Which bag to choose?

As some of you might know already, one of my main shopping mantras is 'try before you buy'.

This concept it difficult, if not impossible, to keep up when deciding on an Hermès bag, as the selection in the boutiques is limited in terms of sizes, leathers and colors per bag type. Of course there are leather swatches and small leather goods available, so that one can see how certain colors come out in certain leathers, but it requires a real stretch of imagination to envisage the look of a medium to big sized bag just by staring at a coin purse. Photos can only help to a certain extent, they don't allow you to see how a size or shape suits your body, how the leather feels and smells, the harmony/disharmony of the shade reacting with your coloring, and if the bag feels right or not. The only thing I knew for certain, was that I wanted a Bolide. For almost a year, I've been trying to get the specifics right, and finally the last pieces of the puzzle came together when I went to FSH last Monday.

Unlike the last time (the fashion week must have depleted stock) there was a wonderful and varied selection of Bolides in stock. Here a list of the ones I tried on, and in bold print those, I took pics of

31 mou in Bougainvillia Clemence
31 mou in Bleu de Prusse Clemence
31 mou in Gris Tourterelle
31 rigide in Barenia/Toile
31 rigide in Bleu Abyss Epsom
31 rigide in Cognac Ostrich
37 rigide in Barenia/Toile
37 mou in Poussière Clemence
37 mou in Black Clemence
37 mou in Bougainvillia Clemence
37 mou in Brique Clemence
37 mou in Etoupe Clemence
37 mou in Orange Clemence

First one out, was the 37cm rigide. It was just too big on me. The same size in mou appeared a lot smaller, due to it's slouch.

Left, 31 rigide in Bleu Abyss Epsom, right 31 mou in Bleu de Prusse Clemence. Isn't it amazing how much smaller the mou version looks? Behind a Poussière Victoria for color reference

Next, a 35 mou Brique in Clemence. This is not my first attempt at this beautiful warm/browney-orangey shade, I have fallen in love with it when trying on a brique Togo Plume last year. However, I was not looking for a Plume at the time, but for a Birkin.. but in the end, the Birkin did not turn out in this color the way I had hoped for... However, the lighter and tapered shape of a Bolide suits this color beautifully. Also it comes out less brown and more orangey/red in Clemence, another plus. My outfit of the day is a bit unfair to this Bolide, it would have looked very different had I dressed in warm colors instead.

In contrast, the same size, shape and leather, only in a summery neutral, Poussière (french for 'dust'). It is a lighter color than Etoupe, with a slight touch of khaki. Again, the wrong outfit, this would be gorgeous with white jeans, and olive, sage or khaki colored tops and sandals.

Next, a 31 mou in Bleu de Prusse. Quite honestly, a blue bag has not been on top of my list, but this one is gorgeous. It has a little shade of purple in it, which makes in luminous and interesting. The 31 is considerably smaller than the 37, but amazingly, it holds about as much as a 32 Kelly.

Same size as above, only in the rigid shape (Epsom leather) and in a different shade of blue, called Bleu Abysse (the name of this color reminds me of the film 'Le Grand Bleu', a beautiful film about deep sea diving). The rigid shape truly brings out the fabulous shape of the Bolide, a great and timeless look (the design of the Bolide dates back to the 1920') The blue was beautiful too, and lighter than the Bleu de Prusse.


Would love to hear which one your favorite is!


Before leaving FSH, I snapped a picture of the horseman, the Cliquetis from a couple of weeks ago have been replaced by the Lilanga scarf.

Scarf Profile ~ Chaînes et Gourmettes

Today's profile is a 70 Vintage Carré from AW2008, featuring pieces of Hermès' silver jewellery collection, arranged in diagonal rows. The animal print border is reminiscent of the trays on which jewellery is presented to clients at FSH.

With the exception of the scarf top, all pics started with folding the scarf in the basic bias, then pulling it either through a scarf ring, knotting the ends together behind the waist, or tying it with a bow tie to the handle of a bag. I am lucky to have this beautiful design in two CWs, which also allows me to knot them together for a fabulous and easy top.

Ref no 982497S, in white/grey (04) and brown/grey (05)


Farandole necklace in silver, and printed on silk

Le printemps est arrivé

After an exceptionally cold and wet winter, spring has finally arrived! Today's blue sky and mild temperatures put a smile on everyone's face, and at midday people headed to cafés and restaurants, to enjoy their lunch in the wonderful and warm sunshine.

This little street's advanced state of leaves and blossoms almost gave the impression of summer

Wearing La Femme aux semelles de vent in the basic bias fold. It was still chilly this morning, and I set off with a grey fox collar, but as the temperatures reached a glorious 20 degrees, the scarf went 'au nature'

blossoming apricot trees, the promise of summer to come!


Wishing everyone a wonderful and happy Spring! x

Skiing ~ part two

And here the second (and last) part of our 'vacance sportif', sharing another favorite lunch place, the altitude restaurant 'Chalet Verdon'. It has wonderful food, a cosy atmosphere and a sun terrace with breathtaking panoramic views.

One of the pistes leading to the Chalet is called 'Kamikaze'. The 'survival' of it always makes me long for..

..an apéritif before lunch ;-)

Wearing a black fox collar with my lovely new Twilly in a bow knot. The 'En Désordre' design is such a great twist of the classic Bride de Gala and the black/eggshell combination makes my heart sing. I cherish it for many reasons, but mainly because it is a gift from a wonderful friend, and will always remind me of my recent trip to Paris.

En Désordre Twilly SS2010, Ref no: 062296S color: 07

Lunch was great, and such fun

Loved the nostalgic patterned fabric (by Pierre Frey), which filled the heart-shaped cut outs of the restroom doors. Such a charming way to indicate 'Monsieur' and 'Madame':

The cosy interior dining:

With replenished energies we went off to an afternoons skiing, making the most of our last day!

Skiing ~ part one

This year, we could not have been luckier with our skiing holidays, we had blue skies, sunshine and fabulous powdery snow for almost our entire stay. It was total bliss.

In the mornings, DS had his skiing lessons, and DH & I hit the pistes together, occasionally stopping for a coffee or vin chaud , enjoying being just the two of us for a few hours. In the afternoons we'd all ski together, with DS of course leading, at breakneck speed. The older he gets, the more sportif our holidays seem to become ;-)

On most days, we met up with DS at the L'Arpette restaurant for our lunch...

having built up a considerate appetite all morning :-)

Over the last summer, the charming owner of the Arpette has redecorated her Chalet, using all-natural materials in white, cream and light grey/brown. Her great taste and fantastic eye for detail produced a fabulous end result, and a beautifully light, cosy and chic atmosphere.

DS in Chocolat Chaud heaven

Panoramic views of the Haute Savoie from the sun terrace

more details of the interior...

DS completed successfully his ski course, proudly gaining his bronze star. He is already looking forward to the Étoile d'Or course next year!

To be continued...

Brazil II ~ again!

My souvenir from Paris, Brazil II (I know, I know, lol!) in happy sunshine colors ~ kaki/vieil or/violet.

Perfect for the sunny, but cold spring day we finally have. It will always remind me of my lovely trip , and the time spent with my gorgeous friend, who shared the fun at the scarf counter with me.





Tomorrow it's going back to winter, we are leaving for a weeks skiing to the french Alps. Looking forward to seeing you all soon again! MaiTai xx

A day trip to Paris

A couple of days ago I went to Paris, but nearly had to cancel the trip, as we've had unbelievable snow storms the night before, and the roads to the train station were treacherous.

The first pic shows the view out of the high speed train. It's not a black&white photo, this is just how bleak it was. Paris however, had blue skies and sunshine, below a photo of the Tuileries gardens with the Louvre in the background. Normally our climates are reversed, and I was glad that this day was an exception.

The tents of the fashion week in the Jardins de Tuileries, alongside the Rue Rivoli.

It's just a 10min walk from the tents to Hermès' FSH, and as always I was looking forward to seeing which Carrés the horseman on the rooftop would be heralding. This time it was Cliquetis, a SS2010 reissue of the 1972 design by Julia Abadie. Half the store was closed off for refurbishment..

and only a few windows were dressed. Here a Birkin, Plume, Bolide, Medor clutch and several Kellys, all in crocodile skins in beautiful shades of pink, red, green and orange, repeating the jewel tones of the magnificent mosaïque that made the centerpiece of the display.

The rest of the windows were boarded up with panels of drawings by Philippe Dumas, depicting the founding member and directors of the Hermès/Dumas family, and views from the inside of the store. I love Philippe Dumas' illustrations, and it was a real treat to see his work blown up to life size, wrapping the storefront of FSH.

Ended the day by having drinks with friends at the Hotel Costes, located on the Rue St. Honoré, just off the Place Vendôme. It was a wonderful end to a fun and fabulous day.

One last glance at the Place de Vendôme, before heading back to the train station.

Brazil II ~ part two

I guess it's easy to tell how much I adore the Brazil II Gavroche, today wearing it in a simple cowboy knot, which brings out beautifully the feathers and jewel like pearls of the design. I call this scarf my new chameleon, it works with such a great variety of neutrals, picking up on white, beige, brown, etoupe, and grey in all shades and variatons. Here with my recently bought H&M cardie, love the way it drapes, and it was a steal ;-)



One of my favorite pair of earrings, handmade by a dear friend, turned out to be a fabulous match for the scarf, what a happy discovery!

Completing the look with Elephants and Torana enamel bangles.