A Bag in Need of a Sense of Humor
Call me crazy, but I never understood Judith Leiber. It's not that I don't love her bags (who doesn't?) but the prices are so stratospheric that it's hard to comprehend who's buying them.
I am a serious outlet shopper, and the closest I've come to a Judith Leiber store is her outlet boutique near Palm Springs. Even there, all the bags are behind glass without visible price tags. The moment my foot crossed the threshold, the salesperson sent a frosty blast my way. I did not linger.
I'm not immune to the charms of a snakeskin clutch. And at $1,895, this one is a veritable bargain. Lieber's website boasts that this bag is made from anaconda. For some reason this strikes me as funny, as visions of snake-hunters in the Amazon spring to mind.
I admire anyone who owns a Judith Leiber, and perhaps there's envy there too, but there's also a part of me that believes there's something overblown about her bags. I mean, there is something funny about a nearly $4000 hand-beaded clutch shaped like a bird.
Judith understands whimsy – she makes a line of Hello Kitty merchandise – now if her marketing team wouldn't take it all so seriously, shopping for her beautiful bags would be a lot more fun!
Photo above is from JudithLieber.com.