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Loose Threads
Barbie 2 is apparently “in crisis,” per Variety, because Warner Bros. can’t reach a deal with talent. Apparently Greta Gerwig didn’t want language about a sequel in contracts, so there was none, and now Warner Bros. has until December to reach a deal before Barbie has to go back to Barbie Land* and Hollywood is FREAKING TF OUT!!! Gosling apparently wants $20 million for the sequel. Robbie’s payout for the first movie is said to be “well ahead” of $50 million.
Travel kit brand Parallelle is rebranding as Afform. They make toiletry cases with nifty fold-down sides that keep your products upright and come in square boxy shapes and more makeup bag-like shapes. If you like to travel with jewelry: I love this little box designed to keep your jewelry from commingling and tangling.
Rough week for Shein: it sued Temu for copyright infringement — and lost.
Steff Yotka will succeed Thom Bettridge as editor-in-chief of Karlie Kloss-owned i-D magazine.
Here’s Nicole Kidman on British Vogue, wearing Stella McCartney.
*Rights revert back to Mattel.
Ahead, today’s big story…
Retail Confessions: Hermès Paris
Getting a Birkin or a Kelly at Hermès has probably never been more difficult. In the U.S., people have even sued for the privilege. Someone who worked in the bag department at Hermès in Paris said the game has become so intense within the last few years that it seems unsustainable, particularly when other brands offer better gifts and ritzier client events.
“Within five years, I think Chanel will take over,” the former employee said. “At some point, people get tired of trying to get one [a Birkin or Kelly] because it's so hard.”
Nonetheless, Paris is like Mecca for acquiring Birkin and Kelly bags, referred to as "quota bags," because clients are only supposed to be able to buy two per person per year (though, as you'll read, the rules don't apply equally to everyone). People travel there from all over the world in hopes of getting an appointment to buy one, even though they're competing with the uber wealthy, resellers running sophisticated businesses, and long-term clients with special bonds with their salespeople.
Ahead, the former salesperson talks about how the brand determined who got to buy Birkins and Kellys, why it sells to people widely perceived as tacky like Lauren Sánchez Bezos, and more.
How does someone actually get a bag?
Honestly, 80% of what people think they know is a lie.
There was no…
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