Black Billionaire Oprah Winfrey Snubbed by French Luxury Store

Luxury store Hermes apologizes to Oprah Winfrey for turning her away from one of its Paris boutiques last week, saying it was closed for a public relations event when she came knocking. Winfrey and friends unsuccessfully tried to enter a Hermes boutique on the posh Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore at 6:45 p.m. on June 14, Hermes said in a statement.

"Hermes regrets not having been able to welcome Madame Oprah Winfrey and the people accompanying her to give them all the attention and service that Hermes is committed to giving each of its clients in the world," said the statement released Tuesday.

"People were in the store and they were shopping. Oprah was at the door and she was not allowed into the store," Gayle King, a friend of Winfrey who witnessed the incident, told Entertainment Tonight. "Oprah describes it herself as one of the most humiliating moments of her life."

King said that Winfrey will not shop there again. "She's really OK. Her position is, I will shop where people appreciate my business, and I don't believe that any longer includes Hermes," King said.

Forbes Magazine recently list Oprah as the most powerful celebrity on its annual Celebrity 100 List.

Hermes is one of fashion's most exclusive brands thanks to its high prices and its years-long waiting list that has risen to near mythic importance among high-end shoppers. One of its silk squares retails for $320. A simple tie is $145. A basic Birkin costs about $6,000.

It's just to bad that rich African Americans don't use their money to build their own exclusive enclaves in the Caribbean where people would appreciate their business. I hope this serves as a reminder to them that you are still an outsider no matter how rich you get.