The Hermes Opli Bag

Sale PSA: A fun bobble sweater from Madewell, now under $60, a Lancome beauty box set, filled with lots of full sized goodies, now $58 (this seems like a REALLY good deal right? Like drugstore priced good? Same with this Estee Lauder), and gorgeous (!!) suede boots from Aquazzura, now 40% off.

Also some resale goodies per my post below: this gorgeous silk Dries van Noten dress, now $208 with the 20% off, a very pretty ruby/sapphire charm bracelet from Chaumet, now $1500 (how much would this be if it were Cartier?), and a pretty Jige clutch from Hermes, now $2900

Today I’m reviewing a bag I recently added to my closet – which I’ve been using the last few months to have a better idea of reviewing (and am also super behind on posts, sorry!). I LOVE red bags but currently don’t have any in my wardrobe that aren’t clutches – I just love the way they can make a neutral outfit “pop” especially as my closet is filled with blacks and grays. I’ve been looking for the perfect red to add for some time – one that would be practical enough to use with kids, OK priced (for designer), etc…

So! Presenting, my resale score, the Hermes Opli bag.

This is one of those bag styles I previously had no idea existed. Hermes comes out with new designs all the time and when I shopped more regularly (aka before kids, aka forever ago) I liked to go to the boutique and see the new designs. But that doesn’t really happen anymore. Anyway, somehow I ended up seeing this bag and then I added it to my “resale radar” list. And when this Opli popped up in the size I wanted (28cm) I jumped.

Here is the #1 benefit (in my opinion) of the Opli: it has a magnetic closure. Yes, I am aware in other brands magnets are super common, but it is not the case in Hermes world, where I think due to tradition or some other reason bags are usually to be fixed closed with some sort of locking mechanism. Which does look great but can be fussy at times. I mean, how often have you actually seen a closed Birkin? In a real street style photo. The Opli closes with a MAGNET. It can be opened with ONE HAND.

Another great feature: the bags are all verso (aka contrast interiors). Or at least I think? I actually think the color I bought, Geranium, has one of the most boring interiors – there’s a toffee with lime, indigo with orange poppy, etc. I know it looks ombre inside but it’s just my camera, it’s a solid light pink chevre lining inside.

Here’s what can theoretically fit inside. The snacks are for my kids (if you have a Trader Joe’s nearby, try these fruit buttons, when my kids are acting crazy in the car, this is what I toss on back). That being said – this is kind of a maximum level. I wouldn’t stuff it this full, because things might pop out and it’d drive me crazy. Note: It can also fit a Kindle inside a case.

So. One thing to note that the interior is restricted because of the construction. The Opli is split into three compartments, and it’s actually made out of one piece of leather folded, which I think is really cool. As an Hermes enthusiast this was one of the selling points of the bag. HOWEVER – the three compartments does restrict space, versus, if it were just one big hole like in the Lindy – and, also because of the way the bag folds in, it further restricts the space versus if it were just a straight rectangular shape, like the Chanel Jumbo. If that makes sense? Like, I think this bag actually holds a little bit less than it appears to, given the folds.

A side profile view. The bag is not small. It has a decently large footprint. I think it photographs a little larger because of its color; actually I don’t know why I’m not wearing it with outerwear here, it looks great with outerwear.

And – one other great feature – the strap is adjustable!! It can be adjusted to be a full crossbody. The strap is also wide, as opposed to on other bags like the Roulis, or Halzan, where the strap is thinner. It’s a really, really comfortable strap and doesn’t fall off.

A few final notes:

Sizing: As you can notice, the bag is big on me. Not *too* big (at least in my opinion) but it is a presence. The Opli has two sizes, 24/28 – the 24 looks smaller but also fits a less. I had debated between the two sizes for a LONG time until I decided that 28 was best for me. With young kids, I just didn’t want the added stress of having a super limited bag. But either way, this isn’t a “throw everything inside” tote. I think of it more like a chic city/day bag.

Pricing: Of course it’s nice to get items directly from the store, but the Opli is one of those bags doesn’t hold its value resale wise- aka, its often priced really well at resale. I got mine around $3K with tax from The Real Real and retail is around $6K + tax. So yeah, good pricing! I’ve seen them on Fashionphile (a blue one with a gorgeous malachite interior that sat around until it reached 30% off, and it STILL took some time to sell) and there is one on Rebag right now. The one issue is that there aren’t many Oplis around – so if you have a certain size and color in mind, you could be waiting a LONG time.

Magnets and wear and tear: One thing I want to note – because of the magnet closure hitting against bare leather on the other side, eventually the color starts to come off. This hasn’t happened with me yet but it was told to me by someone else who has this bag (who also really loves hers). You can actually see this in this Fashionphile listing (isn’t the color combo yummy)? You see in the inner flap, where there is some color loss? I think it just comes from the magnet rubbing against it over and over again. I don’t really care about this because it’s on the inside and not seen, and also fairly easily fixed by spa. BUT something to note if this might bother you.

Magnetic imprint: Another magnet related note! Hermes uses what I assume is a big round magnet for the bag. You can’t see it from the outside, but you can kind of see its imprint through the leather. It’s hard to explain, so it’s better seen through photos – you can see it a little bit on my bag, if you scroll above, and also on this blue bag here. I think it looks more “obvious” than in real life in the blue photo, but it does look like that when the light hits directly. It’s so weird – like, why can’t Hermes master magnets? My theory is there’s some construction technique that other brands use, like glue or something else, that Hermes considers “beneath” their standards and so they have this complicated mechanism instead. Though what do I know? But in almost every Opli photo I’ve seen, the faint circle of the magnet can be discerned. Again, this doesn’t matter to me, but it could to you.

Also, if you want to see more pictures – the super chic Larkie has this bag in black, in the 24 size – she frequently wears it crossbody and it looks GREAT on her. Because of the size and color, it looks smaller and more sleek.

All right! I hope this was a helpful review for some of you. I really wanted to review this bag because there are literally no reviews out there and so I really wanted to shout out some of the charms about this design. Because it really is great and so architectural and interestingly designed. I think it’s a wonderful bag for a) the Hermes enthusiast, b) those wanting a more subtle bag, not obviously designer and c) those wanting a bag that’s easy to use and open. And it’s super cool looking and gets compliments a TON. Like, almost every time I wear it! By people who have no clue that it’s Hermes. What do you think of the Opli?