My Hermes Bags

Today I will post about the most popular Hermes category of goods: bags.

First up, I will talk about my Paris-Bombay, the bag in the front. It's PM size and made of black vache liegee leather. I saw it in the Hermes ad in several fashion magazines, in white, and fell in love with it. However, I'm always afraid of how easily white bags get dirty. So I thought, I'd love to get that bag in black. A few weeks later, I spotted the subject of my thoughts in the display case at the boutique. My sales associate (SA) told me that they had gotten so many requests for that particular bag, but as it was the hot new bag at the time, there were no waiting lists. It was either podium/special order or try your luck at the boutique. That edged me toward getting it, and it was a great buy because I have used it as an evening bag at quite a few functions.

Onto the Birkins...the one on the left is a 35 cm, and it's made of rouge garrance clemence leather and palladium (silver) hardware. It was an impulse buy. I was again back at the boutique with my friend M. It had literally arrived just a few minutes before we got there, and our SA told us that it was for sale. I'd been thinking I wanted a red Birkin, and there was my chance. I snatched it up right then and there. I'm so glad I got it because rouge garrance is now discontinued. It's the perfect shade of "lipstick red".

The one on the right is a 30 cm, and it's made of blue jean togo and gold hardware. I told myself, years prior to getting it, that if I ever got a Birkin, it would be blue jean. I've been told by many SAs that, for years, blue jean has been the most popular color for Birkins, right beneath black. As a blue jean Birkin is extremely hard to find on the shelf, I knew my only shot would be to order one. I also knew that even if I did find one, they're usually made with palladium hardware. Did a blue jean Birkin with gold hardware exist? I learned the answer when I saw a picture online of Victoria Beckham with one. It's a pretty famous pic, she's walking on a street in Spain, wearing a matching blue sweater that just barely skims the tops of her thighs, and nothing else. As soon as the next podium came around, I knew what I wanted.

I love that I have at least one bag made just for me, to my specifications, and others that were bought just because. Will I ever buy another Birkin? Maybe. They're so special, so to own even one is a blessing. I don't know if I could pass up a black one, and since it's extremely hard to find, I know if I ever do see one, I'll have to grab the opportunity. Maybe an exotic, but that'll have to wait until some other stuff gets taken care of...so a possible 40th birthday present? We'll have to wait and see.

My Hermes "Big Silks"

I hope everyone is having a great Thanksgiving Day! As I understand Thanksgiving Day is an American holiday, I would like to say "have a great day" to my readers outside the US, whether you're celebrating something or not.

Next category of Hermes goods to be introduced are my "big silks". These are my scarves, in gavroche size. I have just 2 of these right now. I make it a point to buy these only if I like the style enough to frame it. I am likely going to do that someday with these scarves. The style on the left is called "Chasse en Indie". I absolutely love the colorway of this. I've worn it tied around my waist with a solid black dress. The one on the right was the special scarf created in 2007 for the opening of the Wall Street boutique in New York City. I bought it during my trip to NYC that year, at the Wall Street boutique. It had been open for less than 2 weeks when I visited it. The writing around the edges of this scarf names the various neighborhoods of NYC.

The trip to New York City that year was a memorable one. It was the first vacation I ever went on that I paid for myself by myself, 3 years after getting my Master's degree and working hard at jobs that required long hours. I was 28 years old traveling in the big city all alone. I felt like there was so much to see and that I wasn't even close to fulfilling my dreams, but I knew I'd get there one day. Today, at having just turned 33 years old, I feel like I'm just a little closer. It's exciting, knowing the best is yet to come.

Tomorrow's category...drumroll, please...bags!

My Hermes Leather Goods...with a Reveal

When my lunch break started, I eagerly ran outside (I get no cell phone reception inside the hospital where I work) and immediately saw that I received a voicemail message this morning at 10:04 am. I knew who it was without even checking the missed call log...and I was right. My lovely sales associate called to tell me that my item was ready to be picked up, as scheduled. So you're wondering what the heck I picked up at Hermes. Wonder no more! Here it is: a Kelly dog bracelet in blue electrique swift leather! I expected it would arrive today, so for the occasion, I repainted my nails in Chanel Blue Rebel (from the very limited-edition, for Fashion's Night Out 2011 only, Les Jeans de Chanel collection). I got a lot of compliments on this nail color, many of them about how the color was so unique. I didn't think it'd match so well with the Kelly dog, but I think it does. Bonus! I love this bracelet so much I think I'll get another one...but it has to wait until after Christmas...and I'll need a whole lot of luck to hunt it down! I also bought agenda refills with the 2012 calendar. I know it's a little early, but those sell out so quickly! And I know most people store all their info in cell phones now, but I'm an old-fashioned gal in a lot of ways, and the idea of scribbling notes and writing appointments in my calendar still appeals to me. Interesting little tidbit: if you buy the calendar refills for a Hermes agenda, you don't get just the calendar. It comes with an address book, too!

So...onto my next category of Hermes goods: leather items. The bracelet has been introduced, so next will be the item in the middle in the pic. It's an agenda made from barenia leather. This leather is extremely rare and, as far as I know, is discontinued, and may be available by special order only. Notice all the scratches? Those aren't anything to fret over (they were all made by me, of course; the leather was unscratched when I bought it). The patina they make over time is part of the beauty of this leather. The item on the right is a compact Bearn wallet made of box leather. I remember the occasion on which I bought the item clearly. I went with my friend M. to Hermes to buy an item to commemorate me leaving a stressful job to go to a new one. I had just gotten a Birkin right before that, so I couldn't get another bag, but a wallet was just perfect. I literally had my sales associate bring out every compact Bearn wallet in the store (plus a few other styles), and we went through them all. I didn't want a black one (I already had a black Chanel wallet), so I would look at this one, then put it back and look for another one. I kept going back to the black box wallet, so I finally decided on buying it. Now I'm so glad I did. Box leather, like barenia, develops a patina further enhanced by the scratches made by the owner. It just gets better with time...just like all other Hermes goods.

Tomorrow's category: "big" silks.

My Hermes Shoes

At this point, I have only 2 pairs of Hermes shoes. I have a pair of striped Hermes espadrilles that I bought during my early days of Hermes-collecting. The first time I wore them was to a meeting that I had to attend during my first job after getting my professional license. I expected this meeting to be a battle, and it was. It was also longer than I expected, and I remember throwing little glances at my shoes to make it more pleasant. As soon as I left the meeting, I headed to a fast-food restaurant to grab a quick lunch and thanked my sales associate. She seemed genuinely happy I was happy and subtly suggested the matching hat. What? Matching hat? There was a matching hat? I liked the idea immediately and promised to check out the emailed photo she would send me and "measure my head", laughing with her as I said it. I really did measure my head, as soon as I got home, to make sure I got the right size. I also ran the decision by my Hermes-hookup buddy. She said she had seen the hat at the boutique and that she thought it was very cute. I was sold. The hat came a few days later, and now I've got the matching set.

I saw the nude patent sandals in the runway photos from the Spring 2006 show. I get a lot of mileage from these shoes. I've worn them soo many times, including to the Jason Derulo concert that I went to with my friends for my birthday last year. One of my friends, who wears only flat shoes, asked me where I got them because she said she'd be willing to wear heels if she could get a pair like these. They truly are comfortable, which is probably why I've worn them so many times and will continue to wear them for many years to come. Not to mention, they're cute! Don't you just love the perforated "H" on the big strap?!

Orange Sunshine

There's something happening in LA today that happens only a few times a year: rain. I don't feel like going out and getting all wet. I'm also feeling a little under the weather right now (pun intended!), and I HAVE to go to work tomorrow. So I'm staying home today-all day.

Being that I'm back in a Hermes state of mind (after a LONG absence), and that it's raining today, I decided to make my own sunshine-with orange boxes. It's fitting
also because I'm trying to scale back on luxury purchases, and one of the best ways to do that is to take inventory of what I already have. It's like shopping in my closet! I went through my closets and drawers and gathered all the orange boxes I could find I realized that I'm sitting on an (orange) gold mine! I'd forgotten about all the goodies I had and it was so thrilling to rediscover them.

I know that you, my readers, wants to see what's in those boxes. Well, I love reveals and I love teases. I also love stories, and each of these items has a little story. So instead of having extremely long entries, I'm breaking the items into categories, one revealed each day this week.

We begin with clothing. Here I have a brown cotton V-neck shell, a chunky charcoal alpaca wool turtleneck sweater, and a purple-gray sleeveless cashmere turtleneck sweater. I spotted the shell during a sale. I was ready to leave, after being disappointed with not finding anything. Then I tried it on, and I thought it would be a nice addition to my wardrobe, so I bought it. The other 2 were purchased at full-price. I just saw them, and I decided I wanted them. The gray sweater is sooo cozy. It's too bad that LA weather rarely gets cold enough to wear it, but maybe when I'm in a cooler-weather climate in the winter, I can sport it then ;)

People will splurge on Hermes bags and accessories, but I don't hear much buzz about the clothing. I guess because, for clothing, there are infinite options. You can get clothing of good quality that's also inexpensive. However, if you decide to splurge on Hermes clothing, know that you're getting the best of the best. I came upon this info after asking my sales associate why my sleeveless sweater had a "Made in Scotland" label: Hermes is a French company (obviously), but the best cashmere comes from Scotland, so from Scotland is where Hermes gets their cashmere. Quality at its best indeed.

Tomorrow's category: shoes.

Bitching About Being Single

Friday night, and here I am at home. I actually don't mind. I prefer it. There are just too many people out on Friday nights, and I deal with enough traffic jams throughout the week. So what's on TV at 8 pm on Fridays? Sex and the City! I haven't watched an episode in a while, so I tuned in. The episode that was on was titled "Easy Come, Easy Go". In this episode, Miranda and Steve are broken up. However, Steve is still living in Miranda's apartment, even though they are sleeping separately. Another woman leaves a message on Miranda's answering machine, asking Steve out on a date. Miranda bitches to Carrie the next day, saying (I think I got this verbatim, but I'm not sure), "Here's a 34-year-old guy with no money and no place to live, but because he's single, he's a catch". It made me laugh. As much as Miranda and other (real) women I've heard bitch about how hard it is to find a guy in New York, I and other LA women bitch about how hard it is to find guys in our city.

Oh, well. We can't have everything we want all the time. I don't want to end this entry with negativity, so I'm steering it toward some sense of positivity. I don't have the man of my dreams right now. That's all right. I have a great-paying job that affords me the luxury of helping people and treating myself. So how did I treat myself today? Pretty darn good. I did what I wanted to do, and I did it on my own time. I tried on some dresses at the newly-opened Rebecca Taylor shop on Robertson Blvd. Oh, they were so pretty! If I must say so myself, I looked fantastic! The sales associates insisted I model them on the floor, and I noticed a bunch of people on the sidewalk in front of the entrance watching me model them. How I'd love to break out the dress for a special date with that special someone! It'll happen someday. I just need to be patient. I didn't think to take pics of me wearing the dresses, but here are a couple of stock pics I got from saks.com. At full price, I can't have both, so which one do you think I should get? Maybe if I wait until after Thanksgiving, I can luck out and get both on sale...

I made another stop today, too. I pre-paid for an item that'll be ready for me to pick up next Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. Want a hint? Look at the labels for this entry ;)

A Birkin as a School Bag

Ever since I heard about "Ringer", I'd been looking forward to it and haven't missed an episode since it debuted in September. It's one of my favorite shows now, for various reasons: 1) the suspense, 2) the New York scenery, and of course, 3) the fashion. More than anything, I look forward to seeing what bag Sarah Michelle Gellar carries in each episode.

I don't get to watch the shows on their air dates, but I usually catch up on my DVR a few days afterward. In the most recent episode, it was the bag that the stepdaughter of Sarah Michelle Gellar's character that caught my eye. She carried a Birkin, which she used as a school bag! I don't know the color, but it's a cute orange-red one. Imagine being a high school kid and having one of these to stuff your notebooks and pens in! I don't know if I would've done it, even if I did have one back then.

This reminds me: I need to carry my Birkins more often. I haven't bought one since 2008. I actually don't intend to buy another one for several years. To me, Birkins are special bags, and since they last forever, to have just one is all you'll ever need. More modeling pics with Birkins to come in the future ;)

Everything's Better with Music

Work has been stressful for quite some time now. It's not getting any better. In this economy, though, I'd be a fool to quit. If I want to reach my goals, I have to stick it out, at least for a little while longer.

One day, a few months ago, I did something small: I turned on the radio. It's a very old one, and there's only one good FM station that we can get without all the static. But it's something, and it's good enough. I've believed in the power of music for a long time now. I played the piano as a child, and I've been thinking of relearning. I'm taking up dance classes lately, and it helps with the stress a little. At least I can concentrate on learning new moves after work, instead of how much pressure I experienced earlier in the day.

To my pleasant surprise, I received a package from my tpf secret buddy today. I put the Kings of Leon CD, Only by the Night, on my wishlist. Of all the things on it, I was hoping that this would be the thing I'd get. I got what I wanted...it was inside the package! Here's a pic of all the gifts I got from rock_girl (see pic on left). In addition to the CD, I got the Madeleine Wickham book, 40 Love; a pair of Havaianas (perfect for us LA girls, who can wear them all year-round); gummy candies; a sweet-smelling candle; note cards from my favorite card store, Papyrus; a gift card and compact mirror from Sephora; and a red glitter heel ornament (see pic on right). Don't you love the card?! It's also from Papyrus, and the shoe on it looks just like my Christian Louboutin studded Very Prive.

I got a chance to listen to just the first few beats of most of the songs on Only by the Night, and boy, they were all good. I didn't have time to listen to more than one whole song, and for that, I picked "Sex on Fire". For 3 and 1/2 minutes, I decided to forget about work and just lose myself in the song. Whoa...this is a truly sensual song. I can't wait to listen to it again, and I can't wait to listen to all the other songs, too. I think I'll actually look forward to the long commute to work. As far as what will happen after I arrive...we'll see...but maybe I can sneak Kings of Leon into my desk to make the day go by more smoothly.

Side-By-Side Comparison

In my last post, I reflected on the changes that have happened to me. One of them was me being in better shape. I thought of this as I got dressed this morning. I had the day off today, so instead of wearing scrubs, I got to wear "normal" clothes. It was supposed to be a cold-ish day, so I decided on a sweater and jeans. The sweater I chose was purchased in August 2009 from the original H&M store in Stockholm, Sweden. I wore it a couple of months later when I traveled to Washington, DC and attended a meet-and-greet with Christian Louboutin. The lovely MichelleD from tpf took my picture while I sat across the table from the dream shoe designer, gushing to him. When I first saw the picture, I couldn't believe how I looked. I looked heavier than I thought I did. I've long since deleted the image from my digital camera, so I had to take a picture of the picture (near right).

Well, fast-forward 2 years, and here I am wearing the sweater again, but today, the sweater fits more loosely than it did in 2009. I took a picture of me from the back so I could see the difference (far right):

Here's another pic, of the complete outfit (left). I rarely post outfit pics, simply because I'm usually busy just trying to run out the door. I actually had the time today, so here it is. With the sweater, I'm wearing my Paper Denim & Cloth Ripper jeans and framboise patent Christian Louboutin Super Dombasle wedge sandals. Even though my 2 pairs of PDC jeans are the same color and style, they look very different because each pair is unique. They're my favorite jeans. I'm glad I got 2 pairs because they've been discontinued for years now. When I was heavier, I was devastated that I couldn't wear them. So when I started losing weight, the first thing I put on was them.

And the bag needs no introduction, right? ;)

I'm going to end this post with a message of thanks to our nation's veterans. These brave men and women deserve to be recognized for their bravery and service. I live in a free country because of what you've done or are doing right now. Freedom isn't free, people, so don't take it for granted. Thank you x10000000!!!!