The Hermès Horseshoe ~ Special Order

So let’s talk about Hermès special orders aka the Horseshoe!

I am by no means an expert since I’ve only done a couple, but I can at least share one of my experiences and I hope others can also share theirs.

Since my local store is small, their allotted quota for special orders is quite small. When I first started shopping with them and inquired about special orders, I was told they don’t do it. The store manager had a few bad experiences with it in the past (orders never arriving or incorrect, customers very unhappy), so she didn’t want to deal with the hassle of it. I was sad thinking I would never be able to SO (“special order”). But I didn’t give up hope, and one day I was offered a Birkin whose specs were not perfect for me – color a little too dark, etc. There were no other current colors for the season I was interested in. So I actually broached the topic of special ordering with my SA… I told her since there was nothing else I wanted that current season, would it be possible to order something. She said ok, let me ask the manager. A few days later she called and said that the manager approved, and that they already had the current list of colors, and she thought one in particular would be perfect for me (my SM and SA both said turquoise would be perfect!). She told me to come in when I could so that I could choose everything. I was ecstatic!! I drove up one day with my husband in tow, and together we all picked out my horseshoe bag.

My SA had a piece of paper with a list of colors available in the different leathers. On the piece of paper were tiny little boxes with some of the colors pictured… They did not have the actual leather swatches yet! So I could only imagine what some of these new colors looked like (bambou, Rose confetti, etc). She also had real samples of the contrast stitches.

Surprisingly, it was a very easy and quick process for me. Of course there are dozens of colors I would have loved, but not all are available at any given season. So you are limited in exterior and interior colors in any given leather type.

When I ran through the list, only a handful of colors stood out to me. When I narrowed down the exterior colors to 2-3, I then looked through the interior colors list, and that narrowed down my choices even more. In the end, it came down to turquoise exterior in Togo (oh how my SA and SM know me ☺️), and either rose Jaipur or Rose confetti interior/stitching. In the end I went with Rose Jaipur as the intensity of it against turquoise just popped more to me. Interesting to note that this exact color combo is what my SM predicted I would order ?… Of course I chose a Birkin 30 which is my favorite size for a birkin, and brushed GHW because I love the look of it and it’s not available on regular bags. I chose contrast stitching for that little bit of extra special detail, but no contrast piping.

Now the wait – I was told it could be a year or more… But my best friend who put her order in at the same time (with a different store) got called in less than a year! So I was on pins and needles for about 9-12 months… Everytime my SA called I would eagerly await her telling me my bag was here… After a year, and no bag in sight, well I about gave up and had stopped actively thinking about it! Then 15 months later, I got the call… It had arrived. I rushed over the next day with my entire family in tow (hubby and 2 furbabies), and when my SA took it out of the box, I gasped because it was more perfect and beautiful than I could have imagined!! Turquoise was richer in person, rose Jaipur just glowed from the interior…

So that’s the story of my horseshoe baby… I know others have different specifics/details from mine… For example I know bigger stores have an actual “book” to look through…

Either way, some things I’ve learned throughout this process, which may be helpful to some:
1. Don’t be afraid to ask – after all, what’s the worst that can happen? They say no? At best they say yes and you’ll have a bag that’s perfect for you, and no other like it in the whole world!
2. Look at a ton of pictures so that you have an idea of color combinations… And remember that just because 2 colors are amazing on their own doesn’t mean they will look amazing together! ???
3. Also know which leathers you would prefer, what hardware, bag style and size

A few other facts:
1. An SO does not cost more than a regular bag of the exact same specs… You do not have to put a deposit down; however you do have to pay the price of that bag at the time of purchase (so even if you placed an order over a year prior, if they’ve had a price increase, you will have to pay the current price post-increase)
2. Sometimes for whatever reason Hermès changes some things about the bag, usually the color… You may be informed of this beforehand, but sometimes it can show up as a big surprise… Which brings me to…
3. You are never under obligation to buy the bag… Especially if it arrives not as you ordered. You can decline it, and they will have no trouble selling it to other clients. Some people have said though that if you decline a bag, that may count as a strike against you (unless of course it’s not the bag you ordered!) and you will have less chance of being offered another SO in the future
4. You can have your initials (up to 3 letters) placed on the bag
5. Special orders are placed twice a year at around the same time as “podium” – when the store manager goes to Paris to choose their buys for the following season
6. Hermès has gotten stricter with special orders recently, limiting the color combos
7. You can choose everything about the bag (given the restrictions of course) including exterior and interior color, bicolor or tricolor (different colored handles, sides, sangles, etc), stitching, piping, leather, bag style, size and hardware. You can choose the length of the Kelly detachable strap. You can even choose the placement or types of pockets on the inside of the bag. You can even special order things other than bags (wallets for example).

I hope this was helpful for anyone about to start the process or hoping to start it… And I hope others with more experience can chime in!!!

Do post pics of your SO babies so we can drool!!! ???