Birkin Handbags

Hermes is perhaps the most legendary French brand in fashion. The history of this peculiar house started out in 1880 in Paris. Hermes is a brand that is well known to any individual with an eye for labels, and even the more fashionably apathetic humans of the world will have most likely heard the name at least once or twice.

Hermes Birkin handbags are hand-built by highly experienced craftsmen, one of the essential constituents that contributes to the high price of all Hermes handbags. The production of each bag may take up to 48 hours of work, which translates into weeks of labor. Birkin bags are exceptionally hard to come by, which is why even those humans who want to buy a new one are put onto wait lists. There is at least a two year waiting list for an individual to get their gorgeous little hands on one of these handbags. Several employed Birkin bags are sold for their selling price and even higher, due to the fact they are so hard to find.

Hermes bags in standard have prices that range from approximately $6,000 to over $100,000, depending upon the materials used. Exotic animal skins, such as saltwater crocodile, increase the price significantly, as do any ornamentations on the hardware (for example, a crocodile Birkin with roughly 10 carats of diamonds sold at an auction for $120,000). Hermes Birkin bags that are put on auction may often times reach unimaginable prices. In one instance, one rare model of a Hermes Birkin bag has been sold at an auction for regarding $65,000.

Hermes Birkin bags are a highly sought after status symbol, even with celebrities like Victoria Beckham, who has a collection of them. The Birkin bags from Hermes are available in a good deal of dissimilar colors, such as pink, tone blue, orange, white, and black.

Hermes has always been all in regards to the excellency and luxuriousness of it is products. As stated before, Hermes handbags will take weeks to be manufactured, and the final product is veritably something no woman may take her eyes off. The high price of Hermes handbags are for the most part due to the fine materials that are used, such as crocodile, ostrich, lizard and calf. Birkin handbags are also made of top quality leather, which helps to impart it with a classic touch. The bag is named after the widely known and esteemed British actor and singer Jane Birkin, which is also one of the main reasons behind the success of this brand.

Hermes Birkin bags are perchance one of the few items existent in the fashion industry that has no depreciating value. The price of these bags may in truth trade for more than it is primary value, depending upon the rarity of the bag model. As a result, buying one of these bags is more than a fashion statement; it is likewise an investment since it may increase in value over the years to come.

Birkin Handbags

An insider’s hilarious, whirlwind account of his years expended globe-trotting in search of the holy grail of handbags: the Birkin

For more than twenty years, the Hermès Birkin bag has been the iconic symbol of fashion, luxury, and wealth. Though the bag is ofttimes seen dangling from the arms of celebrities, there is a fabled waiting list of more than two years to buy one from Hermès, and the intermediate fashionista has a better probability of climbing Mount Everest in Prada pumps than of possessing one of these coveted carryalls. Unless, of course, she happens to recognise Michael Tonello . . .

Michael’s newfound career started with an impulsive move to Barcelona, a vanished occupation assignment, no work visa, and an Hermès scarf sold on eBay to generate some quick cash. But soon the resourceful Michael came across the truth regarding the waiting list and figured out the mystery to getting Hermès to portion with one of these precious bags. Millions of dollars worth of Birkins later, Michael had become one of eBay’s most successful entrepreneurs—and a Robin Hood to thousands of desperate rich women.

With down-to-earth wit, Michael chronicles the strange ventures that took him to closely each continent, from eBay to Paris auction house and into the lives of celebrities and poseurs. Flirting with danger, Michael recounts the heady rush of hand delivering his initial big score to famed songwriter Carole Bayer Sager in Paris; how he had to hire thugs to rescue a bag that one of his “shoppers” kept for ransom; and the story of the Oscar-worthy performances that permitted him to snag “reserved” bags from other, less dogged Birkin seekers.

Whether he’s relating his wining and dining, buying and selling, dodging and weaving, laughing and crying, or schmoozing and stammering, Michael is a master raconteur who weaves together tales of hunting Birkins in the world’s most posh locales, memories of meals that would make any gastronome salivate, anecdotes of obsessed gatherers with insatiable desires, and sweetly intimate stories with regards to his family, friends, and finding true love. The result is a essay that is distinctive, fun, page-turning, and as addictive as it is namesake.

From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. In a funny, whip-smart essay sure to be a sensation among Vogue and W devotees, erstwhile hair and makeup artisan Tonello (now a columnist for HuffingtonPost.com) chronicles a surprising (even to him!) trans-Atlantic move from Provincetown, R.I. to a city he’d fallen in love with on a short trip: Barcelona, where he knows no one and doesn’t speak the language. Tonello’s original euphoria dissolves when his new occupation fails to materialize. To stay afloat, Tonello starts marketing items on Ebay with startling results: his first, heart-racing success, a year-old $99 Polo scarf he sold for $430 to a Midwesterner (“I guess he in truth liked plaid”) makes Tonello an instant believer in the resale capablenesses of high-end luxuriousness items. Thus his new trade, and his quest for the Birkin, the “it bag” of all time, widely known and esteemed for it is impenetrable waiting list (“What do you mean the waiting list is closed? It’s a waiting list. So I can’t wait?”). After a lot of failed attempts, Tonello plans a weekend drive to Madrid in search of the haute couture holy grail; the result is a both a hilarious raid on fashion’s strongholds and a essay that satisfies like a novel. Fashion die-hards, and a good deal of others, will be delighted from beginning to end.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a section of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From BooklistLives there a (female) soul so lacking in knowledge that heart and head do not flutter at the word Birkin? This luxe handbag, lovingly crafted by the artisans of Hermès, is reportedly sporting at least a two-year waiting list for would-be purchasers until Tonello, eBay reseller and gadabout hair stylist and makeup artist, in a literal sense stumbles all over a method of Birkin acquisition. In this shopaholic-like memoir, the author begins his across-the-world searches from a modest base in Provincetown, Massachusetts; acquiesces to a Barcelona gig; falls in love with the city and a man; and moves—permanently. With the promise of a real occupation dissolving in one phone call, Tonello resorts to syndication his own significant wardrobe—and a few initial editions—on the Web. Buoyed by success, his focus soon lingers on Hermès scarves—and, eventually, on the prize bag. In search of crocodile treasures, he (and we) meets each reputation in and out of high-end merchandising land, from buyers Ellen and Sarah to petty thief Luc and bedecked and bedazzled architect Lakis Gavalas. Chuckleworthy, with a few personal and sorrowful reminders that life merely happens … so enjoy! –Barbara Jacobs

Review” [Tonello] reveals the key to scoring that Holy Grail of handbags in a clever memoir.” — Boston Herald

“Fascinating. . . . The sassy and resourceful Tonello built a very remunerative eBay resale business from his apartment, specializing in Hermès scarves and the French lavishness purveyor’s highly desired Birkin bag. It’s hard not to be swept up in his delightful one-man Birkin Brigades.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Funny, whip-smart. . . . Both a hilarious raid on fashion’s strongholds and a essay that satisfies like a novel. Fashion die-hards, and some others, will be delighted from beginning to end.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“In his peppy, addictive essay . . . [Tonello] details the comical lengths to which he’s gone to snag hundreds of Birkins that he then sells (with a steep mark-up) on eBay.” — moderntonic.com

“The perfect, fluffy and fun beach read.” — glamour.com

“This summer’s most endearing chick-lit book. . . . It’s smart. It’s fizzy. It’s amusingly snarky, with attitude to burn. ” — New York Times

“Tonello recounts the strange and serendipitous tale of how he went from cleaning out his closet to being one of the busiest Internet resellers of Birkin bags in the world.” — The Globe and Mail

“[A] essay of . . . madcap travels, triumphs and humiliations. [Tonello] peels back the layers of pretension at the eminent design house. . . . Anyone who’s ever stepped into a lavishness boutique and felt the sting of the doorman’s disapproval will find a hero in Tonello.” — Miami Herald

“[A] sunny memoir. . . . The prose is vivid, the tone lighthearted. Mr. Tonello comes off as the fantasy gay best friend immortalized in contemporary women’s fiction: sassy, plucky, optimistic—oh, and he may get you a Birkin.” — Wall Street Journal

Boston Globe bestseller (No Source )

Boston Globe bestseller — No Source

“ [Tonello] reveals the key to scoring that Holy Grail of handbags in a clever memoir.” (Boston Herald )

“A deliciously addictive unfeigned tale of continent-hopping, celebrity-schmoozing, and a crazy-like-a-fox quest for that Hermès “it” bag, the Birkin. Haute read, indeed.” (straight.com )

“A deliciously quick nonfiction read.” (Charlotte Observer )

“A witty and engaging retrospective on [Tonello’s] long career traipsing the globe as a purveyor of the Birkin bag.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette )

“Fascinating. . . . The sassy and resourceful Tonello built a very remunerative eBay resale business from his apartment, specializing in Hermès scarves and the French lavishness purveyor’s highly desired Birkin bag. It’s hard not to be swept up in his delightful one-man Birkin Brigades.” (Minneapolis Star Tribune )

“Funny, thrilling, chock-full of great cocktail-party stories told with the flair of a natural raconteur.” (“The Year in Books 2008,” Chicago Center for Literature and Photography )

“Funny, whip-smart. . . . Both a hilarious raid on fashion’s strongholds and a essay that satisfies like a novel. Fashion die-hards, and galore others, will be delighted from beginning to end.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review) )

“Hermès’ worst nightmare.” (New York Daily News )

“I devoured, and adored Bringing Home the Birkin, the story of how one man turned the fashionable set’s obsession with Hermès’ signature handbag into a handsome, globe-trotting career.” (Jennifer Weiner, Author of Good in Bed and In Her Shoes )

“In his peppy, addictive essay . . . [Tonello] details the comical lengths to which he’s gone to snag hundreds of Birkins that he then sells (with a steep mark-up) on eBay.” (moderntonic.com )

“Part comedy, part history, percentage treasure hunt, Michael Tonello’s essay is a romping sociological inquiry. If you’re like me, you’ll be transfixed and wanting more!” (Tim Gunn )

“The fashion world is regarding to be handed it is own Da Vinci Code with Bringing Home the Birkin.” (Maclean’s )

“The one-step, one-stop shop guide to buying a Birkin.” (Arianna Huffington, Huffington Post )

“The one-step, one-stop shop guide to buying a Birkin.” (Huffington Post )

“The perfect, fluffy and fun beach read.” (glamour.com )

“This summer’s most endearing chick-lit book. . . . It’s smart. It’s fizzy. It’s amusingly snarky, with attitude to burn. ” (New York Times )

“Tonello recounts the strange and serendipitous tale of how he went from cleaning out his closet to being one of the busiest Internet resellers of Birkin bags in the world.” (The Globe and Mail )

“[A] essay of . . . madcap travels, triumphs and humiliations. [Tonello] peels back the layers of pretension at the eminent design house. . . . Anyone who’s ever stepped into a luxuriousness boutique and felt the sting of the doorman’s disapproval will find a hero in Tonello.” (Miami Herald )

“[A] sunny memoir. . . . The prose is vivid, the tone lighthearted. Mr. Tonello comes off as the fantasy gay best friend immortalized in contemporary women’s fiction: sassy, plucky, optimistic—oh, and he may get you a Birkin.” (Wall Street Journal )


A Shopping Adventure
This book is the equivalent of all those mountain climbing, desert marching, storm sailing adventure books out there, but in this case the sport is shopping. (A sport I like to participate in myself, but my level is junior novice in comparison.) It is likewise very similar to chick lit except that in this case rather of the typical spunky, unlucky in love, career, etc waiting for the big break heroine, this hero(ine?) is an in an open way gay man. who manages to turn a love and a knack for buying goods into a business as well as rather a nice life for himself.

A Charming Book
I casually picked up a copy after seeing a review in WSJ – and could not put the book down. Michael Tonello’s taut narrative kept my attention from the primary page to the last. I am not a ‘fashion person’ and would not know a Birkin bag from a sow’s ear. What gripped me was the story of how one man constructed his life – moving acress the ocean, creating a business, and enjoying life in the process. I have been recommending this book to my friends.

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