But it is exactly what I've felt for the super-expensive Chanel Timeless Classic, Karl Lagerfeld's interpretation of the original Chanel 2.55, in nude lambskin ($4,300), since I first laid eyes on it at the Chanel boutique in Soho, New York, two years ago.
Never mind that I usually pride myself on being a bargain hunter. Mention the classic pocketbook handbag that can barely fit my wallet and mobile phone yet costs more than a month's pay, and I go weak in the knees. My eyes glaze over and I speak gibberish.
'Take my car (a Toyota Rav4 jeep) and give me a Chanel 2.55,' I told my Dad at Christmas last year. He looked at me like I had completely lost it.
There was another time when I SMSed my Mum daily for an entire week: 'I want a Chanel 2.55.'
She knows me and the lightness of my wallet. Her reply at the end of the seven days was: 'Sure. But you'll have absolutely nothing to put in it'.
Ouch. Truth hurts.
But I still cling to my sartorial daydream. A girl in lust is a girl with hope. And like every fool for love, I've resorted to justifying why I should get what my heart desires.
For one, despite its exorbitant price tag, the classic handbag makes good value for money. How many bags can you say go with just about every outfit you own?
But it's more than that. There's something that can't be quantified - the kitsch factor that I absolutely adore.
There's just something so fashionably witty and camp about it. Perhaps it's to do with the gold chain on a basic, classic bag shape. And my enjoyment is all the better when I'm told by the fashion clueless that the overall design looks so 'Amah' (Hokkien for granny).
Amah design on an amah, nuh-uh. Amah design on someone a third that age, ooh la la.
And then there's the fact that toting a 2.55 is the ultimate power symbol for a clotheshorse. Heads turn and eyes darken in envy when girls see a counterpart walk into a room toting one. I know because I'm currently one of those girls.
Wearing that double C classic is one ego boost that money can buy.
Alas, the amount of dough needed is beyond my reach at the moment. I can afford a placement in the lonely hearts column in the Classifieds, though.
'Desperately seeking sturdy, lifelong companion that goes by the name Chanel 2.55. I'll never let you go.'
Any takers?
This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times on Apr 17, 2008.
