Bringing Home the Birkin - Hardcover

Michael Tonello

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0061473332 ISBN 13: 9780061473333

Publisher: William Morrow, 2008

Synopsis

If you want an Herm's Birkin bag, be prepared to wait. And wait. And wait. After more than twenty years, the iconic Birkin remains the ultimate status symbol and probably the most coveted accessory of all time. The supposed 'wait list' is two years long, and when Herm's calls, they may not even offer you the Birkin you want. But this is not a buyers' market, and if you're like many women, you would jump hurdles in your high heels for the chance to own this ultimate symbol of luxury and style. "Bringing Home the Birkin" is the riveting story of how one man exposed the underbelly of the lucrative handbag industry.Michael Tonello's newfound career started with an impulsive move to Barcelona, the vanishing of a job assignment, no work visa, and a Herm's scarf sold on eBay to generate some quick cash. When, by happenstance, he stumbled onto the truth and walked out of Herm's stores around the world having bought millions...and millions...of dollars in Birkins, he became one of eBay's most successful entrepreneurs, and a Robin Hood (of sorts) to thousands of desperate rich women.Over the next five years, Michael's bag-buying forays took him around the globe, into the lives of celebrities and poseurs, even into danger: hiring thugs to rescue a bag held for ransom and eluding Herm's watchful eye. Although every bag Michael sold was genuine and every transaction legal, the company went to great lengths to keep Michael from buying bags, in an attempt to maintain the bag "and brand" exclusivity. Despite all his risky and enterprising globetrotting, Tonello found true love in the unlikeliest place when he least expected it. A thrilling expose and touching love story, Tonello's whirlwind memoir will surprise you, entrance you, and finally remind you that serendipity and true love have no waiting lists.

About this title

Review:

Kate Moss has one in denim, Kelly Osbourne has one in classic black, and Victoria Beckham, of course, has one in every colour of the rainbow. Elle Macpherson, Lindsay Lohan, Sarah Jessica Parker and Naomi Campbell are A-list fans, too. Even Coleen McLoughlin has one in tan. I am talking about the Hermes Birkin: the ultra-chic handbag that is one of the most iconic fashion items of all time. The bag has even got its own kiss-and-tell biography: Bringing Home the Birkin, by former beautician, Michael Tonello. It has just been published in the US and has caused a bit of a flutter at Hermes HQ. The press office would issue only this statement: No comment. The book spills the beans on the luxury handbag business and details Tonellos formula for cracking the code to bypass the brand s famous waiting list. It explains how he managed to buy up Birkins in their thousands for his cash-rich, time-poor, zero-patience clients and make himself a small fortune. --Daily Mail, 28 April 2008

About the Author:

Originally from Massachusetts, Michael Tonello traveled the world as a makeup artist and hairdresser before resettling in Spain to become an eBay luxury reseller of all things Hermès. He resides in Barcelona with his partner, Juan.

About this edition

• Publisher: William Morrow
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0061473332
• ISBN 13: 9780061473333
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 272