Meet a real life Hermes bag collector

and my 3 favorite "Hermes on the DL vibe" bag alternatives

Grabbing a snack after buying a Toolbox — and she’s practical; the orange bag became a chair for the Birkin she arrived in

Over the years, I’ve heard about Sheila Yu often. And it often went something like this: “Sheila went to Tokyo; came back a with a great H score.” You see, Sheila and I share a BFF, my gubbie, Hung. She and her sister have a long history of Hermes collecting. Until recently, she was a big marketing exec; she’s now in the pre-launch phase of her very own fashion biz (can’t wait!).

When I met her IRL, she was so lovely and so generous — offering her sage advice on my own Hermes wishlist. And when I decided to write about my used H shopping, I thought an interview with Sheila, who has loads of experience buying new, would be the perfect companion piece. (I believe in the words of news producing, this is what’s known as a “get.”) So onward!