Bringing Home the Birkin: My Life in Hot Pursuit of the World's Most Coveted Handbag

by Michael Tonello

Book Overview

"[A] memoir 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 luxury boutique and felt the sting of the doorman's disapproval will find a hero in Tonello." --Miami Herald

The hilarious, whirlwind account of an insider's years spent globe-trotting in search of the handbag called "a better investment than gold" the Birkin...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061473340
• ISBN13: 9780061473340
• Release Date: July 2009
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.73 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.3" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Read this fascinating, hilarious book!!

Michael Tonello has brilliantly written a captivating memoir/travelogue chronicling his thrilling adventures as a Hermes reseller. After moving to Barcelona, his promised job falls through. To pay the bills, he begins selling his possessions on ebay. He soon realizes the luxury brand Hermes, especially the coveted Birkin handbag, evokes a flurry of extremely wealthy buyers. By feigning a 2 year waiting list, the Birkin has built a renowned mystique. After discovering "the formula", he is able to easily obtain numerous Birkin bags at Hermes stores all around the world. He makes a nice profit on each bag sold to his rich clients. Mr. Tonello is a gifted storyteller with an engaging and spirited writing style. His sparkling wit made this book very laugh-out-loud funny. As I read, his rich, vivid descriptions allowed me to experience the luxury, food and sights of glamorous places I can only dream about. I'm reminded of the cliché, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade". When his expected job fell through, rather than admit defeat, he instead chose to improvise a plan B. That is truly inspirational. His story also encourages me to take chances in life. I truly loved this very entertaining, fascinating book and I highly recommend it!

Fun read, very informative, but at its heart, it's an Hermes expose

While reading reviews for this book, one thing you rarely see is the mention that it's also a scathing expose of Hermes' business practices. I also don't think their customers, and in particular those that pay ridiculous secondary-market prices, come off all that well. I'm sure that wasn't the primary intent of the author, but it is silly to pursue a status symbol to the point where you're willing to pay many thousands of Dollars over the regular price just to get a handbag. What do you get for those thousands? The most well-known symbol for women to say "I've arrived" that's at least marketed by a major luxury firm. It has to be universally recognized, right? It reminds me of teens that say how individual they want to be, but they're really dressing like all of their friends. If everyone wants the same bag, and some women have dozens, does it really retain it's "status" or purported rarity? Doesn't the sheer number of bags that some collectors own prove the fact that they're not rare but rather marketed efficiently? Hermes, of course, isn't alone in marketing this way, but they must be extremely irritated to have their secrets exposed so easily.

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 held my attention from the first 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.

If you can get over the fact that $6,000.00 (and up)...

...purses do exist and lots of people seem to own lots of them, you'll enjoy this book. Michael writes a fun story of a time in his life when he "played" Hermes in order to make a living. That the women in the book - I assumed he changed names - spent so much money on purses, scarves, and other "name" items were the ultimate "Fashion Victims", is maybe what they deserved to be. But, well, it's their money and if that's what they chose to spend it on...Michael just helped them in their quests for the ultimate "croc". I enjoyed the book.

an absolute inspiration

Some books are candy-like in terms of nutrition. We buy them because they have a decent hook, we read them quickly and five days later barely recall the characters or their exploits. I assure you, Bringing Home The Birkin is not one of those books. This is a wonderful, wild ride that spans years, continents and exchange rates; and most important, teaches us that absolutely anything is possible. You do not have to be confined to the state or the country in which you were born. You do not have to kowtow to the buying "rules" of a fashion empire, even one that makes over two billion dollars a year. Therein lies the hook. Michael Tonello finds out the Waiting List for the elusive Birkin bag is camouflage. An interesting invention of Hermes, the prestigious, privately held company that handcrafts these goods. When he discovers he can get Birkins, he becomes a sort of Robin Hood, allowing people around the globe to purchase them. But this book is more than the sum of its hook, it's an enlightening, hilarious read. Everything is described in a manner that literally make you want to pack your bags for Spain, France and Beyond to experience the food, wine and sights he recounts. Recently my two nieces came to my apartment for a sleepover. As usual, I try to introduce them to new things to even out the fast food, pop music, reality TV, Reality of Teenage Life. We ate sushi (which they now love.) Cognizant of college looming, I talked about finding a job that you love, thinking outside the box, and being open to new places and people. (Okay I don't see them much so I'm guilty of trying to cram a lot into one visit.) When they were wary of my speech, we talked books and I told them about Bringing Home The Birkin. I explained that it's a true story about a hair and make-up artist that did a job in Spain, realized he wanted to live there and moved. He didn't ponder over the negatives to the point of distraction or let people stop him. I told them he didn't speak Spanish and didn't know what a Birkin was but he educated himself and suddenly became a seller of all things Hermes. Not only did he make money, travel and find the love of his life but he Wrote A Book About It. I think they listened. It was hard to tell. At that point, we were walking by a clothing store and the music was blaring so whatever I said literally fell on deaf ears (why do stores have speakers that face outward nowadays?) The next morning I dropped the college future/career goals and dreams talk. I laid out breakfast, put on the TV and there, on the CBS Early Show, was Mr. Tonello being interviewed about his book! My nieces looked from the TV screen to the book on the table and suddenly everything I spoke of was real to them. If he could do it, why couldn't they do whatever `it' was they wanted to do? I thought Bringing Home The Birkin was an absolute inspiration. It made me laugh my face off. It educated me about food, wine and travel. It demystified the mystical Birkin Bag. It is ma