路易威登新款鳄鱼皮包贵过奔驰车

Just in time for holiday shopping - for an incredibly small selection of uber-wealthy customers - Louis Vuitton has unveiled its most expensive handbag of the moment: a $55,000 alligator skin purse.
正值假日购物旺季，为吸引少数的富有顾客，路易威登（Louis Vuitton）推出了该品牌迄今为止最贵的手提包：一款价值5.5万美元（约35万人民币）的鳄鱼皮手袋。

More expensive than a new Mercedes and costlier than a cruise around the world, the City Steamer features genuine alligator skin, cowhide lining, an engraved padlock, a nametag, and a hot-stamped LV Circle.
其价格超过了一辆新款的梅赛德斯·奔驰（Mercedes）汽车，也比乘游艇环游世界的花费更高。该款City Steamer的特色是：真鳄鱼皮制作、牛皮内衬、雕刻挂锁、配有名牌及烫印的LV标志。

The nude-colored number can be carried in hand, over the shoulder, or cross-body, and has 'ample room for papers and files' - and stacks and stacks of money, naturally.
这款裸色的包包可以手提、单肩背、斜挎，有“足够的空间装资料和文件”，自然也可以装大把的钞票。

Of course, the French design house is hardly the only one to offer exclusive accessories inaccessible to the masses - or even most of the upper class, for that matter.
当然，这家法国公司并不是唯一一家提供高档配饰的公司，这些高档配饰普通群众无法触及，就此而言，甚至上流社会的大部分人都无力购买。

Several other designers are also selling bags that cost five figures this season, though it's unknown how many of the swanky satchels and totes they actually manage to sell.
这一季，另外有几家公司也推出了价格5位数的包包，虽然还不知道他们事实上成功出售了多少款奢华背包和手提包。

Hermes's Birkin bags have always been pricey, but their alligator and crocodile skin versions can cost upwards of $100,000.
爱马仕的铂金包通常售价高昂，但是它的鳄鱼皮包售价更可高达10万美元。

Perhaps inspired by the French brand's air of exclusivity, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen set jaws dropping in 2011 when they debuted their $39,000 crocodile backpack for The Row, which is still available for purchase.
也许是受法国品牌专卖氛围的影响，玛莉·凯特与艾希莉·欧森（Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen）在2011年以惊人的价格推出The Row品牌的首款鳄鱼皮背包，售价为3.9万美元，这款包包现在仍有在售。

The Italian-made splurge was the priciest item in an already extravagant line - and the twins managed to attach even heftier price tags after collaborating with artist Damien Hirst a year later.
意大利制造的奢侈品在奢侈品行业中，售价已属最高。然而，在此之后一年，这对双胞胎姐妹与艺术家达米恩·赫斯特（Damien Hirst）合作，包包的标价变得更高。

Hirst decorated a series of 12 one-of-a-kind gator backpacks, adorning them with gold and mutilcolor spots, as well as brightly-hued pills. They went for $55,000 each and are sold out.
赫斯特设计了一系列短吻鳄鱼皮背包，共有12款，包上绘有金色和彩色的斑点，饰以亮色的小球。这一系列每个包包要价5.5万美元，已成功售罄。

Fendi's not far behind The Row with its $34,000 3Jours Alligator Shopper, a flared gusset tote with top handles made in Italy.
与The Row相比，芬迪（Fendi）也不甘示弱，推出价值3.4万美元的3Jours鳄鱼皮系列，这是一款两侧向外呈三角形的包包，提手在意大利制造。

Only a few hundred dollars less than that is Saint Laurent's Sac De Jour Small Alligator Tote, a $33,500 structured piece that has three separate compartments inside. And with that kind of price, shoppers should be able to expect free shipping.
圣罗兰（Saint Laurent）的Sac De Jour鳄鱼皮小手提包，比3Jours仅仅便宜几百美元，价格为3.35万美元，包包内设三个隔层。售价如此高昂，消费者运费可免。

Those gator bags' crocodile cousins went into making Valentino's most luxurious bag of the moment. The brand's $30,045 Tricolor Crocodile Satchel Bag has a color-block design and suede lining to justify the credit card bill.
华伦天奴（Valentino）使用短吻鳄的近亲鳄鱼的皮制造出其目前最奢华的一款包包，叫做Tricolor鳄鱼皮剑桥包，售价30045美元，采用色块设计，软羔皮内衬，确保物有所值。

It's also made of an exotic skin, which designers are increasingly using to up the luxe factor of their bags. According to Bloomburg, exotic skins now make up ten percent of revenue from luxury brands' handbag sales, and can sell for 30 times more than leather pieces.
这款包包也是采用稀有鳄鱼皮制作而成。稀有皮革越来越受设计师们的喜爱，用以增添包包的奢华元素。据彭博社称：稀有皮革包包的收益目前占奢侈品品牌手提包收入的10%，价格比普通皮革包包高出30倍。

That's because crocodiles are expensive and difficult to raise, and getting a perfect skin - one that hasn't been damaged during the animal's life - is even more challenging.
这是因为鳄鱼皮价格昂贵，难以收集，而要得到一张完美的鳄鱼皮，更是难上加难：这意味着鳄鱼的一生中，皮都不能受损。

The use of these skins is also controversial. This summer, members of the animal rights group PETA went undercover at an 'alligator factory' that provides skins for Hermes, exposing that the creatures were kept in terrible conditions.
这些鳄鱼皮的使用也引发了争议。今年夏天，数名来自动物权益保护组织——善待动物组织（PETA）的成员，潜入一家为爱马仕提供鳄鱼皮的‘短吻鳄工厂’做卧底，将这些鳄鱼所处的极糟糕的环境曝光。

The exposé outraged many who read about claims that animal handlers shot, cut, and stabbed the gators, as well as kept them in dark sheds without sunshine or clean water.
这让了解到这一现象的人们愤怒不已，揭露者称：工作人员枪杀、切割、戳刺鳄鱼，将它们饲养在没有阳光和清水的昏暗棚屋里。

Bottega Veneta's most upscale bag, a $29,600 Edoardo Soft Crocodile Fume Roma Bag, is of course made of crocodile leather as well.
宝缇嘉（Bottega Veneta）最高档的包包，是一款名为Edoardo的烟熏软鳄鱼皮罗马包，售价2.96万美元，当然，该款包包同样由鳄鱼皮制作而成。

The brand describes the item as 'pure luxury', crafted from the exotic skin with woven handles and suede-lined compartments. Leather versions are available for just $3,450.
该品牌将其描述为‘纯粹的奢华’，由国外稀有的鳄鱼皮精心制作而成，编织的手柄，软羔皮内衬隔层。皮革款仅售3450美元。

Ralph Lauren makes an alligator bag, too, selling a $29,500 drawstring crossbody that's lined with calfskin and features a wooden lock.
国际著名服装品牌拉夫·劳伦（Ralph Lauren）也推出了一款鳄鱼皮包包，售价2.95万美元，这是一款抽绳斜跨包，小牛皮内衬，配有特色木锁。

Italian brand Gucci also demonstrates the sexy allure of a scaly texture with its Jackie Bucket Bag. For $22,000, wealthy shoppers can snap up a brown, hand-stained crocodile version - but $2,850 will get the same style in leather, $2,300 will snag it in suede.
另外，意大利品牌古驰（Gucci）也推出了一款性感魅惑、鳞状结构，名为Jackie的水桶包。这款包包售价2.2万美元，富有的消费者可以抢购这款棕色、手工染色的鳄鱼皮包，但你只要花2850美元就可以买到牛皮制造的同款包包，花2300美元便可得到软羔皮制作的同款包包。

Vocabulary

uber-wealthy: 超级富有的人
alligator: 短吻鳄
padlock: 挂锁
swanky: 奢华的
tote: 托特包，大手提袋
suede: 小山羊皮
snag: 抓住（机会等）

英文来源：每日邮报
译者：张根鸿
审校&编辑：丹妮