on the genealogy of an It Bag
and a great vintage alternative
Dear reader, you may have heard a certain pressing question being asked over and over during the last few months by numerous influencers, journalists with newsletters, and Fashion people. “Is The Row Margaux the next Birkin?”1
When I first saw this query in an article last fall, I had to look up the bag in question. Hmm, I thought to myself. This looks … very familiar. So of course I had to do a fashion genealogy, and this is the result:
I suppose there are a few ways we could try to answer this question via Fashion Multiple Choice:
Question: Is The Row Margaux the next Birkin?
a) Yes, it’s the next Birkin! It’s sold out everywhere and A-listers like Jennifer Lawrence have been papped in it nonstop and it’s the It Bag of our “quiet luxury”/ludicrously-capacious-bags-are-back times, but it’s now “a modern heirloom”. It’s time for a fresh perspective. And there’s a waitlist!
b) No, nothing will ever surpass The Birkin in all its classic, so-exclusive-people-are-suing HBIC glory. The Margaux is just the latest It Bag of our “quiet luxury”/ludicrously-capacious-bags-are-back times, so it’s sold out everywhere and A-listers like Jennifer Lawrence have been papped in it nonstop. It’s all hype, people. Team Birkin or bust.
c) Well isn’t the Margaux just an open-top Hermès Bolide? And the latest east/west version of the Margaux (also sold out everywhere) is kind of the direct descendant of the original Hermès Bolide and the JPG shoulder Birkin, so in a sense it is the heir apparent-ish, given its fashion lineage.
d) Maybe the question should be, “Why do all roads lead back to Hermès?”
e) All of the above.
A Google search brings up countless Youtube review/comparison videos and articles from every fashion media outlet, forum, magazine, and tabloid paper. I can’t remember the last time so many people debated a fashion topic with such dedicated fervor.
In any case, a hotly debated question calls for a proper poll. Please cast your votes!
From a personal style standpoint, I recently found myself in an “accidentally on trend” moment when I pulled out my vintage ‘90s Really Old Celine bag. I bought it years ago from a Japanese vintage shop, and it is the only red anything in my closet. I’m guessing it probably hails from the Michael Kors era at Celine. Pre-Phoebe Celine (the accent on the ‘e’ was added when she joined) wasn’t particularly cool or cutting-edge, but I love many of the accessories from that period. The clean lines give it a timeless quality and the detachable shoulder strap makes it practical (and remixable). The epsom leather has aged very well. It’s an easy bag to throw on with whatever. I think the color is the perfect shade of red and, depending on how you style it, it can be its own statement/neutral color.
Whether the Margaux is the next Birkin or not, I invite you to consider a third, more sustainable option if you’re into this vibe: check out vintage shops for ‘90s and early 2000s Celine. The bags are very minimal with little to no hardware and crafted in much higher quality supple epsom leather (compared to today’s often rock-hard, plasticky kind). Bonus: they’re also much more accessible price-wise than any of the current luxury bag offerings. In my humble opinion, Really Old Celine exemplifies the best of the minimalist aesthetic in accessory design. Great vintage can be both of its time and of the moment. And at the end of the day, what’s better than skipping the waitlist?
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I’d love to hear your thoughts on the Birkin effect, It Bags, and “fashion genealogies”. What do you think?
Who asked the question first? (Was it a publicist?) As a marketing talking point (that has gone viral), this is pretty brilliant.
I loved this post and literally laughed out loud reading it! The hype around the Margaux was captured perfectly and, honestly, it's "the next birkin" in the sense that people are shouting that it is. There are countless options for this type of silhouette, especially when including vintage, that I want people to stop clamoring for the name of it and just buy the silhouette they like best.
Deeply LOVE this post (as I love all of yours!) For me, the jury’s still out. Nothing is going to replace the Birkin, but I think others, i.e. those without Birkins, will talk so loudly we will almost only hear how the Margaux is IT.