April 4, 2011

Target Acquired: Hermès Black Collier De Chien Homme with Palladium Hardware

Collier De Chien by Hermés

I finally obtained one of the sacred pieces in any Hermés collection: the black CDC with Palladium hardware. It is a true beauty with unparalleled quality and craftsmanship. The leather is smooth and soft, and the gorgeous Palladium shines brightly. It is a flawless piece and I am happy to add it to the family. This is technically the CDC Homme, part of the men's jewelry collection. However, there is absolutely no difference in size when compared to the women's version. In fact, based on the past couple of days of wearing it, the CDC Homme may even be a little tighter on the wrist. This may have something to do with the leather. My suede CDCs have both stretched out a little so that they sit comfortably on my wrist using the notch of my choosing. The black calf leather of the CDC Homme is not stretching as easily. Luckily I have dainty woman wrists it still fits me quite well. I was informed by the buyer of Hermés San Francisco that all of the mens leather jewelry is black with silver hardware.

The black CDC is very difficult to find brand new in stores. I have considered purchasing it through eBay, but I was worried about the condition of the item, and its authenticity, etc. There are some that look legit, but I feel this is the sort of item you should buy new. Some of the CDCs I saw had loose rings and unsightly scratches and bends. A CDC is a leather piece that stretches to your body and changes color according to your lifestyle. It is a personal thing. I am glad to have waited for a new one, stamped with an "N" for the latest craftsmen series.

I am in love with the Collier De Chien. It is really a beautifully designed piece of jewelry. My luck with the color selection at my local store has been fantastic, but I really struck it big with the black and silver ONLINE. That's right, this rare gem was made available on the website for a few days. I think the fact that it was specifically labeled as a men's piece deterred many women from buying it, giving me more time to collect enough funds. Don't worry if you missed your chance. I am guessing that many people (myself included) thought that the CDC Homme was going to fit a larger wrist, so check with your local store for any returns. The CDC Homme is also part of the Spring buy for flagship stores.

Now all that is left to get are the red suede, crocodile, lizard, and full silver CDCs. But if I get a Birkin with gold hardware... Yikes.


- jerome

2 comments:

  1. I must admit I agree with you on this as I recently bought one of the CDC Homme's off the Hermes US website only to discover that also it wasn't really any larger that the ladies version !



    I think if you specifically sell something as a men's size/version, the logical thing would be to think that it was substantially larger than a ladies size ?!!!



    I called up the customer sales team who researched into the length. They said that the CDC Homme was actually 1cm longer than the ladies version (that roughly makes the diameter 3mm larger - crazy !). They also said that I had actually bought the men's small size (why wasn't the size given at the time ?) and that the large size wasn't actually available till next season - again crazy !



    I would have sent the item back but I live in the UK, and to get the item FedEx'ed to me cost over £350 (£175 was import tax !) so I couldn't really afford the send it back !



    Very disappointed with Hermes...not what I expected for my first time purchase for something, which is not cheap !

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  2. Ok, let's be real here: 1cm does not make any sort of difference at all. I compared my CDCs side by side and simply cannot find a difference. That is disappointing about the size, which makes me apprehensive about online shopping.

    It is true that Hermés should have labeled the CDC Homme as the PM size, or something that indicated it as a small. The buyer at the store here in San Francisco did say that the CDC Homme will be larger, so fingers crossed.

    I am sorry to hear about your issue, Simon. If it were me, I would demand an exchange for the correct size and reimbursement of shipping charges. And if that doesn't work, try selling the item on eBay. Since you have the receipt and it is brand new, I am sure someone will be willing to pay full price for it.

    - jerome

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