The Lovely and Fabulous Birkin Bag

The "Birkin Bag" is a handbag manufactured by leather goods and ready-to-wear manufacturer Hermès. It is named after British-born actress and singer Jane Birkin, a longtime resident of France.

I would absolutely wait for a Birkin bag!

Birkin told noted fashion writer Dana Thomas that while seated next to Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas in 1984 on a Paris to London flight, she opened her Hermès-made datebook and a flurry of loose notes fell to the floor. Dumas took her datebook and returned it a few weeks later with a pocket sewn into the back (which has since become standard). Birkin went on to discuss with Dumas her difficulty in finding a leather weekend bag and at his prompting, described her ideal. Shortly thereafter, the bag she described arrived at her flat with a note from Dumas.

Generally, the price of a Birkin starts at approximately $5000 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".

Hermès Birkin handbags are hand-built by experienced craftsmen, one of the primary factors contributing to the high price of all Hermès handbags. The exterior of the bag can be made of a variety of leathers. Typically, a Birkin bag's lining is made of goat skin and its color will match the bag's exterior color. 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. Locks and keys are number-coded.

Jane Birkin and her bag...

"Now when my daughter goes to America, they ask her if she is the daughter of the bag."- Jane Birkin

(Wikipedia)