Book Review: Bringing Home the Birkin by Michael Tonello

Before we get to the book, a little bit about the Birkin. The Glossary at the back of Bringing Home the Birkin describes it best. "The Birkin is a (Hermes) handbag produced in a variety of skins, designed to be a carryall for working or traveling women." Lets amend that to really really rich working or traveling women, because the cheapest Birkin costs about as much as a car. The basic leather 35cm Birkin costs $7,500.00 and the rare, more exclusive ones are considered a steal at $100,000.00. And oh, the crocodile-and-diamond version tops the price list, at a whopping $150,000.00! (Gwad, did I sound like the a talk show host or what!??) "Named for the actress Jane Birkin, who co-designed this bag, along with Jean-Louis Dumas Hermes in 1984." But money isn't all that you need to bag yourself a Birkin. It's one of the most coveted and exclusive handbags in the world. There's supposedly a two year waiting list, but that's just another myth Michael Tonello proves false. Lets just say, unless you know how, getting your hands on a Birkin is near impossible!

Here's a picture of the Basic 35mm leather Birkin in the signature Hermes orange.


Bringing Home the Birkin is a memoir. To be specific, it's Michael Tonello's story of how he cracked the secret getting his hands on an obscene number of the infamously elusive Birkin. And of how he then made a career out of reselling these insanely coveted carryalls on eBay.

Witty, interesting and fun, Tonello certainly has a way with words. I was charmed, both by his subtle sarcasm and his little descriptions of all the cities he visited in his quest for the Birkin. There's a love interest too. As Tonello cracks the Birkin formula, he also finds true love in Juan. Though this isn't really a major part of this spiel, it added just the right dash of the personal to make me feel connected to Tonello himself. I cheered for his successes, both in life and in the Birkin front, and sighed when things started looking down.

Wether you have a fetish for designer handbags or not, I'm sure you'll LOVE this book. I certainly did!

A few more pictures of Birkins for the curious.


This is a 35cm Crocodile Fuchsia Birkin, which is one of the rarer colours.


This is the really expensive Crocodile-and-Diamond Birkin I was talking about earlier.

And here's the book trailer.