The Birkin bag has become a symbol of celebrity culture and the trappings of fame and success. An entire episode of was dedicated to Samantha’s attempt to skip the wait list to get her hands on one by claiming the handbag was for Lucy Liu, and Kris Jenner has a dedicated wardrobe for her collection—complete with a neon sign that reads, “Need Money for Birkin.” But before the Kardashian family started investing in the Hermès status symbols in bulk, Victoria Beckham was one of the first celebrities to put the bag squarely in the frame for the paparazzi.
The handbag was named after the style muse Jane Birkin, who died earlier this summer at the age of 76. The story goes that she was sitting next to Jean-Louis Dumas of Hermès on a flight and asked him, “Why don’t you make a handbag that is bigger than the Kelly but smaller than Serge’s suitcase?” [Birkin’s lover was the French actor, director, and musician Serge Gainsbourg.] She then drew him a sketch of her idea on the plane’s sick bag, and the Parisian house ultimately named the bag for her. As the world has been remembering Jane Birkin’s fashion legacy, perhaps it has inspired Mrs. Beckham to return to this classic.
This post was originally published on Vogue UK.
