« The Birkin just got BETTER »

and it's called... the "Shadow"

Hermes designer Jean Paul Gaultier stated in Harper's Bazaar, "My idea was to work around the trompe l'oeil concept with the Birkin" (trompe l'oeil = an art technique that creates the optical illusion that the depicted objects appear in three dimensions). 

"The flap, straps, and clochette seem to have been chiseled in the raw material, the result of unbelievable craftsmanship."

JEALOUS!  How awesome is Gaultier's job that he's allowed to play with the design of such a coveted icon.