Lucy Liu Shares Her Thoughts on Security for the Hermès Birkin Bag During Sex and the City Filming
Lucy Liu.
Credit: Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty; Max
NEED TO KNOW
- Lucy Liu reflected on her experience carrying a Hermès Birkin for her cameo in season 4 of Sex and the City.
- For Vogue‘s Life in Looks series, the actress recounted the heightened security on set.
- “I was like, ‘What is the big deal with this bag?'” she stated.
Lucy Liu is sharing insights about her experience with a Birkin bag during her appearance on the hit series Sex and the City.
In a recent installment of Vogue‘s Life in Looks video series published on January 7, Liu, 57, reflected on her memorable cameo on the HBO series.
In the season 4 episode titled “Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda,” Liu portrays a fictional version of herself as a PR client of Samantha, played by Kim Cattrall. In this role, Samantha leverages Liu’s name to secure a coveted Hermès Birkin bag, bypassing the usual 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 remarked.
She elaborated, noting, “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.”
Kim Cattrall and Lucy Liu on ‘Sex and the City.’
Credit: Max
The Hermès Birkin bag, a symbol of luxury, was first conceived in 1981 after designer Jean-Louis Dumas encountered actress Jane Birkin on an Air France flight. Dumas sought to create a stylish yet functional solution for Birkin after her goods spilled from her wicker handbag. Named after Birkin in 1985, the bag quickly gained a reputation for exclusivity.
Birkin reportedly received four additional bags from Hermès over the years but continued to prefer the original model. She passed away in 2023 at the age of 76.
In July 2025, Birkin’s original handbag was sold at Sotheby’s as part of the Paris Fashion Icons auction for an astounding $10.1 million, after opening bids at $1.7 million. The ten-minute auction involved nine collectors bidding both in-person and online.
The Birkin bag remains a coveted status symbol among celebrities. In September 2025, Kylie Jenner was seen carrying a rare $163,000 Birkin on her private jet, while Cynthia Erivo was spotted a few months later in Palm Springs with a larger Birkin 50, an equestrian design initially made for fitting items needed for a day at the stables. Depending on the model, the price of these handbags can range from around $13,000 to upwards of $25,000.
