Welcome to the 837th Metamorphosis Monday! I’ve been working on a post all morning, but it is taking a lot longer to write than I had expected. So how about something fun and fluffy, some eye candy for this week’s Met Monday! I think this post is going to be a lot more fun than the one I was working on for today. Ha!
Many years ago, while shopping in the Hermes Boutique in Atlanta, I came across a bag I really, really liked called the Toolbox. Funny name, right? It gets its name from its shape which is slightly reminiscent of a toolbox.
The one I saw that day in Hermes was in a bold, cobalt blue color, similar to the color below. I knew that color would never work in my wardrobe, but I loved the shape of the bag and how it opened wide to reveal everything inside. It was way more than I cared to spend, so I didn’t seriously consider buying it that day. However, I could never get the bag out of my mind. Sadly, Hermes stopped making the Toolbox. I think it was in production for over 10 years. They may bring it back one day—they often do that with their designs, sometimes making slight changes to the original design.
Periodically, whenever I thought about it, I would look on eBay, Fashionphile, and other preloved sites to see if I could one in a color I liked and for a more reasonable price. Hermes bags tend to hold their value pretty well, so many years went by with no success. All the bags I kept seeing online were either overpriced or in terrible, super-slouchy condition. Not sure why, but Hermes has always made the Toolbox in a relatively soft leather. I normally see them available online in “Swift” leather, which is velvety smooth, or another leather called Evercolor. I’ve never touched Evercolor before, but I think it’s a soft leather, as well. Swift does feel scrumptious, I will give it that!
It took 4-5 years, but eventually, my perseverance paid off. I finally came across a Toolbox 20 in a gorgeous pink color called Rose Azalee (Rose Azalea in English) that I knew would work well with my spring/summer wardrobe. Other than a few very faint scratches on the palladium closure plate inside the bag, it appeared to have never been worn. The handles were clean and the leather was perfect and not overly slouchy. Even the corners of the bag looked great! More importantly, the bag had not been stretched out and still beautifully held its original shape.
I found the bag at Fashionphile and sold several items to Fashionphile to make the purchase affordable. I love how Fashionphile gives you an additional 10% for items that you sell to them if you take payment in the form of a store credit. I haven’t checked lately, but hopefully, they still do that. The Hermes Toolbox comes in three sizes, 20cm, 26cm, and 33cm. That measurement is the width of the bag. I prefer the smaller 20cm size since I don’t carry that much with me on a daily basis. Plus, the larger the bag, the more tendency it has to slouch.
I purchased an insert/organizer from my favorite place to buy those—Jenny Krafts. She makes organizers for all kinds of bags.
It has really helped the bag to stay in its original, upright shape. So many Toolbox bags look okay when closed, but once opened, they tend to slouch a lot. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, a lot of handbag lovers love a bag that is squishy and slouchy. I kinda like that, too. But for this particular bag, I’d rather it not slouch down too much when opened since I love its upright appearance. If you have a bag that is prone to slouching and you’re not crazy about that, consider buying a felt organizer for it. That often helps a bag retain its shape a lot better.
The main thing I wanted to share with you today is a discovery that I made. Since I often wear lotion on my hands, I’m always concerned about the handles getting darkened or stained, especially on lighter-colored handbags. The Toolbox does have a shoulder strap as seen in the first picture of this post, but even when I have the shoulder strap on the bag, I often find that I carry it by the handles.
In the past, I would always buy Hermes silk scarves to protect the handles, but I’ve noticed that when they get stained from lotion, it’s very hard to get those spots out of the silk fabric, even when using a fabric shampoo made especially for silk. The spots mostly come out when washed, but not entirely, and that bugs me! The scarves I currently have on this bag are from Hermes, purchased several years back for a different bag. They just happened to work with the color of this bag, so that’s why I’m currently using them on the Toolbox.
After finding that it’s very difficult to get lotion stains out of silk scarves, I’ve started buying small silk scarves online that are similar in size/shape to the scarves I was using, but are a good bit less expensive. The silk scarf below goes beautifully with the color of my bag, and I don’t have to worry so much about stains since the scarf was inexpensive. If you like the look of a silk scarf on the handle of a bag and how it protects the handles, the scarf below is available in many colors/designs here: Silk Scarf. 
Small scarves also look great worn around a ponytail or tied around the head or neck. Some people even wear them looped and tied around their wrists, so there are a lot of ways to wear them. Since these silk scarves are inexpensive, I don’t worry about lotion or anything damaging them. I love how they add a bit of playfulness and color to a handbag or an outfit.
I can’t wait to start pulling out the white shorts and Lilly Pulitzer tops that I live in during the summer months! It’s time to start dreaming about spring! Looking forward to all the wonderful Before and Afters linked for this week’s Met Monday! Pssst: Did you know Between Naps On The Porch is on Instagram? You’ll find me on Instagram here: Between Naps On The Porch. Like to know when a new blog post is up? Subscribe for email updates (it’s free) and your e-mail will never be shared. Subscribe for free post updates here: Subscribe.
thanks Susan! I love your pink bag, so pretty!
Thanks, Jenna!
XXX
I love the look of handbag handles wrapped with silk scarves, but haven’t done it for just the reason you mentioned. I hate the idea of staining the scarf, and then not being able to remove the stain, and I think sunscreen is even worse than lotion or cream. I’ve never come across a cleaner that is both effective at completely removing stains, and yet gentle enough not to change the color of the silk.
Yeah, sunscreen would be hard to get out, I bet. That’s why I like these less expensive, they are just as pretty, yet cost a lot less. So if I have to throw one away after a couple of years, I won’t feel so bag about it.
I should probably trying soaking one of my older ones in OxiClean that’s made for colors. The spots are subtle, so it would be interesting to see if it would remove it.
I’m so happy you were able to find your Toolbox handbag, Susan. And those twillys look perfect with it. Oh boy, now you’ve got me thinking about Spring — it’s sooo cold here today. This is the time to prepare though. Before we know, Easter will be here!
Thanks, Pam! Sorry it’s cold there. Winter is starting to return here, too. I expected that though, I knew the 75 temps weren’t going to last long.
Beautiful bag and scarf. Awesome color. How many in the collection now ? When you are going back and forth between homes, how many do you take ? How about your beautiful boots or are you using snow boots in Ohio ?
I hope we have a long spring this year. Tiresome winter.
It hasn’t changed in several years except for the adorable Kate Spade Christmas bag I bought two years ago. No, I stayed inside the entire time during the snow in Ohio. I really, really dislike snow and cold weather. I only went out to fill the bird feeders, otherwise I stayed inside the whole time. I couldn’t wait for the snow to melt so I could get back to Georgia!
Tell us about the pink pony (?) hanging off the bag. Do the other colors have different animals?
Hermes makes a lot of different kinds of bag charms and the “Rodeo” is probably their most well-known bag charm. It’s popular since their heritage started in 1837 with the owner making harnesses and saddles. So the brand’s roots go back to making equestrian products. They still make beautiful saddles, blankets for horses, clothing for riders, and a lot of other equestrian gear. You can see some of the clothing here: https://www.hermes.com/us/en/category/home-outdoor-and-equestrian/equestrian-and-dogs/rider/#|
They didn’t start making handbags until much later and they were the first company to put a zipper into a handbag. A lot of their handbags harken back in design to their equestrian heritage. One thing that really sets them apart is nothing is mass produced. Most of their products are handmade, thus it can take a while to get a bag or an item that you would like to buy since so few are made each year. You can read about how they began here: https://www.hermes.com/us/en/content/271366-six-generations-of-artisans/
Oh, and I forgot to mention one of the items that they are most known for…their silk scarves. There are a lot of people who collect those all around the world. I’ve forgotten how many new designs they produce each year, it may only be a couple. Anyway, their scarves are coveted and collected.
Love your pink bag! I started tying a scarf on my purses way back when I was in high school in the 70’s with my macrame jute and leather fringe handbags. I love the interesting look!
Oh, I love that look, Debra! I remember the macrame and leather fringe. 🙂
Love the colors of those purses!!
Thanks so much for hosting!! I really appreciate the time and effort that goes into it along with visiting all the links!! I hope you are enjoying your week and you are doing well…
Hugs,
Deb
Debbie-Dabble Blog
Thanks, Deb!
XXX
GREAT ideas, all. And that bag is gorgeous. You have the best collections of purses I have ever seen. That pink is fabulous.
Thanks so much, Michele! The color really got me!
Is there a “secret” to covering the handles so the scarves stay on?
There are a bunch of videos online showing various ways for tying it. I’ve found that the easiest way is to start with the scarf in the center of the handle and wrap it around the handle going out from the center. When you reach the end of the handle where it connects to the bag, tie it to keep it in place. You may need to do it a few times to get the scarf looking the way you prefer. I prefer to tie them where there isn’t a lot of scarf hanging down covering the bag—that way you can see more of the bag and the top stitching if the bag has that. Here’s a video showing how to tie one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkLr3dzLI9U
You’ll find a bunch more videos here: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+tie+a+twilly+on+bag