Judith Leiber Pigtail Minaudiere, Handbag (?) of the Day

by Annie Scott (RSS feed)
Sep 16th 2009 at 5:03PM

Judith Leiber's Pigtail Minaudiere has us scratching our heads.

This expensive little piggy is a minaudiere clutch made from Austrian crystals and lined in kidskin. At just 4 1/2"H x 3 1/2"W, it's so small, you might not even notice the detailed shading done with the crystals. Truly, the piece is an example of masterful workmanship -- but would you carry a pig with you to the gala?

The piglet comes with a 50" detachable gold chain, a matching coin purse and a double-sided mirror. It's a fanciful item which just barely beat out Jinx the Cat for this Handbag of the Day slot. Why? Because everyone has a cat, but only the elite like George Clooney have a pig (actually, famous Max the pig died in 2006).

So, tell people it was made in Max's image and ... oh forget it. I'm exhausted trying to justify a 4 1/2" Austrian crystal pig as a viable handbag. This is perhaps for collectors only, but we applaud Leiber's creativity. What will she think of next?

The Judith Leiber Pigtail Minaudiere is available from Neiman Marcus for $3,600. (and so is Jinx the Cat).

Tags: austrian crystals, handbag of the day, HandbagOfTheDay, judith leiber, minaudiere, piglet