In an August 2001 episode of “Sex and the City,” The fictional character “Samantha Jones” sets her sights on an Hermès Birkin Bag. 

Sure, the bag, named after French actress Jane Birkin, is practical and stylish. But Samantha is most interested in what carrying the world’s most difficult-to-get bag symbolizes: indisputable affluence and belonging to the cultural elite. 

But when she goes to the Hermès store, ready and willing to shell out $4,000 for the bag, Samantha is met with a five-year waiting list.