{"product_id":"bringing-home-the-birkin-my-life-in-hot-pursuit-of-the-worlds-most-coveted-handbag-isbn-9780061473340","title":"Bringing Home the Birkin: My Life in Hot Pursuit of the World's Most Coveted Handbag","description":"\u003cp\u003e“[A] memoir of . . . madcap travels, triumphs and humiliations. [Tonello] peels back the layers of pretension at the eminent design house. . . . Anyone who’s ever stepped into a luxury boutique and felt the sting of the doorman’s disapproval will find a hero in Tonello.” —\u003cem\u003eMiami Herald\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eThe hilarious, whirlwind account of an insider’s years spent globe-trotting 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 \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eto bagging this legendary purse, coveted by celebrities and status-seekers around the world.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor 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 . . .\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMichael’s newfound career started with an impulsive move to Barcelona, a vanished job assignment, no work visa, and a 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhether 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.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003eFor 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. . . . \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith 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. \u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“Part comedy, part history, part treasure hunt, Michael Tonello’s memoir is a romping sociological inquiry.  If you’re like me, you’ll be transfixed and wanting more!” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTim Gunn\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A deliciously quick nonfiction read.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCharlotte Observer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Funny, thrilling, chock-full of great cocktail-party stories told with the flair of a natural raconteur.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"The Year in Books 2008,\" Chicago Center for Literature and Photography\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The fashion world is about to be handed its own Da Vinci Code with Bringing Home the Birkin.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMaclean's\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The perfect, fluffy and fun beach read.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eglamour.com\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A witty and engaging retrospective on [Tonello’s] long career traipsing the globe as a purveyor of the Birkin bag.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePittsburgh Post-Gazette\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[A] sunny memoir. . . . The prose is vivid, the tone lighthearted. Mr. Tonello comes off as the fantasy gay best friend immortalized in contemporary women’s fiction: sassy, plucky, optimistic—oh, and he can get you a Birkin.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[A] memoir of . . . madcap travels, triumphs and humiliations. [Tonello] peels back the layers of pretension at the eminent design house. . . . Anyone who’s ever stepped into a luxury boutique and felt the sting of the doorman’s disapproval will find a hero in Tonello.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMiami Herald\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Hermès’ worst nightmare.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Daily News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I devoured, and adored Bringing Home the Birkin, the story of how one man turned the fashionable set’s obsession with Hermès’ signature handbag into a handsome, globe-trotting career.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJennifer Weiner, Author of Good in Bed and In Her Shoes\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“This summer’s most adorable chick-lit book. . . . It’s smart. It’s fizzy. It’s amusingly snarky, with attitude to burn. ” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The one-step, one-stop shop guide to buying a Birkin.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHuffington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The one-step, one-stop shop guide to buying a Birkin.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eArianna Huffington, Huffington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“ [Tonello] reveals the key to scoring that Holy Grail of handbags in a clever memoir.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBoston Herald\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“In his peppy, addictive memoir . . . [Tonello] details the comical lengths to which he’s gone to snag hundreds of Birkins that he then sells (with a steep mark-up) on eBay.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003emoderntonic.com\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Funny, whip-smart. . . . Both a hilarious raid on fashion’s strongholds and a memoir that satisfies like a novel. Fashion die-hards, and many others, will be delighted from beginning to end.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBoston Globe bestseller\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Fascinating. . . . The sassy and resourceful Tonello built a very lucrative eBay resale business from his apartment, specializing in Hermès scarves and the French luxury purveyor’s highly desired Birkin bag. It’s hard not to be swept up in his delightful one-man Birkin Brigades.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMinneapolis Star Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Fascinating…. It’s hard not to be swept up in his delightful one-man Birkin Brigades.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMinneapolis Star Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“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.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003estraight.com\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“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.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Globe and Mail\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"William Morrow Paperbacks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44887831511269,"sku":"NP9780061473340","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780061473340.jpg?v=1730227554","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/bringing-home-the-birkin-my-life-in-hot-pursuit-of-the-worlds-most-coveted-handbag-isbn-9780061473340","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}