I’m currently reading a book called “Everyone Worth Knowing” by Lauren Weisberger, the author of “The Devil Wears Prada“. I’m taking an unusually long amount of time to read it, because of time constraint. I really don’t know where all my time goes, now! It’s my worst nightmare : I settle down in bed, snuggle under the covers and open a perfectly interesting book to read ( romance + fashion + drama + whatever) and the next thing I know, my eyelids are shutting. And this from the girl who can proudly admit that she read each of the fatter Harry Potter books in a day!

Anyway the point of the whole post is the Birkin bag. I first came across it ( or mention of it) in “Everyone Worth Knowing” where one fashion-obsessed creature explains its exclusivity to the lead character, Bette Robinson. Now, while reading one of Nora Ephron‘s essays, I came across the Birkin again:

“—never mind that top-of-the-line thing called a Birkin bag that costs ten thousand dollars, not that it’s relevant because you can’t even get on the waiting list for one. On the waiting list! For a purse! For a ten-thousand-dollar purse that will end up full of old Tic Tacs!”

- an excerpt from Nora Ephron‘s essay “I Hate My Purse”

So the geek in me decided to wiki-search the damn thing to see what all the fuss was about. I apologize if I am indeed the last person to know about this thing, but may I present to you:

The Birkin bag

The above picture is of a red Hermès Birkin. I picked this one because I liked it out of all the other picures I saw. Anyway, a Birkin is an extremely exclusive fashion accessory, that sells at a minimum price of $7500 and according to Wikipedia, can go all the way up to 5 or 6 digit price depending of the material it’s made from. “Allegedly, the waiting list for a Birkin is over two years. In practice, however, many stores have a “call list” and an “order list”, both usually consisting of clients who have in one way or another become “regulars” or have formed a relationship with a particular Sales Associate.” (from here)

Famous clientele include : Victoria Beckham, Kate Moss, Carla Bruni, Demi Moore

Wow. Talk about materialism!