Written by: Roberta

The stoplight has turned yellow, so I slow my vehicle down to a gentle stop, my fingers tapping cadence with the song on the radio as I do so. As I wait for the light to change, I glance over at my Speedy and can't help but smile. I gingerly stroke the red seams on the handle before the light turns green; I find myself still smiling softly as I accelerate past the intersection and this moment in time.

Some would call it obsessive, superficial, or vain. In fact, if I had a dime for every person who finds it appropriate to exclaim that THEY would NEVER spend that much on a PURSE I could actually buy ten of the same purses these self-proclaimed financial advisors appear to loathe so much. However, I have recognized the same gentle gleam in the adoring eye of a man who appreciates a well-made luxury car. The same, tentative touch seen at antique auctions when that just-right mahogany table is spotted by its eventual owner; their fingers lighting tracing the grain at a painstaking pace, as if the wood was telling its own story in a strange version of Braille.

It's not about luxury or status. It's about quality and creativity.

It's the thought of an artist sitting at his station, assembling each piece to the highest standards. Standards that were established over a century ago are engrained in his head and heart, obeyed by his hands as he negotiates each stitch.

It's the thought of new ideas generated in beautiful offices by brilliant minds. You can almost hear the hurried whispers ("do we dare?") down the hallways toward a conference room, where their sketches will provide the media to communicate their vision; a mix of the traditional with the brazen, pop art with monogram, fur embossed with an internationally recognized logo, ostrich and canvas.

And it is the astonishment I feel when I touch my various pieces. It is the sense of all of these things communicated in every detail. It is knowing that regardless of trends, my bags will always be trendy. In spite of fashion changes (and downright upheavals), my bags will be a steady constant.

Carrying a Vuitton is a bold statement of taste and style to be certain. But look beyond to see that a Vuitton is also a statement of commitment. That commitment, more so than any logo, is what comes across in each piece.

In today's world of cheap imports and have-everything-tomorrow, how refreshing and stabilizing is it to hold something so close to you that was made in its own time, by hand, and with true creative genius? A luxury indeed.

Don't be ashamed to love your purse. Let yourself touch and appreciate it as I do. Go purse-sniffing to your heart's content. You aren't obsessive at all- just a buyer who appreciates tradition, fortunate to love a designer whose trends are standards for others to follow.