British Singer and Actress Ms. Jane Birkin
Jane Mallory Birkin OBE (born 14 December 1946) is an English-born French actress, singer and film director. Hermès named and designed a handbag - the Birkin bag - for her in 1984 after the actress was seen in 1981 by the head of Hermès struggling with several bags while boarding an aeroplane. The Birkin bag has become one of Hermès' most popular and expensive handbags.
Features of Hermès Birkin Handbag:
Every Hermès Birkin handbag is hand-built by an experienced craftsman, one of the primary factors contributing to the high price of all Hermès handbags! The production of each bag may take up to 48 work hours, translating into weeks. They are distributed worldwide to Hermès boutiques on intentionally unpredictable schedules and in even fewer reliable quantities, creating a sense of scarcity and exclusivity around the product.
* The exterior of the bag can be made of a variety of leathers. One of the most expensive variations of the bag is made of saltwater crocodile skin. The price of these bags depends on the size of the scales. Bags with smaller scales cost much more than those with larger scales.
Exotics
Porosus crocodile from Australia: Most commonly found on Northern shores of Australia, New Guinea and Indonesia. Hermes does not glaze the Porosus croc skins so they will never peel. This skin is polished with an agate stone and the skin has to lay flat under the machine so once it is made into a bag, you will never be able to polish it again.
Niloticus crocodile from Africa: the ever popular matte croc is rich and sumptuous. (All crocs have to be at least 10 years old to meet Hermes standards)
Mississippi Alligator: The best ‘gator skin in the world is from the US.
Lizard from Africa: Available in size 25cm or smaller due to the small size of lizards.
Ostrich from South Africa: Hermes uses the most incredible ostrich skins with flat quills.
Leathers
Veau Swift: Veau means calf in French, the word after it is usually the way the calf skin has been treated and/or stamped. This is a soft and sturdy calf skin.
Veau Box: A stiff calf skin that wears to a beautiful patina but scratches easily.
Veau Epsom: Calf skin that has a smoother grain and is very stiff, one of my favorites.
Troika Calf hair: A delicate and gorgeous skin but it will wear around the edges. Not the most durable.
Veau Togo: One of the most popular skins from female calf skin, tumbled and printed. Togo is my absolute favorite.
Vache Liege: Vache means cow in French you’ll see that cow skin is also thicker than calf skin. Liege is the way it is treated and stamped.
Vachette Crispee Fjord: Cow skin in a heavy and looser texture.
Chevre Mysore: Goatskin, increasingly difficult to find at Hermes quality.
Taurillon Clemence: The softest and most durable of skins made of Bull leather. The grain is looser than the Veau skins.
Buffle: Buffalo skin is as tough as you can get. This is usually used for luggage.
* Typically, a Birkin bag's lining is made of goat skin and its color will match the bag's exterior color. The bags can also be special-ordered from custom leathers and colors, but order privileges are granted only to certain established Hermès clients, and again, on an unpredictable basis. Orders are reportedly submitted to Paris twice a year, with "special-order" bags coming back anywhere from a year to 2 years later. Occasionally, special orders may never arrive, as Hermès is notorious for discontinuing certain leathers or colors without notice, frequently making the arrival and "pick-up" of a special order Birkin a cause for some fun fanfare both for the client, and occasionally even for boutique staff.
* The metallic hardware on a Birkin bag (the lock, keys, buckle hardware and feet studs) are typically plated with gold or other precious metals, such as palladium, which, unlike silver, will not tarnish. The metal lock may be covered with leather as an option when custom ordering. Certain notable Hermès clients have paved buckle hardware with diamonds, notoriously resulting in one black crocodile skin Birkin which notably sold for close to $65,000 at auction in 2005.
* Birkin lock keys are enclosed in a type of leather lanyard known as a "clochette" which is typically, but not necessarily, carried by looping it through one of a Birkin's handles. The Birkin bag may be locked by closing the bag's top flaps over all buckle loops, wrapping the buckle straps, and closing the lock on the front hardware.
* Locks and keys are number-coded.
Hermès Birkin Handbag in Pop Culture:
In pop culture, the Birkin has become a symbol of ultimate luxury, although its ostentatious use by the wives and girlfriends of British footballers during the 2006 World Cup caused some fashion writers to speculate about its continued desirability. In Paris it has been associated with, among others, so-called BCBG (bon chic bon genre) women. Jane Birkin remarked that by 2006, the fame of the bag had exceeded her own: "Now when my daughter [actress Charlotte Gainsbourg] goes to America, they ask her if she is the daughter of the bag." In recent years the bag has featured prominently on popular television shows such as Sex and the City, Gilmore Girls, and Will & Grace. In the final season of The Sopranos, Dr. Melfi carried a Birkin bag into her own therapy session. In Gossip Girl, Lily van der Woodsen carries her Birkin bag in black and tan in season one.
Notable Clientele of Hermès Birkin Handbag:
* Jane Birkin, Actress
* Victoria Beckham, Singer
* Carla Bruni, First lady of France
* Naomi Campbell, Model
* Sofia Coppola, Director
* Mariah Carey, Singer
* Cristina Kirchner, President of Argentina
* Katie Holmes, Actress
* Sylvie Meis, Television Presenter
* Kate Moss, Model
* Martha Stewart, Businesswoman, Television Personality
* Oprah Winfrey, Television Host, Socialite, Media Mogul, Black Billionaire
Pricing of Hermès Birkin Handbag:
Generally, the price of a Birkin starts at approximately $7500 USD, not including sales taxes, but can reach 5- and sometimes 6-digit prices, particularly when the bag is constructed from exotic animal skins. 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. Hermès handbags have been noted for being one of the few brands of handbag to either hold or increase in value with time, giving them the distinction of being considered by some as "investment quality" products.
Source: Jetsetsocialite, Wikipedia
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