The $52,000 Ugly Purse

Manolo says, while the Manolo is not in the least way opposed to the luxurious items, but sometimes they seem ridiculous.

The Louis Vuitton Tribute Patchwork is this summer’s ultimate status bag, ringing in at $52,500. […]

“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 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. […]

The Tribute Patchwork is Louis Vuitton’s most expensive and exclusive bag to date. Though Washington has long bemoaned its second-class status when it comes to fashion, Louis Vuitton’s president for North America, Daniel Lalonde, said the market has shown an exceptional “appetite for show bags.”

The Tribute Patchwork is handmade at a workshop in France and is made up of pieces of 14 Louis Vuitton 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.”

The Manolo’s purse blogging friends have been talking about this for many months now, but the Manolo has heretofore restrained himself.

But now this story has annoyed the Manolo, not because of the price of the purse, but because it is so terribly ugly. This is the example of how price alone, and not quality, nor beauty, is being used to define that which is luxurious.

If this purse were truly beautiful, and not simply the inside-joke, hillbilly patchwork cob-job the Manolo could see paying this amount, but as it stands this is ridiculous.

P.S. Ugly Purse Week Continues!

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