Arcane Obsessions #1: Hermès Scarves

This is the latest vintage-themed rabbit hole I've fallen into.

Every so often during my trawls for secondhand goods on the internet I find something new to become obsessed with. As of late, it’s been Hermès silk scarves. I could genuinely stare at these things for hours, zooming in on all the incredible details. Each one is drawn by a different artist and I’m dying to know whether Hermès gives out a directive or they just let the artist go hog wild with their imagination, because some of these designs are truly BONKERS.

Like, who came up with ‘Funny Ice Cream’? (Trick question: It’s Elias Kafouros.)

You can start out browsing the Hermès website, then branch out to the usual suspects — Poshmark, Depop, TheRealReal, (on that note, if anyone has a really great argument for looking on sites that aren’t one of these three I’d love to hear it…both eBay and Etsy seem flooded by low-quality dupes these days)— to see what’s available. There are familiar classics, like the spindly-wheeled carriages drawn in the 1960s by Françoise De La Perriere.

But my heart is drawn to some of the more absurd, obscure ones, such as these delicate perfume bottles.

There’s golden antique skeleton keys.

There is, somewhat bafflingly, a Scotland-themed scarf.

Perhaps even more baffling is this NATO scarf?!?!? (The story behind this one is actually pretty cool.)

There’s astonishing autumn foliage.

And my personal favourite, decorative gourds. This one speaks to my soul so deeply that if I were ever confronted by one in the wild, I would have no choice but to acquire it.

Each scarf appears to have its own unique mystery to unravel. For example, I love the historic costumes depicted on this one:

But upon closer inspection, what the heck is “Costumes des Departments de la Seine Inférieure” a reference to? Apparently it’s a rare book, published in 1830, filled with coloured lithographs of French fashion plates, which are as equally fascinating as the scarf. And just like that, I have a whole new rabbit hole to go down. You can learn SO MUCH just by looking a little closer.

The prices on the secondary market tend to vary wildly, which is bizarre. Why is this yellow scarf worth $900 while this one, arguably more beautiful, is only $150? The typical price for a secondhand Hermès scarf ranges between $200-500, which is technically ‘reasonable’ for a luxury consumer good. But at the same time, I’m a bit curious as to why they hold their value so well. They’re not particularly rare (the scarves themselves that is, each pattern is produced in a limited run) and there’s always a plethora of people trying to sell their old ones online. Wouldn’t this drive prices a bit lower? (This is a magical thinking scenario in which I’m somehow able to score a musty old scarf for $50.) There also seems to be no shortage of people finding them in the wild. I’m eternally jealous of this person who managed to find a framed Hermès scarf for $8 at a thrift store.

So there you have it, one of my secret hobbies unlocked. The funny thing is, despite my collector’s impulse, I’d much rather look at these scarves than actually own one. I’m pretty happy with the vintage silk scarves from the 1980s my mom passed down to me, and for $400, it’s probably going to stay that way.

Not an Hermès.

Adieu!