Hermès bags for the radical spender

The luxury giant redefines the It-bag with Haute Bijouterie

Hermès Nausicass bag is a flapper-inspired fringed bag dotted with 1,811 diamonds. Dan Tobin Smith

In a concealed, heavily guarded room at 24 rue de Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Paris, one may finally be able to satisfy the woman who has everything. Designed by Pierre Hardy, jeweller and shoe maestro for Hermès, are four exclusive mini bags created for the label's new fine jewellery collection, Haute Bijouterie. Each piece functions as a bracelet yet also works as a bag, and the four are said to have taken more than 1,000 hours to create over a two-year period. Only three of each exists.

Exclusivity of this degree comes at a price, of course. The Kelly, which boasts an embellishment of white gold studs and up to 1,160 diamonds, retails at €1 million (Dh4.8 million). The Birkin, in rose or white gold with a carat weight of 89.22, has a price tag of €1.5 million (Dh7.2 million). The Nausicaa, a flapper-inspired fringed bag dotted with 1,811 diamonds, is the least expensive at €500,000 (Dh2.41 million). But it is the fourth bag, the Bijou Chaîne d'Ancre, with an abstract design inspired by the iconic Hermès chain, that will be the most coveted. Made with white gold and a staggering 11,303 diamonds, it has a total carat weight of 86.24, and retails at €1.5. million (Dh7.2 million). So is it a bag or fine jewellery? Technically neither, which is what will attract collectors. What we have here are radical pieces for the radical spender.