PurseBop Reveals a Hermès Shoulder Birkin

Trending Now: Hermès Introduces 6 New Handbags for Fall-Winter 2025

It’s the 64th day of dry, almost no spend Q1. I can’t say that I’ve been completely successful, but I’ve definitely resisted several things along the way that ordinarily I might have succumbed to. One of the secrets to my relative success this year was to keep away from the orange temple, a.k.a. Hermès. Other than a quick visit to the Chicago boutique, where I resisted any damage, and then again in Naples, where I only let my eyes do the shopping, and with no travels to New York so far in 2025, I was pretty safe.

Let’s just say 2024 was a robust year of spending. With a new house build, designer furnishings in progress, coupled with all things personal and beautiful, not to mention intense travel, disciplining ourselves, if even for just Q1, was an attempt at great self-restraint and being intentional about all things (including luxury shopping, hehe). A good routine of sleep, diet, and exercise and limited travel is just what we needed. I sound like we were boring, but far from it — it’s just life is always in the fast lane. It was time to move to the slower traffic for a bit to catch our breath.

NYC Trip on March 4th

Early morning flight into LGA, quick check-in at the Baccarat Hotel, and off to my first meetings. This two day, jam-packed trip would be filled with many work-related adventures, even catching up with old (and new) friends. And yes, one 🍊 shopping appointment was on the schedule.

Baccarat Hotel, NYC.

Baccarat elevator bag-fie not selfie.

3pm was a fun meet up at the Baccarat Tea Room filled with giggles, chats, and lots of juicy H tales. And then the highlight and main purpose of the trip that evening was the Heritage Auctions Luxury reception on Park Avenue. My editor, Maura, was going to be my plus one. It would give us time to drool over the exceptional handbag offerings and catch up. We had a field day, studying the leather, comparing new colors, and drooling over the many exotics. It was shaping up to be a lively night.

Baccarat Hotel lounge. Might be one of the prettiest in NYC.

3pm meet up with friends.

Maura wanted to compare her Gris Mouette Birkin 30 (back) with the new gray shades. Left is the new Gris Platine, Birkin 25 in Gris Meyer and Kelly Pochette in Gris Misty.

Admiring the boutique offerings at Heritage Auctions, 445 Park Avenue, NYC. This star Kelly in Ardoise Epsom and Vert Peppermint makes my heart skip a beat.

To my surprise, my savvy editor had no intentions of turning in early and whisked me off (by foot ~ Jamie boot and all) to The Monkey Bar. What a vibe! There’s always so much to discuss, share, and even a little strategy in the mix. After all, I believe we’ve known each other for nearly a decade now, M. And just so you all (my readers) know, she will be editing this before it goes live, lol. Yes, she often strikes out some of my extraneous storytelling. I’m actually curious to see if this part sticks!
[editor note: of course it stays; it’s about me].

The day’s look including my studded Clouté Mini Kelly, matching cashmere cropped jacket and the Hermès Jamie boot which incidentally I walked 14,000 steps in, yikes, LOL.

Monkey Bar, 60 E 54th St, New York.

NYC March 5th

A good night’s rest, a breakfast of avocado toast with sliced jalapeños washed down with two cups of drip coffee, plus green juice to go – readied me for what was to come next: A 10:30 am appointment with my Hermès sales associate. I think this was my first trip to the Madison boutique since Mr. PurseBop and I attended the Hermès New York City private sale on October 26th, 2024.

Mauve Sylvestre Mini Kelly with matching Kelly pocket strap would be the bag for day 2 in NYC. Breakfast, room service at Baccarat Hotel.

Timestamp: I arrived precisely at 10:33am and texted my SA, who asked me to join her on the 3rd floor. When you haven’t been in the store for awhile, everything looks new, and you feel like a cartoon image with their eyes popping out on springs. Wow, so much to see.

We talked, walked, and admired… No coats this time (for a change), and without detouring too much from this tale, just know that, for me, the Hermès shoe department is a danger zone. And it was no different this time, ughhh! Centered on the back wall, just staring at me, was the most exquisite black box riding boots with the boot strap, studded just like my Clouté mini and newest cashmere jacket – the one with embellished sleeves. Uh oh, I knew I was in trouble.

You tell me, how am I supposed to resist these beauties?

Match made in heaven :)

It was game over. What’s a girl to do? Despite my “no more boots” policy – here I was trying them on — and they slipped on like Cinderella’s shoes.

We had barely turned the corner, and I was stopped by another mesh shoe called the Kiatsu sneaker. It really never ends. More on this later :)

Hermès Kiatsu sneaker.

Trying them on made me crave a cropped jean to show them off — which my SA suggested, and we googled together. Jeans are always such a hard fit, especially when you’ve been living in the Rag and Bone Miramar versions that are printed sweats and make you swear off the real thing. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Ultimately these would be the color I select.

For those who don’t know Madison well – you exit the shoe section straight into the jewelry department. We sat at the closest desk — and suddenly, it was playtime. Oh, did I see and try exquisite things, of course! But before I digress too far, let’s skip out of jewelry and follow my SA’s instructions to head up to the fourth floor. While she put away the jewelry, I took the opportunity to explore and admire the displayed bags.

There’s a bracelet to match my Hermès Adage ring, yikes. Click photo to access details/story ❤️

(As usual, despite trying to be succinct in my storytelling, I manage my way down a rabbit hole of narrating every detail.)

Since we had not yet spoken of any bags, I would need plenty of time to satiate my appetite peering into every case. If this was at the top of the staircase, one could only imagine what would follow.

This is the place where adults turn into children peering into the glass cases to study every detail of these exquisitely hand-crafted, ‘grown-up’ treasures. At least, I do. For the first time, I spotted two stunning exotic pochettes, leaving me literally drooling. Next to it was the most adorable micro-sized picotin in lizard… OMG, so cute. Something about a bucket bag in this itsy bitsy size and in an exotic skin made it absolutely irresistible.

Rare sighting of porous crocodile and shiny alligator Kelly pochettes… drooling.

Lizard micro picotin 14cm. It’s truly the cutest thing I have ever seen.

I slowly made my way through most of the cases when my sales associate returned and said, “follow me”… in her hands a large box. Surprisingly, it was nowhere near the size of a mini Kelly, Kelly 25, or even a Birkin 25.

Truthfully, I couldn’t think of any desired larger bag except the Anate fringe, but that is a B35 with a monstrous-sized blue box (as impractical as it is, I have such a crush on this one). Baffled, I followed as she weaved through the floor, all the while mentally reviewing the possibilities.

The back private room was occupied, so to my delight, we made our way to the larger whimsical room to the left of the elevators. This room has spectacular architecture and decor. The roof lines and shape of the room mimic something out of The Hobbit.

I have been here before. This room conjured up happy memories. A couple of years ago to the date, we sat in this room when I came to pick up my Rose Sakura special order Kelly 25, and yes, of course, there are pics.

Visited the same room in March of 2023 when I went to pick up my special order Rose Sakura Kelly 25.

Rose Sakura chèvre leather Kelly 25 with brushed palladium hardware and a Gris Pearle interior. She’s simple but sublime.

The Hobbit Room (as I call it), March 5th, 2025.

We sat quickly and she was ready to roll. She started by saying “this is something we have talked about… I am absolutely in love with this bag, but let’s see how you feel about it.”

I confess, I was a bit nervous, as the box was pretty big. If it was something we had ‘only talked about’ – then in my head it translated to “something I may not have requested.”

Drumroll.

….. Wait, once the lid was off and she was peeling away the pristine paper – it hit me – the box resembled that of a B30 . . . It had to be a Shoulder Birkin! I think I blurted it out just before she pulled out the long-handled Birkin… the next glimpse was the gold hardware, with delicious Gold Evercolor.

Ok, ok…now don’t panic, I know it’s a picture with palladium hardware – obviously the story continues… so please read on.

She (the Birkin) appeared much smaller than the denim Shoulder Birkin I remembered from the Spring-Summer 2024 Re-see. This Shoulder Birkin mirrored the design that had first debuted exactly a year ago on March 2, 2024, at the Fall-Winter 2024 Ready-to-wear show in Paris.

It was all coming back in a flood of memories. Sitting here while twirling the Birkin 29 in my fingers, admiring its every side… I distinctly remembered a photo from our article about my ombré Danse next to a black Shoulder Birkin in this exact size.

The larger of the two released sizes can be worn over the shoulder.

Worn here over the shoulder is the 39cm version.

Birkin shoulder 29.

“It really is chic, and the proportions make it seem so much smaller than a B 30.” It feels like something between the 25 cm and 30 cm sizes. But despite its shrunken size, I was getting my Barenia Birkin vibes. Without overthinking it, I immediately shared my thoughts. I explained that I was in love but was hoping there could be another color option, or, a palladium version of the same color, then it would be a total dream. She left me in the room and dashed off in a flash.

While I waited for her return, I scrolled through our texts, and sure enough, when Tamara – an influencer I follow – revealed the Shoulder Birkin that her fiancé surprised her with from Paris, I did text my SA :) because I must have thought it looked so cool. I loved the modern aesthetic and the vibe it projected.

Tamara Kalinic @tamara

I absolutely love the thought of carrying mine like this… @tamara

Text with my SA :)

Pic credit WWD

She re-entered the Hobbit room smiling, and with a similar box in tow.. so I suspected good news.

The perfect photo to capture the moment :)

She was indeed able to secure the exact same Shoulder Birkin but with the palladium hardware. I was ecstatic because I already had visions of this bag traveling with me on exotic adventures.

I’m going to digress for a moment. You all know by now that I generally don’t repeat colors in my collection. But wait, I officially actually don’t own a Hermès gold bag. The one classic color that many, if not most, start with is absent in my collection. Why might you ask?

Let me explain – I have two heritage leather bags in natural, which have always approximated gold options. The classic Barenia Fauve Birkin 30 (the one saddles are made of) with GHW and a Butler leather Kelly 25 in natural Sable with PHW.

Despite owning these two heritage beauties, I did always expect to one day add a Gold Birkin 25 in Togo leather with Palladium hardware. Yes, a classic Hermès ‘gold colored’ Birkin.

Well, as fate would have it, something far better just happened. My Gold Birkin addition would be the latest Hermès “It” bag style in Evercolor. It was truly a win-win.

As I sat there admiring the chic vibe of the shoulder Birkin, my thoughts were already zipping ahead to spring looks with this modern edgy twist on a classic that pays homage to Jean Paul Gaultier.

Back in 2004, Gaultier introduced the original Shoulder Birkin, a bold reinterpretation of the house’s most revered handbag. Dubbed the JPG Shoulder Birkin, it made its debut in his very first collection for Hermès, appearing on the Fall-Winter 2004 runway. It was fresh, fashion-forward, and yet—true to Hermès tradition—it never sought to replace the classic Birkin but rather exist alongside it.

Produced for nearly a decade, from 2004 to 2013, it became a sought-after piece among collectors, cementing its place in handbag history. Fast forward 20 years, and the Shoulder Birkin has returned—refined, restructured, and ready for a new generation of Hermès lovers.

Read: The Hermès Shoulder Birkin is Back: A Resurgence of a Classic

Although it is very early into this new release, I assume the Shoulder Birkin will not be everyone’s cup of tea. It may also take time for the bag to reach its cult status, similar to the evolution of the Mini Kelly II.

Remember when the Mini Kelly II first launched in 2016, and most people thought it was a ridiculously sized child-like bag? Fast forward a year or two, and it became the most sought-after bag, selling for three to four times its retail price on the secondary market. I don’t think I’ve seen any bag in the last decade become as revered as the Mini Kelly II. I’m not suggesting the Shoulder Birkin will reach that same height; the point is … it often takes time for people to wrap their heads and hands around something new.

Hermès Paris fashion Week 2023

Interestingly, I had discussed the Shoulder Birkin with someone I respect tremendously from the Hermès world. They observed that this Birkin was being requested by both long-time collectors and budding ones. Collectors that may have moved on, or beyond the classic leather Birkins, were suddenly reignited at the possibility of adding something so fresh to their collection.

I guess only time will tell.

Back to my visit at the Madison boutique, I had totally lost track of time and had to rush to check out at the register. There were so many things I wanted to discuss with my SA, but there was never enough time. I flew back to the hotel empty-handed, as my SA arranged to have it all shipped. I was so excited to meet my next appointment. It would be our first in-person meeting. It ended up being an adventure that carried on for several more hours than expected. I was having too much fun, but my flight was that evening, which ultimately was significantly delayed due to rain storms in both NYC and Chicago.

Met Kim Alpert from Anthology of Style with her gorgeous Barbie vintage heart bag.

Kim I need this in my life 💝

Back home on Friday March 7th

The Ferrari package arrives as dish pack. I had a good chuckle to myself… the disguised box is a good thing because Mr. PurseBop suspects I only ordered Hermès dishes (if he only knew)!

hermès shoulder birkin 29cm gold ever color leather palladium hardware pursebop reveal

Saturday March 8th

I finally cut through the Ferrari package wire and opened the orange box on my kitchen counter. Now that I’ve had an opportunity to play with my new Shoulder Birkin a bit, I can tell you I’m absolutely obsessed!!! I am delighted with how lightweight it is. It’s significantly lighter than my Barenia Birkin 30. Looking closer, I noticed that the hardware proportions are the same as those on the Birkin 30, but on this more compact design, they stand out more. The hardware pops and makes a statement. Think about it —it’s a simple game of proportions. The gold color gives it a nice casual daytime vibe, and the palladium hardware further complements that use perfectly. I think my little shark charm that’s been patiently waiting for it’s debut will add the perfect touch of whimsy to this Birkin.

My initial observations about the Shoulder Birkin.

It comes in two sizes – the light in 29cm and the larger 39cm.
The handles are longer than the regular B30’s however are not long enough to wear over the shoulder. We know with the larger 39 cm version, the handles can be shoulder-carried.
The interior construction and the flap are the same as a traditional Birkin.
The width of the smaller Shoulder Birkin is less than the Birkin 30.
It appears that those produced so far are in Evercolor leather, except the printed canvas versions.
So far we have seen it in Gold, Ardoise, Caban, Etoupe, and Noir.
The retail price of the 29 cm size in Evercolor is $15,200.

Left: Shoulder Birkin 29 cm / Right: Birkin 30 cm

Another 39cm Shoulder Birkin spotted at Madison.

I couldn’t resist a shot of my new treasure with my Hermès Gold Clemence leather trumpet vase.

Final Thoughts

As I write this article on Saturday afternoon, just hours after the Fall Winter 2025 runway show, I pause to savor an even deeper appreciation for the novel yet classic nature of my new treasure. It’s a Birkin in every sense of the word, yet so unique that it makes a fresh statement and is the perfect addition to my collection.

I guess ‘dry no spend Q1’ is officially over albeit a bit early, LOL.

Read: Hermès Introduces 6 New Handbags for Fall-Winter 2025

FYI: Mr PurseBop came up with the article title, LOL. City of Big Shoulders is a known nickname for Chicago 😍 pun intended.

Love PurseBop
XX

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