Latest news with #BirkinBag
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Lauren Sanchez totes black Hermes bag in NYC... amid fashion world buzz over Jane Birkin's original $10M Birkin
rocked a black Hermes bag as she joined her husband Jeff Bezos in New York City over the weekend. The new Mrs. Bezos, 55 - who recently enjoyed a night out in Paris with A-list pals such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn - was seen stepping out of a sleek SUV alongside the Amazon tycoon following their extravagant Venice wedding. Her latest excursion comes after it was rumored Sanchez was out bid for the original Birkin bag at a Sotheby's auction in Paris this week. However, a source close to Sánchez-Bezos asserted to PuckNews that she did not participate in the auction. Lauren showed off her figure wearing a pair of black fitted leggings as well as a white workout jacket that was partially zipped up at the front. She slipped into a pair of comfy white sneakers and added a blue printed cap on top of her dark locks which were styled into a ponytail. The former journalist sported a pair of fashionable shades while also carrying an Hermes crocodile Kelly bag in her hand - a model named for the iconic American actress turned princess, Grace Kelly. Her latest excursion comes after it was rumored Sanchez was out bid for the original Birkin bag at a Sotheby's auction in Paris this week, which was later denied Bezos - who has shown off new hair growth after being bald for over 10 years - kept it casual in a pair of blue denim jeans and a short-sleeved, black shirt for the outing. He also opted for a pair of sneakers and held a brown leather bag as they headed towards their next destination. Earlier this week on Thursday, the original Birkin bag - which was first designed for model Jane Birkin in 1984 - was auctioned off at Sotheby's in Paris to a private collector from Japan for a record-breaking $10.1 million. It was reported that celebrities such as Sanchez and Kris Jenner had made calls to place a bid, per Vogue, although it is not confirmed. One source alleged to ARTnews that Lauren had bid anonymously - but a separate insider claimed that she had never bid during the auction. The bidding for the original Birkin - which was made in the color black and had Jane Birkin's initials underneath the handles - began a little over $1 million and lasted for 10 minutes. The previous owner of the bag, who goes by the name of Benier, opened up to Vogue about the sell. 'I am astonished at the result, but, as a passionate collector myself, I am first and foremost profoundly moved by the way other collectors have invested so much fervor in trying to acquire what they clearly desired beyond words...' She slipped into a pair of comfy white sneakers and added a blue printed cap on top of her dark locks which were styled into a ponytail Benier later told the outlet, 'It is very difficult to imagine my life without this Birkin bag, but I am happy.' Late last month in June, Sanchez and Bezos said 'I do' during a lavish three-day wedding extravaganza which took place in the romantic city of Venice. A number of celebrities were in attendance including Kim Kardashian, Tom Brady, Sydney Sweeney and Orlando Bloom. Lauren walked down the aisle wearing a custom Dolce & Gabbana dress that was made of an intricate lace overlay with buttons on the front and a corset-styled bodice. The fabric on the gown pooled around the star and a sheer white veil was placed towards the back of her head which flowed down into a long train behind her. And earlier this week, Lauren was spotted joining a few of close pals for a night out in Paris. She put on a busty display wearing a figure-hugging, red leather minidress with a plunging neckline on the front. Sanchez carried a black Birkin bag in her hand and allowed her long locks to cascade down past her shoulders. Along with having a blast with Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn, the former journalist was also joined by model Brooks Nader. However, her new husband Jeff Bezos was notably absent from the night out in France on Tuesday. That same day, the star was seen stepping out to attend the Balenciaga Haute Couture runway show during Paris Fashion Week. She supported stars such as Naomi Campbell and Kim Kardashian as they modeled pieces during the glitzy event. The beauty jumped to her Instagram stories to give a glimpse at some of the pieces modeled during the show. Lauren later whisked herself away to the Allen and Company Sun Valley Media and Tech Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho on Wednesday - which has been dubbed as the 'summer camp for billionaires.' She was seen strolling next to Bezos as they both made a joint appearance at the star-studded event. Sex And The City alum Candice Bergen, Gayle King, Disney CEO Bob Iger and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan were also guests at the conference. The annual event is held each year during the month of July - and was first launched back in 1983. Sanchez flashed a smile towards Jeff as they held hands while making their way towards The Sun Valley Resort.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Celebrity relics are no substitute for real art
Throughout the 1970s, the luminous British actress Jane Birkin and her partner, the French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, were the coolest couple in Paris. Jane's signature accessory was a rustic straw basket. But in 1981 her then partner, the film director Jacques Doillon, deliberately reversed his car over it, so she boarded a flight to London carrying her belongings in a different receptacle. By chance (the story goes) she found herself sitting next Jean-Louis Dumas, head of the luxury firm Hermès, who offered to make her a better bag. A design was sketched on a handy sick-bag and the Birkin bag, that official signifier of celebrity status, as carried by Victoria Beckham, J-Lo, Lady Gaga and the ubiquitous Kardashian-Jenners, was launched. The mythology that has since accumulated around the Birkin bag is extraordinary. You can't just wander into an Hermès shop with a wad of cash and buy one, so the market for second-hand Birkins is lively, and owners are urged to keep them in pristine condition as investments. Jane Birkin did not keep her namesake bag in pristine condition: photographs show her with it crammed so full that it can't be closed, emblazoned with stickers supporting Unicef and Médecins du Monde, and hung about with trinkets. In 1994 she gave the original bag to be auctioned for an Aids charity. It later appeared in the V&A's 2020 Bags: Inside Out exhibition. At some stage the trinkets and stickers were removed – though the scars of use remain: scuffs, scratches and traces of sticker adhesive. Last week this battered object was sold by Sotheby's in Paris to a Japanese collector for €8.6 million, or £7.4 million, making it the most valuable handbag ever sold at auction. By way of context, a Titian portrait of a nobleman was sold at Christie's earlier this month for £3.4 million. What is it that makes Jane Birkin's knackered old handbag worth a couple of Titians?Humans are acquisitive creatures, and the things we collect tend to fall into two categories. Either their value resides in their beauty and superlative craftsmanship – such as the objects acquired by individual collectors that became the basis of museum collections such as the Ashmolean or the Wallace Collection. Alternatively, we desire objects that are perceived to have some precious numinous quality: thus the splinters of wood – enough to constitute an entire forest – supposed to be fragments of the True Cross and venerated as holy relics. In our secular age, stuff once owned by celebrities tends to fall into the latter category. In the league table of pricey celeb memorabilia, Jane Birkin's bag comes in well below Judy Garland's ruby slippers (£23.7 million) and level with Michael Jordan's 1998 NBA Finals jersey. But those objects have a place in cultural history that explains their price. Birkin's bag occupies more mysterious territory, not least because its restoration has stripped it of the idiosyncratic detail that made it distinctively hers. As a final indignity, a fashion editor has decreed that Birkin bags are 'no longer cool'. Jane Birkin died in 2023, as much an icon of her times as her contemporary, Marianne Faithfull. Whether her handbag can preserve that iconic quality for posterity remains to be seen. Someone in Japan evidently thinks so. But as a lasting investment, a Titian or two might prove the better bet. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kim Kardashian Has Everyone — Including Her Friends — Wondering If She Paid $10M for a Birkin Bag
Kim Kardashian is known for her extravagant taste — but even her close friends are wondering if she just dropped some serious cash on an iconic bag. On Saturday, July 11, Kardashian shared a video that featured a model breaking a glass case containing the original Birkin bag inspired by the late actress Jane Birkin, who died in July 2023. Kardashian followed up the post with a series of texts from various people, all wondering if she had purchased the bag, which sold for €8.6 million ($10.1 million) at auction on Friday, July 10. "Are u the winner of the first Birkin bag?" one text read. "Please tell me you bought that Birkin," another friend texted. "Would be BAD ASS." "Kim for real did you buy the original Birkin??? Or should I stop blaming you every time I lose an auction?" another text read. Turns out, and despite Kardashian's hints and her friends' speculation, the bag ultimately went to Valuence Japan, Inc., in Minato-ku, Tokyo, who placed their bid through Maiko Ichikawa, Country Head of Sotheby's Japan. The Associated Press reported that the auction began at $1 million and the bag had bids placed in person and via phone. The final four bids were for €6.2 million, $6.5 million and $6.8 million. Kim Kardashian Reveals She Has Absolutely Nothing in Her Hermes Kelly Bag Back in 2012 Birkin — who famously often carried wicker baskets in lieu of a handbag — told Vogue how the iconic bag came into fruition. She was seated next to Jean-Louis Dumas, chairman of the Hermès group from 1978 to 2006, on a flight when the pair began to discuss the bag she had brought on the flight. 'I'd been upgraded by Air France on a flight to London, and I found myself sitting next to a man [the visionary Jean-Louis Dumas of Hermès],' she told writer Luke Leitch. 'I'm not quite sure what type of bag I had with me — my husband Jacques Doillon had reversed his car over my basket, crushed it on purpose not too days before. [Dumas] thought I deserved more.' She continued, 'Little did he know that on this airplane journey, when everything fell out of whatever bag I had, the man next to me said, 'you should have one with pockets.' I said, 'the day Hermès makes one with pockets I will have that.'' Birkin went on to add that the designer told her that because 'I am Hermès, and I will put pockets in for you.' ' 'I said 'why don't you make a handbag that is bigger than the Kelly but smaller than [former longtime partner] Serge's [Gainsbourg] suitcase?' And he said 'well, what would it be like?' And I think I drew it on the sick bag—or the not-be-sick bag. And he said 'I'll make it for you,'' she added. Where Else Was Kim Kardashian Supposed to Put Her Birkin While Sitting Courtside at That Lakers Game? Birkin popped into Hermès to buy the bag that had been designed, but instead Dumas offered to give it to her if she allowed him to name it for her. 'I was very flattered! They've turned it into the success we know today,' she said.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jane Birkin's Original Hermès Bag Fetches Record $10.1 Million At Auction
The prototype Birkin bag, crafted for and owned by the late actress and singer Jane Birkin, sold for 8.6 million euros ($10.1 million) at a Sotheby's auction in Paris, setting a new record for the most expensive handbag sold at auction. A private collector from Japan secured the iconic black leather bag after a 10-minute bidding war involving nine participants, with the hammer price reaching 7 million euros before fees. The bag, a 1985 prototype, was born from a chance encounter in the early 1980s when Birkin sat next to Hermès executive Jean-Louis Dumas on a Paris-to-London flight. Frustrated with the small handbags of the era, Birkin, traveling with her daughter Charlotte, sketched her ideal tote on an airplane sick bag, envisioning a spacious, structured bag with two handles. Hermès delivered the custom piece in 1985, branding it with her initials, J.B., on the front flap. 'There is no doubt that the Original Birkin bag is a true one-of-a-kind — a singular piece of fashion history that has grown into a pop culture phenomenon that signals luxury in the most refined way possible,' said Morgane Halimi, Sotheby's global head of handbags and fashion. The auction, initially planned as an online-only event, was upgraded to a live event in Sotheby's Paris galleries due to intense client interest. Bidding started at 1 million euros, escalating rapidly past 4 million euros to gasps and applause from onlookers. The final bids climbed from 6.2 million to 7 million euros, surpassing the previous handbag auction record of $513,040 for a Hermès Kelly bag in 2021. Only one fashion item, a pair of ruby red slippers from 'The Wizard of Oz,' which sold for $32.5 million in 2024, has fetched a higher price at auction, according to Sotheby's. The prototype differs from modern Birkins, which come in standard sizes, such as the Birkin 35 or 40, and feature colorful leathers or diamond-encrusted hardware. The original has the width and height of a Birkin 35 but the depth of a Birkin 40, with gilded brass hardware, fully closed metal rings near the clasp, smaller bottom studs, and an interior zipper from a vendor Hermès no longer uses. Unique to this bag is its non-removable shoulder strap, which features a nail clipper attached to it, reflecting Birkin's practical style. Residue from stickers, charms, and beads she added also marks the bag, embodying her casual aesthetic of jeans and white tees that inspired the social media 'Jane Birkin-ify' trend. 'It was an everyday bag for her. Jane Birkin had a fairly charmed life in a lot of ways, and one of them was to get to casually own the most famous bag in the world that was named after her,' said Marisa Meltzer, author of the forthcoming book 'It Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin.' Meltzer said that Birkin, who died in 2023 at the age of 76, often joked about the bag's fame. 'She'd joke that people would say, 'Birkin like the bag?' She'd say, 'Yes, and the bag is going to sing now,'' Meltzer recalled, per The Wall Street Journal. Birkin kept the prototype for nearly a decade before auctioning it in 1994 to support Association Solidarité Sida, a French AIDS charity. It was sold again in 2000 to collector Catherine Benier, who owned it until this auction. 'The price is the price of the Hermès story,' Benier told journalists, adding that the bag 'has all the attributes of a star.' Since its creation, the Birkin has become a cultural icon, referenced in rap lyrics, 'Sex and the City,' and seen on celebrities, with some styles commanding six-figure prices and years-long waiting lists. 'The Birkin has evolved from a practical accessory to become a timeless cultural icon,' Sotheby's said, noting its prominence in music, film, and fashion.
Telegraph
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Celebrity relics are no substitute for real art
Throughout the 1970s, the luminous British actress Jane Birkin and her partner, the French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, were the coolest couple in Paris. Jane's signature accessory was a rustic straw basket. But in 1981 her then partner, the film director Jacques Doillon, deliberately reversed his car over it, so she boarded a flight to London carrying her belongings in a different receptacle. By chance (the story goes) she found herself sitting next Jean-Louis Dumas, head of the luxury firm Hermès, who offered to make her a better bag. A design was sketched on a handy sick-bag and the Birkin bag, that official signifier of celebrity status, as carried by Victoria Beckham, J-Lo, Lady Gaga and the ubiquitous Kardashian-Jenners, was launched. The mythology that has since accumulated around the Birkin bag is extraordinary. You can't just wander into an Hermès shop with a wad of cash and buy one, so the market for second-hand Birkins is lively, and owners are urged to keep them in pristine condition as investments. Jane Birkin did not keep her namesake bag in pristine condition: photographs show her with it crammed so full that it can't be closed, emblazoned with stickers supporting Unicef and Médecins du Monde, and hung about with trinkets. In 1994 she gave the original bag to be auctioned for an Aids charity. It later appeared in the V&A's 2020 Bags: Inside Out exhibition. At some stage the trinkets and stickers were removed – though the scars of use remain: scuffs, scratches and traces of sticker adhesive. Last week this battered object was sold by Sotheby's in Paris to a Japanese collector for €8.6 million, or £7.4 million, making it the most valuable handbag ever sold at auction. By way of context, a Titian portrait of a nobleman was sold at Christie's earlier this month for £3.4 million. What is it that makes Jane Birkin's knackered old handbag worth a couple of Titians? Humans are acquisitive creatures, and the things we collect tend to fall into two categories. Either their value resides in their beauty and superlative craftsmanship – such as the objects acquired by individual collectors that became the basis of museum collections such as the Ashmolean or the Wallace Collection. Alternatively, we desire objects that are perceived to have some precious numinous quality: thus the splinters of wood – enough to constitute an entire forest – supposed to be fragments of the True Cross and venerated as holy relics. In our secular age, stuff once owned by celebrities tends to fall into the latter category. In the league table of pricey celeb memorabilia, Jane Birkin's bag comes in well below Judy Garland's ruby slippers (£23.7 million) and level with Michael Jordan's 1998 NBA Finals jersey. But those objects have a place in cultural history that explains their price. Birkin's bag occupies more mysterious territory, not least because its restoration has stripped it of the idiosyncratic detail that made it distinctively hers. As a final indignity, a fashion editor has decreed that Birkin bags are 'no longer cool'. Jane Birkin died in 2023, as much an icon of her times as her contemporary, Marianne Faithfull. Whether her handbag can preserve that iconic quality for posterity remains to be seen. Someone in Japan evidently thinks so. But as a lasting investment, a Titian or two might prove the better bet.
