Plenty of people prefer not to spend their money on embossed exotics, and I can see their point. The embossed pattern never looks as good as the real thing, and when you’re acquainted with the actual material, toting around the fake stuff can seem like a constant remind of how awesome a design could have looked. I like embossed materials from time to time, but I think the people who steer clear of them entirely have a very valid argument.
What I cannot abide, however, is a fake exotic embossed onto fake leather, which is exactly what we have with the Marc by Marc Jacobs Ozzie Square Lucy Tote, and I’m honestly a tad offended. I’ve had several Marc by Marc Jacobs bags over the years, and I’ve always been impressed with the quality of leather that the brand provides for its usually very reasonable price point. So what the heck is this?
For now, I’m going to give the company the benefit of the doubt and assume that the use of PVC was meant to appease the Marc by Marc Jacobs clientele who might be opposed to wearing leather. Since the brand tends to draw in a young, urban, hipster crowd, it stands to reason that a subset of the average MbMJ customers would indeed prefer non-leather bags. But if that’s the case, why still charge several hundred dollars when everyone knows that the material probably cost pennies? I have the same problem with Stella McCartney’s handbags – the manufacturing price and the final retail price seem almost entirely unrelated. At least Marc’s PVC purses are cheaper than Stella’s, though. A small victory. Buy through ShopBop for $398.
