Note: My apologies for the lateness of this post. It was supposed to be up ages ago. Blame it on my brain farts 😛

Ahh the Hermes Birkin. Something so unattainable, but so beautiful. I’ve been lusting after a Birkin ever since I found out about it in 2002. I was a poor student then. Even so, I wanted one ever-so-badly, that I bought not one, but TWO replicas of the Birkin. Oh yeah. I was desperate. In hindsight, one of them was plain awful. It was a small one, in pink jelly PVC. Talk about a fashion disaster 😛 The other one was a lot better; it was a Jasper Conran from Debenhams, and I spent 60 pounds on it. May not seem like much now, but back then, it was the most expensive bag I’ve ever spent on (saved a great deal of my student life money on it). Full leather with pink fabric lining. It’s not a Birkin, but I was happy.

Now I’m not telling you that you have to go get a Birkin or a Kelly. Given that the former costs pretty much a downpayment for a house, it’s crazy. But a girl can always dream. I’m still dreaming about it.

I shall now hand the seat and mic over to LeGeeque, who continues with her installment on bags. To be more precise, the Hermes Kelly. Do read her first installment on bags, bags, bags here.

Over to you!

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I thought I’ll end the bagroll with a bang. And what a better and bigger bang than one from the house of Hermès.

5. The Kelly by Hermès

I know, I’m odd, right? Any bagaholic would say the Birkin (Editor: That would be me 😛), why am I saying the Kelly? I’ll get to that.

First of all, I’m here to dispel any myth that there’s a 2-year waiting list for the Birkin. There is no waiting list. It’s a story cooked up by Hermès to maintain exclusivity for its bags. If you happen to walk past Hermès and see the Birkin in the window display, all you need to do is march in, request for the bag on display and whip out your plastic. You can then walk out with the bright orange paper bag in your hand. Nope, there’s no waiting list. If you require something that’s on special order, e.g. a fuschia croc skin Birkin with diamonds (I think they range from USD$100,000 because croc is rare, fuschia croc rarer AND studded with diamonds), then, yes, you might have to wait until Hermès finds the right crocodile to skin. (Even then, it should not be that long since Hermès has bought a crocodile farm over in Down Under to ensure its supply of croc skin) Finding the “right”croc skin is another fascinating story.

So, back to the Kelly. It shot to fame when Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco was photographed carrying it. You can tell it apart from the Birkin by its handles (there’s only 1 handle for the Kelly and 2 for the Birkin) and the shoulder strap. (The Kelly comes with a detachable shoulder strap and the Birkin is handheld).

As with the Birkin, your imagination is the limit to what you want your Kelly to be. My personal favourite one will be in Blue Jean with palladium hardware (shown above). The blue used in Blue Jean is very distinct and it’s such a bright, spring blue that it gives hope. Besides, it’s a very rare blue as well and I’ve never seen it in any bag.

Oh, to hell with it. I saw an olive green Kelly in the window of Hermès in Melbourne that I would love to have. And of course, an Hermès orange for an Hermès Kelly would be oh-so-perfect too.

The Birkin vs the Kelly

I’ve studied them. Yes, study would be the right word. In fact, I would use the word “research” to be more apt. I find the Birkin overhyped. Yep, there we go. I’ve said it. Sacrilegious, I hear you say. Hear me out.

30cm Birkin in Fuchsia Crocodile with palladium hardware

Stop for a moment and think why the Birkin is so desirable. Short of the exotic skin (which creeps me out) and precious studded diamonds, what is it about the Birkin that makes women willing to trade their first born for it? That’s right! We’re back to that dratted waiting list! Its unattainability makes it even more desirable to every bagaholic there is! So now that I’ve completely dispelled the waiting list myth, do you still want the Birkin?

30cm Orange Togo Birkin with palladium hardware

While every bagaholic in the world is scrambling at Hermès’ door to grab hold of the one last Birkin in ostrich skin (yuck! exotic skins creep me out!) studded with south african diamonds (I’m making this up) in bright mandarin orange, Birkin’s sister, the Kelly is left standing there quiet and serene. To the bagaholic in me, the Kelly will always be the quiet underdog, vastly underrated by a world who’s yearning only after the unattainable, not quite understanding why they want it! And, that, my friends is why I want the Kelly.

I shan’t bore you with my sob stories but the Kelly is a little more practical as well with its detachable shoulder strap. If I’m going to be spending $9000.00 on a handbag (I think that’s what we Aussies pay for a beginner/starter Kelly), I’d want something that I can get a lot of mileage from! Cost per use as what Tine, Paris and I always quote. The detachable strap is my answer. If I’m going to be running for the train and trying to grab a coffee, I want my hands free and the Kelly safe and sound on my shoulder! (Though one would and most definitely should question my sanity in wanting to bring a Kelly onto Melbourne’s grubby grimy trains!)

Personally, every one of my bags, not that there’s a lot of bags, tell a story. Each bag is carefully-researched and lovingly-procured. Every single cent spent on the bag is paid for by lines and lines of codes written. Every bag marks a milestone in my working life and while some see it as an investment, I see it as a celebration of my achievements. The first major bonus, turning 30 (gracefully, I hope), the completion of a major project and so on. Some have their shoes. Some have their jewelry.

For me, it’s a piece of leather slung either on my shoulder or off the crook of my arm. I don’t care if no one knows what bag it is. I don’t care if it’s not logo-splashed. It’s what I love, it’s what marks an important event in my life.

Birkin images courtesy of Createurs de Luxe.
Kelly image courtesy of Hihermes