Are Birkins Worth It?

Is paying up to $60,000 for a Birkin bag socialite or just plain stupid? We’ve all seen those insane online auctions and celebrities carrying them about town acting like normal people doing errands.  Though a Birkin may not be in your price range, one always seems to find its way into your range of vision.  It isn’t just the price point that makes these handbags out of reach, even if you were to walk into Hermès with cash in hand, you better be a regular customer before they even let you hold one.

Like many fashion icons, the Hermès Birkin has a rich history.  It originated in 1981 when Hermès executive, Jean-Louis Dumas sat next to actress, Jane Birkin on a fight from Paris to London.  When Jane tried to put her bag in the overhead compartment, she was horrified to find that the contents spilled all over the place.  When she went to pick them up, she mentioned to Jean-Louis that she could never find a good weekend bag.  The Birkin bag was inspired by and named for her.  As much as I love the bag and the history, sometimes excess can be too excessive and I just can’t justify spending that much on a purse with all the suffering in the world.  Plus, if you are partial to vegan designers such as Stella Mccartney, the Birkin isn’t for you.  I say buy the $7,000 Chanel and give the rest of your insanely huge bag budget to your favorite charitable cause. You may even have enough left over to start your own charity.  Sorry, but I’ll go with a small Hermès bracelet, a classic Chanel, and a generous donation to charity over a Birkin any day.