Louis Vuitton home to caviar and champagne set
Well, you can forget those days. On Wednesday, Louis Vuitton opened in what can only be described as the luxury wing of Towson Town Center. The French designer is to leather handbags and accessories what Taittinger is to champagne and beluga sturgeon are to caviar.
Think women’s wallets for $535 or more and a man’s billfold for $315 - and that’s the cheap stuff. When relatively simple handbags cost more than $2,000, you know you’re not in Wal-Mart country anymore.
But what’s notable about this is not only that Vuitton is willing to make such an investment at the height of an economic recession (although that’s plenty amazing, too), but that Towson shoppers are perceived as willing and financially able to support such a venture. You can bet that the company has done plenty of surveys and studies to back up the decision, too.
Vuitton joins Lacoste and Burberry at Towson, and more designers may be on the way. Clearly, Towson isn’t just for the Talbot’s and Hess Shoes crowd anymore.
How much longer before Dulaney Valley Road becomes the next Rodeo Drive or Fifth Avenue? Well, maybe not. But there’s a certain peculiar pride in knowing that rich people are coming over to humble Towson to score some trendiness - as long as they are willing to behave appropriately, that is.
