At a Christie’s Hong Kong sale on Wednesday, a matte-white crocodile skin Birkin bag sold for $380,000, setting a record for the most ever fetched by one of Hermès’s trademark totes. While store-bought Birkins typically range from $12,000 to the lower six figures, this model belongs to a special breed of “Himalaya” Birkins, of which just one or two are produced yearly due to an extended dyeing process.
While Birkin bags, named for the French actress Jane Birkin, have long been a talisman for status-seekers, the allure of which no Real Housewife can resist, the resale market for Himalayans is particularly thirsty in Hong Kong, where several previous records have been broken in recent years.
In addition to its distinctive gray-and-white gradient, this bag also boasts 18 karat gold buckles and diamond-encrusted straps. While originally valued between $193,000-$258,000, the item quickly exceeded expectations, breaking the previous $300,000 record in just 15 minutes – an eternity compared to how long it took RHOBH’s Dorit Kemsley to snag hers.
