How to Identify an Authentic Hermès Evelyne Bag
Like many iconic Hermès handbags, the Evelyne rises on the horizon of the resale market with an impressive 78% resale value on average. This handbag can retain its well-value and even double it if the right conditions are met. In the world of Hermès resale, authenticity is a crucial matter for the value of a handbag, and Hermès resellers should be cautious when purchasing handbags from non-official channels.
To help you identify an accurate Hermès Evelyne bag, we created this guide to offer you a comprehensive way to assess the authenticity of these important luxury items, so that you can avoid any scams and counterfeits and provide the best of the best for your clients.
Keep reading and find out what to look for in an authentic Evelyne handbag!
Materials
Hermès, as a high-quality brand, focuses on using only the best materials for its accessories, and Evelyne is no exception. This handbag is made in calfskin, with a supple and grainy texture, and has a distinctive natural leather smell. While examining an Evelyne bag, try to feel and smell the material. Since it should be as described and not exude an artificial or chemical smell, nor it should feel harsh or too stiff to the touch.
Another element is the weight, natural leather tends to be heavier than any plastic or fake material, so you should always notice that the bag has a heavyweight empty without being way too heavy. Pay attention to these elements to discard any bad counterfeit.
The handbag interior should be made of raw suede, matching the color of the handbag. This material should be soft to the touch. On the other hand, the Evelyne strap is made of resistant web canvas with leather pieces that match the rest of the handbag in color and skin. Be alert about this detail!
It is important to note that the materials alone cannot define Evelyne's authenticity, because the counterfeiters have become experts in replicating the appearance of these handbags. They usually may use authentic leather or even from the same source as Hermès, so be aware that you can’t identify the originality of a bag judging just by this aspect.
Structure
The Evelyne handbag features a very creative structure since it was produced as a bag to store the grooming tools for horses. However, this particularity makes it very hard to miss its specific details. An authentic Hermès Evelyne bag should have an elongated shape with reinforced stitched edges, a pull-through strap that closes with a snap closure at the other side of the bag, and a removable strap that is attached to each side by clasps and rings.
However, one of the most important features of the Evelyne bag is the “H” logo enclosed by an oval shape. This logo is made with perforations through the leather. An authentic Evelyne bag should have 63 exact holes: 40 for the oval shape, 9 for each arm of the “H” and 5 in the middle of the letter. These perforations should be evenly spaced and have raw and unfinished edges. Depending on the size of the handbag, they can be bigger or smaller, but they tend to follow a proportional appearance, not so small or so big.
Stitching is another element that you must take into account. Hermès stitching is meticulously hand-made, using high-quality linen thread that is stitched in a diagonal direction, allowing the handbags to maintain their shape and durability. If an Evelyne handbag features too straight stitching and it has loose threads, it is most likely a counterfeit.
Since Evelyne’s introduction in 1978, it has had three slight changes in the design: the first Evelyne bags had an internal pocket but no external pocket. They also had a removable strap, but it was not adjustable. In the second generation of Evelyne bags was introduced in 2000, Hermès removed the internal pocket and placed it outside at the back of the handbag. The strap was still not adjustable. The third version of the Evelyne features a back pocket and an adjustable strap.
Another worth mentioning version of the Evelyne handbag was the one introduced in 2016, called the Evelyne Sellier, a sturdier variation crafted from Hunter leather that instead of the punctured logo, features an embossed “H” inside a diamond shape.
Sizes
The Evelyne handbag comes in 4 distinctive sizes: TPM, PM, GM, and TGM (these names stand for the following in French: Très Petit Modèle, Petit Modèle, Grand Modèle, and Très Grand Modèle). The sizes of these names are 16, 29, 33, and 40. These sizes correspond to the measurements of the width in centimeters.
The preferred size of the Hermès Evelyne is the PM, which varies from the petit 16 size, and allows one to carry many more belongings. The TGM size is rare and not as easy to find. The TPM size is very chic and increasingly popular on social media.
Hardware
In front of other Hermès handbags, the Evelyne doesn’t feature too bold hardware, but it is a point to consider when examining the authenticity. The Evelyne has three main pieces of hardware: the closing snap, the clasps of the strap, and the rings to attach the clasps. These three pieces should all be made of the same material, Hermès uses brass plated in gold or palladium for its handbags, so if the Evelyne has clasps plated in gold, the hardware in all the handbags should also be gold.
The outside of the rounded closing snap is usually covered with a piece of leather that the handbag is made in, so it should be the same color and material. The pieces rounded closing snap fits should always be attached to the handbag, and it should be made of metal and plated in gold or palladium.
When examining the hardware of the Evelyne, make sure that the materials are shiny and durable. Since Hermès uses only quality materials, when facing a counterfeit the hardware can show dents and peelings that show a material of an alarming different color under the coating. Pay attention!
Metal engraving is another key element that you should consider. Newer versions of the Evelyne bag feature a “Hermès” metal engraving on each of the strap clasps. The engraving should be clean and defined, with the characteristic Hermès font and including the French accent mark.
When an Evelyne bag has hardware plated in gold, it contains a special metal engraving next to the “Hermès” on the clasp of the strap. This is a square symbol that indicates that the gold plating is authentic. If an Evelyne bag has hardware plated in palladium, the square metal engraving shouldn’t be present.
Stamps
Hermès stamps are one of the best ways to authenticate a handbag. They can provide information about the year of production of the bag and the workshop where it was crafted. The most important is the date stamp or blind stamp, which in the case of Evelyne is located under the pull-through tab in the closing strap. This stamp is composed of a series of numbers and letters. The first letter indicates the year of handbag production and the rest, the workshops and artisans that crafted the bag.
The date stamp throughout the time, specifically the one that indicates the production year. Since before 2015, Hermès had a system of letters in alphabetical order inside shapes such as circles and squares. But from 2015, the date stamps are just letters with no apparent alphabetical order.
Learn more about date stamps and which years correspond to each letter.
Prints
Prints are another crucial element for Hermès authenticity since the brand makes an effort to label its products with its name, marking them as genuine and allowing the clients to know that they own a true Hermès handbag. In the case of the Evelyne bag, two prints can be identified. They have the same “Hermès - Paris - Made in France”. The first print can be found under the closing strap, just above the pull-through tab, and the second print should be the same; it can be found in a piece of leather at one end of the Evelyne strap.
The font of these prints should be clean and consistent, perfectly symmetrical, and with proportioned letters, not too big or small. The French accent mark should be present, and the color of the print should always match the color of the hardware of the bag. If an Evelyne handbag has gold-plated hardware, the print should be golden. Be careful with this detail!
Packaging
When it comes to packaging, Hermès handbags should always be sold with the original dust bag and classic orange box, either at official stores or in the luxury bag resale. The presence of the dust bag and box can indicate that the handbag is authentic and note that it wasn't stolen from a store or a reseller stock. So when purchasing a Hermès Evelyne bag, be sure to always have the complete packaging.
The classic Hermès orange box should have a small logo on the lid, and if pointed with a UV light, it should also show faint Hermès logos printed on invisible ink. It should be noted that this UV feature was added recently, so some vintage handbags may not have a glowing box under UV light.
The dust bag is another important element. Hermès has changed its dust bag many times, but for recent handbags, it should be composed of herringbone toile material in a beige color. The cord that closes the dust bag is a characteristic chocolate brown hue. The logo on the dust bag should be examined since it needs to be perfectly centered, made of the same color as the chocolate brown of the cord, and it should feature a double circle around the horse, carriage, and man. It must be noted that the Evelyne bag also comes with a dust bag for its removable strap and is the same as the one for the handbag but smaller.
When the Evelyne bag is inside the dust bag and box, it should fit perfectly and not be too tight or have too much space left. Consider that some counterfeits tend to get the wrong dimensions on the boxes.
Invoice
The invoice is the most important piece of authenticity when examining a Hermès handbag. In the official invoice, you can consult the details about the Evelyne bag, such as the size, skin, color, hardware, and the specific stamp on the handbag. By comparing the invoice with an examined Evelyne bag, you can assess that it is a genuine Hermès product.
Along with the invoice, the payment ticket is another perfect proof of authenticity. Since it contains the date, time, and exact amount that was paid in the official Hermès store, and if it matches the original invoice and also the information about the handbag, it proves that it is a genuine Evelyne bag.
So when purchasing an Evelyne handbag through resale sites or resellers, ask for the official Hermès invoice and the payment ticket with the handbag in its original packaging. In this way, you can assure 100% that the product is authentic.
We hope we have been of help to clear your doubts and teach you how to identify an authentic Hermès Evelyne bag. With this guide, you can be alert and avoid any counterfeits and scams online, providing a good service to your clients and teaching them to be aware of the importance of authenticity in luxury items.
Do you want to be part of our community of Hermès resellers? Become a member and enjoy a safe space where you can make deals with professional and new Hermès resellers. In Reseller Connector, we condemn scammers, counterfeiters, and thieves, cleaning our community from their presence.
Join our reseller’s community and make business comfortable and safe!
