How to Spot a Real Hermès Evelyne
You know Kelly, Constance and Jane (Birkin). But have you met Evelyne? The essential Hermès crossbody, once relegated solely to the equestrian section of the French atelier’s wares, rose to fame a few years ago as a result of pared-back recession-era style. It’s been front and center ever since.
Evelyne Bertrand, head of Hermès’ Riding Department, created her namesake bag in 1978 as a carry-all for horse groomers’ tools, perforating one side so brushes and sponges could dry on the go. Though the perforated side is intended to be worn against the body, the H logo has become a coveted design element for luxury lovers.
Due to its surge in popularity, however, fake Hermès Evelynes now abound. Read on for our expert team’s tips on spotting an authentic Hermès Evelyne.
Hermès Evelyne Bag Construction
The Hermès Evelyne bag comes in four sizes — TPM, PM, GM and TGM (which stand for Très Petit Modèle, Petit Modèle, Grand Modèle and Très Grand Modèle). The bag’s signature H will always have 63 holes: 40 for the oval, 9 for each arm of the H and 5 across the H’s middle.
The perforations should have raw, unfinished edges and should all be evenly spaced and sized. Petit Modèle Evelynes will have always holes with a diameter of 4.25mm, though the size of the holes will vary depending on the size of the Evelyne bag. Be wary of counterfeits, which can feature holes that are too small, too large or misshapen. The outline surrounding the H will be an oval shape, which should not be too pointed or circular at its sides.
Because the Evelyne was created with functionality in mind, you’ll find casing and reinforced stitching along the edges of the bag and on the leather components of the strap, ensuring durability.
The Evelyne has seen a number of iterations over the years, and slight differences accompany each version. The original Evelyne I includes a fixed-length removable strap and one interior flap pocket. Hermès reissued the Evelyne II in 2000, included the strap and removed the interior pocket in favor of one exterior back pocket. The Evelyne III, featured here, still has the exterior pocket. The strap on the III, however, is adjustable.
Hermès Evelyne Bags
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Hermès Evelyne Bag Materials
Hermès Evelynes are most commonly produced in two types of leathers — Epsom (a lightweight, stamped-grain leather) and Clemence (a heavy, matte grained leather and the material used for all the bags here). It is also fabricated with Box (a smooth, glossy calf leather) and Sombrero (a calf leather with a matte finish). No matter which leather Hermès uses, the interior should always be the raw, sueded back of the leather. The removable strap will be made of an extremely durable web canvas with leather accents that match the bag’s exterior material.
Hermès Evelyne Bag Hardware
When inspecting an Hermès Evelyne, pay close attention to the bag’s hardware. Vintage bags from the ’90s often feature gold-tone hardware and the clasp on the bag’s removable strap has a more curvilinear shape than the current palladium-plated clasp. Current versions of the bag, like the one pictured here, will include a small HERMÈS in all caps on one side of the clip.
Based on the age of the bag, the snap may be blank, the female component may have four letters in a compass rose, or — as seen on current bags — it may read SBH in one section. The male component of the closure will always be attached to the bag, and may either be flat or include radiating lines along the edge. You should never see a brand name or six stars on a snap, as that is a sign of inauthenticity.
Hermès Evelyne Bag Brand Identifiers
On the underside of an authentic Hermès Evelyne bag closure — a strap with a snap on one end and a pull-through tab on the other — you will see a series of debossed markings including a craftsman’s stamp and a date stamp. In this case, a letter within a square indicates the year of production. Pictured here, the two bags on each end feature an R, dating the bags to 2014, while the middle bag features an O, dating it to 2011.
Until 2015, Hermès dated their items with letters in alphabetical order, surrounded by a shape. Newer versions of Hermès bags feature a secret proprietary code using only a single letter with no shape and no obvious order to the sequence. A metallic debossed stamp reading HERMÈS / PARIS / MADE IN FRANCE can also be found on the leather accent of the web canvas strap and on the bag beneath the pull-through strap, and should match the color of the hardware.
If your Evelyne bag comes with its original box and dust bag, you can utilize this packaging to double-check the bag’s authenticity. The Hermès box has not seen any changes over the years; the dust bags, however, have. Pictured here is a current herringbone toile version, but prior to this Hermès used an orange cotton for their dust bags. And even earlier, dust bags were a tan flocked material. On counterfeits you’ll see text on the bag that is black, green or grey and not the authentic chocolate brown, and the cord will also be the wrong color.
All items are pre-owned and consigned to The RealReal. Trademarks are owned by their respective brand owners. No brand owner endorses or sponsors this ad or has any association and/or affiliation with The RealReal.
Please note: Brand standards, logos and other identifying features may have changed since the time of publication.
