This handbag costs as much as a house - AIBU to think it's hideous?

[ScreamingValenta]

This handbag has just sold for £162,500

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-44463624

Why? What's nice about it? Gold-coloured crocodile skin? It doesn't even appear to be a convenient size or comfortable to carry.

Handbag experts - What am I missing here?

[bigbluehouse]

I like it 🙈

[Idontbelieveinthemoon]

I think it's a bit Emperor's New Clothes; the waiting list and sky-high start price means they're exclusive and hard to get, the celebrity endorsement adds weight to the "I need one of these to be truly happy/successful/it" and so Hermes make them a little more exclusive and the waitlist a little longer and the cycle continues indefinitely.

Of course, there's the other side which might be that a handbag can be seen as art. My Mum is a bit of a Chanel lover and buys one new bag every year, saying she spends the same on one bag what another person would spend on throwaway fashion in a year, but that her bags are works of art. I don't agree with either side. But if I'd a spare £162,000 I'd probably take a few jollies than buy one bag.

[ScreamingValenta]

Handbags as art is a perspective I hadn't considered, thank you.

[greenraincoat]

It's obscene (the price) and I wouldn't buy it (not my style and I don't like it) even if it cost £300 (which is about the limit I'm willing to pay for a bag).

[ReadytoTalk]

How sad that a crocodile died to make something so ugly.

[ButchyRestingFace]

It's not even new.

[OuchLegoHurts]

It is obscene, greenraincoat you're right

[pigmcpigface]

Ugh.

Imagine what you could do in the world with £160,000. How many families you could help with respite care, how many people you could get off the streets, how much land you could buy and donate to a wildlife trust. Instead of looking like a prat with an ugly expensive bag.

[TheActualRealCinderella]

I think it’s obscene to have tens of thousands of pounds on your arm as decoration when people are starving to death . However, that said maybe someone would say the same about my having rings worth hundreds of pounds on my hands or wearing shoes that cost more than £20.


I think the difference is that the amount is obscene. It could change the lives of several people forever whereas my selling a ring and giving away the money would fund a few meals but not solve anything.

[PositiveVibez]

Obscene is the right word. Sickening. I would rather give away money of that amount than buy something to keep hold of my keys and purse.

[BestBeforeYesterday]

I'm not bothered about handbags, only have one that I use for everything. I like this one though (aesthetically speaking). It's a great design imo. I think it's disgusting to use crocodile skin though, and the price is ridiculous.
I always wonder why designer clothes cost what they do - who decides the price of the stuff? And why are people willing to pay so much for something that is just, say, a piece of material made up into an elaborate design, and didn't cost more than a few quid to design and produce?

[elephantscanring]

Poor crocodile.

[PolkerrisBeach]

It's not my taste. But it's unlikely that the new owner is going to put their keys and mobile in it for trips to Tesco.

It'll have been bought as an investment, locked away in a vault somewhere in the hope it increases in value.

[CiderwithBuda]

Meh. I sent mine back. It was a bit gaudy. (Joke!).

[OnlyFoolsnMothers]

I think spending that amount on a bag is disgusting!

[Banterlope]

It's not the bag per se that raised the price, it's the 18-carat white gold diamond encrusted lock that sent it so high (okay, along with materials, brand, limited availability, etc.). You can charge a million quid for the 'world's most expensive eggcup' if you stick a load of jewels on it

[Lalliella]

Disgusting to kill a crocodile for vanity.

[megletthesecond]

I don't like it.
Birkins are nice but I prefer the subtle ones. my bags are primark .

[ShinyShooney]

It's a Birkin.

Hermes are incredibly good at making their bags exclusive. If you walk off the street and ask for a Birkin, they won't sell you one. You have to develop a relationship with the brand and even then certain bags are only offered to certain customers. They may have ten in the back but if you ask they will say they are all out.

[JJS888]

4 crocs died. But probably only after they were skinned. Anyone who is vain and stupid enough to wear reptile skin deserves the same treatment in my opinion. There's just no need. And I'm not against bags, I have a beautiful collection

[ShinyShooney]

I work in luxury retail. Some my ladies have been waiting years to be offered certain bags with Hermes. It's also why they hold their value so well.

They do a special order service that I've seen can take up to 5 years for your bag to be made.

[ShinyShooney]

Is everyone against using crocodile skins veggie?

Whats the difference between farming crocs for skins and cows for beef. Neither are necessary, they are done because people enjoy the end product and are willing to pay for it.

[JaretsGirlfren]

Is it really made from crocodile?!

[Gaspodethetalkingdog]

Wouldn’t be able to buy a house - or flat around here for that.

Rich people buy expensive things it is quite possible to pay twice as much for a car or hundreds times more for a huge boat.

[LillianGish]

I agree it’s hideous - and I like Birkins as a rule. The diamond encrustation will have pushed the price up, but IMO is one of the things that makes it hideous. As a pp said you can encrust anything with diamonds to make it more valuable - it doesn’t necessarily make it more beautiful. I guess whoever hasn’t bought this intends it as an investment rather than as an accessory so taste doesn’t really come into it.