NEW YORK - Krystal Schlegel comes from a family of Hermes fans. Her mom owns a 30-inch orange ostrich-leather Birkin, and her sister received a white one for Christmas during college. So the high school senior felt graduation would be the perfect time to get her own.
"It never goes out of style," the Dallas 18-year-old said. She's been begging since January, dropping hints whenever she and her mom see a person carrying one: "Hey Mom, look at that Birkin!"
A leather briefcase used to be the norm for a new graduate, fresh from a backyard party with bills slipped inside congratulation cards. But educational milestones have now become occasions for children to ask for an extra luxurious gift that they won't be able to afford on their own - and the humble briefcase will no longer do.
"Many women dream of a handbag collection to pass down to their daughters or granddaughters one day, and giving them one at graduation is a wonderful way to help them start their own collection," said Tina Craig, 38, who runs the purse connoisseur Web site BagSnob.com.
Schlegel said her friends are also specifying designer bags to their parents for gifts.
"They want something nice to go to college, and the sororities will look at (the handbags) too," said Schlegel, who is headed this fall to Southern Methodist University. She said her friends were looking into handbags by the French design houses Chloe and Chanel.
The Birkin - which would start at $6,300 and is still hard to find in stores - may seem a bit much for a teenager during a recession. But a bag at any price can make a perfect graduation gift for a high school graduate headed for college, or a college grad turned loose in the work force.
For luxury on a budget, consignment stores carry used bags from high-end designers. Vintage designer purses, which can cost half the price of a new version, are an affordable option.
Craig, who received a new Chanel purse and a vintage Gucci bag for high school graduation, said passing on a favorite designer bag already in a parent's collection would make the occasion even more personal. Buying an older, used handbag is also fine. "Make sure it is something she can actually use, and that it is still stylish today," she cautioned.
Bags with multiple uses, such as ones that are travel-sized or can be carried in different styles, are also good buys, especially as gifts for male graduates. Craig said that briefcases, messengers, or a hybrid of the two styles are the way to go.
"They'll be able to use it more," she said. "They can use it when they go on a job interview."
Lindsi Lane, a personal shopper at Barneys New York, has sold Tumi luggage and Tod's messenger bags to male graduates who want something suitable for careers after school. For a 21-year-old going into sports journalism, Lane suggested a Tod's messenger bag because it had an option to be carried as a briefcase.
"He felt as though he got a two-for-one deal with the purchase of this great bag," she said.
Girls who want to combine designer appeal with practicality may want a large leather bag, like the Balenciaga weekender bag, said Lane. She sold one to a 17-year-old high schooler who would be attending college out-of-state. Besides being large enough for books, the bag "will be beyond practical for her when traveling back and forth from home to school," she said.
Even on a budget, Craig advises spending a little extra for leather, which at a brand like Coach may cost only a $100 more than a cloth counterpart. "Graduation gifts are gifts you want to last for a long time. Leather will wear better than nylon or fabric," she said.
Along with the white leather Birkin for which she'll need to be placed on a waiting list, Schlegel is also asking for black Van Cleef and Arpels earrings - "the classic ones" - she explained, that cost $2,000.
She considered asking for a getaway but decided the Birkin couldn't wait until college graduation, but the trip could: "I would appreciate it more when I'm older."
For more versions of the story:
US: ABC News
Chicago Tribune
Florida- The Gainesville Sun
Georgia- Athens Banner
South Dakota- Argus Leader
Canada: CBC
The Globe and Mail
The London Free Press
Global: AOL lifestyle
They sent me dozens more links but this is all I could handle posting up on a Sunday afternoon.
Congrats Tina! I am graduating in few weeks time,anyone up for giving me a bag??:D
xoxo
wow, a birkin for graduation?
Anyone else thinks it's ridiculous and bratty for a high school graduate to be asking for a Birkin and $2000 earrings for graduation? At least the way I was taught, you appreciate what's given to you, and if you want something else, you work to get it yourself. Then again my family's fairly traditional.
If this girl is getting a Birkin and $2,000 earrings for her high school graduation, what is she going to get for her college graduation? Fair enough if her parents are mega-rich and can afford these luxuries, but it still seems quite over-the-top.
I can only hope that this sense of entitlement does not apply to others, who's families are not so well off and can't afford to spend this much on just a graduation gift.
jc, i completely agree. Graduating high school is not really an accomplishment. I don't understand why people need to make such a big deal out of small, ORDINARY things.
I second JC and M as well. This girl seems extremely bratty, and with her attitude I can only guess that she is from Highland Park. Regardless of your wealth you should be humbled by ANY gift or expensive purchase (which is somtehing I rarely see on this site anyway). Still, I hope that this poor girl doesn't think she's going to impress anyone at SMU by having a Birkin.
i also agree - i only graduated high school three years ago and i consider it waaay low on my list of accomplishments, lol. "congrats, you didn't drop out!" my best graduation present was getting to leave my boring hometown for sunny california to go to college.
As both a student at SMU and a collector of fabulous bags, I can appreciate this girl's desire for something nice to celebrate the new chapter in her life. With that said, I think it is completely inappropriate to give someone who is virtually a child a Birkin, and then to give her Van Cleef and Apels earrings as a "for now gift" is down-right appalling.For high school graduation I received a new laptop, of my choosing. At my party, I was given a sum by my parents "in lue" so I would have something to open and play with until I got my Mac. I must say that no one at SMU is impressed by this kind of ridiculous gesture. A few of my girlfriends received new cars for high school graduation--in my family this is the present for college graduation. All anyone says about them is that they are spoiled brats. I would tell her parents to go for a great Epi Speedy of Balenciaga City Bag... those are things girls at SMU carry, the few Birkins we see are usually dismissed as fake, regardless of the parents socio-economic status. Personally, I have some wonderful bags, including a gorgeous Hermes Kelly, but all of which I bought with money I worked for, not with Mommy and Daddy's money. If you feel like giving further, do your child a favor and invest it in a mutual fund or put it in their trust... your daughter will never appreciate nice things if she never had to work for them. Give her something to look forward to.I know I have wanted a Birkin since I was in high school... and now I am only a year away from graduation, just received my new car, and know that I am just a few months away from being able to purchase a Birkin on my own. It is no wonder people around the country think we mustangs are all spoiled brats... stop contributing to our bad reputation. There is an old saying "When you go on your first job interview, look like you need the job." I know I won't be wearing my Dior suit and Rolex watch... likewise I wouldn't carry a Birkin. It sends out the wrong message.I still love Bagsob!
Guys,we're talking about people who can afford those things-you wouldn't mind buying your kid a Coach bag for High School graduation,now would you? These people have a budget for an Hermes bag,so it's probably not a big deal for them. I wouldn't say that asking for a Birkin when your mum and sister have got one is making this girl a spoiled brat?? If she worked hard at school then I would say go for it.My Mum always gave me presents and I can assure you I am not spoiled and I know the value of money.
xoxo
Paulina- Don't assume because we critize this poor behavior that we cannot afford a birkin, or however many we may what, as well. I'm 22, just graduated from SMU and everything that SMUbagBOY said is completely true. Any birkin that is seen is assumed fake (and most are) in a feebly attempt to "keep up" with the SMU lifestyle. SMUbagBOY said it best!
While I completely agree with some of the views that a Birkin for graduation (esp high school) seems a little full of excess, however I have tucked away a gorgeous pink suede mini constance for my daughter's high school graduation (and she is only 7 right now:) I am a self made person and did not even purchase my first Hermes Birkin until last Christmas. Since then, I have accumulated quite a Hermes collections including Birkins, kellys, medors, constances, shoes, watches and various CDC bracelets b/c there is no other brand that is better or as addictive. I could have afforded Hermes a long time ago, but did not want a Birkin until this past year. However, since my daughter has grown up with my love for bags, I can see why she would want them at an earlier age:)
My daughter loves "girly" stuff and is just as excited with a pink hello kitty bag as a lilac python chanel bag (even though she knows she must be older to use "mommy's chanel bags":) I'm happy she shares my love for fashion and gorgeous bags and can't wait until until she is a little older so we can start sharing and for me to pass down a bag down to her on those special occasions. I can also tell you that she is definitely not a brat b/c she knows the value of money and sees how her parents work and she wants to work or have her own business just like her parents. Im sure Bagsnob Tina does not need to "work" but nevertheless found her true calling (and set great example to her son!)
Side note and question to Bagsnob Tina/Kelly, yesterday i was in the Hermes store and saw a new style Kelly bag with a belt closure in front of it rather than just the usual clasp (i forgot to ask the SA what that bag is called)..today i saw in vogue magazine, the new first lady of France was carrying the exact bag in dark chocolate..i was wondering if Bagsnob Tina or Kelly has seen this bag..is this the new kelly? thanks PING
I guess my point is
Seriously, a $2000 handbag for graduation?? I don't care how much money I have when my future daughter graduates from HS (I am fabulously 28 with no kids yet) - but I don't think I would just give away a $2000 'toy' to someone who is likely not old enough to appreciate the $. Not to mention, I can't spoil a child like that knowing that many poor families in the world could live off that amount for a couple of years. Ok - maybe I am being dramatic here - I DO LOVE the finer things in life and may be a little hypocritical at times - but at least I have worked hard for the finer things I own. I do very well for myself now, but when I graduated from HS? I recieved a color printer and a laptop (which were quite fancy back in the day) and $200 dollars in a real checking account. Those were things that I actually put to good use - those were enablers to my prized education. A $2000 handbag? That will not enable an 18 year old to do much good. HOWEVER, a $2000 handbag for someone who has worked for it is like a rewarding milestone. My 2 cents. P.S. Still love this website, what a nice distraction from the sad and craziness in the world! :-)
Suzilicious, you're being optimistic! It's a $2000 pair of earrings... the bag's $6300.
Ooops! I guess I should have read more carefully before posting :-)
Wow!!! What is the world coming too? If we get Hermes for HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION--what do we have to work for once college graduation is upon us--a house??? Today's youth moves sooooo very fast!
$6,300... it would be nice to get a Birkin for that... the last time I checked a basic black Togo leather 35cm with Palladium hardware was somewhere in the neighborhood of $8,200+. My goodness just one ounce of Palladium is almost $500 market value... add in the top-quality leather and super-craftsmanship. If you ask me, a Birkin is so worth it, but only to those who can truly appreciate its beauty, not silly label whores.
I find the concept of buying a Birkin for someone's High School graduation totally obscene.......this is what leads to these 'princesses' becoming very jaded in life! High School graduation really isn't a big deal - in the U.K., it is just a matter of course! There is much more satisfaction to be had from working hard and purchasing one for yourself (and even this isn't a given - everyone has to wait on that waiting list)!!!
I am not shocked at all that some of our country's youth are very "what's in it for me." What can I have for graduation?? I have two nieces that are graduating this June and rather than gifts (and by no means is their family wealthy) they want to make a difference in the world and are donating their money to charities (child slavery and prostitution causes). They understand the true meaning of a "gift" is helping someone in need.
I think what Karrie wrote is one of the most wonderful and refreshing things I have read in recent memory. I wish more people could be like her nieces. What is the point of going to a charity gala at $2000 a plate, if you are going to spend $12,000 on the gown? As my mother says, she would rather give it all to charity, and do so out of the goodness of her heart, rather than to be seen in some society newspaper/magazine.
I am graduating from high school this year, and I would say that it is definitely a big deal, not just a "matter of course". I've worked hard, and I would not be graduating if I did not deserve it. However, I would never ask my mother for a gift that cost thousands of dollars, even if she could afford it. That's just completely unnecessary and a waste of money. If I want a new handbag, I can get a nice one at Target for under $50, and I'll be just as happy with that as a fancy name brand. Besides, if I owned something worth so much money, I would be constantly checking to make sure I still had it, and the anxiety and fear of losing it would take away any pleasure the bag itself gave me. I believe that I do "know the value of money" since my family has had financial issues in the past; however, if I ever make it to the point where I can afford to buy a Birkin, I wouldn't even consider purchasing one. There are so many other, less superficial things I could do with that money.
Oh come on it is high school!!! Not that difficult.
I have to say, as an (almost) senior in high school and working hard at a part time job, I have always been taught by my parents to save up and buy one very good piece (Chanel bag, for example) rather than spend it all on a smaller item (coach bag, example). I have already been told that if I want a new Mac for college or another bag, that will be my graduation present.
Just because we receive beautiful presents doesn't mean we don't appreciate them or value them. Personally, as a collector of bags (lol!)if I received either of these gifts, I would value them more than anyone else I know because my parents work hard for the money they earn. I say, if the family can afford the bag and earrings, more power to them.
i agree with most of the comments here. Expecting a Birkin for HIGH SCHOOL graduation is ridiculous, and extremely bratty IMO, even if your parents could easily afford it. 1) graduating from high school is NOT a big deal...it's not like she did something that takes unusual effort, like graduating from medical or law school 2) if she expects a birkin when she's 17, what will she expect when she's 30? 3) whatever happened to teaching your children the value of money??
what also bugs me is that it seems like the girl in the article is concerned about all the wrong things when going off to college. her first concern seems to be about getting a $8,000 BAG so she can "fit in" at school (!) whatever happened to worrying about choosing your classes, keeping up with school, figuring out what career path to take, etc?
i agree with "fashionscientist"...what is the world coming to?? lol