July 20, 2012 |
“Schoolchildren have satchels. For grown-ups, a dispatch case is more fitting, n’est-ce pas?” How right you are, Hermès. Grown-ups should have an appropriate classic bag in which to carry their belongings. There’s been a renaissance, lately, of grown men touting round satchels like the schoolboy ones you mentioned – in rainbow colours – and they look ridic! A Sac à Dépêches would be much better, no? Doesn’t it look smart? Feel that leather. Glide your hand over it. Doesn’t it feel soft as it brushes against your skin? That’s because it has been tamed – in fact, 175 years of taming-leather expertise are being celebrated this year. With an exhibition. Well, more “poetic journey exploring Hermès’ love of this fine material”. A sort of visual history.
Did you know that the Dépêches was first created in 1928 and was named for news dispatches? That it was carried by JFK, André Malraux, the Duke of Windsor and Saint-John Perse? That if you were, say, a painter, and wanted somewhere to store your canvases, you could have one made to measure? Really, if faced with the choice of propping your many painterly efforts up against a wall or storing them in custom Hermès, which would you choose?
We like to think of our Dépêches as our very own tamed steed. A Black Beauty to our Squire Gordon, except that we would not need to sell our bag if we suddenly had to leave the country. It could come with us on the plane, or cruise liner. It has, after all, faithfully accompanied many a prominent power figure, so why not us? We feel that our power rivals theirs, the only difference being its scope is rather smaller, contained within a Soho town house, but then again, from humble beginnings greatness springs and one should always be prepared lest the moment catches you unawares. Best to have a bag from which to dispatch your power rays at the ready.
Hermès Leather Forever, May 8-27, Royal Academy of Arts, 6 Burlington Gardens, London W1
by Natalie Dembinska
