|
Loading... Bringing Home the Birkin: My Life in Hot Pursuit of the World's Most…by Michael Tonello
LibraryThing recommendationsMember recommendationsLoading...
won't like
will probably not like
will probably like
will like
will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. After moving from Provincetown to Barcelona, Mr. Tonello made a successful living by serving as intermediary between the makers of overpriced status goods and people desperately eager to buy those items. He does a good job describing his successful techniques. The book may fascinate or amuse those hoping to cut him out as middleman but is a bit too cute for me. A middling read. (  ) abycats | Dec 19, 2009 |  This book is great, because it's dishy, but not in a bad way. It's mainly dishy about Michael, and there are very few celebrities, so it's a nice dishy. It's also HYSTERICAL. Michael's list of stock Hermes employees alone is worth the book. What I love is that he never takes the Hermes lifestyle as serious as his clients, which allows him to poke fun at the crazy ones, while at the same time singing the praises of the nicer ones. Michael's easy tone makes it seem like the whole story is being told over a lavish dinner with some good wine. I couldn't put it down. see the full review here: http://www.jenrothschild.com/2008/04/... (  ) kidsilkhaze | Nov 3, 2009 | I received this book way back in March '08 as an advanced readers copy, read it right away, loved it, and somehow didn't get around to writing a review...until now (October '09). I started leafing through the book to remind myself of Michael's adventures, and his writing is so engaging that I ended up reading the entire book over again and enjoying it just as much the second time! I love his wit as he deals with Hermes obsessed buyers - I can only dream of ever owning a Birkin myself (although, even if I had unlimited funds, I probably couldn't justify it. $25,000 for a bag? Please!) .It was fun to get a peek at the lives of the upper ,upper, way upper class. I am glad that Michael took me along on his travels...twice! ( ) jaltergott23 | Oct 6, 2009 | I liked this one. Cute and easily read. (  ) PoeticaL | Sep 1, 2009 | This was a cute and light read, but I'm with everyone else. It was hard for me to understand the obsession with the handbags. From this angle, it was hard for me to relate to the story. (  ) forkyfork | Aug 8, 2009 |  no reviews | add a review
References to this work on external resources.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Book description |
|
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.
(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:11 -0400)
The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details.
Quick Links |
Bringing Home the Birkin by Michael Tonello was made available through LibraryThing Early Reviewers. Sign up to possibly get pre-publication copies of books.
Wikipedia in English
