What bags do you consider to be "stealth wealth"?

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#77
I don't think of luxury bags as stealth wealth. It's pretty clear someone spent a lot of money on a bag, but this doesn't indicate wealth... It's not hard to tell that a bag is a luxury bag even without logos... Rich leather is a dead giveaway as is the style.

Actually low end to mid end are stealth wealth to me. Because if you have wealth, you are very stealth by not showing it.

Not to say there is anything wrong with carrying any bag you want... Just that carrying anything you do has no indication of real wealth IMO...
 
#80
pickle said:
I don't think of luxury bags as stealth wealth. It's pretty clear someone spent a lot of money on a bag, but this doesn't indicate wealth... It's not hard to tell that a bag is a luxury bag even without logos... Rich leather is a dead giveaway as is the style.

Actually low end to mid end are stealth wealth to me. Because if you have wealth, you are very stealth by not showing it.

Not to say there is anything wrong with carrying any bag you want... Just that carrying anything you do has no indication of real wealth IMO...
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Yep! I agree with this. I always see the stealth wealth ladies around here eyeing my vintage Coach City when I wear it. It used to make me wonder why then I realized it must be the leather and the fact that there's no indication of what brand it is. Just beautiful leather. And that's usually the same kind of thing they're wearing. Nothing obvious, just good quality. You'd never guess these are rich ladies until you see them get into their cars.
 
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#81
Eugin said:
I think it depends what you mean in terms of stealth: is a bag "subtle" due to lack of obvious logos rather than cost and what demographic you are talking about? The lay person would recognize LV more(esp. mono) even if they are not exactly sure what it is. If you're talking about TPF members, well, people are so informed on this board that even bags like BV are recognizable(esp with the woven leather) and known to be expensive so would that necessarily be stealth wealth? I think especially with TPF members an excellent quality bag that is not easily recognizable by brand(i.e. obscure designer) would fit the definition of stealth better.
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This. Everyone recognizes LV because of the logo and Chanel bags because of their quilted leather. They even recognize MK's that are covered with logos.

However, unless you are another handbag connoisseur, most people will not recognize a Hermes bag except maybe the Birkin, which has been plastered all over US and People magazine because of the Kardashian's.

I have under the radar H bags and I'm in NYC. Not too many people (except the handbag aficionados) recognize a Bolide, a Dalvy, a Market Bag or a Drag - these are all vintage styles that a non H person would not know.

I also think Ferragamo and YSL bags are stealth wealth type bags, more so that Bottega or Balenciaga.

BTW, I don't consider myself wealthy but I love nice bags and splurge when I can
 
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#87
Speaking of stealth wealth, the New York Times had this brief article on "Bags That Don’t Brag," including a little slideshow.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/25/fashion/bags-that-dont-brag.html


When Tyler Ellis describes Tyler Alexandra, her three-season-old line of handbags, she talks about “anonymous branding.” The interior of the elegant Tyler Alexandra doctor’s bag shown here is bright blue suede; it rests on tiny pinecone feet.

What the world sees is the logo-free leather exterior, its only ornament a tab, which the wearer can, if she chooses, stamp with initials of her own.

Low on frills or other forms of ostentatious branding, it represents the kind of low-key carryall fast becoming the standard-bearer for a new kind of luxury: well mannered and, for the most part, devoid of an obvious signature.

The new bag “is still an It bag,” said Meredith Melling, a onetime Vogue editor and now a founder of La Marque, a brand consulting agency. But, she said, “it’s a stealthier bag, lean on ornamentation, making it harder to identify at a glance.”

“It’s not until closer inspection that you notice a signature chain link or closure that you have your aha moment.”

Signifiers of a similarly quiet luxury include bags from Delvaux of Belgium, Moynat of France, Valextra of Italy, Smythson of England and Mark Cross (founded in Boston), each with a heritage of understated classicism, each offering handbags that are meant to last more than a fleeting season or two.

Legacy was very much on Ms. Ellis’s mind when she started her line. “I’ve always wanted to create a bag that my great-granddaughter could still carry,” she said.

Can it be pure chance that Marc Jacobs, he of the logo-laden bags of the recent past, called his new clean-lined interpretation of a doctor’s bag the Incognito?
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#88
Stealth wealth to someone who doesn't hang out on bag forums :p :

Any Hermès bag but the Birkin, the Kelly (although you'd be surprised how many people have no idea what it is), or an Evelyne worn backwards
VBH, the LV SC bag (only)

Stealth wealth that the "in the know" might not even spot (depends on your brand of choice):
The Row
Isaac Reina
Henry Cuir
Delvaux
Vintage Hermès (Drag, Dalvy, Trim, Martine, Passe-Guide, etc.)
 
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#89
The acme of stealth wealth would be to have your own, one-off, self-designed, custom-made bag (by this I do not mean a self-service Birkin or a LV Mon Mono) by a very small, ideally local saddlebag-beltmaker expert craftsman, with ecologically sound materials :-)

Eastern Europe, and other places where craftsmanchip is still high while per-hour and material cost is still relatively low, is a great place to try this...
 
#90
Pimpernel said:
The acme of stealth wealth would be to have your own, one-off, self-designed, custom-made bag (by this I do not mean a self-service Birkin or a LV Mon Mono) by a very small, ideally local saddlebag-beltmaker expert craftsman, with ecologically sound materials :-)

Eastern Europe, and other places where craftsmanchip is still high while per-hour and material cost is still relatively low, is a great place to try this...
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I like your thinking!
 
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