We’ve known for a while that exotic handbags would figure prominently in Louis Vuitton’s bid to capture more top-tier accessories customers, and now we’re getting an idea of just how prominent they’ll be. Vuitton has added five new alligator and crocodile bags to its website, including the $31,000 Louis Vuitton Deesse MM Crocodile Tote, the most expensive of the group. The prices, of course, are not surprising (especially compared to Hermes), but the fact that several of the bags are utterly perfect might be.
I don’t use superlatives like that often, but the Desse, which was originally produced in Monogram Vernis, and the Rossmore PM shoulder bag are both seriously stunning odes to luxurious minimalism. Not only do they fit perfectly into the industry’s current aesthetic trends, but they resist the ostentatious branding that has makes many people shy away from even some of LV’s most beautiful pieces. The shoulder bags get a bit of understated hardware engraving, but the totes and the NN 14 bag, first seen on the brand’s Spring 2014 runway, lack any branding that we can see from the company’s stock photos. That sort of restraint, mixed with these best-of-the-best materials, is exactly what Louis Vuitton needs in order to charm the world’s most sought-after luxury consumers.
It’s also interesting that Vuitton has chosen to display (although not sell) these bags on its website. In the past, Vuitton’s most exclusive pieces were kept off of the site’s visual inventory, their existence known only to those who watch the brand closely. Changing public perception means making these kinds of bags visible, right alongside Monogram Canvas. We know which ones we prefer, but our wallets have other ideas. Check out all the colors and shapes, along with price information, below.