Birkin Bag

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The Birkin is a handbag manufactured by the "high-end" leather goods and ready-to-wear manufacturer Hermès. It is named after British-born actress and singer Jane Birkin, a longtime resident of France.

Origin

Birkin herself told the story of how she was traveling on an airplane, seated next to the President of Hermès, when she spilled the contents of her handbag. She sketched her ideal bag, thus providing the model for what became known as the "Birkin". In 2006, Birkin remarked that the fame of the bag had exceeded that of herself: "Now when my daughter [the actress Charlotte Gainsbourg] goes to America, they ask her if she is the daughter of the bag."

Exposure

Due to exposure of the bag on popular television shows such as Sex and the City, Gilmore Girls (season six, episode 6) and Will & Grace. In Gilmore Girls the bag was presented to Rory by her boyfriend Logan as a gift. In pop culture, the Birkin has become a symbol of ultimate luxury, although its ostentatious use by the wives and girlfriends ("WAGs") of British footballers during the 2006 World Cup in Germany caused some fashion writers to speculate as to its continued desirability. In Paris it has been associated with, among others, so-called BCBG (bon chic bon genre) women.

Availability

Generally, the cost of Birkin starts at about $6,000 and can easily make its way into 5- and sometimes 6-digit figures. The alleged waiting list for a Birkin is now over two years, although, in practice, a customer can walk into a Hermès shop and purchase one if the shop manager feels that she is a legitimate buyer and not a reseller. In Plum Sykes' novel Bergdorf Blondes (2004), set among New York's Park Avenue set, Julie Bergdorf stole a Birkin from her family's store, Bergdorf Goodman, so that she could avoid a three year wait. Sophie Albou, founder of the fashion house, Paul & Joe, claimed to have bought a Birkin each season for ten years, describing her collection as "an expensive addiction but ... part of my heritage as a French woman".

It is possible to acquire a used Birkin bag among several couture-consignment shops. As of May 2007, one particular shop off the Rue St. Honore, was offering a sky blue Birkin bag for roughly $4750.

Manufacture and materials

A Hermès Birkin handbag is completely handmade and its manufacture takes about 5 weeks. The interior lining is usually made of goatskin (called Chevre leather) matching the outside color. The metallic parts such as the lock, keys, and feet studs are usually made of palladium, though you can ask for gold, ruthenium (for a gun metal look) or any other metal available. The lock is usually covered with the bag's leather although you can ask for it to be metal only. Today, the bag's metallic parts can be covered with diamonds on request.[citation needed] The keys come inside a detachable tag tied to the bag. Because it is a special order-only item, one may personalise the bag: material, metal, color or colors, etc. Certain sites, such as creatursdeluxe.com or e-bay offer authentic Birkins, though they are usually overpriced. To spot an authentic bag one must look for:

• even stitching
• inside leather lining
• metallic print in the front face under the tap (Hermès Paris, Made in France)
• the letter in the sripe
• only four feet underneath, one in each corner

Retail prices go from $10,000 for a leather Birkin, $55,000 for a crocodile one, up to $120,000 for a black crocodile and pavè diamonds hardware one. Store availability varies from store to store and at manager's discretion.

Note: The crocodile skin price depends on the size of the scales. Skin with smaller scales costs much more that those with larger scales. A gold and diamond Birkin may be cheaper than a small scale crocodile skin one.