Part I: My Hermès Christmas… Something Old and New
The story I’m about to share, in many ways, is deeply rooted in my Canadian upbringing and winters in cold weather. Every year, I challenged myself to improve my snow angels to perfection. I wore snow shoes at school recess. My childhood bag-obsession extended to the snowmen (or women) I created with matching totes hanging from their branched arms, in the same way that mama would whip up a handbag for me, literally, to match homemade dresses.
With love for winter also comes a flair for boots and coats. My memories of outerwear date very early to one of my first trips to Disneyland. I recall walking through the beautifully lit gift shop that lined the entrance of Main Street and seeing a yellow zip-up cotton poplin jacket with a big embroidered Minnie Mouse exactly over my heart. I must’ve been about five years old. I wore that jacket so proudly for as long as it fit.
I’m dating myself here, but in high school, there was a K Way trend: nylon windbreakers that converted to hip sacks that I must’ve collected in every color. Moving on, I fondly remember a hooded houndstooth Adrienne Vittadini coat… and then my beloved Donna Karen red fringe suede cowboy jacket, then a Christian Lacroix Couture red cape with black velvet embroidery that reversed to a hot pink (I still have the latter two). And then, of course, came my love for Chanel, and I have several of those statement pieces … And then, in this last chapter of 10 years, more so the last three or four years, my interest in Hermès ready-to-wear peaked. I am a winter baby, always have been. Yes, I am an anomaly, but I like boots, coats, and bags.
Visited Stanley Korshak the eve of the auction in Dallas.
You may be wondering why this long stroll down memory coat lane, but it explains my love for winter-wear and why my experience on December 5th in Dallas, Texas is so meaningful. It revolves around something I added to my armoire of outerwear. Now, let me clarify right at the start… This is not an ad. But as I love to document pieces I collect in my journal that I call Pursebop, I feel like a special page needs to be dedicated to the treasure that I brought home from Heritage Auctions.
Nestled in the pages of the Heritage Auctions holiday auction book – between all the spectacular Hermès options, there was a piece that intrigued me, and it wasn’t a bag.
The book had it listed as a Martin Margiela reversible shawl. I remember sitting in front of the fireplace on one random evening pretending to watch football and googling this name. I landed on a Wikipedia page that described his career:
“Martin Margiela’s tenure at Hermès remains one of fashion history’s most elusive yet significant chapters. In 1997, Hermès appointed Belgian designer Margiela as the creative director for women’s ready-to-wear—a bold and controversial choice for the storied Maison.
At the heart of his work was leather, Hermès’ signature material, which he transformed into innovative yet understated designs. The Fall/Winter 1999 Ready-to-Wear collection exemplified this approach, featuring reversible shawls, supple coats, and layered tunics crafted from lambskin and shearling. Offering multiple styling possibilities, these transformable garments created diverse silhouettes and promised longevity — a testament to Margiela’s ability to merge innovation with functionality at Hermès.”
Hermès atelier in Pantin, France.
My curiosity was peaked. In recent years, I have been carefully following the current Hermès Artistic Directors’ designs. I formed a much deeper understanding and appreciation of the Hermès double-sided cashmere coats and impeccable leather construction when I was given the opportunity to tour the production facility in Pantin, France. There, I was able to really understand the intricacies of these masterpieces.
Since that tour, I have already added three or four coats in cashmere and, earlier this year, a scrumptious leather trench I adore. Another one joined my wardrobe recently – a saturated purple Anemone cashmere bomber from the Hermès sale in Miami.
Let’s just say that a Hermès outerwear obsession is currently in full swing.
Thoughts of this luscious shawl didn’t leave me for very long. You know how you start imagining yourself wearing a particular piece of clothing long before you even own it. That’s the sort of thing that was going on. All of a sudden it felt like something I needed for every evening that I had planned, lol.
Moments before the Heritage Auctions Holiday handbag auction begins. My travel companions were my Goyard Saigon tote and my Anate Danse in Blue Jean swift.
Let’s skip ahead to auction day. I had the distinct pleasure of being in Dallas with the Heritage team for what was going to become a memorable sale.
The activity and adrenaline was of epic proportions. There were multiple bidders for every piece. If I was gonna make the move, I needed to be ready. Lot number at hand, it was 120, I kept studying the images as we progressed through items and 120 neared. Although I’ve attended many auctions, I have never actively bid in any. This would be my first and strangely not even a bag. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been tempted: there were a couple I loved, two exotic pochettes in particular, but the prices soared beyond my allotted budgets.
My heart was racing and my mind contemplating – should I do it… should I not … do it or not? And if I do, what is the upper limit of my spend?
I told Diane D’Amato, the director of the Luxury Division, that I wanted to try to buy the shawl. I decided to give it a shot and, if luck were on my side, it would be mine. Diane who was sitting in front of me would need to bid on my behalf; although a live auction, this is called a proxy bid. The starting bid was $2000 but pre-auction online bids already had it at $3200 and I could see from the number of individuals tracking it, that it could get pricey if someone wanted it as much as I did.
Omg, this was it… lot number 120…. “Oh this is my favorite,” said the auctioneer cheerfully.
“This is a Hermès vintage Ébene lambskin leather and shearling reversible shawl from fall/winter 1999, this is condition 1 and the best thing… IT HAS POCKETS!!”
And we were off to the races…
I had the presence of mind to video record the event – it was both exciting and nerve wracking at once. Imagine this was just for a Hermès shearling shawl, not a Picasso. But to me, this was everything right now. The numbers were all sounding like a murmur. There were so many bids – the screen in front of us showed a list of how many exactly were coming in. What was I to do? How far should I go… what was my limit to spend? You’re going to have to see my reel @pursebop.
My original thought going into this was that $4000+ the 25% buyers premium would be my upper limit. But now I really wanted it, and we were already at $5000. Diane turned to me and I said one more, and Diane took the cut bid at $5500… (plus the buyers premium of course).
I think I got it… but with so much momentum at first, it was a blur. It took a minute to settle in. Diane turned to me and said, “you got it.” It was a different kind of satisfaction, unlike any other buying experience I have ever had. I excitedly sent Mr PurseBop the video I had taken, although I realized only after his reply that I must have stopped recording at the very end, lol. At the pivotal moment. It wasn’t evident from the video that I had just made my first auction purchase.
The entire team had a celebratory dinner at Uchi, Dallas. Everyone was thrilled with the outcome of the Holiday Sale. And I was secretly celebrating a new piece of Hermès history that I would drape myself in this winter and many more to come.
I think it was that night itself at the hotel that I received the invoice from Heritage Auctions to make my payment. I did the needful immediately in hopes that my shawl would arrive as soon as possible. The payment process and execution of it all was seamless. This was my first time walking through all these steps. I was confident that I had really snagged a deal and more importantly a real gem.. After all, today something like this- in all lambskin and shearling would cost at least 2.5-3x this cost.
A few days later… the Fedex delivery. I raced to open the box, and immediately draped it over my pink printed (tree ornaments, the print that is) bed head pajamas. It felt so decadent draped over my shoulders. Cozy and impressive. The pockets were the highlight and so strategically and intuitively placed; a true example of Martin Margiela’s bold designs that challenged traditional fashion norms. The color – a deep almost black brown that reversed to a plush shearling that has a sort of indescribable sheen. The details were just superb. A true testament to quality. I stood appreciating each detail in the morning sunlight closely examining the stitching… and then I think I skipped around the closet and ultimately spent several minutes admiring my new acquisition with glasses, messy hair, pajamas, slippers, and all.
Hermès Coffe table book dedicated to Margiela’s designs.
This stole/shawl is a documented piece in Martin Margiela’s history. He reimagined the stole and modernized it to be wearable.
As I write this piece the day after Christmas, I can tell you that it has been my companion for several holiday evenings. I’ve worn it formally draped over a fitted straight knit dress and also casually with blue jeans, a thick cabled black turtleneck, and the Hermès Jamie boot.
There’s just one new problem… I now dream of that Ebene leather fringed Anate Birkin 35 – or if we think small, then how about that Go Team Birkin 25 with Ebene leather, brown felt and the humongous exaggerated tassel …. A girl can dream, right?
Pic taken March 2023 in Paris at the F/W Re-see. Birkin 35 Anate in Ebene.
Go Team birkin 25 in Ebene with oversized tassel.
That’s not the only piece of Hermès history that was added this Christmas. There’s an epilogue to this sweet story and that will be the “something new…” in Part II coming soon.
Read related articles:
New Confirmed Hermès Prices in Europe 2025
The 2025 US Price Increase is Coming: How Much Are You Willing to Pay for a Hermès Bag?
17 Hermès Birkin Styles You Need to Know
Part I: Hermès Unveils 6 New Handbags for Fall/Winter 2023
Being Patient in Paris: My First Hermès Story
Love, PurseBop
XO
Updated: January 6th, 2025
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