Hermes "À Votre Service" by Philippe Dumas
As they say, “you never know what you’ll find in the bay”.
And this scarf truly looked like a rag that spent a lot of time towards the bottom.
But to a trained eye, theres a subtile pattern around the edges that I read loud and clear
I’ll never understand why some eBay sellers choose to photograph their items this way. But on some level I love the test and feel like I’ve found something amazing when I recognize part of a pattern peaking out. Especially one I’ve been searching for.
When I’m on eBay, sometimes I simply type in “Hermès scarf” because many Japanese sellers commonly do not indicate the patterns with their names. And then price wise I search “low to high” and begin my scrolling.
When I saw this listing, the photo made me pause, honestly because it was so bad it made me laugh. But once I clicked in, I quickly changed my opinion.
I recognized this scarf as "À Votre Service" by Philippe Dumas first issued in 2008. The pattern depicts an elephant, dressed in regalia with an Hermes box and rider on its back. It was part of the Spring / Summer 2008 collection and complimented the runway collection that season which followed an India theme. This was also the Hermes theme of the year. The Hermes annual charm that year was a Lotus.
Photos via vogue.com
The scarf was listed for $108, only had 3 photos, no title and I’m the only one on eBay who saved it. I asked for more photos, which they couldn’t provide and claimed it was stored in a warehouse. I made the seller an offer for $80 dollars assuming no one else was interested. They accepted my offer!
I received the scarf a few days later and could not believe what I saw when I opened the package. It was truly like magic. A scarf with the most vibrant color play and duochrome effect of reds and yellows. If you turn it to the left it turns a vibrant sunny yellow, if you turn it to the right it truly glows red. Even with as many photos as I’ve seen across the internet of this scarf, none have seemed to capture this. I truly thought it was a caramel brown scarf.
So, who is Philippe Dumas?
Photos via mightychic.com
As I mentioned before the scarf is by Philippe Dumas, who is a member of the Hermes family. He’s illustrated book series for Hermes, contributes to Monde Hermes magazine and designed a few other scarves as well.
Photos via fashionphile.com
He also designed another India scarf for the theme of the year in 2008 called “Beloved India” which is similar to mine but in full color and has more detail. This was released in a 90cm and 140cm.
Here are a few of my other favorites by Philippe Dumas:
From Left to Right: Hermes “Un Jardin Sur le Toit” Pocket Square 45cm, Hermes “Les Anamorphoses” scarf 70cm (includes a mirror to reveal the designs) , Hermes “Ranch” bandana 55cm