a pair of Hermès binoculars and caviar,"because I find that getting fairly priced tins of caviar in St. Barths or on the Med is a struggle."
Mickum's tendency to exaggerate was legendary. He never"let the truth get in the way of a good story," a former close friend said. People raised their eyebrows when Mickum bragged about his friendship with"Jeffy Bezos," told stories about shopping for $68,000 bracelets with Melinda French Gates, or claimed to be dating the pop star Shawn Mendes.
To many, though, they were a work of art. Hermès bags, like the Birkin and the Kelly, have always been symbols of unattainable luxury. The baseline price is about $8,000, though prices can hit. But money alone cannot buy a Birkin, especially a rare one."To get the premium bags you have to spend an exorbitant amount of money" with the brand over time, said Alexis Clarbour, the vice president of sales at the luxury-bag reseller Madison Avenue Couture.
But as soon as Stella arrived at the store, it was clear something was wrong. When she announced she was there for a meeting with Michael Coste, no one had any idea what she was talking about. Confused, Stella emailed Coste, hoping she could correctly guess his email address. As she sat in the store, humiliated and waiting for Coste to respond, she began to sob.
In June 2022, Mickum delivered an unassuming Bergdorf Goodman shopping bag to a Midtown East condo. Inside was precious cargo: a new 40-centimeter version of Hermès' rare Haut à Courroies Birkin, or HAC, in khaki green, fresh off the runway. The $21,000 was a drop in the bucket for the executive. But the betrayal cut deeper. When the executive broke the news to his girlfriend, she was heartbroken. She and Mickum had become friends two years earlier with a birthday present: a simple notebook with her initials engraved on the front. She was touched by the unexpected, kind gesture from a near stranger, and within a month she and Mickum had become inseparable.