Jane Birkin

The Hermes Birkin Bag..also known as THE ultimate status symbol for woman around the world is listed on Forbes magazine’s Most Extravagant Handbag list and sells for a cool $7,000 with versions going for as much as 100,000.00 (yes you read that right!) is considered arm candy  for a select  group of  ladies of luxury . Carrying a Birkin is like being in a secret society that says “for member’s only”.

The Birkin bag was named after the iconic french actress Jane Birkin..legend has it that mademoiselle Birkin was on a plane seated next to Jean-Louis Dumas president of Hermes. After complaining  that bag she was carrying was too small Jean-Louis designed her the ultimate bag and the Birkin was born.

Aside from the ridiculous price tag and the fact you can feed a village for a year with that amount of money what makes the bag so desirable WAS the fact you could’nt get one! Thats right, even if you were willing to shell out 10 thousand dollars for the bag, skip your mortgage payment and live on the streets just to own one..Hermes wasn’t selling them. They claimed there was a 2 year waiting list..oh and that list happened to be closed! gee thanks.

After doing some research I discovered that the whole waiting list shenanigan was a HOAX!! I spoke with the man behind the Birkin Bust and author of the famed book “Bringing Home the Birkin” Michael Tonello who gave me  the inside scoop to the waiting list lie.

When did you get your first Birkin?

The end of 2000

How did you manage to get so many Birkin bags?

“Me and my associates walked into Hermes stores all over the world, dropped a couple grand on non-Birkin items, then asked for a Birkin, and we always (99% of the time) got one. So what about all those people waiting? Wasn’t the bag that they just sold me already spoken for? Riddle me that, Batman.“

What do you think about the waiting list hoax and the fact a list never existed?

“I truly think this is scandalous…think of all those women, for so many years languishing on the ‘waiting list’. Honestly, this borders on unfair and deceptive business practices.  I, and many people who worked for me, were on what they thought was a wait list in many Hermes stores, and none of us were ever contacted (as well as all of my previous clients).”

What are your best tips on how to bring home a Birkin?

Go into an Hermes store first thing in the morning. They often put them out on display for sale just before they open the door for the day. Don’t be intimidated.

So ladies there you have it..the next time an Hermes salesperson tells you to get on the list..tell her to kiss your a**, cuz bitch you’ve been busted!

Happy Birkin Buying,

xoxo,

Esther

My favorite book on all things Birkin!

Celebrity Birkin Paparazzi Pix

Lady Gaga (only she would scribble on a white birkin!)

Posh & her Pink Birkin

Katie Holmes (her Birkin can fit Suri inside!)

Lindsey Lohan with her Birkin pre-bankruptcy

Rachel Zoe..Celebrity Stylist and poster-woman for underfed fashionistas