Hermès released the infamous Birkin bag in 1984, after the current CEO of the company, Jean-Louis Dumas, met Jane Birkin on a flight from Paris to London. The Birkin bag was inspired by the iconic French-film actress and singer after — while speaking to Dumas on the plane — she voiced her troubles in successfully finding a durable, practical handbag that could carry everything she needed. Ms. Birkin is famous for being photographed carrying a woven wicker basket for this very reason — until the birth of the Birkin was prompted by the namesake herself. Thus, the Birkin bag was born, beginning its status as a symbol for wealth.
The Birkin’s Evolving Meaning
The Birkin bag has now come to be seen as a sort of elusive mythical creature, infamous for the convoluted process that buyers must go through to obtain one. Jeffree Star is famous for showcasing his extensive Birkin bag collection in closet tours on his YouTube, where his bags (one for every color of the rainbow) have their own section of shelves to sit on. This use of the bag is the total opposite of the bag’s origin story and Ms. Birkin’s use of it. Ms. Birkin, as the namesake of the bag, has always had the same philosophy for Birkin owners: owners should use the bag to its fullest potential. In 2011, Ms. Birkin told Vogue, “There’s no fun in a bag if it’s not kicked around.”
The most contemporary example of a Birkin user following Ms. Birkin’s ‘wear and tear’ philosophy is Mary-Kate Olsen — the grimier half of the it-girl Olsen twins — famous for starring in “Full House” and for their contribution to style iconography of the early 2010s. Olsen does two things right here: she uses her Birkin for its practical purpose, while also cultivating that revered messy cool-girl look that is clawing its way back to the forefront of trends now, in 2026.
Ms. Birkin’s concern was mainly about the Birkin bag, but this ‘wear and tear’ philosophy for using items to their fullest potential can be translated to any item.
Amy Winehouse’s Punk Rock Ballet Flats
Shoes in particular have the power to unlock memories and feelings that bring us back to a certain period of life. Whether those shoes are the soccer cleats that you used to run across the field in until the soles fell out, or the platform Demonia Creeper Boots that you begged your parents for during your “alt” phase, finding an old and forgotten pair of shoes stuck in the back of your closet can drum up the nostalgia of how life felt when you used to wear them everyday. Unlike a t-shirt or a pair of jeans, shoes and bags can become staples in everyday use.
Amy Winehouse — as the icon that she will always be — is no stranger to Ms. Birkin’s ‘wear and tear’ philosophy. One thing you will often see in paparazzi pictures of Winehouse is her trusty pair of ballet slippers.
She preferred the classic pink satin dancer-grade ballet shoes with no insole — the kind that dancers wear on stage. Photos of her on nights out stomping around in her staple ballet shoes are what made them her signature — a touch of feminine and vintage flair to her style that we would now call early “indie-sleaze”. She wore them to her court hearing in 2009 when she pleaded not guilty to charges of assault when she was accused of punching a fan and pairs of her ballet shoes often sell at auctions. In 2023, the infamous pair with blood stains that Winehouse wore during a fight with her husband was sold to a Turkish collector at an L.A. auction for $3,900.
To Be Used is To Be Loved
Like Jane Birkin said about the infamous Birkin bag, visible signs of everyday use on any article of clothing are an indicator of someone who is enjoying and utilizing these pieces of fashion that we hold so dearly. Signs of wear and tear are visible displays of devotion to the things that we love. By using things — or wearing things — to their fullest potential, we create memories that will last forever, just by slipping one foot into that pair of old white Converse from high school that you found in the attic.
When we buy something new, it is up to us to make that thing our own — different from all the others that were sold. A broken backpack zipper is a testament to how many winter days you trudged to class where it held everything you needed for class and frays on your jeans are scars from each night out with your friends — a physical remnant of you making memories that will last a lifetime.
Each night that you spend stomping around frat row with your best friends in your tattered, trusty old white Nike Air Forces is another night of memories that those very shoes were there with you. Your shoes and your bags see you at your worst, they see you at your best, and they protect your feet and items and carry you home after a long night of fun — no matter if you ruined your friends’ night by getting blackout drunk or if it’s the other way around — items with ‘wear and tear’ are a reminder that you are living, moving — going forward. Then, when they’re all used up, it’s ‘out with the old, and in with the new’. It’s more chic that way. Use your things!
Who’s your favorite messy cool it-girl style icon? Let us know @VALLEYmag on Instagram!
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