UPDATE: Sources say there never was a waiting list for Birkin bags. Scandal! Read the update.
Looks like the Hermes Birkin bag, the most unattainable It bag in fashion history, is not immune to the recession. If waiting lists are any indication, that is.
Portero started selling Hermes Birkins this week with big flashy copy that reads “The Wait Is Over. Get Yours Now.” Then we called around to Hermes, and found out there is no more silly waiting list–they told us we could walk right in and get one today. (We didn’t). So now that anybody with a tax return and life savings can join the fashion elite and get a Birkin, this might explain why Lady Gaga took a black Sharpie to hers.
Fashion folklore has it that in 2008, Birkins had a waitlist so long, Hermes eventually had to close it, as they couldn’t keep up with demand. Consider the cheapest one we’ve found, Hermès Violet Suede Veau Doblis 25cm Birkin Bag ($6,895), fashion stock. Buy it now when demand is low, and then sell it for double the price once Oprah gives it her seal of approval (or they become hot items again).
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Not so fast…Portero is just another advertising venue for a well know Hermes reseller. The Birkins that they recently listed are offered for well over retail! If there were indeed no “waiting list”, no one would pay over retail. I have been in three Hermes Boutiques, in three states, in the last month. The wait list are going strong.
Not exactly true. You could almost always find some Birkins and Kellys in stock at a Hermes store if you were not set on a particular color/metal. Yes, Portero is over retail.
In the past six months I have been in at least a dozen Hermes stores on two continents and nearly all of them had Birkin’s on display, for sale, without waiting (and not “Reserved”). In the Boston store I overheard a woman who was looking at a Birkin in a camel color ask what other colors were available and she was told “just about everything except black”. The wait certainly is over; although there never really was a “wait list”…that was an urban legend which Hermes perpetuated to increase demand and mystique for the bag and brand.
Hi! I’m the Accessories Director over at Portero.com and I just wanted to clarify something….Yes, it’s true, at times you can get lucky and find a Birkin or two at an Hermès Boutique. However, there is still a wait list for Birkins, especially if you have a size or color preference (which I think most of us do!).
Portero allows you to skip this wait list and gives you direct access to the VIP 2 year wait list bags (both never worn and pre-loved), in the delicious pallet of fuchsia, ciel, bordeaux, violet, lagoon, olive and the ever so yummy… saffron. (We have also been known to sell horseshoe stamped Birkins, which are custom made for top clients.)
So whatever it is you may fancy, we have the full gamut! We also take requests and have a wish list if you have your eye out for something really special!
Happy weekend and happy shopping!
Just want to point out one factual inconsistency: Birkins aren’t closely attributed to Grace Kelly.
Not a very well thought out story. There is still a waiting list…perhaps Mr. Tonello is a litte bitter because he’s been pushed out of the re-seller business and is banned from buying birkins in Hermes?
Contrary to what “Pam” has to say I have not been “banned” from buying Birkins. Hermes, just like any other retailer, is in business to sell product, which these days is not an easy thing. I’m hardly “bitter”. Birkin, and Hermes have become an annuity for me, as we continue to sell foreign rights from my book globally and I continue to receive royalties.
As for the “waiting list” this is a hoax. Contrary to what the accessories editor from Potero would like you all to believe (again, she’s in business to sell product), if you want a specific Birkin, in a specific color, you simply go to Hermes and special order it…and you’ll receive it in anywhere from six months to a year.
In any event it is always fun to read the comments people post about this brand and handbag.
Didn’t the Portero Accessories Director read this article? It clearly states: “we called around to Hermes, and found out there is no more silly waiting list–they told us we could walk right in and get one today.” Of course you can’t walk in to Hermes today and get the exact color you might want, for the exact same reason you cannot walk into Chanel or Balenciaga (or any other major brand) and get the exact color of your dreams, today– because all of these brands make specific colors for each season. But as Mr Tonello suggests, you can walk in to Hermes and special order the bag of your dreams. You can also walk in to Hermes and just buy a Birkin, today, without paying the mark-up that Portero charges for a 2nd hand bag.
I love that Michael Tonello commented – his book is one of my fave summer reads – everyone should read “Bringing Home the Birkin”
The point is, what was once deemed as something only the fashion elite could get, is now available for anyone with money to buy. As we say, “fashion folklore” was that the waiting list was once so long, they had to close it, and now Hermes is openly admitting they can be bought in-store, without having to be a celebrity. Michael Tonello, we love your book. Thanks for the comment!
I wonder what Hermes would have to do to get Oprah’s seal of approval back. Did eveyone forget when they kicked her out of their store because without make up the sales peopel didnt recognize her and she in turn sold all of her Hermes and denounced them as racist?? no? I’m the only one who remembers that? oh ok.
This post is great and the comments even better. You got us interested in the whole ‘no wait for Birkin’ story. Planning to send mystery shoppers to Hermes stores around Canada now to test out the concept.
Just came back from paris last week and failed to buy my first birkin. They said that they stopped taking orders for the meantime and will accept orders again in november. Was really upset as i was hoping i can get one. I got one evelyn and one lindy rather. So, where do you suggest i should go to get my first birkin? I want an indigo birkin size 40 or maybe orange. Please help if they have a stock in boston i will fly there right away.