Maison Martin Margiela Ruched Leather Clutch

I’m betting that most of you have heard “Run This Town,” Jay-Z’s latest single. I live in the outer reaches or the rap-saturated Atlanta radio market, and the song is almost inescapable when listening to about half of the radio presets in my car. As with most slickly produced, high-budget hip-hop, it’s also incredibly catchy and infectious.

It took a few listens before I got all the words, and when I did, I realized that Hova dropped a really odd name in one of the lyrics – Maison Martin Margiela. I don’t know how many of the average pop-rap fans will even understand who that is, or realize that it’s anyone at all, but I found it oddly impressive. MMG is hardly a household name and is not even particularly famous to those that are casually fashion-conscious, so the fact that someone conventionally famous is not only aware that his line exists but also familiar enough with it to include it in braggadocious song lyrics has had me thinking about it for a couple days. And as such, let’s talk about the Maison Martin Margiela Ruched Leather Clutch.

If you’re at all familiar with hip-hop fashion, the restraint that’s used in this clutch and Margiela’s line in general is probably surprising when you consider that it’s been added to the zeitgeist of hip-hop culture. But it’s not surprising that Jay-Z was the one to do it – he long ago transitioned from being a kid from Brooklyn’s Marcy Projects to a businessman with considerable industry clout that also happens to rap on the side, when he gets bored. So the restrained, clean lines of this clutch and Margiela’s vision fit in better with his reputation than any other rapper that I can imagine, perhaps besides fashion-addict Kanye West. Although I’m not sure that Kanye’s taste level, as they would say on Project Runway, is quite developed enough to be treading in this territory. Buy through Saks for $845.