Ultimate Ultra Rare $16,000 w/tax HERMES Calfskin / Sheep Shearling Tonal Layered Leather Vest, Unreal Details, Made In France

As much as I’m a diehard TOM FORD fan, my fiance and I were in NYC checking out various luxury stores. I’d read about how even in a down market, HERMES was thriving. It was a crazy hot day mixed with thunderstorms, so we were a little underdressed. We went to the HERMES store on Gansevoort and while I walked in like I owned the place, you could tell they didn’t really want to let us in. The salespeople were super snobby, again a turn off, but the goods were truly on a level I’ve rarely seen! We went through the whole store and I couldn’t believe the level of quality and craftsmanship. You could see the level of the flawless hides, the hand of the cashmere and little details like the immaculate stitching and construction. I was sold!

HERMES have been so successful largely due to exclusivity (both by real world issues where demand exceeds their capacity to produce goods of such exceptional materials, artisans and quality, and I’m sure a bit by design). As much as I hate the attitude and gamesmanship, I have to give it to them in terms of creating coveted pieces.

I’ve since added a number of Hermes jackets and boots to my collection and even sold some of my TF to make room — it’s that good! This is an ultra-luxe piece crafted from their elite calfskin with sheepskin shearling in classic neutral tones, which goes with everything you wear! Hermes outerwear is Godly and the price points can be staggering, even for a longtime TF fan. Selling this for a friend who got this from a stylist — the shearling leather jackets can go for $20,000 – $30,000 US and up. I’ve even seen custom orders for their alligator leather jackets go for $250,000 – $350,000!

This is from the newer season last winter and it's so astonishingly rare, you have to search all over the world across all their websites to even find this! When you do the currency conversion and add LA tax it’s over $16,000.

HERMES are legendary for their quality and attention to detail; it literally leaps out for those with a refined eye and taste – right down to the little custom “H” at the ends of their gleaming zippers (see photo references).

Designer Véronique Nichanian, the artistic director of Hermes Menswear recently wrapped a 30-year career there; this piece is the culmination of all she’s learned and perfected! To quote her:

“What is interesting, and I think what people miss about me, is all the work I’ve done on the fabrics, on the material, on the leather, because it was my vocabulary, not just the colours, but also the material. If you only see it on the runway, if you don’t come and touch it and look at it, you don’t understand exactly the work.”

The design/details epitomize one of my favorite design maxims “achieving the maximum impact with the minimum effort” – something which takes years or decades to master. Hermes truly lives up to the hype!

SIZE/FIT NOTE
I'm 6 feet, 194lbs for fit pic reference. I'm typically a comfortable size 50 EU (40 US) and fitted 48 (38 US). My tailor said I’m a natural 21 inch chest, 18 inch shoulder and 25 inch shoulder-to-wrist for fit pic reference. This is a tag size 48 IT. See below for measurements.

MEASUREMENTS
Pit-to-pit: approx 22 inches
Shoulder-to-shoulder: approx 18 inches at the widest
Overall length: approx 26 inches from base of collar

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