Start Here: Your First Three Stops on Hermes Guidance Lounge
This site is built around thirteen permanent hub pages covering every dimension of Hermes color and design. If you are new here, this page tells you exactly where to start based on where you are in your Hermes journey.
The Three Most Useful Starting Points
Hermes Guidance Lounge is a color, design, and model comparison authority — not a lifestyle blog or a resale guide. Every piece of content applies the same analytical lens: how does color, construction, leather, and hardware interact as a design system? The three hubs below are the highest-value starting points for readers at the beginning of their Hermes journey.
Color is the most consequential variable in every Hermes acquisition decision — and the most misunderstood. This hub covers how each colorway behaves across light conditions, which tonal family it belongs to, and which hardware finishes resolve it best. Side-by-side comparisons of the most frequently confused shades: Craie vs Nata, Gris Tourterelle vs Gris Asphalte, Bleu Nuit vs Bleu Saphir, Trench vs Macadamia, Vert Amande vs Vert Cypress. If you only read one hub, read this one.
Go to Colors Reference Hub →The most frequent question on this site is not “which color?” — it is “which model?” The Comparisons Hub covers the six most-asked head-to-head decisions: Birkin 25 vs 30, Lindy 26 vs Mini Lindy, Picotin 18 vs 22, Kelly Pochette vs Kelly Cut, Evelyne TPM vs PM, and In-the-Loop vs Picotin Lock. Every comparison is approached through color, design, and lifestyle — not capacity rankings. The most practically useful model decision content on the site.
Go to Comparisons Hub →Hardware finish is the resolution of a color decision — not an afterthought. This guide covers how each of the four standard finishes (PHW, GHW, RGH, permabrass) interacts with color families and leather choices, how each ages over time, the difference between brushed and polished palladium, whether guilloche hardware is worth the premium, and which finish is rarest. After color and model, hardware is the third most consequential design decision in the acquisition process.
Go to Hardware & Craftsmanship Guide →Where to Go Based on Your Situation
Not everyone arrives at this site at the same point in their Hermes journey. The four reader profiles below match your current situation to the hub that will be most immediately useful.
Your priority is selecting a color and hardware combination that works across your existing wardrobe. Start with wardrobe tonal analysis, then select your color family, then resolve hardware.
You have narrowed to two models and need to understand the color and design difference between them before deciding. The Comparisons Hub has the most directly useful content for this situation.
You are evaluating secondary market listings and need to authenticate color, verify hardware finish accuracy, and assess whether a combination represents strong long-term design value.
You already own Hermes bags and want to develop a deeper understanding of how color, leather, hardware, and construction interact as a design system. Start with the flagship color hub.
One new article is published each day on hermesguidancelounge.com. Every article links back to its relevant hub page, building the site's internal knowledge structure over time. To follow new content as it publishes, bookmark the All Topics archive or check the Weekly Roundups for curated summaries of recent color, hardware, and comparison content.
All Thirteen Hub Pages
Every topic covered on this site links back to one of the thirteen permanent hub pages below. Browse by topic or use the hubs as a starting point for any dimension of the Hermes color and design landscape.