That's been the pattern so far, but what if she sets her sights a little higher? :shock:
Say, something like this oneby Louis Vuitton or the one by Chanel? :bigshock:
BTW, I understand GlockGirl is also interested in getting a new bag to replace the one she uses now. Remember it? Held together with duct tape? It certainly makes a statement!!! Hey! Maybe the new guy will take the hint...
Detroit News Online
Forget your Coach purse. Put away your Kate Spade. Even Hermes' famous Birkin bag seems positively discount.
The Louis Vuitton Tribute Patchwork is this summer's ultimate status bag, ringing in at $52,500. The company made the bag that special not only by price tag and design -- 14 LV bags were cut up and sewn together to make it -- but also by offering only five for sale in North America and 24 worldwide.
R&B superstar Beyonce Knowles got one. The other four? Their names have not been revealed. One has been ordered by a Washington woman.
"We find the customer there is a very sophisticated client," said Brigid Andrews, Northeast regional vice president for Louis Vuitton. "When there's something that is this special, I'm really not surprised that we had a client who wanted it for her own collection."
The bag, says Milton Pedraza, chief executive of market-research firm the Luxury Institute, is a lesson in creating cachet. What, after all, is a luxury retailer to do when suburban students are wearing sunglasses with Chanel's interlocking Cs and toting purses plastered with the LV logo, real and fake?
The ultrawealthy -- those with net worth of at least $10 million -- are demanding products and services that set them apart from those who are merely wealthy, he said. Retailers are obliging by creating increasingly expensive merchandise and limiting production. And the actual product often seems less important than how many people have it.
"If my Louis Vuitton, which I'm paying a few thousand for, everyone has one, what do I get?" Pedraza said. "How do I get that exclusivity that I long for?"
To achieve that, darling, you had to pre-order the Tribute Patchwork bag months ago. Louis Vuitton boutiques in New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Chevy Chase, Md., got the call. Delivery began discreetly in July, with the bags arriving in a clear, Plexiglas trunk covered with the LV logo.
The Tribute Patchwork is Louis Vuitton's most expensive and exclusive bag to date. It is handmade at a workshop in France and consists of pieces of 14 LV handbags, including the monogram denim from spring 2005, the Lady Steamer with Alligator from fall 2006, the Cuir Tresse from spring 2007 and the Talentueux Suhali from spring 2003. Andrews said Louis Vuitton's creative director, Marc Jacobs, designed the Tribute Patchwork "as a celebration of the history of Louis Vuitton."
Some fashion followers, however, feel that history should not be sliced, diced and rearranged into one purse.
Still, Mahoney said she would relish the opportunity to see the Tribute Patchwork with her own eyes.
"At least that way, those who are lucky enough to see the handbag in person will gain instant bragging rights," she said. "After all, the bag is not much more than bragging material by itself."
The Tribute Patchwork bag is not the most expensive ever created.
Not to be outdone, Chanel will launch a bag in December made of white alligator skin and diamonds. The iconic double-C clasp will be studded with 334 of the jewels, or about 3.56 carats. The chain strap will be made of white gold trimmed with more alligator skin. Only 13 will be available worldwide. Price: $260,150.
Find this article at:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar ... 0406&imw=Y
Say, something like this oneby Louis Vuitton or the one by Chanel? :bigshock:
BTW, I understand GlockGirl is also interested in getting a new bag to replace the one she uses now. Remember it? Held together with duct tape? It certainly makes a statement!!! Hey! Maybe the new guy will take the hint...
Detroit News Online
Forget your Coach purse. Put away your Kate Spade. Even Hermes' famous Birkin bag seems positively discount.
The Louis Vuitton Tribute Patchwork is this summer's ultimate status bag, ringing in at $52,500. The company made the bag that special not only by price tag and design -- 14 LV bags were cut up and sewn together to make it -- but also by offering only five for sale in North America and 24 worldwide.
R&B superstar Beyonce Knowles got one. The other four? Their names have not been revealed. One has been ordered by a Washington woman.
"We find the customer there is a very sophisticated client," said Brigid Andrews, Northeast regional vice president for Louis Vuitton. "When there's something that is this special, I'm really not surprised that we had a client who wanted it for her own collection."
The bag, says Milton Pedraza, chief executive of market-research firm the Luxury Institute, is a lesson in creating cachet. What, after all, is a luxury retailer to do when suburban students are wearing sunglasses with Chanel's interlocking Cs and toting purses plastered with the LV logo, real and fake?
The ultrawealthy -- those with net worth of at least $10 million -- are demanding products and services that set them apart from those who are merely wealthy, he said. Retailers are obliging by creating increasingly expensive merchandise and limiting production. And the actual product often seems less important than how many people have it.
"If my Louis Vuitton, which I'm paying a few thousand for, everyone has one, what do I get?" Pedraza said. "How do I get that exclusivity that I long for?"
To achieve that, darling, you had to pre-order the Tribute Patchwork bag months ago. Louis Vuitton boutiques in New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Chevy Chase, Md., got the call. Delivery began discreetly in July, with the bags arriving in a clear, Plexiglas trunk covered with the LV logo.
The Tribute Patchwork is Louis Vuitton's most expensive and exclusive bag to date. It is handmade at a workshop in France and consists of pieces of 14 LV handbags, including the monogram denim from spring 2005, the Lady Steamer with Alligator from fall 2006, the Cuir Tresse from spring 2007 and the Talentueux Suhali from spring 2003. Andrews said Louis Vuitton's creative director, Marc Jacobs, designed the Tribute Patchwork "as a celebration of the history of Louis Vuitton."
Some fashion followers, however, feel that history should not be sliced, diced and rearranged into one purse.
Still, Mahoney said she would relish the opportunity to see the Tribute Patchwork with her own eyes.
"At least that way, those who are lucky enough to see the handbag in person will gain instant bragging rights," she said. "After all, the bag is not much more than bragging material by itself."
The Tribute Patchwork bag is not the most expensive ever created.
Not to be outdone, Chanel will launch a bag in December made of white alligator skin and diamonds. The iconic double-C clasp will be studded with 334 of the jewels, or about 3.56 carats. The chain strap will be made of white gold trimmed with more alligator skin. Only 13 will be available worldwide. Price: $260,150.
Find this article at:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar ... 0406&imw=Y
