Jane Birkin smiling, holding her iconic original Birkin bag with charms and stickers on it, stuffed with her things

It sold for $10,000,000. And had stickers on it. And maybe an old banana at the bottom. But Jane Birkin’s bag, the OG iconic and very first IT BAG is relentlessly knocked off because it is well, perfect. Yet hers looks anything but. What’s most curious about seeing images of her bag, is how lived in it was. Like it was a VW bus that she traveled cross country in. It wasn’t precious, nor kept in a dustbag on a shelf waiting for a special occasion, it was part of her daily life, an extension of her. It was decorated, fun, stuffed with things she deemed important and became part of her personality. When I worked at MTV, I used to refer to my Mulberry Bayswater bag as the workin’ girl’s Birkin, a title seconded by my makeup artist friend there and resident handbag guru, Sheree. So no matter what bag you carry, dress it up and make it your own with these bits and bobs and beads, Birkin style.

Coach gold tennis racquet and ball bag charm

COACH bag charm

Parker Thatch tortoise link and gold heart back charm

PARKER THATCH heart and chain charm

Kate Spade tiny handbag coin purse bag charm

KATE SPADE nano carryall bag charm or this one from MAISON de SABRÉ

Louis Vuitton bag gold, brown, lavender and white logo bag charm

LOUIS VUITTON bag charms or this one from A NEW DAY

Gucci leather dog bag charm keyring

GUCCI bag charm

Veronica Beard beaded bag charm keyring

VERONICA BEARD triple bead bag charm

Equestrian satin scarf with horses

THE NOLI SHOP printed satin scarf

Coach horse and carriage bag chain

COACH chain or this GUCCI or this beaded INK +ALLOY with brass evil eye

Clare V. fish and tennis ball beaded bag charm

CLARE V. Charm fob

Urbaan Expressions resin cherries on gold chain bag charm

URBAN EXPRESSIONS cherry bag charm or this BAUBLEBAR olives bag charm

Kate Spade white rose bag charm key ring

KATE SPADE Flower bag charm or this BAUBLEBAR bow bag charm

Baublebar gold initial J bag charm

BAUBLEBAR initial bag charm

Sequin pearl bag chain

SEQUIN pearl bag chain or FRANCESCA’S scarf chain

J.Crew black and white striped silk scarf

J.CREW scarf

Ok Originals clover motif black and gold bag charm

OK ORIGINALS clover bag charm

Ted Baker black coin purse with gold flower bag charm

TED BAKER coin purse or this one from KELLY & KATIE

Anthropologie New York Yankees bag charm

Show your team pride with a baseball charm like this one from ANTHROPOLOGIE, or make your own MLB charm (choose whatever theme you want!) with a DIY kit from SUPERSMALLS, an NFL team charm from BAUBLEBAR or make your own NFL team charm with BAUBLEBAR’S NFL BEAD KIT.

Lavender Labubu monster bag charm

And if these little LABUBU monsters are good enough to grace a US Open tennis champ’s bag (Naomi Osaka had hers custom bedazzled for each match!) then give one a try. Who knows? Maybe your game will improve.


And while we can all dream of owning a Birkin of our very own one day, until then, these Birkin inspired bags do the trick:

Ferragamo black top handle handbag

FERRAGAMO Hug Leather Tote

Brown suede Demellier Hudson Tote

DEMELLIER Hudson Tote

Mark & Graham Elisabetta leather slouchy tote

MARK & GRAHAM Elisabetta slouchy bag

Veronica Beard Dash Bag
White top handle tote handbag, Birkin dupe

DASEIN top handle tote

Dasein top handle bag with matching clutch black ostrich

DASEIN Top handle bag with matching clutch

Hermes Birkin bag 35 pumpkin

And if you are in the market for the iconic original, try one of these stunning pre-loved classics. HERMÉS pre-loved Birkin in pumpkin or this pre-loved BIRKIN in black

Shop my SHOPMY page here

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