Is The Adjani The New Birkin?

Even in this economic climate there is still room for an it bag, it's just a more modest success than past frenzies. Lancel's Adjani bag named after the French actress Isabelle Adjani has sold out giving Lancel what the Guardian terms a "slight rise in comparable retail sales since January." Lancel's chief executive says the growth is between zero and five percent, barely a blip in other times but a welcome bit of retail uptick these days when only a few handbag brands like Hermes and Louis Vuitton have been able to sustain increases.

The versatile multi-pocketed tote comes in a variety of materials in a price range from 800 euros to 8,000 euros. It was inspired by Isabelle Adjani and she is the spokesperson for it. The company expects more than 10,000 Adjani bags in France by the end of the year, having already sold the equivalent of two years of stock in a few months. The success of the bag has encouraged the Lancel brand to skew toward the high end and the company will open new shops in Tokyo, Moscow and Dubai over the summer. So far Lancel, which makes its bags in Spain and Italy, does not have a presence here in the U.S.