Tag Archives: excess

 
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Patchwork: it’s not grandma’s quilt


Hey, I am all for recycling but $42,000 for a handbag? Yes, you read correctly. French icon Louis Vuitton introduces us to a fresh take on recycling. According to the March 13th edition of The New York Post, fashion house Vuitton is preparing to launch its Tribute Patchwork Bag. Reminiscent of my grade-school collage days, the $42,000 handbag will combine patterns selected from 15 bags from the Louis Vuitton spring/summer and cruise collections. No slouch when it comes to promotion, Vuitton is limiting the number of Tribute bags to 24. Only four of these handbags will be crossing the Atlantic to the U.S. And yes, for those of you with the dough, all four have been taken.

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According to the U.K.'s Daily Mail, Louis Vuitton and designer Marc Jacobs, along with company executives, created the concept as an attempt to stem the tide of mass counterfeiting that generally occurs when new bags are launched. No matter that imitation is the best form of flattery — if you are creating a product that is generating income, it is definitely preferable that you get to keep the bucks. That said, let's ask ourselves why we are willing to pay exorbitant amounts for an item that, while it may serve a helpful function (where else would you put the pound of make-up needed for touch-ups?), according to one enterprising reporter can be re-created for approximately $205?

What is it about us that makes owning collections of expensive shoes, handbags, and make-up so vital? In fact, it appears that our need to be included and yet just a wee bit better is what keeps the counterfeiters counterfeiting and the Louis Vuittons so sure in their ability to attract people willing to spend $42,000 on a handbag. In our consumption-driven world, the end is never in sight. Whether we are filling our closets with the latest fashions, juggling our planners to fit in one more appointment, or adding one more book about organization to our shelves, we acknowledge the ironies only to return to the feast. For a lucky 24, the exclusive Tribute handbag will be served. Louis Vuitton will gorge on an extra $1,000,000. Street vendors, with a new vision to hawk, can hope for some additional bread. Thanksgiving in March, we can keep on giving thanks that there is room for just one more at the table, err, in the closet.

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Use it and lose it


Capris, flats, a new bag? Perhaps it was the outdoors, a trip to the local nursery to spruce up your neglected greenery. Maybe you are the traveling type, with spring, bringing on thoughts of water, sand, passports, and airport security lines.

Remember when spring used to mean putting on last season's jeans, getting out the broom and finally facing all of that stuff you had somehow accumulated during your hibernation? What happens when you simply can't let go of the Mickey Mouse towels Aunt Madge gave you (she thinks you are still her darling 12-year-old) or the bags of too-small designer clothes given to you by your best friend after helping her clean out her closets?

Taking a tip from the House & Home section of Thursday's New York Times, how about a storage unit? Yes, we have all seen them, pseudo-garages lining our nation's highways, their signs advertising their specialties: climate-controlled, secured premises with 24-hour access, all for less than $59 per month. Blooming like mushrooms after a spring rain, storage units provide us with yet another means of hanging onto "stuff."

The benefits of storage units are many. We can streamline our living space, giving the appearance of simplicity. The increased space provides us with the opportunity to purchase a few more of life's necessities. The proverbial "quick fix," storage units remind me of the latest dieting fads. Regardless of its name, Atkins, South Beach (remember when it was a destination?), or promises, one pill a day is all you need to burn your stubborn fat; diets, like storage units, are temporary solutions.

Unfortunately for those of us unwilling to give up the ghost, diet plans and storage units both require the outlay of some bucks. The first step is to determine what it is that you will be storing. Perhaps it will be your high-end valuables; think grandma's Chippendales. Will it be stuff that can actually be used again, like the king-sized mattress you are tired of crawling over? How about all that stuff that your mom finally got tired of holding onto?Your costs will depend on a couple of factors: how much stuff, its value (monetary/sentimental), and your needs (can you really maneuver that king-sized mattress into an elevator and down a hall?). A quick trip on the Internet will locate any number of storage facilities ready to do your bidding. A 5 x 5, upstairs by the elevator, will run you about $47 a month. If drive-up access is more your style, you can rent a 10 x 10 for $143 per month. Okay, it is cheaper than buying a larger house; however, at $564 and $1,716 annually, is it really a solution?

Storage units and diets. Quick fixes. What are we avoiding? Sure, it's tough to admit that you made a mistake when you bought a king-sized bed knowing that a move was in your future. It is most definitely easier to swallow a pill (and the hype) than parking your car at the end of the lot and walking a bit more. Who has the time to go through those boxes mom has been saving from the minute the stick turned blue? Why do you have to read the label of yet another box of cereal? Why shouldn't your life, body, home, be adulation-worthy?

Like a liposuction gone bad, our homes, storage units, lives can expand only so far. Filled with stuff, we lose our newfound tidiness. Why are we so willing to settle for the temporary? What it is that prevents us from tackling life head on? If we can spend the time and energy locating and following the latest diet plan, if we are willing to gather our goods for the journey to the storage unit, could it be possible to take the next step? Let go of the "what ifs" and go ahead and display the Chippendales, tell your best friend that her clothes are too small, take the stairs, accept yourself.

Trite and true, life is a journey. No matter how many ways we try to turn it into a destination, like the blood flowing through our veins, life continues until it stops. And that storage facility? I wear a size 6.

Dear Reader, In The Fray is a nonprofit staffed by volunteers. If you liked this piece, could you please donate $10? If you want to help, you can also: