Carrying lunch into the office from home can be one way to save money — except, perhaps, when it is stored in Pharrell Williams’ Louis Vuitton sandwich bag costing over US$3,000. Record producer and designer Williams, who was named men’s creative director of the French luxury fashion house last February, has seemingly drawn inspiration from the classic paper sandwich bag for one of his latest designs, reimagining it as a high fashion accessory. Instead of paper, the large clutch bag — seen tucked under the arms of models on the runway during Williams’ debut collection on the Pont Neuf in Paris last June — is made of cowhide leather “in exactly the same color as the house’s famed (paper) shopping bags,” the label said. The comparisons don’t end there. Precisely folded to resemble its more quotidian counterpart, the accessory also features the iconic Louis Vuitton lettering as well as a blue fastening, evoking the grosgrain handles of the house’s bags, to keep sandwiches — or more likely, something more precious — secure. The piece went on sale Jan. 4 exclusively at the brand’s West Hollywood pop-up store, retailing for US$3,130. But it’s not the first time that Louis Vuitton has drawn inspiration from everyday accessories. In its Spring-Summer 2007 collection, the fashion house paid homage to the budget-friendly checkered plastic laundry bags beloved the world over. In 2022, the brand also released a cross-body bag resembling a paint can (complete with metal handle), “decorated with playful references to Louis Vuitton’s heritage.” The paint can bag was designed by Louis Vuitton’s late creative director Virgil Abloh who, in a 2021 interview with design magazine “Icon,” cited the artist Marcel Duchamp — renowned for transforming everyday objects into art — as one of his heroes. Other fashion houses have employed this approach too: In 2014, designer Ashish Gupta revamped the plastic grocery bag into a sequined statement piece at a premium price, saying that it paid “homage to everyday life.” “It’s also perhaps a revolt against the disposable nature of fast fashion,” Gupta said. “It’s taking a classic but throw-away object and turning it into something with longevity, that can be appreciated outside of its usual context for its timeless design quality.” But such designs can court controversy — and ridicule. In 2017, Balenciaga released a US$2,145 bag that looked just like Ikea’s iconic 99 cent crinkly, blue “Frakta” bag, and promptly went viral on social media. (SD-Agencies) Words to Learn 相關詞匯 【日常的】rìcháng de quotidian ordinary, everyday 【亮片裝飾的】liàngpiàn zhuāngshì de sequined covered in or decorated with small, shiny disks 去辦公室上班自帶午餐可能是種省錢大法 – 除非你用的是法瑞爾?威廉姆斯的路易威登三明治袋，因為這種袋子標價超過3000美元。 唱片制作人兼設計師威廉姆斯去年2月被任命為法國奢侈時裝品牌路易威登的男裝創意總監，他的新設計似乎從經典的三明治紙袋中汲取了靈感，將其演繹為高級時尚配飾。 去年6月，威廉姆斯在巴黎新橋舉行的首次時裝發布會上，人們看到這個大號手拿包被模特夾在腋下，不過不是紙質、而是用牛皮制成的，顏色與該品牌的紙質購物袋一模一樣。 相似之處不止于此：這款手袋的折疊方式與普通購物袋相似，上面印有路易威登的品牌名稱和藍色扣環，讓人聯想到該品牌購物袋的羅緞提手，可以裝三明治或者更貴重的東西。 該商品1月4日起在路易威登西好萊塢的快閃店獨家發售，零售價為3130美元。這并不是路易威登第一次從日常物件中汲取靈感。 在2007年的春夏系列中，路易威登就曾向全世界都喜愛的經濟實惠的格紋塑料洗衣袋致敬。2022 年，路易威登還推出了一款類似油漆桶的斜挎包 （配有金屬手柄），“包身裝飾俏皮地體現了路易威登的傳統”。 油漆桶包由路易威登已故創意總監維吉爾?阿布洛設計， 2021年接受設計雜志《Icon》采訪時他提到藝術家馬塞爾?杜尚是自己的偶像。 其他時裝品牌也有類似做法：2014 年，設計師阿希什?古普塔以將塑料購物袋改造成售價不菲的亮片裝飾單品，表示這是在“向日常生活致敬”。 古普塔說：“這或許是對快時尚‘用后即棄’消費方式的反抗。將常見的一次性物品變成一件具有長久生命力的東西，不過時的設計讓人們欣賞它日常之外的用途。” 但這樣的設計也會引發爭議和群嘲。2017年，巴黎世家發布了一款價值2145美元的手袋，外形酷似宜家的Frakta手提袋（這種皺巴巴的藍色袋子標價99美分），當時社交媒體一片嘩然。(Translated by Debra) | 