|
|
image courtesy of MSCHF... |
The bag is shown in magnified form above and at left in "actual" size. Yes,
it's a Louis Vuitton knock off. That aspect of it is even more crazy to me, in that
the luxury brand was apparently not informed of the piece being made. (I'm
sure they now know of it being sold for big bucks, right?)
The artistes behind the creation — a collective from Brooklyn, New York
called MSCHF, explained that they are more the "ask forgiveness, not permission" types.
|
| image courtesy of MSCHF on Instagram... |
Apparently the auction was "only" asking $15,000. So what does this whole
thing say about the part of society that has too much disposable income?
I recently came across a curiously apt statement online: "What a stupid time to be alive." The context was some idiocy that taking place in politics, but I think it
applies here, too.
This story broke just barely two weeks after a submersible imploded on its way down to the gravesite of the Titanic, killing five people inside, at least two of whom paid a quarter of a million USD for the privilege.
This story broke just barely two weeks after a submersible imploded on its way down to the gravesite of the Titanic, killing five people inside, at least two of whom paid a quarter of a million USD for the privilege.
If you did a search for "purchases made by people with too much money", you'll
get the usual results of buying private islands, superyachts, private jets. I
don't raise my eyebrows at those kinds of purchases, because those are
historically what people of means buy. (And let's not kid ourselves — we
probably wouldn't mind having the chance to enjoy them for a week or two.) But
in among the mix of those "expected" indulgences, there are some that are
truly puzzling and yes, crazy. I'm not going to go into any more detail in
that respect, because that would take today's post even more off topic.
To stay somewhat on topic, let me remind that it was a bag (the
Professional Tote) that ultimately led to the birth of this blog. After seeing a friend's
version of it, I became obsessed with the idea of making my own. Once that
process started, however, I was bowled over by the costs involved in sewing a
handmade bag. Before beginning my project, I would never have thought that
making one could come close to the cost of buying
what I would consider to be an expensive bag.
But it turned that I was quite ignorant about what constitutes an expensive
bag. For example, fifty to a hundred bucks is true chump change for those who
peel out several thousand to buy a
Chanel bag.
|
| image from Google search... |
And what about the Louis Vuitton brand that was co-opted by the micro
purse maker? How much are those actual bags going for these days? Much more
than fifty to a hundred, apparently.
|
| image from Google search.... |
If you weren't around here in 2016, I invite you to check out an entry from
October of that year:
Extreme Designer Handbags. In it, I discussed some of the crazy looking and crazy expensive bags from
a book called The Art of the Handbag.
It was after writing that post that I first learned of the famous bags made by
Hermès, named after actress Jane Birkin.
Safe to say that Birkin bags are almost exclusively bought by people with too much money. When prices essentially start at $10,000 (and can grow to over ten times that) for a purse that looks like a glorified briefcase, they are not being carried because they are exceptionally functional or inordinately beautiful.
|
| image courtesy of Hermes.com... |
Their owners simply want to convey to you that they have money. (Are you
suitably impressed? Yeesh.)
Turns out that MSCHF has another notable (and notorious?) project to
their credit involving expensive bags. A couple of years ago, they took four
Birkin bags and stripped them down to their bare leather parts to create
several pairs of "Birkinstock" sandals.
The base of these sandals are actual Birkenstocks. (Note the spelling
difference.) Once again, neither brand was notified of the work being done,
but perhaps the notoriety and audaciousness of the result was enough to
satisfy the legal departments of these entities due to the publicity
generated.
Oh, and how much were those going for, you ask? Between $35,000 and $76,000.
The pair in the photo below was made out of a Clemence Birkin 35,
retailing for $19,500. (You can read the complete story here:
https://birkinstock.shoes/)
|
| image courtesy of MSCHF... |
All of the shoes have sold and quite honestly, in this day and age of
collecting anything and everything "exclusive", MSCHF may have a valid
point in saying that these are just another form of investment. It's just that
it's not an investment that the average work-a-day person can partake in, and
I suspect that most of the people who do invest in these luxury items
are not going to use the gains from the big payday to solve homelessness,
address food insecurity or save the environment. That's generally what leaves
a bad taste in my mouth then I read about such "purchases". They tend to be
mostly self-serving displays of money going to waste.
By the way, is it just me, or are actual Birkenstocks sort of ugly too?
To close this off on a lighter — but still related — note, let me direct you to some guidance on what bag you should buy, courtesy of InStyle, in an article called "What Kind of Bag You Need, Based on Your Zodiac Sign". It's basically fluff (similar to what I featured here in 2018 and 2020), but good for a laugh.
Here are a couple of highlights encompassing the high and low prices of the
recommendations.
For the "poor" Pisces among you, this is the bag you need:
|
| image courtesy of InStyle... |
I think I've shared here before that I don't care for this style of bag...
particularly in terms of how it's described above as being the preferred way
to "wear" it. Thankfully — ha, ha — I'm not a Pisces.
Also thankful that I'm not a Libra, as my tastes just don't run this high...
|
| image courtesy of InStyle... |
By the way, Kelly bags are named after Grace Kelly.
For the rest of the recommendations for the entire zodiac, copy this link into
your browser:
https://www.instyle.com/types-of-handbags-to-try-zodiac-sign-7488555
This post had nothing to do with sewing, but every once in awhile, I run
across something that I just have to share. (And while this platform is still
active, it's where I automatically turn.) Let me know your thoughts on this
madness... even if you don't agree that it's madness. ◕‿↼
'Til next...
I agree that too much money is spent on status objects rather than pressing social needs but I also believe it is their right. I can only hope there are more wealthy folks whose worldview includes using some of their wealth to help community needs. I also believe each of us is wealthier than someone else so how poor does one need to be to stop sharing? As Beau would say...it's just a thought.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question somewhat facetiously, those not posting on social media about their wonderfully successful lives can safely stop sharing. On a morning where news just broke that one billionaire may sue another over a new app, I think we.know what the problem really is.
DeleteBy the way, I had no idea who "Beau" is. ;-)