There are some restaurants in New York City that you just cannot get into. And when I say you, I mean me. (Ok, and you.) As in can’t walk in, can’t get a reservation even 30 days in advance because the Resy slots go immediately, don’t know the manager, bar is packed or requires a reservation too, and/or it’s become a celeb hangout. WE are shut out completely.
It’s not like getting there, adding your name to the wait list, and loitering for three hours as you walk around Chinatown or the Lower East Side pretending you’re not starving and that it’s acceptable in a somewhat civilized society to wait 180 minutes for something you can make at home with flour, milk, egg, vanilla and a puddle of honeybutter (albeit not as good) for less than three bucks.
It’s like The Row sample sale which psychotic fashionistas look forward to all year. They aren’t crazy for liking The Row. It’s a super chic retail powerhouse with classic cuts and clean unfussy lines that I myself admire but cannot/willnot pony up the moolah in order to attain. ($2850 for trousers! $850 for cropped skinny jeans? Yeah. No.) But sleeping on a disgusting and dangerous NYC sidewalk to secure your place in line? AND possibly walking away with nothing from the reduced but still unaffordable sale? You have got to be kidding me!
Tickets to Billy Joel are no longer accessible. They used to be mildly to outrageously expensive, but now they are completely out of reach for actual Billy Joel fans. Is a mortgage payment worth a three hour concert? (You may be right. I may be crazy. Oh, but it just may be a lunatic you’re lookin for.) What the actual f*ck is happening??
A parking spot in front of my building, even with my impressively good spot karma? Sorry but with all the CitiBikes AND construction AND new parking rules, it’s just not happening, love… even after you drive around and around the block. It’s generally a must use a garage situation which is both frustrating and expensive. Aaargh.
It’s no wonder the new fake Birkin Bag from Walmart, dubbed the Wirkin, has entered the designer bag chat. It sold out nationwide quickly after it’s low budget debut. And if you haven’t heard, it’s causing quite the stir for being a successful dupe of Hermès’ most coveted handbag, the Birkin. The timing couldn’t be more interesting. Lately Hermès has been getting major flack over their controversial multi-year waiting list and/or spend thousands just to be eligible to be invited to buy a bag policy. (No word on pending lawsuits yet for the obvious copyright infringement or theft of intellectual property, but stay tuned for some possible orange fireworks from The Big H… unless of course this was a top secret collab!!) And although Hermès has not yet commented, plenty of others have thoughts. In fact, according to The Times, “The Walmart copy has sparked a split among fashionistas, with some praising its affordability, while luxury purists have called it fast-fashion sacrilege.” Indeed.
The Wirkin, nicknamed for the workin’ class, is manufactured by Kamugo and made from a mix of genuine cowhide and synthetic leather. No, it’s certainly not the 40 hour hand stitched genuine article. It doesn’t claim to be. But hell if it doesn’t look like it is! The bag went viral and sold out mere hours after TikTokers and Instagrammers publicized the impressively inexpensive lookalike.
The price differential between a full-fledged Wirkin and a starter Birkin in a non-fancy leather? At a minimum it’s around NINE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AMERICAN DOLLARS and goes up from there! And what are some snobby Birkin owners saying about this Wirkin craze?? See below…
Ha! What a time to be alive. I don’t believe in gatekeeping good intel. I’m a sharer as you know. Sometimes I agree that limited access can produce a scarcity mentality, drive traffic and create a bit of a buzz. But being denied access altogether? Forever? Well that’s more of a buzz kill.
So you won’t find me at a Billy Joel concert, The Row sample sale, or brunching at Golden Diner. Instead I’ll be flipping flapjacks at home while listening to my vintage Glass Houses CD. Perks? There is immediate access to my dining room table and there is no dress code. Plus the food is good!
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