Bringing Home the Birkin: My Life in Hot Pursuit of the World's Most Coveted Handbag
by Michael Tonello
|
List Price: $25.95
Our Price: $12.75
Your Save: $ 13.20 ( 51% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: William Morrow
|
Average Customer Rating:  
|
|
Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 381.177092
EAN: 9780061473333
ISBN: 0061473332
Label: William Morrow
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 272
Publication Date: 2008-05-01
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: 2008-04-22
Studio: William Morrow
|
|
|
|
|
|
Spotlight customer reviews:
|
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Rip-off Artiste
Comment: I was disturbed by this empty, fatuous book and disturbed by the many fawning, fatuous reviews. We have something serious here, a superficial man leading an empty, distorted, corrupt life, and then writing a congratulatory book about it, without an inkling of self-awareness. There is a good word that describes this man's career, a word that the author doesn't seem to be aware of, and it's called SCALPING. Scalping is when someone who is dishonest and without integrity puts him/herself in the position to get his hands on valuable, hard-to-get objects and then takes advantage of others by re-selling them at a significant mark-up. There is a reason why scalpers lurk in dark corners and are dishonest about what they are doing, and why it is illegal in many places. Even free-market capitalism doesnt condone scalping. This is what this book is about at its core -- dishonesty, not fashion or shopping -- as the author details all of the lies and deceit that he uses to make his over-sized profit (and creating a deceptive euphemism for his chronic lying by calling it his "formula"). Other characters in the book are also dishonest and detestable, particularly Ward -- who sends the naive author all the way to Europe and then abandons him there. It is very telling that the author does not have the insight to label Ward as a bad person. This book is about corruption and lack of integrity, but the author is not aware of it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Ecellent read
Comment: Great and funny book. What a wonderful well travelled life, Mr. Tonello
Lived in his quest for the BIRKIN. A must Read for every FASHONISTA
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fun read, very informative, but at its heart, it's an Hermes expose
Comment: While reading reviews for this book, one thing you rarely see is the mention that it's also a scathing expose of Hermes' business practices. I also don't think their customers, and in particular those that pay ridiculous secondary-market prices, come off all that well. I'm sure that wasn't the primary intent of the author, but it is silly to pursue a status symbol to the point where you're willing to pay many thousands of Dollars over the regular price just to get a handbag.
What do you get for those thousands? The most well-known symbol for women to say "I've arrived" that's at least marketed by a major luxury firm. It has to be universally recognized, right? It reminds me of teens that say how individual they want to be, but they're really dressing like all of their friends. If everyone wants the same bag, and some women have dozens, does it really retain it's "status" or purported rarity? Doesn't the sheer number of bags that some collectors own prove the fact that they're not rare but rather marketed efficiently?
Hermes, of course, isn't alone in marketing this way, but they must be extremely irritated to have their secrets exposed so easily.
Customer Rating:
Summary: So far so good
Comment: Been through the first few chapters so far...
Reads like a breeze...
Very tongue-in-cheek...
Quite readable....
Customer Rating:
Summary: Captivating read!
Comment: You can almost think the writer is a woman the way he writes passionately about Birkin bags! You come to learn however, there is no emotional connection: purely sales. Michael is a great writer, weaving wonderful stories amongst the Birkin-buying mayhem. The fact that this is a true story was even better. I recommend this book to anyone who loves travel/shopping/laughing. But beware: you'll want to jump on the first plane to Barcelona after you've read it!
|
|
|
Editorial Reviews:
|
Customer Rating:
Summary: Rip-off Artiste
Comment: I was disturbed by this empty, fatuous book and disturbed by the many fawning, fatuous reviews. We have something serious here, a superficial man leading an empty, distorted, corrupt life, and then writing a congratulatory book about it, without an inkling of self-awareness. There is a good word that describes this man's career, a word that the author doesn't seem to be aware of, and it's called SCALPING. Scalping is when someone who is dishonest and without integrity puts him/herself in the position to get his hands on valuable, hard-to-get objects and then takes advantage of others by re-selling them at a significant mark-up. There is a reason why scalpers lurk in dark corners and are dishonest about what they are doing, and why it is illegal in many places. Even free-market capitalism doesnt condone scalping. This is what this book is about at its core -- dishonesty, not fashion or shopping -- as the author details all of the lies and deceit that he uses to make his over-sized profit (and creating a deceptive euphemism for his chronic lying by calling it his "formula"). Other characters in the book are also dishonest and detestable, particularly Ward -- who sends the naive author all the way to Europe and then abandons him there. It is very telling that the author does not have the insight to label Ward as a bad person. This book is about corruption and lack of integrity, but the author is not aware of it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Ecellent read
Comment: Great and funny book. What a wonderful well travelled life, Mr. Tonello
Lived in his quest for the BIRKIN. A must Read for every FASHONISTA
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fun read, very informative, but at its heart, it's an Hermes expose
Comment: While reading reviews for this book, one thing you rarely see is the mention that it's also a scathing expose of Hermes' business practices. I also don't think their customers, and in particular those that pay ridiculous secondary-market prices, come off all that well. I'm sure that wasn't the primary intent of the author, but it is silly to pursue a status symbol to the point where you're willing to pay many thousands of Dollars over the regular price just to get a handbag.
What do you get for those thousands? The most well-known symbol for women to say "I've arrived" that's at least marketed by a major luxury firm. It has to be universally recognized, right? It reminds me of teens that say how individual they want to be, but they're really dressing like all of their friends. If everyone wants the same bag, and some women have dozens, does it really retain it's "status" or purported rarity? Doesn't the sheer number of bags that some collectors own prove the fact that they're not rare but rather marketed efficiently?
Hermes, of course, isn't alone in marketing this way, but they must be extremely irritated to have their secrets exposed so easily.
Customer Rating:
Summary: So far so good
Comment: Been through the first few chapters so far...
Reads like a breeze...
Very tongue-in-cheek...
Quite readable....
Customer Rating:
Summary: Captivating read!
Comment: You can almost think the writer is a woman the way he writes passionately about Birkin bags! You come to learn however, there is no emotional connection: purely sales. Michael is a great writer, weaving wonderful stories amongst the Birkin-buying mayhem. The fact that this is a true story was even better. I recommend this book to anyone who loves travel/shopping/laughing. But beware: you'll want to jump on the first plane to Barcelona after you've read it!
An insider's hilarious, whirlwind account of his years spent globe-trotting in search of the holy grail of handbags: the Birkin For more than twenty years, the Hermès 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 Hermès, 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 . . . Michael's newfound career started with an impulsive move to Barcelona, a vanished job assignment, no work visa, and an Hermès 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 Hermès to part with one of these precious bags. Millions of dollars worth of Birkins later, Michael had become one of eBay's most successful entrepreneurs—and a Robin Hood to thousands of desperate rich women. With down-to-earth 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 Oscar-worthy performances that allowed him to snag "reserved" bags from other, less dogged Birkin seekers. Whether he's 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 world's 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, page-turning, and as addictive as its namesake.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| eFinancialDistrict Market Place |
| CreditReporting.com | The FTC advises monitoring your CREDIT REPORT activity ON ALL 3 BUREAUS. Order your 3-bureau report from CreditReporting.com today. | |
| TaxBrain Online Tax Service | Prepare and E-File Online. Fast Refunds. TaxBrain.Com | |
| Loans.co.uk Partner Programme | Debt Worries? Consolidate your debts with a Secured Loan and benefit from affordable monthly payments. Click here | |
|
What is eFinancialDistrict Market Place?
eFinancialDistrict is a full-featured finance and accounting portal, and this book store is a part of it.
Since the book store selectively offers finance and accounting books and other related products,
our guess is that you are also interested in various finance and banking services.
This market place lists links to those services. Half of services offer you free information for you
to find out more about those services. Of course, it is completely free to request information.
If you find something interesting, just click on it! |
|
|
