Hello from Thierry Studio.
We have had many inquiries about the Picotin lately.
Some customers seemed concerned that we had not yet posted
a comparison with an authentic one, so we prepared this review 🙂
Let’s begin.
[Front view]
Can you tell which of the two is authentic?
We will reveal the answer a little later.
(Proof of the authentic purchase is also included at the end.)
[Right side]
Look closely at the overall shape.
The Picotin is made from Clemence leather,
whose natural suppleness
gives the bag a relaxed slouch.
[Left side]
If the leather is not the same as the original,
even the way the bag falls
can look noticeably different.
[Back view]
Because we use the same Clemence leather,
there is no difference
in the natural way the bag slouches.
[Base]
The shape of the base and the protective metal feet
also look consistent, with nothing out of place, don’t they?
The quality of the overall shape
starts with how accurately
the bag’s pattern has been reproduced.
Small variations are inevitable
in Hermès’ handmade construction,
but there is a clear limit to what is acceptable.
We can confidently say Thierry Studio
stays within that standard.
Now that we have seen the overall shape,
let’s move on to the details.
[Leather grain size]
The grain size is exactly the same.
Even authentic bags can vary
in grain size. We are able to choose leather
with such closely matching grain
because Thierry Studio
sources the hides directly.
Can you see the display sign
behind the name card,
reading “LAGUN TAURILLONS”?
“LAGUN TAURILLONS” is a leather
produced by Rémy Carriat,
one of the world’s finest tanneries.
Hermès refers
to this “LAGUN TAURILLONS” leather
as Clemence.
I visit the leather market and inspect the hides myself,
choosing grain sizes that meet my standards.
That does not mean I can always
buy exactly what I want.
These original-source hides are not available
in the same quantities as Chinese-made alternatives.
If I visit the market and the remaining hides
are not in good condition, I have to return
another day.
Leather is such an important part
of making an Hermès-style bag that even if production takes a few extra days,
we only buy hides that meet our standards.
Of course, that can mean
a slightly longer wait for the customer, but what matters most
is the quality of the bag when it arrives.
That is why, even if it causes a small delay,
we need to work this way.
Thank you for understanding 🙂
[Handle saddle stitching]
Doesn’t it look beautifully finished?
Anyone with an interest in Hermès
will know how important saddle stitching is.
It is a technique that represents
the pursuit of perfection through craftsmanship.
Every stitch is worked
by hand, creating a result that is much stronger
and more refined than machine sewing.
The precise, evenly spaced diagonal stitches
give the bag a particularly elegant finish.
The drawback is that saddle stitching can only be done by hand,
so it takes a great deal of time.
(Tip: not every authentic bag has exactly
the same stitch spacing and finish.
Each Hermès artisan has an individual style.)
[Saddle stitching on the body]
The thread itself is also very important.
The thread used to make Hermès bags
is Lin Câblé.
[Lin Câblé thread]
You may think thread is all much the same,
but it is a significant detail
that should never be overlooked.
[Another seller’s thread and stitching]
Look closely at the stitching on these other products.
They do not use Lin Câblé thread,
and the stitching is machine-sewn.
Thread alone can make the quality look noticeably lower.
[Backstitching on the lock strap]
The start of the strap
has three backstitches.
[Final stitch & hole on the lock strap]
The last stitch on the strap is straight,
rather than diagonal.
That detail is reproduced exactly too.
The size of the hole for the lock and its hardware
also match closely.
It is time to reveal the answer.
The authentic bag
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
is the black one on the left!
(Our resale-platform purchase record is included.)
It really is difficult to tell, isn’t it?
Let’s continue with the remaining details.
[Interior logo stamp]
On the Picotin,
the Hermès logo is stamped into the interior base.
The font, size and position all match.
[Blind stamp]
The blind stamp, which identifies the production year
and the artisan, can be found
on the inner side of the bag.
Thierry Studio’s example
has a B stamp for 2023.
(We deliberately used a B stamp for this comparison.
Bags shipped to customers have the appropriate year stamp: 2023 B, 2024 W, 2025 K.)
The next area to examine carefully
is the hardware.
Even if the leather is identical,
a difference in hardware quality
undermines the result,
so this is an especially important detail.
[Padlock size and color comparison]
[Padlock engraving comparison]
[Key size and engraving comparison]
The padlocks match in both size and color.
The same applies to the keys.
All the hardware is plated in 18K gold.
The authentic example looks slightly shinier
because it has no protective film, but the actual color is the same.
There is, however, a small difference
in the padlock engraving.
Ours is a little sharper
than the authentic example, and the three digits
at the bottom are spaced fractionally closer together.
[Comparison with another seller’s hardware]
Other seller / Authentic / Thierry Studio
The other product is sold
for around US$750 or more. At a glance, the color is good.
It is very close to the original, but
doesn’t the padlock look a slightly different size?
The other seller’s lock is fractionally larger.
What about the engraving?
Other seller / Authentic / Thierry Studio
Seen on its own, without the authentic example,
the other seller’s engraving does not look bad.
Placed beside the original, however,
the difference is immediately clear.
Although it is marketed as top quality,
a side-by-side comparison shows
that it is not an exact reproduction.
[Key cord]
Other seller / Authentic / Thierry Studio
You may not consider this important,
but if you are buying a bag, it is nice
to have even the smallest details carefully reproduced.
This is the cord holding the key.
Other sellers can differ even in details like this,
so be sure to check them too.
That completes our comparison with an authentic Hermès Picotin 18.
Wouldn’t you say the match is over 99%?
We also have comparison posts
for other Hermès bags,
so do take a look if you are interested 🙂
