Are Hermès Birkin handbags putting the 'stink' in stinking rich?

Most of us will never sniff the butter-soft leather of an Hermès Birkin handbag, given that they cost as much as ￡100,000 to buy. Thankfully, Chanel Handbags though, we now all know what some of them might smell like: cannabis.

A whiff of skunk has been wafting, specifically, around a batch of Birkins sold in the past two years. Several customers have returned the luxurious bags, complaining that their new possessions emit a marijuana odor. Hermès has reportedly told Chanel Outlet those affected that the offending items were part of a “badly tanned” consignment, and will be returned to Paris where the stinkier pieces of leather will be replaced with pong-free panels.

The absurd possibility of the world’s most desirable totes smelling like that badly-lit side road where you wait nervously for the night bus just adds to the sense that the Hermès Birkin could be the most eccentric designer handbag of all time.

Birkin ownership is a thirst that cannot be quenched for some collectors. Reports that Victoria Beckham’s Birkin library extends to 100 Kate Spade Outlet have been circulating for years, while the daughter of Formula One CEO Bernie Ecclestone, Tamara, owns at least 30 in all the colours of the rainbow and stores them in a glass display case.

A Birkin’s value is driven by scarcity and mystique. Rumours about long waiting lists and store managers refusing to order bags for all but Kate Spade Outlet Online prized customers swirl. At auction, collectors fight it out to snag the rarest exotic-skinned versions. A Birkin featuring 18-carat gold and 242 diamonds sold for $185,000 last month; another went for $203,150 in 2011.

Very weird, then, is the trend for defaced Birkins. Lady Gaga, for example, scribbled a message to fans in black marker pen on hers, while Babyliss Big Hair Kanye West presented Kim Kardashian with a Birkin painted with nudes by artist George Condo. US reality TV star NeNe Leakes covered hers with phrases including the obvious: “I’m a very rich bitch”. In further signs of the cache found in taking a relaxed attitude to Birkin ownership, Kate Moss and Kim Kardashian have used theirs as nappy bags.