While everyone's fighting wars over Birkins and Kelly bags like they're the last croissants at Paris Fashion Week, there's this absolutely gorgeous Hermès Plume bag sitting there, practically begging to be noticed.
It's about time we gave it the spotlight it deserves.
The Plume bag Hermès is the Rory Gilmore of luxury handbags, quietly brilliant, effortlessly elegant, and somehow more interesting than all the popular girls combined. It doesn't need validation from Instagram influencers or celebrity paparazzi shots. It just exists, being utterly perfect, waiting for someone smart enough to appreciate it.
Here’s why we’re currently obsessed.
How and When Hermès Created Featherweight Genius
The Hermès Plume bag traces its lineage back to the 1960s, rooted in the maison's legendary luggage designs. "Plume" literally means feather in French. This bag was engineered to be feather-light whilst maintaining that structured Hermès sophistication we all live for.
The design is pure minimalist genius, with a clean rectangular silhouette, meticulously crafted rolled handles, and a three-sided zipper that opens wide. No flashy logos screaming for attention, no unnecessary hardware. Just pure, unapologetic elegance.
What makes the Hermès Plume bag legendary is its craftsmanship. Reportedly taking approximately two and a half weeks to craft from start to finish, the Plume stands out as one of the most labour-intensive bags to create within the Hermès collection.
That's basically a fortnight of skilled artisans obsessing over every stitch, every curve, every detail.
Hermès Plume Bag Sizes: Finding Your Perfect Match
Let's break down the Hermès Plume bag sizes because choosing the right one is like casting the perfect rom-com lead—size absolutely matters.
The Hermès Mini Plume Bag
The Hermès mini Plume bag (also known as Mini Plume II or Plume 21) is adorable. Measuring approximately 21 x 15 x 7.5 cm, it's compact enough for date night but spacious enough for essentials. Your phone, card holder, lipstick.
The Hermès Plume II mini bag comes with a chain strap option, transforming it from hand-carry to hands-free.
The Plume 28
The Plume 28 (11 x 8.2 x 4.1 inches) is boxy, and yet the straps can't go over your shoulder. So it's a tad too bulky as a hand carry bag. It's tricky, too structured for casual shoulder wear, but potentially too bulky for all-day hand carrying.
However, there's redemption in the form of the Hermès Plume Elan 28, which offers an elongated east-west silhouette that some collectors absolutely adore.
Pro tip: Use a 3rd party Etsy strap clipped onto the square rings so that you can sling it over your shoulder. Problem solved with a bit of creative accessorising.
The Plume 32
The Hermès Plume bag in size 32 (12.5 x 9 x 4.5 inches) can fit your 13" laptop, and the handles of the bag can wrap over your shoulder.
The Hermès Plume bag sizes larger than 32cm venture into travel territory; the Fourre-tout 40 and 45 are basically weekend warriors disguised as handbags.
Hermès Plume Bag Leather Options to Choose From
The plume bag Hermès appears in various leathers, each with a distinct personality:
Togo: The workhorse. Togo leather is lightweight but hardy enough that the bag doesn't stretch out when carrying something as heavy as a laptop. It's the reliable friend who helps you move house and never complains.
Epsom: Structured and scratch-resistant. The Epsom Plume maintains shape beautifully and practically laughs in the face of daily wear. It's the type-A personality of Hermès leathers.
Swift: Butter-soft with that gorgeous lustre. Swift leather on a Plume creates texture that photographs beautifully and feels like touching clouds. Slightly more delicate but absolutely worth it.
Chèvre Mysore: The luxury option that commands premium prices. When you see Hermès mini Plume bag prices hitting $12,000, it's usually Chèvre doing the heavy lifting. This goat leather is lightweight, durable, and has a subtle grain that catches light gorgeously.
Box Calf: Vintage vibes with that glossy finish that develops patina over time. Box calf Plumes are collector favourites because they age like fine wine, assuming you treat them properly and don't leave them in the boot of your car.
Hermès Plume Bag Price
The Hermès Plume bag price varies dramatically based on size, leather, and whether Mercury is in retrograde.
Based on current market intel, here's the breakdown:
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Hermès mini Plume bag: Starting around €6,500-€8,800 CAD for standard leathers
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Plume 28: Approximately €7,000-€9,000 depending on leather
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Plume 32: Around €8,000-€10,000 for classic leathers
Exotic leathers? Don't even think about it unless you're prepared for prices that require sitting down and possibly light sedation.
Why We Love the Plume
Most fashion magazines won't tell you, but the Hermès Plume bag is genuinely practical. Finished with a long zipper fastening that extends to the sides of the bag, this design allows the Plume to open widely. This generous accessibility ensures you can effortlessly pack all of your essentials.
That three-sided zipper is brilliant engineering disguised as a simple design. You can actually see what's inside your bag instead of conducting archaeological digs for your keys. Revolutionary concept, honestly.
We also appreciate that the Plume 32 comes with feet! Those four protective studs on the base mean you can set your bag down without paranoia about scratching the leather.
The Hermès Plume Bag Men is Breaking Gender Norms
Thought we forgot you men out there?
The Hermès Plume bag men's category deserves recognition. The larger Fourre-tout sizes were literally designed with masculine proportions in mind, perfect for business essentials, gym kits, or weekend adventures.
Recently seen in both the Women's Spring Summer 2024 runway and the Men's Winter 2024 Show, the Plume is steadily gaining notoriety once again. When Hermès puts something on the men's runway, they're not messing about.
The Plume 12H (16 x 11 x 4.5 inches) functions as a sophisticated briefcase alternative while actually being desperately practical. It fits laptops, documents, and anything else you might need throughout your workday.
The Plume vs Everything Else
Most designer totes are either completely impractical or boring enough to cure insomnia.
The Hermès Garden Party offers similar versatility at lower price points but lacks the Plume's structural elegance. It's more casual, less refined.
The Birkin is gorgeous but frankly impractical for actual work purposes. Try fitting a laptop in there whilst maintaining the bag's structure. The Hermès Plume bag was designed for real-world functionality that happens to look absolutely spectacular.
The best part is that the Hermès Plume mini bag works brilliantly for evening events, sophisticated enough for gallery openings, compact enough for proper cocktail parties where you're actually holding your drink instead of just posing with it.
The Plume 32 dominates professional settings. Imagine board meetings where everyone else has those sad laptop bags whilst you've got butter-soft Togo leather cradling your MacBook.
The Hermès Plume bag might actually be more impressive than a B-bag. Not more expensive, not more famous, but more impressive in the ways that actually matter, functionality, versatility, and that quiet confidence that comes from choosing substance over status.
The Plume represents Hermès at its most refined. No flashy hardware distractions, no logo-covered canvas, just pure craftsmanship and thoughtful design that solves actual problems whilst looking absolutely spectacular.
The Final Word is That Why We're Completely and Utterly Obsessed
The Hermès Plume bag isn't trying to be anything other than perfect. It doesn't need celebrity endorsements or social media validation. It just exists, being utterly brilliant, waiting for people sophisticated enough to appreciate underrated excellence.
Whether you're drawn to the Hermès mini Plume bag for evening elegance, the Plume 32 for professional perfection, or the larger sizes for travel sophistication, you're choosing a bag that proves you understand luxury beyond obvious choices.
The Hermès Plume bag sizes offer options for virtually every need, the Hermès Plume bag price delivers better value than most of the bags in the collection, and the overall design philosophy represents everything we love about thoughtful luxury that prioritises function alongside form.
If you know anything about us here at Love Luxury headquarters, we’re head over heels for quiet luxury.
So while everyone else fights over Birkin waitlists, maybe it's time to appreciate the feather-light genius that's been hiding in plain sight all along?
The Hermès Plume bag isn't fashion's best-kept secret anymore, and honestly, it's about time we all caught up.
If you’re not ready to make that sort of commitment to the Plume just yet, check out our collection of Birkins, Kellys, Picotins and more!
