Thursday, May 3, 2007

A Purse or a Prize?

There's a Neiman Marcus across the street from my new office. The only time I've ever been in one was with my mom, who was returning a $1,200 Chloe bag given to her by one of my dad's Japanese bosses.

She used the money to repair the bumper on her car.

The next year, she got a Prada purse which was converted into a college payment for my brother.

This past Christmas, she got a Louis Vuitton briefcase that was actually a style I would carry. She wouldn't turn it over to me though. "This could be a down payment on building a garage for the Vermont house!" she declared.

I love how upset my mom's yuppie friends and my Manhattanite cousins get when they hear she's returned this upscale gifts.

I also love that I was raised to view marked-up fashion items such as these with disdain, and to view the people who carry them as superficial and wasteful. Thanks, Mom.

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