Right after I confessed the $7000 value of my treasured Hermes Birkin, my eye doctor took it from my arm and held it closely to his face. Thank God he was clean-shaven! I was a little put back by his reaction. Agreed, Hermes Birkin bags are special, but come on Doc! For the first time, I wished I was my purse.

Most men don't get it. To understand how or why a designer purse could reach the high cost of several thousand dollars isn't in a man's male composition, unless of course they fancy femaleness or make a habit of tuning into a woman's needs. Most men don't. Not because they don't want to tune in - maybe they have a different agenda, they are very pre-occupied, they just don't know how to tune in, or they haven't lived long enough to meet their female soul-mate and mentor. Men need mentoring when it comes to tuning into women. Some men seek and find, and others live their lives in pursue of obtaining a healthy understanding keeping it just a mere centimeter outside of their grasp.

Please don't misunderstand me. Many men make it a habit of tuning in to women. A perfect example is the type of gifts they purchase for their partner. The truly tuned-in types purchase treasured items as memorable gifts which last a lifetime. The many men who do purchase the "right" gift have done so through the experience of making many bad choices over time. Eventually, some get it, and really get it right. I recently sold a $6800 Orange Hermes 32cm Kelly Bag to a man in Singapore who obviously understands and adores his wife. For their 15th Wedding Anniversary she is getting the surprise of a lifetime. He's tuned in. Congratulations to this wonderful guy, he's got style, class, brains and knows how to communicate.

Why spend hundreds of dollars each year every time a special occasion pops up only to learn your savvy wife says she loves your gifts from a harmonious love for you, and not because she really does love the gifts. I think she loves you more. Gifts are difficult to purchase in the first place, and now we can put more pressure on ourselves by making gifts cost up towards the $7000 mark!

By now I have your attention, right? We aren't talking small change here. The beautiful, classic, hand made Hermes designs make my knees weak. Actually, I'd rather be in a Hermes Boutique shopping than out dancing with George Clooney. And, my chances are much higher for visiting Hermes than being with GC, too, so it's basically a mute point.

The Hermes Birkin was created in the 1980s after the English actress/singer Jane Birkin spilled the contents of her over-packed, too-small purse onto a Hermes designer during a shared plane ride. Ms. Birkin was very popular on the French music charts at the time. She became the name-sake of the famous, difficult to obtain Hermes Birkin Bag. There's about a three year waiting list to obtain a Birkin bag, and there's no guarantee yours will ever arrive.

The Birkin bags range in size from 30cm to 40cm, and are also available in much larger travel sizes. The various leathers add to the cost making the more exotic skins reach as high as $25,000 or more each! The interior is fully lined in smooth, soft leather and has extra pockets. The bag includes its very own security locking system, and the lock's key hangs from one of its double handles in its own leather protective case. The gold hardware on Hermes' handbags is 24K gold plated paladium. That's pretty high-end if you ask me. Yet, the all-silver paladium in either a brushed or shiney finish has a much more contemporary look and feel.

I've never been into fancy cars -- unless it belongs to the guy I'm dating. My little "no more car payment" Saturn gets me where I need to go! And, although it's five years old and has a total of 15K miles on it, the handbag I carry when I drive costs more than the current Blue Book value. Funny how ownership of a luxury item is basically left to personal preference, perception and choice -- the designer handbag I carry costs more than the current Blue Book value of my car!

My purse seems to get much more male attention these days than I do, too. That caress to the cheek is starting to make me a little jealous of a purse. Should I carry a sign? No, I guess all I need to carry is that Hermes Birkin and start talking more openly to cute men. My eye doctor probably doesn't realize the impact of his caress. It should be me he's holding closely to his cute face, not that darn piece of leather I call my designer purse!