Synopses & Reviews
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 Hermes 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 Hermes, 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 Hermes 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 Hermes 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.
Review
“The perfect, fluffy and fun beach read.” glamour.com
Review
“Fascinating. . . . The sassy and resourceful Tonello built a very lucrative eBay resale business from his apartment, specializing in Hermès scarves and the French luxury purveyors highly desired Birkin bag. Its hard not to be swept up in his delightful one-man Birkin Brigades.” Minneapolis Star Tribune
Review
“This summers most adorable chick-lit book. . . . Its smart. Its fizzy. Its amusingly snarky, with attitude to burn. ” New York Times
Review
“The one-step, one-stop shop guide to buying a Birkin.” Arianna Huffington, Huffington Post
Review
“ [Tonello] reveals the key to scoring that Holy Grail of handbags in a clever memoir.” Boston Herald
Review
“A deliciously addictive true tale of continent-hopping, celebrity-schmoozing, and a crazy-like-a-fox quest for that Hermès “it” bag, the Birkin. Haute read, indeed.” straight.com
Review
“Funny, whip-smart. . . . Both a hilarious raid on fashions strongholds and a memoir that satisfies like a novel. Fashion die-hards, and many others, will be delighted from beginning to end.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
“The fashion world is about to be handed its own Da Vinci Code with Bringing Home the Birkin.” Maclean's
Review
“[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 Herald
Review
“Part comedy, part history, part treasure hunt, Michael Tonellos memoir is a romping sociological inquiry. If youre like me, youll be transfixed and wanting more!” Tim Gunn
Review
“Hermès worst nightmare.” New York Daily News
Review
“I devoured, and adored Bringing Home the Birkin, the story of how one man turned the fashionable sets obsession with Hermès signature handbag into a handsome, globe-trotting career.” Jennifer Weiner, Author of Good in Bed and In Her Shoes
Review
Boston Globe bestseller No Source
Review
“[A] sunny memoir. . . . The prose is vivid, the tone lighthearted. Mr. Tonello comes off as the fantasy gay best friend immortalized in contemporary womens fiction: sassy, plucky, optimisticoh, and he can get you a Birkin.” Wall Street Journal
Review
“A witty and engaging retrospective on [Tonellos] long career traipsing the globe as a purveyor of the Birkin bag.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Review
“In his peppy, addictive memoir . . . [Tonello] details the comical lengths to which hes gone to snag hundreds of Birkins that he then sells (with a steep mark-up) on eBay.” moderntonic.com
Review
“Funny, thrilling, chock-full of great cocktail-party stories told with the flair of a natural raconteur.” "The Year in Books 2008," Chicago Center for Literature and Photography
Review
“A deliciously quick nonfiction read.” Charlotte Observer
Review
“Tonello recounts the strange and serendipitous tale of how he went from cleaning out his closet to being one of the busiest Internet resellers of Birkin bags in the world.” The Globe and Mail
Synopsis
For more than twenty years, the Hermès Birkin bag has been the iconic symbol of fashion, luxury, and wealth. With a fabled waiting list of more than two years to purchase one, the average fashionista has a better chance of climbing Mount Everest in Prada pumps than of possessing this coveted carryall. Unless, of course, she happens to know Michael Tonello. . . .
With down-to-earth wit, Michael Tonello chronicles the unusual ventures that took him to nearly every continent—and from eBay to Paris auction houses and into the lives of celebrities and poseurs alike—on the road to becoming a successful entrepreneur and Robin Hood to thousands of desperate rich women.
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.