![]() ![]() It turned out he could do quite a lot he was Hermés chief executive Jean-Louis Dumas, and Birkin suggested he make a bag that was smaller than a suitcase but bigger than the Kelly, a smaller Hermés purse named after the actress Grace Kelly. Her seatmate suggested she use an agenda with a pocket, to which she replied, “ What can you do?” Once settled in her new seat, all of Birkin’s things tumbled out of her bag, papers and photos flying everywhere. On a flight from Paris to London in 1981, Birkin was upgraded. But there is a difference between fashion and luxury, a dichotomy she continued to carve out even when carrying her eponymous handbag. The origins of the Birkin bag explain how she ended up as this unlikely cultural ambassador and reveal that she wasn’t entirely innocent of the high-end couture embodied by her namesake purse. We’d do well to remember her more for her unpretentious spirit and her confident style than the handbag to which she lent her name. Michel GINFRAY/Gamma-Rapho/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Imagesįor a woman so multifaceted, bohemian and accomplished, her legacy being defined by competitive luxury is an unfortunate twist. There were her celebrated musical tours, which extended well into her 70s. But there was also her song “Je T’Aime … Moi Non Plus” - so scandalous it was condemned by the Vatican - her stake in the ground as the ultimate in French girl chic, her films and theatrical performances and her daughters. She has died and people are talking about the bag as the great definer of her life. Birkin’s chicness was defined by seeming happenstance: enviable bangs that looked home-cut, nipples subtly visible through diaphanous blouses, crocheted dresses worn backwards for a more dramatic neckline, wicker baskets used as purses.īirkin may have been proven right. Yet it’s tied to a figure whose style was more free-spirited insouciance. People stand by for months, or even years, for the Birkin they covet to become available. There are waitlists, auctions, vintage sources to be scoured. You can’t simply order a Birkin online or pop into Hermès and buy one. ![]() The price tag is eye-watering - Birkins sell for anywhere between $10,000 and $450,000 - and the labyrinthine means of getting one adds to their exclusivity. The bag, of course, is the eponymous Birkin: the luxury Hermès handbag that, decades after its release in 1984, remains a status symbol for the rich and famous. ![]()
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