DESIGNING WOMEN

Feb 27, 2012 Features / Columnists, Tony Deyal column

If the Devil wears Prada, who wears Louis Vuitton?  The answer came this Carnival when the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, showed up at a pre-Carnival event, headlining Machel Montano, in a pair of US$795 boots with the Louis Vuitton brand.
According to the Trinidad Express, “They are described as a ‘punchy sneaker boot in grained leather and sequins Louis Vuitton shoes’.”  The responses were mixed— some blaming the newspaper for highlighting celebrity trivia and others saying that it is a bad example for the Prime Minister to spend so much on shoes when there are children who are starving.
One writer with the nom de plume “Trini Chick” commented, “I’m no Kamla fan but I think she’s entitled to spend her money how she pleases. More importantly, is the shock in knowing those ugly shoes, that did not match the outfit, cost $5000. That’s the shameful part.”
“Lil Trini Woman” advised, “Take your education, do well in school, stay off drugs and do the right thing and you will be able to afford things like this.”  “Bacteriocidal” was adamant, “Our Caribbean queen deserves the best that money can buy. She worked for her dollar.”
One of the Prime Minister’s critics, most likely someone of my generation, remembered the Nancy Sinatra 1966 hit, “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’”.  He even quoted some of the lyrics from the chorus, “These boots are made for walkin’/ And that’s what they will do/ And one of these days these boots are gonna/ Walk all over you.”
Clearly he believes, like many other critics, that the present Government of TNT is trampling on the rights of the citizenry, a sentiment similar to the Barbados situation that prompted Gabby’s “Government Boots” in 1984.  Several people also pointed out that carnival costumes cost more than the PM’s shoes and that since it was not the public purse paying for the footwear, there was no problem.
Comparisons were also made about the difference in style between the TNT Prime Minister and the US First Lady, Michelle Obama.  There is, in fact, a website (mrs.O.com) which is dedicated to “following the fashion and style of First Lady, Michelle Obama, since 2008.”  The site tells you, for instance, “The President and First Lady attended the 2011 National Medal of Arts and Humanities Medal in the East Room at the White House today. On the style front, Mrs. O wore a mix print wrap dress paired with black boots.”
Other fashion tidbits include, “Mrs. O wears a Rachel Roy Deep Sea Blue Crepe Drape Neck Dress” and the site-link lets you know it costs US$445 and also a “Jason Wu for Target Sleeveless Chiffon Dress in Navy Floral”.  You are also told that the dress is sold out online but available from some Target stores.  Recently, the first lady wore a “Moschino sheath dress adorned with a fabric rosette at the right shoulder” together with a “diamond brooch by Garavelli”, which was an anniversary gift from the President.  No Trinidad newspaper comes even close to this “depth” of coverage.
But, is there a Louis Vuitton connection between the TNT PM and the American First Lady?  A fashion website says, “Supermodel Naomi Campbell has once voiced out her fondness with the Louis Vuitton line and is frequently photographed toting around an LV bag.
Professional Tennis player Anna Kournikova has also been spotted with an LV limited edition bag while she was on her way to a party and even First Lady Michelle Obama has a few Louis Vuitton handbags tucked away in her closet.”
A Louis Vuitton bag also featured prominently in a matter involving another political figure – the former Prime Minister of Grenada, Dr. Keith Mitchell.  An article in a Trinidad newspaper in August 2007 stated that former TNT Attorney General, Ramesh Maharaj, was representing Dr. Mitchell at a Commission of Enquiry headed by Dr. Richard Cheltenham, investigating allegations made by a journalist in a 2004 Miami newsletter called Offshore Alert.
The newsletter claimed that Mitchell took a US$500,000 cash bribe from Eric Resteiner in a Louis Vuitton bag on a trip to Switzerland. Resteiner was made a diplomatic representative of Grenada to Switzerland. Dr. Mitchell consistently denied receiving any bribe and maintained that he got US$15,000 as reimbursements.
This prompted one critic to say that it is unusual for the receptacle to be worth more than the contents.
The fact that Vuitton has a “joke” bag has added fuel to the controversy which died down during the Carnival season and may be rekindled after Ash Wednesday.  The bags are sold as “authentic Louis Vuitton Richard Prince Mancrazy “accessories.
Ashlee Simpson’s cost about US$2,200 and another sold for US$3,995.   Many of the jokes are from the king of one-liners, Henny Youngman.  They include, “Every time I meet a girl who can cook like my Mother…She looks like my Father.”; “My wife went to the beauty shop and got a mud pack. For two days she looked beautiful. Then the mud feel off.”; “I’ve been married for thirty years and I’m still in love with the same woman. If my wife ever finds out, she’ll kill me.”
Speaking of bags, Youngman once quipped, “Getting on a plane, I told the ticket lady, ‘Send one of my bags to New York, send one to Los Angeles, and send one to Miami.’ She said, ‘We can’t do that!’ I told her, ‘You did it last week!’”
I suppose that given the designer preoccupation a joke about the TNT PM’s recent trip to India had to emerge.  It is said that when the two PMs met they spent a lot of time discussing the heavy weight of the offices they carried, their burdensome responsibilities and all the many demands on their time.
The Indian PM, Dr. Manmohan Singh, revealed that he was responsible for several Ministries including Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, as well as Planning, Atomic Energy and Space.  He then turned to the TNT PM and asked, “And what is your portfolio?”  She replied with a proud smile, “Louis Vuitton of course.”

*Tony Deyal was last seen saying that it is ironic to find on a US$3,000 Louis Vuitton handbag the following one-liner, “My wife is always asking for money.  $200 one day, $150 the next, $125 after that. “That’s crazy,” my friend said. “what does she do with it all?” “I don’t know,” I said. “I never gave her any.”