Birkin Bag

Diana Vreeland's Suitcase, Rare Birkin Bags Up For Auction

Heritage Auctions is branching out into the luxury accessories category with their first auction in Heritage's Luxury Accessories category as part of the December 13 Fine Jewelry and Handbags auction. We've been seeing more and more action in this category from auction houses lately as older bags have commanded high prices. This auction includes a pair of rare Hermes Birkin bags--two Hermes Porosus Crocodile Birkin handbags, one in Shiny Fuschia, the other in Matte Black are each estimated to bring in over $40,000. Those two Birkins are the most expensive in a selection of more than 30 Hermes Birkins and Kelly handbags in the auction, all of which are greatly coveted by collectors.

But perhaps even more interesting to students of fashion is the brown crocodile suitcase belonging to legendary Vogue editor and style icon Diana Vreeland. The English brown crocodile suitcase, shown above, is from the 1930s and replete with her initials. It is estimated at $5,000.

Collectors of Judith Leiber's beaded minaudieres will also want to check this auction out. It includes a variety of highly collectible versions of her small purses which are often in the shapes of animals and plans. The collection also includes some her earliest metal bags from the 1960s, which are rarely available on the market.

The auction not only marks the first appearance of Luxury Accessories at Heritage, it is also the first auction for the company conducted by Matt Rubinger, Director of Luxury Accessories at Heritage and a widely-known and highly-respected voice in the world of high-end handbags. With the auction taking place just two weeks before Christmas, Rubinger has a feeling that "more than a few of these will end up under a tree somewhere."

Lots from the Luxury Accessories Auction will also be available for lot viewing in New York, at the Fletcher-Sinclair Mansion (Ukrainian Institute), at 2 East 79th Street (at 5th Ave.) on December 2-5.

Tags: Birkin Bag, birkin bags, collectible handbags, handbags, hermes

Former Hermes Leader Dead At 72

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

The former head of the luxury brand Hermès, Jean-Louis Dumas, died on May 1 at the age of 72. Dumas ran Hermès from 1978 to 2006 and was responsible for transforming the brand from a small and well-respected maker of leather goods to an internationally known luxury brand. Dumas was the great-great grandson of Thierry Hermès, who founded the company in 1837. Dumas helped give the world the intensely craved Birkin bag and brought fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier to the brand. Known to be a charismatic man of great style, he also published a book of photographs. The family still owns over 70 percent of the Hermès group and Dumas' son Pierre-Alexis works as an artistic director for the company.

According to a story in the Telegraph, the Birkin bag came about after Dumas and actress Jane Birkin sat next to each other on a flight from Paris to London. She told Dumas that she could never find a decent handbag and so he invited her to the Hermès workshop to help create one. The bag remains a status symbol known around the world and it can take years to get your own.

Tags: birkin bag, hermes, jean-louis dumas, luxury brands, paris

Hermes: Classic and Coveted

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Handbags, Shoes

A Readers' Choice nominee in the Best Leather Goods Category, Hermes has come a long way since its inception nearly two centuries ago. The company was founded by a Frenchman named Thierry Hermes in 1837 as a maker of harnesses and bridles. Since then, it has grown into one of the world's most sought-after luxury brands; customers have ranged from Humphrey Bogart to Paris Hilton.

Hermes is known for leather goods like the Kelly bag and Constance bag, favored by actress Grace Kelly and former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Like all Hermes products, these bags are made by hand without assembly lines; only one craftsman may work on a bag at a time.

The Birkin bag, which takes its name from actress Jane Birkin, is perhaps the most coveted of them all. Made from exotic animal skins and adorned with hardware hewn from precious metals, these bags boast waiting lists in excess of two years and price tags starting at $5000. A one-of-a-kind pink crocodile Birkin fetched $140,000 in 2007.

Hermes peddles its goods through boutiques sprinkled throughout posh U.S. enclaves like New York, East Hampton, Palm Beach and Beverly Hills. Based in Paris, the company continues to expand abroad into lucrative developing markets such as China. In a nod to its heritage, Hermes still offers equestrian paraphernalia.

Cast your vote for the Readers' Choice Awards at http://www.luxist.com/awards-vote/accessories-awards.

Gallery: More from Hermes