Ralph Lauren Engraved Silver Clutch, Handbag of the Day
With the Ralph Lauren logo elegantly engraved upon polished silver metal, nobody will have to ask you whose bag you are wearing. This little clutch features a hinged bottom and small push clasp that opens to reveal a satin-lined interior with side gussets. The dainty evening bag hangs from a delicate chain strap featuring an over-sized center ring. The included drawstring felt pouch will help you avoid scratching this little silver beauty. $1800.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nora Jul 11th 2007 1:38AM
Very pretty, quite a shame that Ralph Lauren decided to try and cater to lower income people by offering low end fashions under their label. It really brought them down in my eyes. I find this lovely, but wouldn't buy it on principal. You can't play both sides of the spectrum and expect your higher end clientel to not be turned off.
JW-C Jul 11th 2007 6:07AM
So Nora.... who do you wear? They all do it. Very interesting outlook you have on the world of marketing and the psychology behind it. You must have a VERY limited wardrobe or are extremely wealthy.
Nora Jul 11th 2007 4:13PM
There are many designers who have never gone the way of Ralf Lauren, Tommy Hillfiger, or DKNY (to name a few). You say they all do it, and that is completely untrue. If you could afford to be picky, then you would also know this.
This IS a Luxury blog, hence the name Luxist. Of course i have the money. I wouldn't bother with the site if I didn't.
JW-C Jul 11th 2007 7:38PM
A bit touchy there Nora my darling fashionista.
I am extremely aware of "this". Who do you think all the cruise collections are aimed at that ALOT of designers churn out every year? They are for those people who can't afford the main lines but want a piece of couture from an international fashion house. The list of designers that have less expensive, more accessible, side lines too is endless. D&G, Missoni Sport, Versace Sport, Valentino Red, BCBG, GFF, Armani Jeans and even Armani Exchange and so on. Not to mention all the designers that are now teaming up with sports wear companies like Puma and Adidas and offering people designer pieces at much lower prices. Stella McCartney, Yhoji Yamamoto, Neil Barrett and Alexander McQueen ring a bell. But you would know all this.... wouldn't you?
Evan Jul 20th 2007 12:31PM
I think it is great when designers create diffusion lines. It gives them an opportunity to lend their designer eye to clothing for the mass market while still maintaining thier premiere lines.
I think most people can easily differentiate between a Purple Label bag and a Polo Sport bag for instance and do not view them in the same light. Creating diffusion lines allows entry level customers somewhere to begin and invites young people to become life-long fans that can participate in the designer's vision. As their income increases, they graduate up to the next level of that designer's lines.
Some designers have allowed their names to become saturated in discount markets and Nora, I can understand your hesitation. You see Polo bags at Kmart and then you see this which is much more high end. It is a beautiful bag though and no one will mistake it for a discount purchase - fear not.
VV Jul 12th 2007 1:02PM
JW-C,
Trolling on Luxist? How tacky.
Nora Jul 12th 2007 3:04PM
I wouldn't call it trolling. I think trolls say what they do for pure reaction, while this person believes she is true while attempting to get a reaction at the same time. Its different.
I remain in disagreement on the original topic, but will leave it tastefully at that.
JW-C Jul 12th 2007 9:08PM
The facts are out there and anyone in the know, knows. I believe that some need a little education on topics they express an opinion on but clearly show no insight and when snobbery is bought into the picture, education is even more key. By the way, who ever said I was a she Nora. Never assume anything my dear. You have absolutely no idea who you can come across in the vast, open world of blogs.
Snoop Jul 16th 2007 6:01PM
Play nice children.
Luxury is a relative word, and people have some different views on it, and they have every right to do so.
Hence, Nora has a right to feel the way she does. I agree with her, but I also still think that Ralph Lauren has a very good design house.
Perhaps they could've seperate their lower end products into a different line. But then again, they would still be devaluing their main line. The key to breaking into the more affordable market is doing it in a way that doesn't offend your original core of customers, like Nora, who appreciate the higher end of the spectrum, which after all is what Ralph Lauren originally became known for.
The thing is that Ralph Lauren is a publically owned company, and therefore it is obligated to achieve maximum profits, and it finds the quickest way to do this is by slapping it's name on products which are at times inferior. I will keep this discussion in mind, as I am in the near future starting my own line of clothing.
All of your opinions have been very enlightening, but I do want to end this by saying that if Ralph Lauren does not maintain at the very minimum an upscale image, it will suffer from that in the long term by losing customers like Nora, and I hope they do not suffer that way. I'm sure the people at Ralph Lauren have considered this, hence the release of their Black Label, Purple Label, etc: more high end sub-brands. And after all, it may have been that this way Ralph Lauren's strategy all along when he invented the multi-brand concept: to maintain an upscale image while allowing the company to sell less expensive things at a higher profit.
This is the draw of haute couture today: it's expensive, exclusive, and not watered down for the masses.
I will also keep this conversation in mind, as I select products to feature for my newly launched upscale blog. Bless Luxist for having this comments section. :-p
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