A Little trip to Hermes

Like most fashion fanatics I love Hermes; it's a mecca of fashion and a birkin is the holy grail. For now, I have had to settle for the gorgeous enamel bracelets and my sweet leather cuff.

Sadly, my leather cuff lost its pin and I had to take it back to Hermes for a little TLC. Never one to need an excuse to take a trip to the store, I had no problem making my way to the Paris end of Collins st. in Melbourne for a visit.

Any visit to Hermes is going to be a pleasure. The staff are kind and courteous and this trip was no exception. As soon as I showed the sales assistant my problem she happily exchanged my broken item for a receipt (hand written, carbon copied and given to me in a scented, embossed envelop). I was informed that my cuff would be sent firstly to Sydney to be assessed as to whether it could be repaired there, and if not, it would be sent on to France where it would be repaired.

I walked out leaving my cuff behind safe in the knowledge my it was in good hands. Part of me wanted my cuff back soon and hoped it would be fixed in Sydney but another part of me, a more romantic part of me, loved the idea of my little cuff being sent back to France, to a sweet little man, in a sweet little room, high up in the city of Paris who would return from his lunch of baguette and coffee one spring afternoon, put on his leather apron and set to work replacing a small pin in my leather cuff.

Now, I don't know about the workroom, the apron, the lunch or even the silver haired, slightly balding craftsman (yes, my imagination is that detailed), what I do know is, six weeks later, my cuff was back; repaired and like new for me again. Whenever I wear it now, I think of its little holiday to France and imagine it like a naughty character from a childrens book off on an adventure unsupervised.

When I think of Hermes I can't help but think of all the craftspeople and artisans they employ who create the pieces that we covet. They are uniquely talented and they are part of a tradition of excellence beyond compare and I thank them. In a world where everything is so readily available they make things that we must wait for.