Understanding Hermès Quality Standards Will Make You a Smarter Shopper at Every Price Level

Understanding Hermès Quality Standards Will Make You a Smarter Shopper at Every Price Level
Ateliers Auguste, Polo Ralph Lauren, Massimo Dutti, Madewell, Maison de Sabré

Watch the Video | Shop My Picks

It's widely accepted that money can't buy style. What's less obvious is that money can't buy quality, either – at least not automatically. The best luxury education isn't about buying luxury. It's about understanding what makes something luxurious in the first place. Once you know what to look for, you'll spot quality (or the lack thereof) everywhere from Hermès to Madewell to Zara.

The Edge Test: Your New Shopping Superpower

Here's what separates a $12,500 Hermès Kelly from almost everything else: the edges. Those rounded, glazed edges that feel smooth and plump under your fingers represent multiple finishing steps by skilled craftspeople. It's the ultimate insider test because there's zero marketing value for this feature. You won't see marketing campaigns about it. Fashion editors and influencers won't be breathlessly describing them the way they get into embellishment or celebrity endorsement. Customers don't pay extra for better edges, so only brands genuinely committed to quality invest here.

What to look for across price points

Luxury standard ($1,000+): Rounded, glazed edges built up in layers and hand-polished to a sublime, flexible finish

Quality mid-range ($200-600): Clean, painted edges that are cut sharply and finished consistently (like Massimo Dutti at about $350; St.Agni and Manu Atelier outperform this standard with rounded edges)

Fast fashion reality check ($50 and under): Flat, painted surfaces or thick rubberized coatings that will chip over time

The revelation? Madewell often delivers that quality mid-range edge finishing for under $200, while some $500 bags underachieve with edges you'd find on a $50 Zara piece.

The Topstitching Truth

Luxury brands like Hermès place their topstitching with surgical precision: close to the edge, with proper thread tension that doesn't sink into or tear the leather surface. But when you see topstitching that creates visible indentations or rips the leather, you're looking at either poor needle choice, dry leather, or both – telltale signs of rushed production regardless of the price tag.

Left: $465 bag with thread is too far from the edge, right: thread is appropriately close to the edge at Madewell

The $465 reality check: The tan bag above and below commits both sins: stitching placed too low for the design and thread that pierces through the facing, creating an unrefined look that screams "we prioritized speed over skill."

The $168 winner: Madewell's Sculptural-Buckle bag nails the topstitching placement, proving that understanding luxury principles matters more than budget.

Left: topstitch sinks into the leather toward the right and rips it toward the left; right: Madewell's topstitch has even stitches

Why Thinner Often Means Better

Luxury standards seem to flip conventional thinking about quality. Those thick, stiff panels that make a bag feel "substantial?" They're often compensating for poor leather quality. Hermès achieves structure with thin, supple leather and strategic internal reinforcement, a much more expensive approach that requires superior materials and expert pattern-making.

Gorgeous leather tool bag made from 1/8" thick Buffalo hide
Garrett Wade, $150

Bags made for ferrying tools benefit from thicker panels, but a classic shoulder bag tasked with transporting a phone and some cards? Not really. When you see panels so thick they pile up at the edges, you're looking at a brand that's masking quality shortcomings with bulk. The luxury approach uses selective reinforcement only where needed, creating bags that feel refined rather than rigid.

Thin, thicker, thickest: Hermès, Ateliers Auguste a bit thicker but still refined, and a $358 shoulder bag with the thickness we see at fast fashion

This post is for paying subscribers only

Already have an account? Sign in.