Review – Hermes Bag Inserts

Today I’m going to share some of my experiences with, and favorite inserts for Hermes bags. This is a post that some of you have been requesting, so I hope you find it helpful!

I’m more of a “user and abuser” of bags than someone who treats them super gently, so for the longest time I didn’t think I’d ever use inserts. Now that I’m carrying around bottles of milk and sticky snack pouches though, I’ve realized that I might want to be more careful since the chances of an explosion are much higher now, and having to clean out the inside of my expensive bag at the end of a long day sounds like a genuine nightmare. I’ve tried out quite a few inserts, and these are some of my favorites.

Insert #1, from Divide and Conquer, ~$72. This insert is the first insert for an Hermes bag that I ever purchased, years ago – I got it for my Birkin 35 cm at the time. My favorite feature about these inserts are that they are stiff – they stand up straight, and don’t slouch even with years of use. The material is a sort of twill canvas, but there’s a reinforcement along the tops that keep them up. There’s quite a few pockets, as well as an optional bottle loop (so useful now with baby!).They also come with a wipe clean bottom – perfect so you don’t have to be worried about spills. I use this insert with my Garden Party now, and it fits perfectly – the ends are flexible too, so they fold in with the bag.

A few things to note – these inserts are more stiff, so you might want to be careful using them in certain bags like the Birkin/Kelly. I did find that when I used mine with my Birkin, the edges of the insert kind of made a “dent” in the leather, pushing against it. I immediately took it out when I saw that, and the bag was fine, but I think prolonged use could cause permanent stretching. Also, if you’re looking for a particular model to fit your bag, just scroll down to the right search bar which allows you to search in the store by the bag style and it should come up if it’s available. Connie, the store owner, also does custom inserts, but warning that she’s quite busy!

Pros: Stiff material that stays up, lots of options such as key fob and/or bottle holder if you want, lots of color options, reasonable price (under $100, many under $80).

Cons: The stiff edges may cause dents in some of your bags if the insert doesn’t fit precisely.

Insert #2, from 7 Rue Paradis, ~$340. Based on pure product alone, I’d say that the inserts from 7RP are the gold standard – they’re light, made out of Alcantara (the same lining in a lot of Louis Vuitton bags), have quite a few useful pockets, and a lovely quilted bottom. The pockets are large enough to fit an iPhone 6+ and the insert is also stiff enough to hold up the contents without slouching, even when not placed in a bag. There’s a lovely plush quilted bottom.

Each insert is also made specifically for the Hermes size and construction you order it for – meaning there’s a different size for say, a Kelly 25 retourne, vs a Kelly 25 sellier, vs a Kelly 28 retourne (which is the one I have). I also love the outside loops, which you can also use to hold items.

As you can see, the insert sits very nicely flush inside of my bag, like it was made for the size perfectly (as it was!).

Pros: Almost everything – the weight, the material, the pockets, construction, stiffness –  all excellent! Has good structure, yet I feel comfortable enough leaving the insert in my bag without worrying about it denting the bag like I did with the Divide & Conquer. Quite a few lovely colors to choose from, all which reference classic Hermes shades like Etoupe, Anemone, and Orange.

Cons: Everything I gush about above, does come at a price. 7 Rue Paradis inserts start at 245 euro – the configuration I have above, for the 28cm Retourne Kelly, clocks in at a cool 300 euro. That being said, these bags are expensive, so 7RP knows their customer!

Insert #3, from Mai Tai Collection, ~$84 .

Mai Tai makes a beautiful insert, and I own two – one for a 28, and one for a 32 Kelly. For the purposes of direct comparison, I’m reviewing the 28cm version here – as you can see above compared to the 7RP version, the Mai Tai is a bit more oval, and doesn’t sit as completely flush as the 7RP one, but is still quite a good fit inside my bag.

Mai Tai’s inserts are lovely with very pretty stitched details, and are made out of a pretty French linen. They’re feather light, and also have multiple pockets along the side. I will say that the 28cm version I have doesn’t have pockets large enough to fit my iPhone 6 +. However, even if the phone could fit, I probably wouldn’t use the pockets, as doing so would likely cause the insert to collapse in on itself – the material is soft. For this reason, I tend to view the Mai Tai insert as a liner, more than a bag organizer.

 

Pros: Beautiful material and stitching, quite a few lovely colors to choose from. Very lightweight, and an accessible price point (under $100 – it reaches around $100 if shipped to the USA). I can leave these inserts in my Kellys without worry of denting or warping.

Cons: Stiffness -as I mentioned earlier, the insert can fold over on itself if too many items are stuffed in the pockets – this is less of a bag organizer in my opinion, and more of a protector/liner. Small pockets.

I’d love to hear some of your experiences and recommendations for Hermes bag inserts (and bag inserts overall). Do you use them?