Handbags and gladrags
By Things you learn while shopping for other people: I had to buy a wedding gift for somebody who is registered at Nordstrom, and in the course of surfing the store’s internet site I ran into this.
Now I guess I generally think of myself as a somewhat sophisticated fellow, but if you had asked me how much the most expensive handbags at Nordstrom were I would have said, oh I don’t know, $400? I mean I know there are crazy expensive things in this world purchased by crazy rich people (or the wives of crazy rich people), but I sort of assumed there were semi-secret boutiques where those people went to engage in the most insane sorts of conspicuous consumption.
But nope . . . good ‘ol Nordstrom, an anchor store in the very ordinary megamall just down the road apiece, sells $3000 handbags! $3000! I sold my car for less than that last summer, and it was still a pretty good car.
True confession: I don’t think I’ve spent $3000 on clothes, collectively, in the last five years (this wouldn’t exactly shock my students I’m afraid).
$3000.