Bringing Home the Birkin: My Life in Hot Pursuit of the Worlds Most Coveted Handbag

[A] memoir of . . . madcap travels, triumphs and humiliations. [Tonello] peels back the layers of pretension at the eminent design house. . . . Anyone whos ever stepped into a luxury boutique and felt the sting of the doormans disapproval will find a hero in Tonello. Miami HeraldThe hilarious, whirlwind account of an insiders years spent globetrotting in search of the handbag called a better investment than gold: the Birkin. With a life that reads like a heist novel, Michael Tonello reveals the secret to bagging this legendary purse, coveted by celebrities and statusseekers around the world.For more than twenty years, the Herms Birkin bag has been the iconic symbol of fashion, luxury, and wealth. Though the bag is often seen dangling from the arms of celebrities, there is a fabled waiting list of more than two years to buy one from Herms, and the average fashionista has a better chance of climbing Mount Everest in Prada pumps than of possessing one of these coveted carryalls. Unless, of course, she happens to know Michael Tonello . . .Michaels newfound career started with an impulsive move to Barcelona, a vanished job assignment, no work visa, and a Herms scarf sold on eBay to generate some quick cash. But soon the resourceful Michael discovered the truth about the waiting list and figured out the secret to getting Herms to part with one of these precious bags. Millions of dollars worth of Birkins later, Michael had become one of eBays most successful entrepreneursand a Robin Hood to thousands of desperate rich women.With downtoearth wit, Michael chronicles the unusual ventures that took him to nearly every continent, from eBay to Paris auction house and into the lives of celebrities and poseurs. Flirting with danger, Michael recounts the heady rush of hand delivering his first big score to famed songwriter Carole Bayer Sager in Paris; how he had to hire thugs to rescue a bag that one of his shoppers held for ransom; and the story of the Oscarworthy performances that allowed him to snag reserved bags from other, less dogged Birkin seekers.Whether hes relating his wining and dining, buying and selling, dodging and weaving, laughing and crying, or schmoozing and stammering, Michael is a master raconteur who weaves together tales of hunting Birkins in the worlds most posh locales, memories of meals that would make any gastronome salivate, anecdotes of obsessed collectors with insatiable desires, and sweetly intimate stories about his family, friends, and finding true love. The result is a memoir that is distinctive, fun, pageturning, and as addictive as its namesake.