The Facts
Christie's announced Handbags Online: The September Edit, an online auction running September 8–18, with a public exhibition at its Rockefeller Center headquarters from September 8–13 during New York Fashion Week. The sale features over 90 lots offered with no reserve, including a rare 2021 matte white Himalaya Niloticus crocodile Birkin 35 with palladium hardware (estimate: $90,000–120,000) and a shiny black Porosus crocodile Sellier Birkin 30 (estimate: $50,000–60,000). Other highlights include vintage Hermès pieces from the 1950s, Louis Vuitton trunks once owned by Montgomery Clift's twin sister Ethel Clift McGinnis, and a set of 1950s wardrobe trunks made for former MoMA president William A. M. Burden Jr. Bidding starts at $100, aiming to attract both seasoned collectors and first-time buyers.
The Signal
The no-reserve strategy on 91 lots, combined with the $100 minimum bid, signals Christie's effort to democratize luxury handbag collecting and capture new entrants during the high-traffic NYFW period. The sale's tie-in with concurrent fashion exhibitions—The Auction Inside The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Bill Blass: American Elegance—reinforces Christie's push to position handbags as both wearable art and investment-grade assets. For collectors, the presence of rare Hermès pieces with no reserve creates a rare opportunity to acquire trophy lots below typical market prices, though the final hammer will test demand for top-tier crocodile Birkins in a softening luxury market.
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- People: Max Brownawell, Ethel Clift McGinnis, William A. M. Burden Jr.
- Auction Houses: Christie's
- Locations: New York
- Prices: $90,000-120,000, $50,000-60,000, $12,000-15,000, $15,000-20,000, $20,000-26,000
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