Handbags of Horror
October 3, 2007 3:15 AM   Subscribe

Handbags of Horror High-fashion handbags: They're expensive and ugly. So ugly, in fact, that they could only have been inspired by monsters from horror movies. Radar compares and contrasts.
posted by Faint of Butt (23 comments total) 7 users marked this as a favorite
 
I like the Guardian Angel by Vlieger and Vandam. It's the perfect handbag for an MIT student to wear on a special occasion, like visiting an airport to meet your boyfriend from the plane.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 4:09 AM on October 3, 2007 [2 favorites]


I was just about to come here and snark at the unfunny-ness, but I have to admit that this image alone made me laugh.
posted by Brittanie at 4:12 AM on October 3, 2007


Those are some incredibly ugly and improbable handbags.

And thankfully I can't remember any horror movies at all that feature handbags, much less half a dozen of them, so I'll just pretend I never saw those freaky monsters on the left.
posted by loquacious at 4:31 AM on October 3, 2007


Meh, expensive bags, so? People will pay this, that's the funny bit.
posted by Wilder at 5:21 AM on October 3, 2007


I really don't understand the whole designer handbag thing. They are usually ugly and either a) not big enough for anything more than a condom or b) bigger than my suitcase.
posted by arcticwoman at 5:47 AM on October 3, 2007


Thank you, PeterMcDermott. The Guardian Angel is destined to be a huge hit here in Japan and I'll be able to say I saw it here, first.

(I actually remember the Guardian Angels themselves patrolling the "mean streets" of my childhood barrio. I was more scared of those vigilantes than the proto-gangstas.)
posted by squasha at 6:32 AM on October 3, 2007


Isn't the idea of a loud and garish handbag that it draws attention to the fact that you've bought a hugely expensive accessory with a coveted brand name? Most of the ridiculous bags I've seen have also been adorned with gaudy, shiny, overbearing brand stamped all over the bag.
posted by themadjuggler at 7:48 AM on October 3, 2007


That was actually pretty funny.
posted by Atom Eyes at 7:49 AM on October 3, 2007


I really don't understand the whole designer handbag thing. They are usually ugly and either a) not big enough for anything more than a condom or b) bigger than my suitcase.

a) is why a lot of women (in Los Angeles, at least) have an auxiliary bag to go along with their designer handbag. You see a lot of women with a Prada bag on the right side and a canvas tote on the other, 'cuz truth is - they can't afford the bag they need in an appropriate size from that brand. But they think nobody's going to catch on if they have SOMETHING by Prada or whatever.
posted by katillathehun at 8:07 AM on October 3, 2007


Love those monster/monstrous bags juxtapositions. I'm always up for mocking designers who fall down on their jobs and expect to still be raking in the money. And for ridiculing the people who buy into it like a bunch of sheep.

You know, for me, shopping is really becoming an entirely different experience from what it used to be. It used to be depressing - so many nice things I couldn't afford and that I felt too chubby and homely to wear. Now I'm a total refusenik, and so many of the things I see aren't good enough for me. I'm continually amazed at the hideous things I see with some astronomical price on them, and I know I can make something much nicer for much less money. I don't care anything at all about fashion. I care a lot about style, but brand names, price tags, and novelties for the sake of novelty are irrelevant to style. Style is about fit, cut, quality, suitability, functionality, and the overall effect.

I do have a designer name shoulder bag, but I only bought it after searching everywhere for what I wanted and being certain it was my best option. And I get compliments on it, but no more compliments than I get on any of my handbags, which cost between $2 and $25.
posted by orange swan at 8:55 AM on October 3, 2007 [1 favorite]


Horrors!

Poor sods who buy into the brand. Please use some sense! And use the money wisely at least?

I love my leathers, but these are pure ugly. Were the designers high on something?
posted by schiddin at 9:05 AM on October 3, 2007


Were the designers high on something?

We can only hope.
posted by Kadin2048 at 9:18 AM on October 3, 2007


orange swan: This one's for you! Not just a hideous dress, but a hideous dress pretending to be it's own giant handbag!
posted by maryh at 9:55 AM on October 3, 2007


The real horror of hand bags.
posted by sadie01221975 at 10:14 AM on October 3, 2007 [1 favorite]


That is truly horrible, sadie. How many extra seconds would it take to just put them out of their misery?
posted by letitrain at 12:01 PM on October 3, 2007


Put me in the "$400 purses are offensive, always" camp.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 12:05 PM on October 3, 2007


I can't look at your link, maryh. But my imagination is going to work.
posted by orange swan at 12:22 PM on October 3, 2007


Totally loved this post! Wonderfully funny how the bags really do look like the monsters!
posted by nickyskye at 12:53 PM on October 3, 2007


I just stopped buying anything new (not that I ever spent that kind of money on a handbag for crying out loud) after I saw this. The documentary was about products sold at fairly low-end mall shops, but I'll bet that crap goes on right on up to the $1000 hand-bag mills.

Buy resale.
posted by nax at 1:13 PM on October 3, 2007


So you don't buy, say, new undies, nax?

I do buy a lot of stuff from thrift stores, but shopping second hand does have its limits. And surely you see the logistical problems involved should everyone try to buy nothing but secondhand stuff.
posted by orange swan at 7:07 PM on October 3, 2007


So you don't buy, say, new undies, nax?

Just go commando. Problem solved.
posted by Sangermaine at 8:41 PM on October 3, 2007


They should've also listed the Frankenstein bag: Louis Vuitton Tribute Patchwork. It's patched together from 15 different Louis Vuitton Handbags. Only $45,000+!!
posted by girlhacker at 9:18 PM on October 3, 2007 [1 favorite]


orange swan just you quit messin' with my santimony, y'hear? Sangermaine called it. Although in fact, you can buy brand new undies at resale shops.
posted by nax at 5:15 PM on October 4, 2007


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