Moda Operandi’s Hermes Trunkshow Includes a $115,000 Alligator Birkin-Junyuan bags

Moda Operandi does not mess around. It’s a company predicated on making sure that the choosiest, most fashion-conscious luxury customers get what they want as soon after they first set eyes on it as possible, and perhaps unsurprisingly, those customers absolutely adore Hermes bags. The harder to find, the better. Heritage Auctions is particularly skilled at finding those impossible bags, and when Moda and Heritage get together, it’s a veritable exotic Hermes fiesta, the latest of which includes a six-figure alligator Birkin.

There are a few things that contribute to making this particular Birkin such a high-dollar item. First, it’s a 35cm alligator piece; alligators are smaller than crocodiles, so getting a skin that’s big enough to make a bag of this size which also conforms to Hermes’ rigorous quality standards is like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. Alligator drives up the price of a bag in general, beyond that of all other exotics, but it drives up a big bag even more. Second, the bag is both very pale and in impeccable condition. Few bags in colors this light are available at all, and on the secondary market, a bag this light without obvious wear is another proverbial needle in yet another haystack. Those two rare occurrences come together on this piece, resulting in an ultra-covetable exotic bag that even an Hermes VIP might find hard to procure through traditional retail channels.

The sale includes other exotic pieces, including two other large alligator Birkins (at the relatively modest prices of $79,500 and $89,500), plus some regular leather favorites in a variety of colors. The bags are marked at a premium, but if you’re like so many of Moda’s customers and you want rare things as quickly as you can get them, then you’re probably more than willing to pay the extra dollars. Shop the whole sale via Moda Operandi through November 23 or check out the bags we found most impressive below.

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