Birkin Bag
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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, long resident in France.
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[edit] Origin
Birkin herself told the story of how she was travelling on an aeroplane, 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". [1] 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." [2]
[edit] 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, 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. [3] In Paris it has been associated with, among others, so-called BCBG (bon chic bon genre) women.
[edit] 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". [4]
[edit] Manufacture and materials
Hermès Birkin handbag is totally handmade and it's manufacture takes about 5 weeks. Rumor has it, there are people whose unique job is to fold the special wrapping paper placed in the box that helps preserve the bag's shape intact. Every bag comes with an authenticity certificate and a document that proves the quality of the bag's materials, usualy exotic Togo leather, ostrich skin, lizard skin or top of the line crocodile skin, so this is the only handbag in the world with it's own passport. No matter the outside material of the bag, the interior lining is always made of the finest goatskin (called Chevre leather)matching the outside color. Every color for a bag has a name (Havanne for a shade of brown, Garrance for a shade of red, Cyclamen pink, Matte Blue Jean blue, etc.) 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. Nowadays you can ask for the metalic parts to be covered with diamonds, escalading dramatically the bag's value. The left sripe must be marked (on the inside face) with a letter inside a square, indicating the year it was made (some sort of code K=2003, I=2005 or so). The keys come inside a dettachable tag tied to the bag. Because it is a special order only item, you can personalise the bag, any material, any metal, one colour, two colours, two materials, and so. If you want to avoid the waiting list, sites as creatursdeluxe.com or e-bay offer authentic Birkins though they are usually overpriced. To spot an authentic bag from a fake you must look for:
- even stitching
- inside leather linign
- metallic print in the front face under the tap (Hermès Paris, Made in France)
- the letter in the sripe
- only four feets underneath, one in each corner
Retail prices go from $10,000 dlls for a leather Birkin, $35,000 for a porosus crocodile one, up to $50,000 american dollars for a gold and pavè diamonds hardware one. Directly from the store the prices are (give or take) $6,000-$20,000-$40,000.
Note: The crocodile skin price depends on the size of the scales, the skin with the smaller ones cost much more that the one with the medium or large size scales. A gold and diamonds Birkin maybe cheaper that a porosus small scale crocodile skin one.
[edit] References in hip hop
"Comin' back with Birkin bags. Your chick was like what type of purse is that?" (Jay-Z, 30 Somethin')
"I used to bag beef like Birkin bags. Now I bag B..." (Jay-Z in Beyonce's Deja Vu)
