Even Jane Birkin Can’t Handle Her Most Expensive Hermes Birkin Bag

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For three decades, the infamous Birkin Bag, created by luxurious french fashion brand, Hermes, has been a popular item among some of the world’s wealthiest people.  The Birkin Bag was designed in 1984 after Hermes CEO, Jean-Louis Dumas had a conversation with Jane Birkin on a flight to London three years earlier.  Carrying a straw handbag at the time, Birkin, a famous British actress and singer, expressed to Dumas that she had been unable to find a suitable leather weekend bag.  Feeling inspired, Dumas created the lavish leather Birkin bag in her honor.  Over the years, Jane Birkin has only owned a few of the expensive handbags herself.  However, Birkin has shared that she no longer carries her little leather namesake because the bag is simply too heavy.

Because Birkin finds the bag uncomfortable to carry, she has auctioned off three out of the four Birkin bags that were part of her personal collection.  In 2011, Birkin auctioned off a worn in black Birkin bag, which she had personalized with stickers, in order to raise money for earthquake victims in Japan. While Birkin bags usually retail for anywhere between $10,000 and $70,000, Jane’s bag sold for more than $160,000.  Most recently, Birkin and her daughter, Charlotte Gainsbourg, held an auction to raise money for the Kenyan charity, Anno’s Africa.  The starting bid for Jane’s latest Birkin started at $16,000 but is expected to bring in well over that.

With what people are willing to pay for a Birkin bag that was once belonged to Jane Birkin, it may come as a shock to know that even a bag that was owned by the singer isn’t worth as much as Hermes’ priciest Birkin bag. The “Hermes Birkin Ginza Tanaka” bag, made of mostly diamonds and platinum, is reportedly worth a whopping $1.9 million; making it over 10 times more valuable than any Birkin bag Jane Birkin has ever owned.

While the Ginza Tanaka’s size may not be adequate for those who like to carry many items at a time, the bag’s solid construction probably means that it will not be as easily weighed down as the more traditional style Birkin bags.  However, with a more than million dollar price tag, it’s safe to say that most consumers will never even have to weigh the pros and cons.

 (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Comes With Baggage)

Written by Camille Moore

Camille has a master's degree from Saint Joseph University's Writing Studies program, and she currently works as the Writing Center Assistant Director at a small university in western Pennsylvania. Camille's writing has been published on several websites, and she enjoys writing articles and short stories in her spare time. You can follow Camille on Twitter @CamealAshley.