Is the $185 Prada ‘paperclip’ fashion’s latest mundane must-have?

The Guardian ^ | 06/27/2017 | Morwenna Ferrier

[BenLurkin]

In fairness, it’s a money clip with a logo, but everyone knows money clips are for rich people (people who deal exclusively in notes) so the irony is still there.

The Prada paperclip has a ring to it, but it’s not the first of its kind. Fashion has long found beauty, humour and profit in designing familiar objects in an unfamiliar way. We saw Jil Sander’s £185 coated-paper “Vasari” bag in 2012 which was just that – an expensive paper bag, cannily designed with coated paper so it didn’t go sodden in the rain. Then there were the £45 leather stickers by Anya Hindmarch, and carrier bags that were embellished with sequins at Ashish for £275, as well as appearing on models’ heads at Christopher Shannon (the subtext was thought to be a commentary on the reality of being a new designer with little disposable capital). Most coveted was Supreme’s logo’d $30 (£23) red clay brick from last year,

[Blue Jays]

Very luxurious paperclip. Steel or polished titanium?

[freedumb2003]

Very luxurious paperclip. Steel or polished titanium?<<

electroplated tin. No one cares about anything except the logo.

And only idiots care about that.

[Blue Jays]

"...electroplated tin..."

---

Yet it might be able to be used many hundreds of times and thus far outlasting a common aluminum paperclip! LOL.

[BlackAdderess]

This is why there is such a thing as counterfeit goods.

[Trteamer]

I sell paperclips. I really like selling paperclips, as there are never any warranty issues...

[McGavin999]

CoCo Channel put out a paper clip necklace that is worth a fortune today.

[Celerity]

Well I suppose that NO ONE would know what a Tiffany’s Dialing Wand is, so this is the next thing on the “Cheapest thing at the jewelry counter” thing for George Peppard.

[sheana]

http://www.smithsonianstore.com/catalog/product_popup.jsp?productId=156708&img=alt_view_img_2

[AndyJackson]

there are never any warranty issues...

At last I found you. That last box I got, I have some issues. You do know about an implied warranty of fitness for purpose. You might be under the impression that you are selling paperclips just to, well, clip together papers. But you know as well as I do that there are many intended uses for paperclips, and just sometimes the paperclip fails to perform the function for which it was purchased...

[TXBlair]

Most coveted was Supreme’s logo’d $30 (£23) red clay brick from last year,...

Logo'd?

Is that like paint'd? Decorat'd? Emblazon'd?

SMH...

[WKUHilltopper]

A fool and his money are soon parted...

[Rio]

Logo isn’t a verb, so I guess they improvised.

[Chode]

they're born every minute, by the thousands...

[Repeat Offender]

A fool and his money are soon parted...

And the quickest way for that is a promiscuous woman and her legs parted.

[Trteamer]

Do you have your receipt?

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

Some people have more dollars than sense.

[upchuck]

I usually just use a paperclip from Staples. Even come in colors.

[Teacher317]

It is worth whatever price someone will buy it for. Basic economics. What’s stunning is that there are enough people looking to buy it to make it worthwhile to Prada to sell it.

[prophetic]

As the old saying goes “A fool and his money are soon parted” & “Some people have more dollars than sense”.