneously
2:45without the edges straining. Reviewers
2:48who have purchased it consistently
2:49describe the experience the same way.
2:52Bought it for the look, sold it
2:53immediately because nothing fits. And
2:56here is the part that makes this
2:57particularly frustrating. Hermes charges
3:00you the same level of craftsmanship
3:02price for a bag that functionally
3:03competes with a $60 clutch from a
3:06department store. The envelope
3:08silhouette is timeless. [music]
3:10The leather is beautiful, and none of
3:12that matters when you are holding your
3:13phone in your hand all evening because
3:15there is nowhere to put it. At $3,000 to
3:18$5,000 for a bag you carry once to an
3:21event and then never use again, the cost
3:24per wear calculation is catastrophic.
3:27This is not a wardrobe investment. It is
3:29a display object, and display objects
3:31belong in museums, not on your credit
3:34card statement. So, we've seen poor
3:36security and poor space. [music]
3:38Now, let's talk about the Victoria 35
3:40tote, where size and weight become the
3:42real issue.
3:43On paper, the Victoria should be the
3:45perfect Hermes everyday bag. It is a
3:48tote. It is large. It holds a lot. It
3:51has the brand [music] name on it. In
3:53practice, it will destroy your shoulder.
3:55The Victoria 35 in Clemence leather, the
3:58most common configuration, is among the
4:00heaviest bags in the entire Hermes
4:02lineup. One owner put it this way. She
4:06used the bag once for a day out, came
4:08home with a shoulder so painful, she
4:10listed the bag for resale the following
4:12morning.
4:13The handle drop of 9 in is the
4:15additional problem. Long enough to
4:17technically sit on your shoulder, not
4:19long enough to sit there comfortably.
4:21You will spend the day hitching it up,
4:23adjusting, compensating, and the weight
4:25problem compounds over time, not just
4:27over a single day. Chronic shoulder
4:30strain from an ill-balanced bag is a
4:32real documented issue, and spending
4:34$5,000 to acquire it is a particular
4:37kind of irony that the resale listing
4:39you write 3 weeks later will not
4:41capture. The resale numbers confirm
4:44this.
4:45The Victoria [music] sits below the
4:46resale performance of Hermes quota bags,
4:49the Birkin and Kelly, by a significant
4:52margin. You are paying premium Hermes
4:54prices for a bag that the secondary
4:57market does not reward, and your body
4:59will punish you for carrying. Now,
5:00here's where things shift, because the
5:03Kelly 25 Sellier in Box leather looks
5:05flawless, but comes with hidden
5:07problems. The Kelly 25 Sellier in Box
5:11leather is perhaps the single most
5:13visually stunning [music] bag on this
5:14list. It photographs immaculately. It
5:18has appeared on the wrist of every
5:19well-dressed woman you have ever admired
5:21in an archival image. It is
5:24aesthetically close to perfect. It is
5:26also practically close to unwearable.
5:30Box leather is the most demanding
5:32leather in the Hermes catalog. It
5:34scratches if you look at it incorrectly,
5:36requires continuous professional
5:37conditioning, [music] and develops a
5:39patina that some people love, and some
5:41people find difficult to manage. But the
5:44leather is not even the main problem.
5:46The Sellier construction is. The Kelly
5:4925 Sellier is structured so rigidly that
5:52multiple owners on PurseForum have
5:54described using it as actively annoying.
5:56[music]
5:57One wrote that after 2 months of
5:59ownership, she had opened the bag
6:01exactly twice.
6:03The turn lock closure that looks so
6:04elegant in photographs requires two
6:07hands and a specific motion to operate
6:10every single time you want to reach for
6:12anything.
6:1325 cm is also, for most women living
6:16real lives, too small.
6:18You will spend money on a bag you cannot
6:21use, cannot open easily, cannot maintain
6:24casually, and that your lifestyle will
6:26not accommodate. The closet is where
6:28this bag lives. The closet is not worth
6:32$10,000.
6:34Before we get to number one, everything
6:36on this list so far cost you money,
6:38comfort, or both. What follows costs you
6:42all of that and potentially more.
6:44This is the entry that separates the
6:46people who understand the Hermes market
6:48from the people the Hermes market is
6:50designed to exploit. This is not a bag
6:53purchase. This is a liability
6:55acquisition. The appeal is
6:56understandable. An exotic leather Birkin
6:59represents the absolute ceiling [music]
7:01of the Hermes hierarchy. The waiting
7:03lists are longer. The craftsmanship is
7:06extraordinary. The status signal is
7:09unambiguous.
7:10But the reality of owning one of these
7:12bags is something that nobody in the
7:14ecosystem tells you before you buy. A
7:17basic spa refresh on an exotic leather
7:19bag, no damage, just routine
7:22maintenance, costs over $1,000.
7:25A full restoration runs between $3,000
7:29and [music] $8,000.
7:31Crocodile and alligator scales crack and
7:33split in low humidity. Standard leather
7:36care products will destroy the skin. The
7:38bag cannot be taken through certain
7:40international customs without CITES
7:42[music] documentation proving legal
7:44acquisition.
7:45PETA has documented conditions at Hermès
7:48supplier farms that create ongoing
7:50reputational risk for visible wearers.
7:53And it takes three to four crocodiles to
7:55produce a single bag. The secondary
7:57market for exotics can be spectacular,
8:00but only for the rarest color and size
8:02combinations in perfect condition. An
8:04exotic bag with any maintenance history
8:07or color fading loses value
8:09dramatically.
8:10You are not buying an investment. You
8:12are buying an object that demands expert
8:14care, restricts your international
8:16travel, and carries ethical exposure
8:18that grows more visible every year. This
8:21is a bag for institutions to hold behind
8:24glass. Not for people who want to
8:26actually use what they buy. Now, here's
8:28what smart Hermès buying looks like, and
8:31it starts with the [music] Garden Party
8:3330.
8:34Smart buyers aren't chasing hype.
8:36They're investing in timeless Hermès
8:38pieces with lasting appeal and everyday
8:40versatility. The Garden Party is the
8:43best entry into Hermès ownership for one
8:46simple reason. There are no quota rules,
8:49no relationship requirements, no waiting
8:51list, no allocation games. You walk in,
8:55you buy it, you leave. The toile canvas
8:57with leather trim construction is
8:59genuinely indestructible.
9:0120-year-old Garden Parties come up on
9:03the resale market looking flawless. The
9:0630-cm size is wide enough for a laptop,
9:09structured enough for a work
9:10environment, and understated enough that
9:13it functions as quiet luxury in its
9:15truest form. Not everyone in the room
9:17will know what it is, which is frankly
9:20part of the appeal.
9:21At $2,800,
9:23it is the most accessible Hermès bag
9:25that holds its value, ages without
9:28drama, and earns its price through daily
9:30use rather than aspirational display.
9:33Compare that directly to to Evelyne.
9:36Same entry-level positioning, similar
9:38price range, but the Garden Party gives
9:40you a closure that works, a silhouette
9:43that holds up, and resale numbers that
9:45do [music] not punish you for buying it.
9:48If you are entering Hermes for the first
9:50time, start here. If that's what a smart
9:52entry looks like, the Picotin Lock 18 is
9:55next, and it proves you can still win at
9:57this level.
9:59The Picotin is one of the most
10:00underestimated bags in the Hermes
10:02lineup, and the resale market has
10:04figured this out faster than most buyers
10:06have. Inspired by a horse feeding
10:09bucket, because of course it is, this is
10:11Hermes. The Picotin Lock 18 is a
10:14no-nonsense drawstring style
10:18closure, and the kind of structure that
10:20holds up without coddling. It is made
10:23from the same leathers as the quota
10:25bags. The construction is the same level
10:27of craftsmanship, and in neutral
10:29colorways,
10:31the 18 cm sells above retail on
10:33Fashionphile and The RealReal
10:35consistently. Below $4,000,
10:38above retail on resale. That combination
10:42does not happen often in the luxury
10:43market. The Picotin Lock is an anomaly
10:46in the best possible sense. It is also
10:49the answer to a question a lot of
10:50first-time Hermes buyers ask themselves
10:52after the Evelyne disappointment.
10:55>> [music]
10:55>> Is there an entry-level bag from this
10:57house that actually delivers? Yes, this
10:59is it. Under $4,000, no games, no
11:03waiting [music] lists, above retail on
11:05exit. Now we step into more serious
11:07territory with the Constance 24, where
11:10versatility and craftsmanship really
11:12come together. The Constance is the best
11:14kept secret in the Hermes holy trinity.
11:17Most people outside the community focus
11:19on the Birkin and Kelly, and overlook
11:21the third member entirely. That is an
11:24error because the Constance is arguably
11:26the most versatile of the three. Jackie
11:29Kennedy wore one. The iconic H-class
11:31closure is one of the most elegant
11:33pieces of hardware in fashion. And the
11:36Constance is one of the few Hermes bags
11:39that works equally well as a crossbody
11:41for a casual lunch
11:42>> [music]
11:42>> or a clutched evening bag at a black tie
11:44event. The versatility that the Yige
11:47promised and failed to deliver at a
11:49fraction of the frustration.
11:52Epsom leather, the house's most
11:53structured and durable leather, is
11:56scratch-resistant, lightweight, [music]
11:57and holds its form without any internal
11:59support.
12:01Every Constance is made by a single
12:03craftsperson over 14 hours.
12:06Resale values are climbing steadily as
12:08more buyers discover what serious
12:10collectors have known for decades. This
12:12is the bag for the person who wants the
12:14investment performance of the holy
12:16trinity without the cultural saturation
12:18of the Birkin. And now, let's talk about
12:20the Kelly 28 Retourne. The version of
12:23the Kelly that actually works in real
12:26life.
12:27If the Kelly 25 Sellier is the bag that
12:29looks best in photographs and functions
12:31worse in real life, the Kelly 28
12:33Retourne is the exact opposite. And that
12:36is a compliment. The Retourne
12:38construction uses the same template as
12:40the Sellier, but with a softer, more
12:42relaxed silhouette. [music]
12:44Togo leather is virtually scratch-proof
12:46in daily use. And the 28 cm size is the
12:49calibration point the Kelly range was
12:51built around. Generous enough for a full
12:53day, contained enough for a dinner.
12:56This is the bag that genuinely crosses
12:58every occasion without compromise.
13:01Kellys in classic colorways, black,
13:03etoupe, gold, in the 28 cm Retourne have
13:06risen 20 to 40% in value over the past 5
13:09years on the resale market. The demand
13:12is consistent, the supply is controlled,
13:14and the bag rewards use rather than
13:16punishing it. If you are going to spend
13:19Kelly money, this is the Kelly to spend
13:21it on. Finally, we end with the Birkin
13:2330, the bag that defines Hermes and the
13:26entire luxury investment space. Between
13:291980 and 2015, Birkin bags appreciated
13:33at an average rate of 14.2% per year.
13:36The S&P 500 returned 8.7% over the same
13:41period. Gold lost 1.5%. [music]
13:44No financial asset class performed
13:46comparably. That is not a talking point.
13:49That is a documented return.
13:52In perfect condition, a Birkin 30 in a
13:54classic colorway recovers 80 to 120% of
13:58retail on the secondary market as a
14:00floor.
14:01Rare configurations, limited colors,
14:04specific hardware, sought-after
14:06leathers, routinely trade at 300% of
14:08retail and above. But the investment
14:11case is almost secondary to the
14:12functional one. The Birkin 30 is the
14:15right size. Large enough to carry
14:18everything you actually need. Structured
14:20enough to hold its shape under daily
14:22use.
14:23Togo and Clemence leathers are among the
14:25most forgiving in the Hermes range.
14:27Scratch resistant, rain tolerant, and
14:30low maintenance by the standards [music]
14:32of the house. Where the Victoria 35
14:35breaks your shoulder and the exotic
14:37demands a preservation protocol, the
14:39Birkin 30 in Togo simply works every day
14:43without drama. This is not just the best
14:45bag Hermes makes. It is one of the best
14:47stores of value in the consumer luxury
14:49market, full stop. The people who bought
14:52Birkins 20 years ago and held them did
14:54not just preserve wealth, they grew it.
14:57Which bag on either list surprised you
14:59most and which bag have you been eyeing
15:01that you are now reconsidering? Tell me
15:03in the comments.

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