All About Style: Purse sells for $222,219 — and it's not even big enough to live in

Perhaps you can never be too thin but, with all due apologies to Wallis Simpson, you can certainly be too rich. 

The latest evidence: a Birkin bag that sold yesterday at auction in Hong Kong for a record $222,219. It went to an unnamed buyer whose bid was entered by phone. 

Of course, unicorns are rare, their hides expensive. And the tears of the angels who hand-stitched the tote lent it an unanticipated, but lovely, patina.  At least that's what one might expect of a purse that costs as much as a house.

In fact, this little number is fashioned of nothing more than crocodile skin, with an 18-carat white-gold and diamond clasp and hardware. The color is fuchsia, nice for a pop of color but not exactly something that goes with everything. 

Though this sale shattered auction records, it is not the highest price ever paid for a Birkin, the Hermes bag that has risen to cult status and whose purchase requires years spent on a waiting list. 

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That distinction goes to a gold-color crocodile "Himalayan" adorned with 8.2 carats' worth of diamonds and offered for direct sale by the luxury retailer. The price tag: $432,000.