DON'T Bring Home the Birkin

Last summer I started seeing an Hermes crossbody bag ALL OVER the streets. It's called the Evelyne and costs in the neighborhood of three thousand dollars. It's utilitarian, chic and comes in a variety of colors and sizes to suit your body size and style. I'd love one, but they're not exactly in my budget right now, so I did the next best thing (no, not buy a fake on Canal Street): I wrote a story about them for the New York Times.

If the Birkin was an emblem of the excesses of the hedge-fund-fueled madness of the pre-recessionary years, what does the Evelyne say about our society now?

Here's an excerpt from the story:

MOVE over, Birkin. The Hermès Évelyne, which features a canvas strap and perforated “H” logo and costs $2,575 (and up, but still a bargain compared with the Birkin’s five figures) is surging in popularity.

Michael Tonello, who wrote the memoir “Bringing Home the Birkin” about his years buying and reselling Hermès bags, says he thinks that the bag’s “under the radar” silhouette may account in part for its appeal. “You have Jay-Z and Beyoncé rapping about it,” he said of the Birkin.

You can read the full story HERE