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Charlee Roundhill has designs on a designer purse.
It’s a haute must-have the soon-to-be 30-year-old feels she deserves — in celebration of her milestone birthday on Wednesday.
But the couture carryall that’s caught her eye isn’t one in the bunch of highly coveted bags from Matthieu Blazy’s new Chanel spring/summer 2026 collection — finery that recently sent NYC’s most elite pouring into the streets for first grabs at the goods.
Roudhill’s dream pocketbook isn’t even a secondhand piece from the early 2000s, despite fashion’s unflagging infatuation with Y2K-era regalia.
Instead, the millennial has her sights on an antiquated accessory from 1996 — the year she was born.
“It’s my birth year bag,” Roundhill, a tech user experience specialist from San Francisco, California, told The Post of the Lady Dior handbag, named in honor of Princess Diana, who put the petite leather looker on the map at the ’96 Met Gala.
Roundhill is in the rising herd of secondhand clotheshorses behind the buzzy “birthday bag” trend.
It’s a modish movement helmed by fashionistas across generations — from Gen Z to baby boomers — who are ringing in their new ages with luxe label purses that made their debuts the same year they did.
The craze is a cost-effective way for women to spoil themselves with high-end goods — minus the wildly high prices of new, unused frills.
And the California-native is partly to blame for the posh pandemonium.
Footage of her birthday-bag bulletin, a clip featuring a pre-owned 1996 Macadam Coated Canvas bag by Celine as her co-star, has amassed a staggering 5.2 million social media views since late last month.
The vid has also garnered nearly 13,000 comments from glamour gals showing off the stylish sacks they’ve procured from their birth years, including a 1988 Louis Vuitton Speedy bag and a 1975 Dooney & Bourke tote.
As the trend takes hold, it’s never been easier or more accessible for shoppers to begin their search thanks to Pre-Loved luxury fashion shops on Amazon, where a rotating inventory of authenticated vintage goods makes joining the movement as seamless as shopping for daily essentials.
Roundhill, a part-time vintage vendor, told The Post her online shop, Front Page Finds, has experienced a 138% increase in demand for “birth year bags” since the dawn of 2026.
She attributes the uptick to folks’ need for nostalgic comforts — namely, old-timey treats that won’t break the bank — amid unprecedented times of sociopolitical discord, debt and inflation.
The April baby’s Lady Dior, in black, will serve as a ritzy reprieve.
“It’s such a chic, pop culture-famous bag that’s so unique because everybody doesn’t have it, you can’t just go pick it up at any store,” said Roundhill of the timeworn piece, which she plans to purchase from a private reseller for less than $1,000.
“The bag commemorates a special moment in my life. We’re both turning 30 this year,” she laughed. “And it has a bit of character because it’s stood the test of time.
“Little scratches and imperfections don’t bother me — they tell a little bit of the bag’s story, and that’s exciting to me.”
Nicks, notches and signs of heavy use are virally en vogue among the nonconformists of the distressed fashion fad.
It’s a mucked-up market that’s projected to grow two to three times faster than the first-hand market by 2027, says a Business of Fashion study.
And haggard handbags are especially hot, according to a resale report from designer consigner The RealReal, which recorded a recent 45% bump in desire for bags showing visible signs of wear. This surge in demand has made the luxury bag reseller ReBag a primary destination for those looking to secure high-end, pre-verified ‘investment’ pieces that have already stood the test of time.
Melanie Moon’s birthday bag, a 1999 Chanel shopping tote, came a little distressed when she snagged it from a verified reseller on eBay for $1,600 in February.
Still, it’s an indulgence the Dallas-based jewelry buyer cherishes — flaws and all.
“I kind of love seeing its marks and scratches,” Moon, 26, told The Post.
“I look at them and think about the previous owner,” she said. “Was she around my age when she got the bag? Did she use it every day, for work and errands, like I do now? Did she also get it for her birthday years ago?”
Moon dipped into her savings to splurge on the bag for her 26th birthday, Feb. 7, after enjoying a mini vacation in Las Vegas with friends.
While visiting Sin City, the vixen also scored herself a $775 pair of Prada thong sandals to toast her special occasion.
“I get really introspective on my birthday,” admitted Moon. “I reflect on the past year, or really my whole life, and think about all the fun that I’ve had, the difficult times, the things I’ve learned and endured.”
“It means a lot to me that I’ve survived it all — so many people don’t get to this age,” she added. “Life is a gift, and it’s so short. So why not get the bag of my dreams from the year my life began?”
Gifting herself chichi gifts is a tradition Moon plans to uphold in years to come. She may even invest in a Birkin 30 for her 30th.
“If not a Birkin, maybe another Chanel or some fine jewelry,” said Moon. “It’s just important to always treat yourself.”
For those with similar high-stakes wishlists, the iconic vintage reseller What Goes Around Comes Around has emerged as a curated treasure trove, specializing in those exact heritage pieces that shoppers like Moon are hunting for.
Dylan Christine couldn’t agree more.
The Long Islander treated herself to a 1999 Hermès Box Sellier Kelly 35 in black with gold hardware for her 26th birthday last January.
“I was shopping with friends in the city, and when I saw the bag I instantly fell in love,” Christine, a finance exec and bride-to-be, said of the dated objet d’art, which she scored in “near perfect” condition from second-hand shop 17th St Luxury NYC. “When I found out it was made the same year I was born, it felt like fate.”
With the stars in alignment and stars in her eyes, the New Yorker snapped up the vintage Kelly for a cool $8,500 — and has no plans on ever letting it go.
“It’s a classic bag that I don’t think will ever go out of style, and it has always been on my wishlist,” Christine rhapsodized. “I bought it to reward myself for years of hard work, and I plan to pass it down to my children and grandchildren.”
“Buying it truly felt like a significant milestone to me, and it keeps me motivated for the future.”
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