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Lucy Liu reflected on her experience carrying a Hermès Birkin for her cameo in season 4 of Sex and the City
ForVogue’s Life in Looks series, the actress recalled there being security on set
“I was like, ‘What is the big deal with this bag?” she said
Lucy Liu is recalling her experience with a Birkin bag on the set of Sex and the City.
For an installment of Vogue’s Life in Looks video series published on Tuesday, Jan. 7, the 57-year-old actress reflected on her memorable cameo on the HBO series.
In the season 4 episode “Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda,” a fictional version of Liu is a PR client of Samantha (played by Kim Cattrall), who uses the actress’ name to secure a rare Hermès Birkin bag and skip the five-year waiting period.
“I was playing myself and when they asked me to play me I was like, ‘What does that mean? What do people think of me?'” Liu remembered.
She continued, “This whole thing actually revolved around the Hermès bag. In the rehearsal, I was using this fake bag, and then when we actually shot … [there was] security, people dressed in suits like Men in Black.”
“They had a safe where this Hermès bag was,” Liu recalled. ” … I was like, ‘What is the big deal with this bag?” They had white gloves on, the whole nine yards.”
Ultimately, Liu concludes: “And you know what? It’s a big deal.”
Max
Kim Cattrall and Lucy Liu on ‘Sex and the City.’
The Hermès Birkin bag was created in 1981 after the brand’s then artistic director, Jean-Louis Dumas ran into actress and singer Jane Birkin on an Air France flight. When he noticed that all of her belongings fell out of her favorite wicker handbag, he decided to create something fashionable yet practical for her. In 1985, Hermès asked Birkin to name the silhouette after the star.
Throughout her lifetime, Hermès gifted Birkin four additional bags, yet she favored the original design and carried it frequently. Birkin died in 2023 at age 76.
In July 2025, Birkin’s original handbag was auctioned off as part of Sotheby’s Paris Fashion Icons sale. It was sold on July 10 in Paris to Japanese businessman Shinsuke Sakimoto, who secured the deal for $10.1 million (the bidding originally opened at $1.7 million).
According to the institution, the competitive bidding “battle” took place between nine collectors who participated in person, over the phone and online. The event lasted 10 minutes.
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The Birkin has become a status symbol among celebrities.
In September 2025, Kylie Jenner toted a rare Birkin worth $163,000 while traveling on her private jet.
A few months later in December, Cynthia Erivo was spotted in Palm Springs, Calif. with a massive bag that appeared to be a beige Birkin in size 50, an extra-large variety of the iconic silhouette. According to luxury reseller Sellier, the rare Birkin 50 was originally an equestrian bag called the Haut à Courroies (HAC) and meant to fit everything needed for a day at the stables.
The item is available for a range of prices from around $13,000 to $25,000 and up.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source nz.news.yahoo.com ’
