Recently in The Holy Grail of Bags Category

There is nothing more quietly luxurious than Loro Piana bags (kind of how Hermes was before the tabloids and Hollywood got a hold of them). I bought the Globe bag for Kelly's birthday 3 years ago in pale pink (and picked up a violet version for myself) and it's still one of my favorite go to globe trotting bags. It transforms from an easy city tote to giant hold all with multiple pockets (back, front flap, 2 interior zipped, one cell, one ipod and a small id pocket) so you stay organized no matter how jetlagged you are!  (30cm Mini globe $2,350 in leather).

I have compared the craftsmanship of Loro Piana with my Hermes bags and I have to say, it comes pretty damn close (and a helluva lot more functional).  But the price is still reasonable in comparison.

In addition to the 'Globe' bag (in crocodile above, $18,500) there are a couple more bags I am coveting-- Loro Piana bags transcend time and trend so I don't even think about the season its from!-- the 'Bellevue' in sunny yellow ostrich ($11,900) is making me re-think yellow bags and the 'Coral' bag (35cm, $4,195) in calfskin is a must have for summer and fall. The perfect shade of luggage, it will complement a pair of white shorts or a creamy cashmere sweater, Loro Piana natch. All at Loro Piana boutiques worldwide.  Please call Susan for more info 212-980-7961. 

Check out the latest addition to my friend Katherine's Hermes collection, the most amazing shade of emerald green called Vert Pelouse that has me green with envy (I have my peeps at H on the look out for it in exotic skin for me-- will keep you posted!).

This is the hottest color of summer 09 at Hermes and very difficult to get. I have several green bags from Hermes but none as perfectly hued as this. Vert Fonce is elegant but has that mottled green tint to it and Vert Anis is a bit too lime-ish while Chartreuse is neither here nor there. The Vert Pelouse is possibly the best green I have ever laid eyes on. It is the shade of emerald or Chinese green jade which is said to bring good luck and prosperity-- and we can all use a healthy dose of both!

I am still totally obsessed with anything violet; in addition to my violine lizard day planner and H flats, I've added the Kelly Longue wallet in this fabulous shade to my collection. This really is the perfect wallet, I don't think I'll ever use another. At the very top of my wish list is of course a violine shiny croc in 30.

Jean Paul Gaultier did it again; as with the JPB birkin a few years ago-- he tweaked on the uber popular Hermes birkin just enough but not so much that it's not recognizable. Gone are the straps, hardware and flap, or are they? This is an amazingly creative use of Trompe-l'œil, now why didn't I think of this? It's genius! You don't have to worry about the buckle scratching or the straps catching. It's just fabulously fun! Maybe it will cost less as there is no hardware, a recessionista birkin perhaps? Of course the birkin is still center stage in black croc but it's nice to see the alternative. The Goodlock clutch I debuted yesterday shows up again in somber autumn colors and I am awaiting info on the fabulous long crocodile clutches!  Stay tuned!  What do you think of the new birkin?

Hermes hopes to bring us all a bit of good luck with its latest clutch, the Goodlock. Priced at $5,400, the understated calfskin clutch is expected to be the next waitlist inducing darling of the family. The color here is biscuit but it will be available in several colors including violine (my favorite Hermes color right now-- I just got a Kelly Long wallet in violine!). Call Craig at Hermes to order but please do not ask him about birkins as he will not take any birkin orders over the phone! 214-528-0197

Hermes Gris Elephant Matte Crocodile-- this is one of the most amazing colors I've ever seen. Talk about getting excited-- what could be more exciting than the two words-- HERMES CROC?  The photos here do not capture this color well-- it's a neutral olive shade with a silvery sheen that dances in the light. Depending on what you are wearing and the lighting-- it can look olive or gray. My SA told me this is a special shade worthy of collecting. I love that it's a very casual and hip color without being trendy.  It was my constant companion over fashion week, I could not let a new baby stay home.  Jump for more photos!
Watch how Hermes bags are made-- stitch by stitch (inside out) it is a meticulous process.  Each bag is made by a single craftsperson from beginning to end.  It's amazing!  Thanks to lili paz for the link!

How lovely to see Victoria Beckham, aka Posh, is still continuing to grow her vast Hermes collection with the latest darling- an Hermes Himalayan croc birkin with diamonds in 30cm.

For me, the bling is overkill. The croc skin is so amazing by itself and is enough of a statement, the diamonds make it vulgar. Okay, so I'm just jealous; I mean if someone were to give me this I certainly wouldn't say no! 

What do you guys think? Snob or Slob?

Check out what Santa brought to loyal Bag Snob reader and my good friend, Melinda A. Her hubby (we call him Araisan) is an obsessive shopper not unlike myself and I have a lot of fun shopping vicariously through him! This delicious grey ostrich is in a shade of grey I had not seen before-- I have the Etoupe and the Dove grey but this, this is a true steel grey, so fabulous! The size is 30cm, my fave and the most useful in my opinion. I'm just annoyed with Hermes' constant price hike. Last year my orange ostrich cost much less than this one. At this rate Hermes leather is costing more than diamonds.... But what is an addict to do?!?!? I don't even want to know what my matte croc in Graphite will cost when it finally arrives. I know Hermes only uses 10+ year old crocodiles so I suppose they're waiting for my baby to grow up. I am obsessing over the new bleu de prusse by the way...  would love that in ostrich.  Someone call my Santa and tell him!  (Jump for Hermes exotic details)

Merry Christmas, Melinda! Enjoy your ostrich birkin!!!

Hong Kong has THE best shopping in Asia. I know some will disagree but for me the combination of convenient modern city, awesome food and luxury shopping on every corner tops it for me as the ultimate. I went with my husband who is in Hong Kong for the first time and he was in awe that the number of Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Fendi, Prada and Gucci boutiques sprinkled throwout Kowloon and Hong Kong rival that of Starbucks in the states (ok, slight exaggeration but not by much). I literally became tired of looking at all these high end boutiques and started venturing in the alleys for more interesting stores, like this one in Causeway Bag called the Paris Station. I thought they sold fakes and was shocked at the blatant display of Gucci and Balenciaga in the windows so of course I had to go in. And what did I find in there? An entire case of Hermes Birkins and Kellys! They didn't allow cameras or I would have taken pictures of this case, but my husband snuck this one from the doorway with his iphone. They looked pretty good so I asked to take a look at a 30cm dove gray in chevre leather. I was at first confused by the lock and key and then was pretty damn impressed by the quality but then when I asked the price and the guy told me it was $86,000 HK Dollars, I was floored. Maybe I heard wrong, perhaps it's $8,600 which is still pretty expensive, it's around $1,200 USD but he repeated and said $86,000, which is $12,000 USD!!! I then pissed him off by asking, "Is this real", which is a legitimate question considering that this was not a normal looking store. He emphatically announced that this is of course authentic and then snatched it away from me. Then with the bag in his hand he looked me in the eye and asked if the price is acceptable to me. I looked him right back and said, "No, it is not even close". Everything about it looked good, the seams were clean, the edges were immaculate, the hardware flawless, but there was something about the shape that looked slightly off to me. The birkin is a pretty square bag but this one had a slight bulge around the middle. Also, the color was not exactly right, I have seen Tina's dove gray and this one seemed more clayish and they had a turquoise like mine that was not at all like mine. Regardless, I would not buy a birkin at a store like this and certainly not pay $12,000 for one without unfaltering confidence that it is real. I wouldn't even spend $1000 on a fake that looks flawless (trust me, we have seen fakes that are hard to detect). The rest of this store sold second hand bags, which I am sure are real and even if they're not the prices are good enough to forgive the difference. Which is another reason why no one should buy a supposed authentic birkin for $12,000 here.

After all this talk of cheap thrills and $50 bags, I'm starting to feel a bit off. Thank goodness my new friend Katherine saved me with photos of her fabulous collection of Hermes!  Get ready to drool my lovelies, Katherine is the proud owner of 74 Hermes bags-- mostly birkins and kellys but with a few constance and other styles thrown in. She has the most impressive Hermes collection I have ever seen (and one the largest in the world!) Jump for entire collection!

Here is something for you to work on over the weekend, figure out how to amass this collection for yourself!  Although it does look like she is pretty indiscriminant, what is that shearling thing one the lower left there?  It's like UGGS for Hermes, eeeks!  I heard that David begs her to get out of heels sometimes and wear sneakers.  I wonder what he thinks of her bags, does he want her to use backbacks?  Which is probably the equivalent of wearing sneakers for her.  I couldn't fit the entire picture so click here to see the entire collage. Thank you fellow Bag Snob Kadeam for sending this to us.