Jordan Traxler
Ask any true American fashionista what the ultimate handbag is and she’ll surely reply with a single word: Birkin. The name alone is synonymous with the fame of celebrities and the power of socialites… but what’s the true story behind the phenomenon?
Walk into the Highland Park Hermés expecting to walk out with the infamous Birkin Bag and you will end up one unhappy shopper. Even the most common Birkin (the 35 centimeter, black Togo leather bag with silver palladium hardware) is still one of the most difficult bags to procure. The average wait for one of these gems is about one and a half years. With the price of the above bag hovering around $7,400 it is truly the ultimate status symbol: the Bugatti of the handbag world. Considering that it is constructed by a single craftsman and takes between 18-25 hours to make, it is no wonder that, when finished, the Birkin is truly one of the most sumptuous purses of all time. Each bag is constructed completely inside out, and only when completed is the bag pulled into its true form.
The Birkin is available in every color and skin Hermés offers and can be customized in any way a customer could possibly conceive. The Birkin is offered in sizes ranging 25 to 55 centimeters, but the most popular are the 30 and 35 centimeter sizes. The two top handles and strong construction make this the ideal bag for carrying anything and everything. One famous saying goes that you can even fit the entire contents of your house in one. This wouldn’t be so much of a stretch, considering that the Birkin is based on the historic “Haut a Courroies,” the very first bag Hermés produced circa 1892 that was originally intended for use as a saddle bag.
On the other hand, the Birkin has a history all its own. As the legend goes, the famous model and actress Jane Birkin was on an airplane when her Kelly bag (named for Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco, who wore a large one on the cover of Life magazine to hide her pregnant belly) popped open, spilling all of its contents on the floor of the plane. As she was complaining about the somewhat unpractical nature of her Hermés Kelly Bag, she overheard by Jean-Louis Dumas (the then-president of Hermés). Dumas had a little chat with Birkin and the rest is history. The first Birkin was brought to life in 1984 and bore the name of the woman who inspired it. The Birkin soon became the ultimate symbol of power and prestige. In recent years, the Birkin has gained public momentum though publicity on “Sex and the City,” “Gilmore Girls,” and countless other media venues.
Since then Hermés has issued several versions of its original Birkin Bag. Some of the most famous of these include the Shoulder Birkin (designed for the Fall 2004 collection by Jean-Paul Gaultier) and the 20th anniversary Birkin 25 Limited Edition (made in four colors, out of crocodile skin, with your choice of white or yellow gold hardware, both encrusted with nearly six carats of white diamonds). No matter what kind of skin it is made of, what size it is, what year it was made in, or who is carrying it, the Hermés Birkin Bag remains on of the most elusive and beautiful handbags of all time.
I walked up to a woman in Goff’s the other day, who had a Birkin in one hand and a milkshake in the other. When I told her how exquisite her bag was, she responded, “I know, right?” A bit surprised that my own catchphrase had been used on me, I smiled and took a bite of my grilled cheese.
Jordan Traxler is a first-year business major.
