By Jill Radsken
Boston Globe Correspondent
The news of a bad batch of Birkin bags has created a minor le stink for the French fashion house Hermes.
A
small number of the leather handbags sold within the last year have
revealed a not so odor-able problem: a pungent stench similar to skunk
or marijuana. The opulent bags sell for $20,000 or more.
“In the back of a car, or in the sun, or in a
closed Hermes box, the smell becomes more concentrated,” said writer and
Birkin expert Michael Tonello.
The
Massachusetts native who authored “Bringing Home the Birkin” in 2008
about his years reselling the sought-after luxury bags, has heard from
three Hermes devotees who have experienced the problem, which was
reported earlier last week in the New York Post’s Page Six column.
“It’s
either the togo leather, which is grainy, very pebbly looking, or the
other leather is taurillon clemence. It’s also grainy with a pebbly
finish, but a larger grain,” said Tonello, in a telephone interview from
St. Helena Island in South Carolina, where he is writing the screenplay
of his book. “Both are soft. They’re classic Birkins.”
Hermes has yet to comment on the
scent-sational situation, which, Tonello said, is the way the
Paris-based company likes to do business.
“I guess it’s part of their allure. They like to keep these stories, myths, urban legends perpetuated,” he said.
Tonello
estimates that only a tiny fraction of Birkins — fewer than 100 — have
odor issues. And while the problem may seem “a little silly,” he noted
that a Birkin isn’t easy to replace.
“Some
people save up for a long time and it’s a big purchase,” he said. “These
bags are done as part of a season or collection. When those bags all
ship out, they’re gone.”
http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/style/2014/10/22/birkin-smell-luxury/qi9aYBBgFG5pdIaK0uCJPJ/story.html
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