The new version of the Gold Hermes Oran 2021/2022 batch

The new version of the Gold Hermes Oran arrived to my doorstep right in time for New Years Eve. I’m starting a new tradition, of not only purchasing Christmas gifts, but also a New Years gift to welcome the new year. This purchase also came at the perfect time considering how the next day or two, the price increased from 495€ to 510€. It’s only 15 euros, but that’s still money that could’ve gone somewhere else (e.g. artisanal lattes).

Anyways, I decided to write this post not only because I wanted to show you what the new version of the Gold Hermes Oran looks like. But, also to talk through some of the things that threw me off. I was really looking forward to my first ever pair of the Hermes Oran, but they were not exactly what I was expecting. If you’re looking into the new version of the Gold Hermes Oran and you’re typically a size 39, I hope that this post can help you.

First things first, a new version of the Gold Hermes Oran?

If you’re familiar with the Hermes Oran, you’ve probably noticed that there’s a “new” version of these Orans. The difference mainly visible in their soles. This is also mentioned on their website.

The soles of the older version came in two different colors (example), while the soles of the new Orans came in one solid color that matches the rest of the sandals (pictures below). It doesn’t seem as if there’s any functional difference in the change; from most of the videos I’ve watched it seems that it’s mainly optics. Personally, I don’t think that I have a preference. Both is equally nice and I don’t really care as much about the soles.

The color: why the Gold piqûres écrues color in real life threw me off

The color is honestly a lot darker than what I expected the Gold tan color to look. In my opinion, it’s super dark and more brown than the tan I expected it to look like. Literally, I was so surprised and taken aback. I honestly remembered these shoes as being more tan than brown. When I opened the box and saw that it was this dark, I was just thrown off. I contacted customer service cause hey, maybe they sent me the wrong pair by accident. But, they confirmed that it’s indeed darker in person than in photos. In different lighting you can get it to kind of match what you see on their website, but it’s definitely not the default shade. I guess it’s a bit of a bummer, but it’s honestly not that bad. It just really threw me off cause I was expecting tan.

Sizing

Let me tell you that I studied their measurements. I literally measured and re-measured my feet cause I was so scared of getting the wrong size and having to return them. I’m typically a size 39 (with the exception of my Gucci Jordaan which I got in a size 38) but with these sandals, I decided to size up to size 40. The 39 would’ve fit just fine but there would be very little room for my feet at the front and the back of the shoes. It’ll look super super fitted and I’m sure that at certain movements, it’ll look like my feet is hanging a bit. Not sure if you get what I mean, but yeah I’m not a huge fan of it.

Now, the length of the size 40 fit perfectly. It’s not oversized at all and I have a bit of room at the front and the back of the sandals. Unfortunately, the circumference of the H is too large for me. I have quite narrow, or maybe even flat feet, and while it’s not as bad, I definitely feel that I need to pay attention to how I walk so that the sandals won’t just slip off. All in all, it’s okay but not exceptionally perfect. I’d have to wait until winter is over to see how this actually wears and feels when I walk.

Side-note: sizing down to size 39 wouldn’t fix my problem – the circumference is still too big.

Update from May: so far so good! It doesn’t really slip off but I haven’t walked super long in it. Size 40 was absolutely the right decision!

With that being said, should you go half a size up with the Hermes Oran or go a full size up?

If your concern is with length, then I would really consider going a full size up, not half a size up. The size guide on their website indicates that both the regular size and the half size have the same length. The only difference according to their size guide between the regular size and the half size is the circumference. With that being said, if your concern is with the circumference and how tight the fit would be around your foot, then maybe consider going half a size up.

Example of the sizing, A indicates length while B indicates the circumference of the H. Notice that the length (A) is the same despite it being half size up. The only difference is in the circumference (B).

I really recommend checking their size guide and doing some DIY measuring at home. I think it’s super accurate and it really helps with deciding the perfect size for you.

Shipping

This is honestly one of the fastest shipping I’ve ever had. I got a shipping confirmation within 3 hours and the sandals literally came the next day with no fuss (on New Year’s Eve no less!). I mean, I didn’t pay anything extra, it literally just came at lightning speed with Fedex. Honestly, I didn’t even realize that Fedex operated in the Netherlands but I guess they do for Hermes.

To conclude,

I am very very happy with my new sandals. These sandals are so well made, it’s incredibly sturdy and the leather feels amazing. The stitching is incredible and honestly, I’m just super super excited for summer to come so I can finally wear these out.

I hope this post was helpful to you. Let me know what you think down below 🙂

Link to purchase: https://www.hermes.com/nl/en/product/oran-sandal-H021056Zv03350/

x
Hana