Seen the new cover of Paper? Pharrell Williams, toting an Hermès Haut à Courroies, in purple croc. My first instinct is to cringe — how many men do you know can pull off a giant, purple, croc bag? But oddly enough, I think Pharrell does just that. I did a little digging around and found that Pharrell bought this bag last October, stopping by the Paris workshop to pick it up. For a piece of croc skin that large, Pharrell probably had to wait quite a long time after he placed his special order; I would not be surprised if it was a year or two in the making. I happen to think the bag is gorgeous, and had I the money tree for it, I’d rock that bag every chance I got… or until my arm fell off from the weight of it (10+ pounds empty!)

Pharrell’s Purple Croc HAC
A quick Hermès 101:
The Haut à Courroies, or HAC, was designed in the late 1800’s for the purpose of transporting riding gear: saddle, boots, hunting equipment, etc. It is the predecessor to the much younger Hermès Birkin. The HAC is taller than the Birkin, and has shorter straps. The price for a HAC is essentially identical to the Birkin, starting from about $8,000, depending on features such as hide and hardware.

June 13th, 2008