It's not a knock off...

...it is the real thing - a real Louis Vuitton. (Dear Reader, if you have not done so already, you may find that you need to read the last paragraph of this post.)

I am not long off the phone from my sister, The Director. The phone rang. I picked it up. The first words I heard coming down the line from Brisbane were...

It is NOT a knock-off.

You will recall the quandary I was in about whether this was a knock-off or the real McCoy. Herself had been over it with a fine-tooth comb explaining to me (the Clueless One) how some interior parts were so beautifully finished - and, without doubt, the manufacturer of a knock-off would not have been bothered.

We knew that The Director's personal and corporate style would demand The Real Thing. But, there was that nagging knowledge of what a canny and crafty shopper The Director is - across the globe, even.

Well, the mystery has been resolved. As in the best mysteries, the known facts were all true - not contradictory.

Known Fact No.1

The Director's personal and corporate style demanded that this be the Real Thing. TRUE

Know Fact No. 2

The Director is a canny and crafty shopper. TRUE

The answer to the mystery is that Miss Eagle is the third owner in succession of this bag. Herself is in the queue to be the fourth.

That canny and crafty Director purchased the Louis Vuitton second hand and estimates it now to be about six to seven years old. Now, why didn't I think of that. Because another attribute of The Director is that she is Queen of Consignment Fashion - high quality second hand clothing, usually with a designer label attached purchased at a fraction of the cost of the real thing.

The Director advises that one waits until the acquisitive classes have had their fling and discard. One then moves in for the kill bargain.

I have instructions for keeping it looking good.

• Keep it in a sleeper bag made of calico. Alternatively, keep it in a pillow case. Never keep it in a plastic bag.
• Once or twice a year dust of with a wipe of whatever sort of cream you usually clean your leather goods with.

The Director advises that the bag has been to Ireland at least three times. This will mean a few other places as well like London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Tuscany and New York.

The Director notes how well I like the shape, the size, the style, the commodious-ness of the bag. She advises that I am about to find out why so many women pay so much money for such a bag. .....Mmmm the feel of luxury. But ...aaaaah the craftsmanship.

PS: The picture above is not of the actual bag. The one in question is a different shape - but matches in all other respects.